Chapters
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Names Index
Chapter II
The First Settlers
Samuel Howard built a cabin in the neighborhood
of Laurel Hill in the year 1834. This was
as early as I can ascertain the beginning of the history of the
settlement. He emigrated from Rhea County. He was a man of medium height and weighed over
two hundred pounds. He was very firm and
quiet and was a man of great soundness of judgement.
He was one of the first justices of the peace ever elected in
Bradley County. At that time a justice was
considered the most learned man to be found and it was true to a
considerable extent. There were but a few
preachers or doctors and if a schoolteacher could work
to the double rule of three he was very learned indeed.
He reared five children, one son, Logan, and four daughters,
Zina, Sarah, Catherine, and Margaret. Mr.
Howard
was a very worthy character and many of his descendants are proud of
their
ancestry.
The next settler in this community was William
Howard, a brother of the venerable squire. He
lived about two miles from his brother and was also a worthy character. He reared a large family, mostly boys, who are
scattered in many parts of the country and who still maintain the
manliness common to the Howard stock.
Henry Airheart was the next squatter in this
section. He also emigrated from Rhea. He was a Dutchman and was the father of a
large family of girls and boys, who are the grandmothers and
grandfathers of quite a generation scattered abroad over this country. Mr. Airheart’s wife was so large and such a
curiosity that the ferryman at Blythe’s Ferry, as they moved to this
county, said she was show enough to pay the ferriage.
James Lauderdale emigrated soon after the
Howards
from the same county. Mr. Lauderdale was
the
first sheriff of Bradley County. His folks
are all gone from here.
Elias Hutchinson emigrated from some of the
upper
counties and was the first blacksmith in the settlement.
He, of course, being the first manufacturer, was a very
important
character. His family is gone from here
and
I know little of him.
John Johnson was among the first squatters of
1836. He emigrated from Monroe County. He was a genial man, full of fun, but was a
devout Christian of the Methodist order, and was a great Sunday school
man. He would read the scriptures and
comment on them at Sunday school, and never saw a word he could not
pronounce, though a goodly number he pronounced wrong.
Mr. Johnson had a good wife. They
reared a large family and both died since the war at a ripe old age.
Among the immigrants, while the Indians were
still here, was Samuel Maroon. Mr. Maroon
was a very firm, industrious man and became one of the best farmers in
the section. He lived to a ripe old age
and left a family of both boys and girls, some of whom still live at
the old Maroon settlement. After Mr.
Maroon’s boys were grown and had learned to drive horses to the wagon,
he said he could yoke his oxen and drive two miles before every boy on
the place could put the cheek lines on their horses.
About the same year, 1836, Henderson Thatch
emigrated from Monroe County and settled neighbor to Mr. Maroon. Mr. Thatch was a man of medium height, of red
complexion and weighed about one hundred and seventy-five pounds. He was raised as a bound boy in North
Carolina, emigrated to Monroe County, and there by industry and
economy, accumulated enough to enter his farm in the new territory and
to loan money to many of his neighbors who emigrated later. Mr. Thatch was a strict Methodist. If his boys transgressed his rules on Sunday,
he did
not correct them that day, but brought them to taw on Monday Morning. He was married twice and was the father of
four girls by his first wife and seven boys by his second.
He built the first threshing machine ever pulled by horse power
in this neighborhood. It was a permanent
wood structure in a large two-story barn and the people had to haul
their grain to it. He threshed for the
straw. Before this they whipped out their
grain with a hickory club called a flail. Mr.
Thatch lived to be old and died beloved and respected by all who knew
him.
Thomas Gardner, a son-in-law of H. Thatch, was
among the first settlers of this section. He
also was an emigrant from Monroe. His
first cabin was built on what proved to be the school land, but this
did not dishearten him. He entered another
piece, built another cabin and reared a highly respected family of boys
and girls. His wife was one of the
jolliest women in the section. It was a
treat to all the young people to get to go
to Aunt Katie’s as everybody called her. They
both lived to be old. The old lady died
while at her son’s, Monroe Gardner, in Missouri.
Another of the first settlers was John Igou. Mr. Igou was from Rhea County.
He was one of the first merchants of this section was also one
of the first justices of the peace. He was
a highly respected and worthy citizen. He
reared a large family of girls and boys, one of which, J.W. Igou, still
lives at the old homestead.
Samuel McSpadden was an immigrant from Monroe
County and was one of the best farmers in the neighborhood. He was a very pious, gentlemanly fellow and
his house was the home of Methodist preachers, although he did not
become a Christian himself until he was well stricken in years. Mr.
McSpadden was blessed with nine children who lived to be the fathers
and mothers of many bright and useful men and women of this country.
Arthur Orr was among the emigrants from Monroe. He entered a farm near S. McSpadden’s and
reared a large family of children by his first wife, then married a
Mrs. Johnson who was the mother of a large family.
She then died and he married a Mrs. Hall.
Jacob Brown is another of Monroe’s emigrants. Mr. Brown was a very outspoken, harem-skarem
fellow and was a Methodist exhorter. He
talked long and loud in his exhortations, used some very large words,
the meaning of which his hearers were ignorant; in fact, it is
questionable whether or not they had any meaning. Once
in an exhortation on the rebellion, Mr. Brown said, “The Southern
Confederacy is as dead as the very d----l, dat are plank.”
Nevertheless, Uncle Jacob was an excellent citizen and one of
the most useful men in the settlement. He
reared a family of four children, two boys, both of whom are dead, and
two girls who still survive.
Stewart McSpadden was an early settler and a
brother of Samuel McSpadden. He lived in
the northeast corner of the settlement and was a highly respected,
worthy character. He raised a large family
of children, some of whom still live in the settlement.
Thomas Early settled here in 1843.
He was an economical bachelor and a successful farmer. He and Ephraim Huffins lived together many
years. Mr. Early lived to be old, and
always rode a fine horse. His death was a
little mysterious. He was one day leaving
the house of S.M. Thatch, with
a newspaper in his hand, which he is supposed to have been reading as
he
rode along, and was found dead in the road a short distance from the
house he had just left. He still had the
newspaper and his riding whip in his hand.
John Roberts was among the first settlers and
built the first mill in this section, It
was called a tub mill. The water wheel at
the mill rock were on the same shaft and at one end, the other at the
other. He also built the first sawmill. The saw was in the shape of a cross cut,
standing on the end, and ran up and down. It
was run by waterpower and would saw two or three hundred feet per day. Mr. Roberts’ folks are all gone from here and
I know but little of his history.
B.F. Jones, another old citizen, was born in the
state of Maryland and came here when young. He
was a very successful farmer and reared a large family, some of whom
still live in this section. M.V. Jones,
who is a successful businessman of Cleveland, is a son of his. Esquire James Jones, of Flint Springs, is
another son who has been quite successful as a farmer.
Thomas Jones, another son, lived most of his life in this
settlement and was a successful farmer and died about ten years ago
respected by all who knew him.
B.F. Jones lived to be seventy-three years of age.
Joel Kelly was an old settler, a successful
farmer and a good citizen. He raised a
family of five children, who have all been good people and are
scattered abroad over this country, as good citizens as ever were found.