Now it's time to DANCE (and visit some Governors)

I have several passions in life...obviously history is one...another is my family and friends and finally music. I've been a fanatical music fan as long as I can remember and honestly some of my earliest memories are tied to some song or another. I've been, and am, a fan of everything from Hank Williams to Kanye West, from Miranda Lambert to Minor Threat...There are, in fact, very few bands or artists that I can't find at least something that I enjoy.

Music has brought me great joy in life and been with me through the deaths of both of my grandmothers. When my Nanny died I couldn't stop listening to Juliana Hatfield's album Hey Babe, when my Mawmaw died it was Public Enemy It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back...both strange choices but also both albums that I begged my grandmothers to take me to the mall to purchase and being the loving grandmothers that they were (are) they both happily obliged.

Minus the fact that she is beautiful, one of the first things that attracted me to Amber was the fact that she was a fan of the band Material Issue. When we got married we were obsessed with Elton John's song , "Tiny Dancer", and listened to it basically on repeat for days and when we found out she was pregnant with Major we became obsessed with the Mumford and Son song, "Timshel". Ask me any period in our relationship and chances are I can tell you what music we were listening to at that particular time.

Since the day Major came home from the hospital we have attempted to expose him to as much music as possible. One of the first days we were home I sat with him on the couch and listened to old country music all day. When he was upset, for whatever reason, The Decemberists calmed him and his love for the theme-song to The Simpsons was evident by his efforts to see the TV anytime the song was playing.

So to say that his first live music experience was important to us is an understatement. We toyed with taking him to see Steve Martin perform bluegrass this past summer, but decided against it for various reasons. It all clicked into place, however, when we found out that Yo Gabba Gabba was touring and playing in Knoxville, which is just a few hours from us. Ever since he was tiny he has loved Yo Gabba Gabba...he'll watch as Mark Mothersbaugh draws or Biz Markie does his beat of the day and dance anytime the Super Music Friend Show band performs.

We weren't sure how to expect him to react to the whole live experience, but minus shear terror at the very beginning he was enthralled by the show and stared at the performers with a look of amazement on his face. Sitting there with him, I couldn't help but be thankful that I have such an amazing child and that he is growing up so beautifully. He seems to be developing a love for something that has been with me for so many years...a love of music that will hopefully bring him joy for his entire life...and I think that is all that any parent can really hope for at the end of the day is that their child is healthy and happy...for if they have those two things everything else will be okay.

Oh and I also got to visit a few graves while we were in Knoxville.

#1

 Name: William Blount

Birth: 26 March 1749

Death: 21 March 1800
Age at Death: 50 years, 11 months, 23 days

Interment: First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN

Term in Office: September 20, 1790 – March 30, 1796

(Technically served as Governor of the United States of America South of the River Ohio)

Political Party: Democratic Republican

William Blount was born on March 26, 1749, near Windsor, North Carolina. 

In 1776, William entered into service in the Revolutionary War, serving as paymaster with several units fighting out of North Carolina. On February 12, 1778, William married Mary Grainger, with whom he would have six children. Following the war he would enter into the North Carolina House of Commons and as a delegate to the US Constitutional Convention and would be one of the signers of this document. In 1790, William was appointed as Governor of the Territory of the United States, South of the River Ohio, as well as superintendent of Indian Affairs, by then President George Washington. He would serve in these positions for six years, dealing with the early establishment of the region and issues with the local Indian Tribes. Following his term as governor of the region he would go on to serve as President of the Tennessee Constitutional Convention and be elected to serve in the United States Senate. On June 8, 1797, however, William would be expelled from the Senate because of his involvement in an affair involving an attack on Spanish Florida and Louisiana. Despite his expulsion from the U.S. Senate, William was elected to serve in the State Senate the following year and would also serve as Speaker of that body. Two years later, William died at his home in Knoxville on March 21, 1800. 

#2

 Name: John Sevier

Birth: 23 September 1745

Death: 24 September 1814
Age at Death: 70 years, 2 days

Interment: Old Knox County Courthouse  

Term in Office: March 30, 1796 – September 23, 1801 & September 23, 1803 – September 20, 1809

Political Party: Democratic Republican

John Sevier was born in New Market, Virginia, on September 23, 1745. John would marry Sarah Hawkins in 1761 and move with his wife into the Holston settlement, which was located in what would become East Tennessee. At the onset of the Revolutionary War, John would work his way to the position of Colonel in a division that was known as the Overmountain Men, which was a division of men from West of the Appalachian Mountains. John would lead them in their greatest victory over loyalist fighters at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Following the war he would first serve as Governor of the ill-fated State of Franklin from 1785 until its dissolution in 1788. After this term he would serve as Brigadier-General in the Tennessee State Militia for five years. In March of 1796, he would be sat as the first Governor of Tennessee, which would be entered into the Union on June 1, 1796. He would serve a total of six years before having to step down due to the term limits set forth by the Tennessee Constitution. It was following his first term that his rivalry with Andrew Jackson, a supporter Archibald Roane, the man who won the governorship following Sevier. Their argument would almost come to the point of a duel, which was going to take place in Kingston, TN, but both men would walk away without firing a shot. Following Roane’s term as governor, John would again be elected as governor serving another six years. At the end of his next term, John would first serve two years in the Tennessee State Senate and then four years in the United States Congress. He would die in 1815, while surveying the boundary between the Creek Nation and the State of Georgia, first being interred at Fort Decataur his remains would later be moved to their current resting place on the grounds of the Old Knox County Courthouse. 

#3

Name: Archibald Roane

Birth: circa 1759

Death: 18 January 1819
Age at Death: 59 or 60 years

Interment: Pleasant Forest Cemetery, Farragut, TN

Term in Office: September 23, 1801 – September 23, 1803
Political Party: Democratic Republican

Archibald Roane was born in Lancaster County, PA, sometime in 1759.  After the death of both of his parents in 1767, Archibald was made a ward of his uncle John Roane, who was a Presbyterian Clergy man and saw to it that he received a good education. Sometime around the year 1780, he moved to Liberty Hall, VA, and married Ann Campbell.  He was later admitted into the bar and set up practice in Jonesborugh and Greeneville, TN. In 1790, he was selected as the Attorney General for the Territory of the United States West of the River Ohio and would go on to be one of the original framers of the Tennessee Constitution. In 1801, he was elected Governor of Tennessee and would spend two years in this position, during which time he would deal with helping to define the border between Tennessee and Virginia. He would lose his reelection bid to John Sevier, after serving only one term. Following his time as governor he would return to practicing the law and serve as a Circuit Judge as well as on the Superior Court of Errors and Appeals until his death on January 18, 1819. 

#21

 

Name: William Gannaway Brownlow

Birth: 29 August 1805

Death: 28 April 1877
Age at Death: 71 years, 8 months

Interment: Old Gray Cemetery, Knoxville, TN

Term in Office: April 5, 1865 – February 25, 1869
Political Party: Republican

William Gannaway Brownlow was born on August 29, 1805, in Wythe County , VA, and moved at a very early age to Eastern Tennessee.  After the death of both of his parents in 1816, he was left to the care of his mother’s family. He would enter into the Methodist ministry in 1826 and spend the next ten years as a traveling minister, also known as a circuit rider.  Following his marriage he would become editor first of the Tennessee Whig newspaper and then the Knoxville Whig. In 1861, after the outbreak of the Civil War, he refused to swear allegiance to the Confederate Government and would be forced into hiding near Cades Cove, TN. He would be captured and interred in a Confederate prison camp in Knoxville but be set free after his inhuman treatment suffered at the hands of his captors was exposed.  Following his release he would spend time traveling the north drumming up support for the Unionists who were still in Knoxville.  William would return to Knoxville following the cities occupation by the forces of Union commander, General Ambrose Burnside, and immediately reopen his newspaper under the name Knoxville Whig and Rebel Ventilator. He would be seated as governor following the seat being vacated by Andrew Johnson, due to the death of Abraham Lincoln, and go on to win the position outright in the next election. Under his governorship Tennessee would become the first state readmitted into the Union following the Civil War. In 1869, he would be elected to the United States Senate and serve there for the next six years.  Retiring from the senate in 1875, William would die on April 28, 1877.

Gone but Not Forgotten: The tale of Country Johnny and the Six Governors

Despite the fact that William and I saw a horse that had been hit by a car lying dead on the side of the road, which is something I can honestly say I had never seen before and hope and pray I never see again, I would have to say that the one thing from this particular trip that stands out in my head more than anything is: Country Johnny Mathis. 

Now, admittedly, 90% of the graves that I ‘hunt’ are political or historical in nature but anytime I have a chance to visit a celebrity or anything of that nature, I rarely pass it by and thus was the case with Mr. Mathis. By the time we decided to visit Johnny, we had already seen five governors in four different cities and were on the tail end of what had been a fantastic day. Our first stop was Eagleville and the grave of Newton Cannon in a private family plot. The second was at the grave of Henry Horton, which is located in the park named in his honor, in Chapel Hill. Next we were off to Shelbyville and the grave of Prentice Cooper at an amazing little country church cemetery. From there it was onward to Lewisburg and the graves of both Buford Ellington and Jim McCord in Lewisburg.

After leaving Lewisburg and heading towards Pulaski, and our final grave, we drove through the small town of Cornersville and a cemetery called Beechwood. Having plenty of time to kill, I jumped on my cellphone and decided to see if anyone of historical or celebrity note was buried there and much to our surprise a gentleman by the name of Johnny Mathis was interred here. Now, not many people are aware that there are TWO Johnny Mathis’ in entertainment…one, and easily the more famous, working in the pop world, and another, Country Johnny, not nearly as famous, working in the world of 1950s Country Western. Country Johnny was born in Maude County, Texas, in 1930 and made some waves on country music radio and had a few minor hits and wrote a few more for other country artists of the time, including the below track that George Jones recorded. Honestly, neither William nor myself were familiar with him, but decided that we should stop by and pay our respects. 

Beechwood Cemetery is a very classic looking/feeling small town cemetery, and not having any idea what Johnny’s marker looked like, we decided to spend some time just wandering. It was amazing to see the generations of families that were buried here. From the early settlers of the area and participants in every war imaginable from the Revolutionary War onward. We wandered amongst the gravestones looking for a needle in the haystack, while taking it all in at the same time. Some of the tombstones were so badly damaged that they were illegible and decaying while a gravestone right next to it might be in mint condition. 

This got me to thinking about the state of one of the governor’s graves that we visited, that of Newton Cannon, and how at one time he was one of the most important men in the state of Tennessee and now his earthly remains lie in a graveyard overrun with vines, weeds and bushes…essentially lost to all but a few. Sadly, this is the case often times, the people and names that change the course of one generation are lost to the next. Thus was the case with Newton and thus was the case with Country Johnny Mathis and so many more just like them.

The sign marking the general location of Newton's grave

After spending nearly an hour wandering the graveyard, we decided that we needed to give up the search in order to insure that we could make it to our final governor’s grave (John C. Brown) before the day got away from us. It wasn’t until we arrived home that William did a little more research and discovered that Country Johnny had only died a few short weeks before our visit and as such his grave wouldn’t have had a marker yet…we vowed then and there that we would return to Beechwood and pay our respects to a man that was largely unknown to us but loved by so many and that the next time we were there we’d proudly be listening to the music that was his legacy. So Country Johnny until we meet again, from William and myself, rest in peace.

#11

Name: Newton Cannon

Birth: 22 May 1781

Death: 16 September 1841
Age at Death: 60 years, 3 months, 25 days old

Interment: Newton Cannon Cemetery, Eagleville, TN

Term in Office: October 12, 1835 – October 14, 1839

Political Party: Whig

Newton Cannon was born on May 22, 1781 in Guilford County, NC . He would move with his family to Williamson County, TN at the age of nine.  After school he entered into several different occupations before settling into his role as a farmer.  His political career began in 1811, as a state senator. When the Creek War of 1813 broke out he enlisted in the army and served with distinction. It was around this time that his lifelong personal and political opposition to Andrew Jackson would begin. Newton would go on to oppose Andrew Jackson on nearly all of his political endeavors. Following the war he would again enter into politics this time serving in the United States House of Representatives. In 1819, at the request of then President James Monroe, Newton was sent to negotiate a peace treaty with the Chickasaw Indians. He continued his role as congressman until 1823, at which point he would return to Tennessee and resume his role as a farmer. First running for governor in 1827, he was defeated by Sam Houston. Running successfully for governor again in 1835, he would spend two consecutive terms as governor before being defeated by James K Polk, who had been called back to Tennessee by Andrew Jackson specifically for the task of taking on Newton for the governorship.  He was married twice, first in 1813 to Leah Perkins, who died three short years later, and again to Rachel Wilborn, and would father a total of ten children. Newton passed away on September 16, 1841, and was laid to rest in a private family plot on his land in Rutherford County, TN.

#23

Name: John Calvin Brown

Birth: 6 January 1827

Death: 17 August 1889
Age at Death: 62 years, 7 months, 11 days old

Interment: Mapplewood Cemetery, Pulaski, TN

Term in Office: October 10, 1871 – January 18, 1875

Political Party: Democrat

John Calvin Brown was born in Giles County, TN, on January 6, 1827 to Duncan and Mary Brown . His elder brother, Neil S. Brown, was also a governor of Tennessee.  He graduated from Jackson College in 1846 and established a law practice in the city of Pulaski, TN. As a Whig he opposed secession but in 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War, Brown enlisted in the Confederate Army as a Private but was almost immediately elevated to the level of Colonel.  On February 16, 1862, he was captured by the Union Army following the surrender of Fort Donelson and would spend the next eight months as a prisoner of war before being released as part of a prisoner exchange. Following his release he was promoted to the level of Brigadier General and served in the army of Braxton Bragg. He was wounded in the battles of Perryville, Chickamauga and again in Franklin and finally surrendering command of his division to Joseph Johnston in April, 1865.  Entering into politics following the war he would first serve in the State Constitutional Convention, where he was elected President of the body. In 1870, he would successfully run for Governor of the State and would spend two terms in this position. Following his term as Governor he would unsuccessfully run for senate, losing to former president, Andrew Johnson. He would spend the next thirteen years working for the Texas and Pacific Railroad Company, eventually becoming its President. He would retire from this position in 1889 and die the same year of a stomach hemorrhage.

#41

Name: Henry H. Horton

Birth: 17 February 1866

Death: 2 July 1934
Age at Death: 68 years, 4 months and 15 days old

Interment: Wilhoite Cemetery, Chapel Hill, TN

Term in Office: October 3, 1927 – January 17, 1933

Political Party: Democrat

Henry Horton Hollis was born on February 17,1866, in Princeton, AL.  Henry would begin his professional career as a teacher before being admitted into the bar in 1894.  His first foray into politics would be in the Tennessee State Senate, where he would ultimately become Speaker. On October 2, 1927, based on the laws of Tennessee, as Speaker, Henry would become governor of the state following the death of the current governor, Austin Peay. Despite several individuals ascending to the governorship because of a vacated seat, Henry is the only individual to take over this position following the death of the current governor.  During his term in office he would lower the Tennessee Property tax and increase the tax on cigarettes to fund education.  In 1930, shortly following his election to his second term, Henry’s close friend and political backer, Luke Lea, was caught up in a bank scandal. While never formally charged with any wrongdoings, Henry’s administration was tied to this scandal and in 1932 he would not seek reelection. He would die on July 2, 1932 at his home in Chapel Hill, TN.  Following his death his property along the Duck River was acquired by the state and a park named in his honor was established on this land.

#44

Name: Prentice Cooper

Birth: 22 September 1895

Death: 18 May 1969
Age at Death: 73 years, 7 months, 27 days old

Interment: Jenkins Chapel Cemetery, Shelbyville, TN

Term in Office: January 16, 1939 – January 16, 1945

Political Party: Democrat

William Prentice Cooper, Jr., was born on September 28, 1895, to William Prentice and Argentine Cooper near Shelbyville, TN.  He would attend both Vanderbilt and Princeton Universities and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1917, after the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted in the Army as a Private and would be leave the army in 1919 as a Second Lieutenant. In 1922, he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives and would serve in that position until being elected to Attorney General of the Eighth Judicial Circuit.  1937 would see yet another change of position for Prentice when he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate and would only serve here for one year before running for governor in 1938. The election was hard fought but Cooper, who had attracted the favor of Memphis Political boss, EH Crump, would go on to win. During his three terms as Governor, he would fight for education reforms and being the wartime governor, would help oversee the establishment of an atomic facility in Oak Ridge, where the atomic bomb was made, as well as a new military base at Fort Campbell.  Following his terms as governor, he would be appointed as ambassador to Peru, where he would remain for two years.  Following his return from Peru , he would marry Hortense Powell and father three children, including a current congressman from Tennessee, Jim Cooper. Returning to Shelbyville he would die at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and be buried at Jenkins Chapel Cemetery. 

#45

Name: Jim Nance McCord

Birth: 17 March 1879

Death: 2 September 1968
Age at Death: 89 years, 5 months, 16 days

Interment: Lone Oak Cemetery, Lewisburg, TN

Term in Office: January 16, 1945 – January 16, 1949

Political Party: Democrat

Jim Nance McCord was born on March 17, 1879, in Unionville, TN, to Thomas and Iva McCord. Following his graduation, McCord would spend the next ten years as a traveling salesman before moving into the newspaper industry in 1910, as Publisher of the Marshall Gazette. Elected as Mayor of Lewisburg in 1927, a position he would hold for thirteen consecutive terms until 1942, a position he would only leave after being elected to the United States Congress. He would only serve one term as Congressman before being elected as Governor of Tennessee on November 7, 1944. Recognized as a strong friend of education, he fought for pay raises for teachers and principals and even went as far as establishing a sales tax (of 2%) in order to fund education.  Following his stint as governor he would serve in the administration of Governor Frank Clement as Commissioner of Conversation. Following the death of his first wife, Vera Kercheval, who he married in 1901 and who passed away in 1953, Jim would be married twice more before dying in Nashville on September 2, 1968. 

#48

Name: Buford Ellington

Birth: 17 March 1879

Death: 2 September 1968
Age at Death: 64 years, 9 months and 7 days old

Interment: Lone Oak Cemetery, Lewisburg, TN

Term in Office: January 19, 1959 – January 15, 1963 & January 16, 1967 – January 16, 1971

Political Party: Democrat

Buford Ellington was born on June 27, 1907, in Holmes County, MS. He was originally a merchant and farmer before being pegged by then Governor Frank Clement . Following the end of Clement’s term limit, Buford would run successfully for Governor, the two would spend the next 12 years alternating the governorship and collectively hold the seat from 1953 until 1971. Much of the Civil Rights movement would take place during this time period and Buford would go from a moderate segregationist to a proponent for racial integration. He would also develop a close friendship and working relationship with President Lyndon Johnson and serve as a moderator in talks between Johnson and Alabama governor George Wallace during the Selma to Montgomery walks. After leaving office Buford would die two years later in Boca Raton, FL, on April 3, 1972, and be buried at Lone Oak Cemetery in Lewisburg, TN.  Among the mourners at his funeral was a very frail looking Lyndon Johnson, who would pass away just a short eight months later. 

#16 William Trousdale

We are all literally surrounded by history, but most of us never think about it beyond a fleeting moment. Glancing out the window on my way to work, I see the sign for the Hermitage,  Clover Bottom Mansion (home of John Donelson)  and the studio where Elvis used to record (RCA Studio B). I drive past the site of one of the first Iron Works in Nashville, and one of the oldest, still active, Episcopal Churches in the area. I work in the shadow of the main site of the Union occupation during the Civil War and honestly spend very little time thinking about any of those things. They are just buildings and signs and noise that I tune out in my rush to get by from day to day. On a recent trip to see a Governor though, Major and I, took the time to show the potential of what surrounds you if you only take the time to look.

Major takes a moment out to rest at one of our many stops of the day

The first stop on our journey was Sumner County and to the Gallatin City Cemetery, which is the final resting place of the former Tennessee Governor, William Trousdale. Interestingly, it is also the site of one of only a few monuments in the entire country dedicated to the memory of those who served in the Mexican War. The monument lists the names of the 55 individuals from Sumner County who lost their lives during this conflict.

Mexican War Monument, Gallatin, TN

The next stop on our trip was to be Castalian Springs, which is located about 5 miles outside of Gallatin and to the family graveyard that contains the remains of former Governor William Hall. However, after leaving the cemetery I noticed a marker for Trousdale Place, which was the residence of William Trousdale. After stopping there to get a few pictures and attempting to visit the Sumner County Museum (which was unfortunately closed) we were back on the road to Castalian Springs. 

Trousdale Place, Gallatin, TN

The interesting thing about burial in the 1800s was that while some people were buried in 'proper' cemeteries a large percentage of people were buried in private or family cemeteries and over time these graves have become overgrown and forgotten. Unfortunately, William Hall's grave can be counted amongst the later group. The only information I had was that the graveyard sat about 2/10th of a mile off of the main road, but after driving aimlessly for twenty minutes I decided to give up my search and do a little more research before attempting this visit again. I was, however, able to locate the historical marker erected to Hall.

Feeling down at my lack of success and it being lunchtime, we decided it was time to call it a day, but on the way home we happened to pass a sign that said "Bledsoe's Fort Historical Park" and decided that it was the perfect day for lunch in a park. I have to admit that I was completely unaware that there was even such a thing as Bledsoe's Fort. Interestingly, the fort was one of the original exploratory outposts/settlements established in the West  (Middle Tennessee) and was founded around the same time that Fort Nashborough was founded in Nashville. The park today includes a few recreated buildings as well as an active excavation site.

Following a brief tour of the park and a bite to eat we got back on the road to head home, but no more than a mile down the road saw another historical sign this time pointing us toward Cragfont Historical Home. Having no-where to be and nothing planned for the rest of the day we decided to make another quick detour. Cragfont is a plantation house that was built in 1802 and still stands today. The house was the residence of War of 1812 hero and one of the founders of Memphis, TN, James Winchester. In addition to the house there is also a very nice rose garden, pond and a family cemetery that are all open for tours by the public. Unfortunately, the guided tours of the house were not being offered on the day that we visited but the beauty of the land where the house stands made the stop worthwhile.

Cragfont

Having completely exhausted ourselves and with the day winding down we decided to head home. As I drove, I began to think about the very nature of this blog and I realized what it is 'really' about. It isn't, as I had originally planned, just about the former Governors of the State, but, is in fact, about the State itself. The history that has been largely forgotten by all except a few, but that is staring us in the face every day. My challenge to you is the next time you're driving down the road and see one of those historical markers, pull over and read it, the next time you pass a sign inviting you to visit a historical site take the time out to do it...the experience will be well worth your time.

#16

Name: William Trousdale

Birth: 23 September 1790

Death: 27 March 1872
Age at Death: 81 years, 6 months, 4 days old

Interment: Gallatin City Cemetery

Term in Office: October 16, 1849 – October 16, 1851

Political Party: Democrat

William Trousdale was born on September 23, 1790 in Sumner County, TN. At the outbreak of the Creek War in 1813, Trousdale volunteered for the army and fought under Andrew Jackson. He would again enlist  the following year in order to fight in the War of 1812. Returning to Sumner County, following the war, he would continue his studies and be admitted to the bar in the year 1820 and would enter into law practice until war broke out again, this time with Seminole Indians in Florida. Following an unsuccessful attempt at entering politics he would  find himself, yet again, in the midst of war, this time with Mexico, where after being appointed to Colonel in the infantry by  President Polk, he would serve with distinction, earning the nickname, "The Warhorse of Sumner County,." In 1849, he ran for Governor as a democrat and defeated the incumbent, Neil S. Brown. He would serve only one term, however, losing his reelection bid. In 1853, he would be appointed as Minister to Brazil by President Franklin Pierce . He would serve in this post until the end of Pierce's term in 1857. Returning again to Sumner county he would retire from public life and die at his home on March 27, 1872.