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THE OLD HOUSE SPEAKS IN 1988
Life without
imagination would be dull and drab, so I ask you to take advantage of your
imagination that I, an “Old House”, am speaking and telling a story of my
life (if a house can be said to have a life). It is also the true story of the Campbell
family since they came to America.
I am still
standing on the site, which a fourth generation Campbell and his wife
selected to make their home. In this
direct line was Robert, born in County Down, Ireland; his son Alexander,
born in Prince Edward County, Virginia; his son Hamilton Crockett, born in
1786 in probably what was Virginia at the time and is now Tennessee. He settled in what is the village of
Campbellsville, Giles County Tennessee.
His son Alexander is the builder of my homestead and the line of Campbells who lived within my walls soon after Giles
County was established in the early years of the 1800’s.
Hamilton
Crockett built a two-story log house near a big, ever-flowing spring, which
still gives good fresh water to the people around the community. This house is still standing but was
recently purchased out of the family ownership, along with several other
farms, by Cuban investors.
The first
Campbell of which we have a record is Robert, who landed in Philadelphia
around 1725 as a boy seven-years-old then drifted southward through
Virginia or South Carolina. He and
his wife seemed to be of Scottish Presbyterian stock from Ireland. His wife’s name was Leticia. This name was mentioned in the record of
several families in early days. It
was not mentioned, however, in recent times until one of Robert Campbell’s
sons, Gillis, and his wife, Martha Dimmock
Campbell, named their first child Leticia.
Martha, daughter of Al and “Chick” Dimmock,
and Gillis were very good dear friends of Donald and Wessie
Campbell through the years since he served as pastor of the Presbyterian
Church in Pulaski.
The first
Hamilton Crockett fought in the War of 1812 and was in the famous battle of
Great Horseshoe Bend in Alabama. He
married Mary Mitchell Dickey after settling in what is Campbellsville Giles
County, Tennessee. She was said to
have been a woman of remarkable beauty and superior intelligence. She died
at the age of 89 and left 79 living descendants.
They were
the parents of the second Alexander who married Margaret McErwin Thompson.
Not much is known about her before he marriage save that she lived
in the vicinity near where Reelfoot Lake was
formed in West Tennessee and the fact that her mother, Mrs. Matilda
Henderson, is buried in the northwest corner of the community cemetery at
Campbellsville. Many of the first Campbells are buried at the family cemetery behind the
house that Hamilton Crockett built.
A deed and right of way to this cemetery is recorded in the Giles
County Courthouse. The present
family of the homestead takes care of this cemetery.
Alexander
and Margaret selected me as their home site beside a big spring, which was
a necessity in those days, and built their first home. They has six children: 1) Mary Matilda, married Frank Kimbrough
of Weakley Creek, 2) Margaret Ann, married Frank’s brother, Jim of Weakly,
3) Martha Caroline, married John Clinton Hannah of Campbellsville who
became county official, 4) Crockett, Alexander’s son, happened to meet
Forest when she stopped there one day on her way home from visiting a
friend and there began a friendship which led to marriage, 5) Laura Etta
did not marry early and lived with Crockett and Forest until she married
Markus West. They had one child
Malcolm Campbell, who lived in Columbia, Tennessee until 1988 and died
there. 6) Robert Newton, the younger boy became a Presbyterian
preacher. He married Belle Covey and
they had four children. He
contracted Tuberculosis and died a few hours before his son Robert was born
in 1903. Alexander died at an early
age resulting probably from a blow to the head which he received from a man
accused of stealing a hog from a neighbor.
Alexander was trying to help get the hog back for the owner. After his death Margaret’s house burned
and she was left with six children and no house. I, (this house) was probably put up at a
“Log Rolling”, a big event of a neighborhood in which a log house was put
up sometimes in one day by neighbor men, while their wives cooked a big
dinner in the middle of the day. This
was a useful custom for pioneers.
Trees for the logs were plentiful and the houses strong. The houses were usually, as this one was,
two big rooms with a half story above and an open hall between the rooms,
open at each end for storage of wood, work area, cool sitting room,
etc. This was known as a “Dog Trot”
through which the dogs would run and bark hoping for food from the table at
meal time. Those eating would toss
bread to them saying “Hush Puppy”, thus came the origin of a popular food
in the South today, a corn meal cake of bread served with fish or
chicken. Margaret’s house was noted
as most homes then were, for hospitality and as the custom was the widowed
Mother made her home with the child who kept the home place after the
father’s death. Crockett, who began
helping support the family by farming at age eleven, kept the house with
his wife, Forest, and took care of his Mother. Nothing is reported of any conflicts
between the new daughter-in-law when she came into
the home. The three age groups had
never heard of the custom or term “Generation Gap.” Crockett felt the influence of his
Mother’s teaching, and his and Forest’s home became one of the homes in the
church’s custom of entertaining the preachers by inviting them to spend
Saturday night before holding services on Sunday. They always had discussion on the Bible
issues and called on the preacher to have a prayer with the host family
before leaving. Usually the prayers
went on and on (it seemed to the children).
On one occasion like that, Donald and Grace, now almost grown, were
the only children at home. For some
reason, probably citing some chores to be done managed to stay out of the
parlor where the discussions were taking place. They decided they would both sneak off to
bed and escape the long prayer and they did so but when time for the prayer
came and trick was discovered, what happened? Each name was called and each had to get
dressed and come and sit for the prayer just the same. They should have been ashamed for such
conduct. I’m afraid this isn’t
practiced now days but more family praying would make better families
today.
Margaret
raised her children in the strict Presbyterian custom of working six days
of the week and resting on the Sabbath Day, but with the entire family
attending church and friends going home with someone to eat a big
dinner. This was not a very restful
day for the women but as much as could be, was prepared on Saturday. The only cooling system was in the cool
water of the spring house, a shelter over the spring in which they kept
buckets of food sitting over night.
Sitting under a shade tree and talking was the Sunday afternoon
entertainment. Even children did not
play loud and rowdy games on Sunday.
It was said the Margaret’s son who became a preacher wanted to play
with his little wagon one Sunday and was told not to do that, he replied
that he would play under the house where God couldn’t see him. (I do not remember what Margaret’s
reaction was.) The houses were built
with a space underneath so that a cellar for storing food was dug out and
there was room enough to walk or play under the house.
Crockett and
Forest lived all their married life in the “Old House” caring for Margaret
as long as she lived, as was the custom before the idea of nursing homes
occurred. They had six children, the first one Albert Clinton, died when he
was a small baby, Burney Walker was born in 1893, then Ann Elizabeth was
born two years later, Donald Andrew was born two years later. Almanza about two years later but died when she was two
or three years old, then in 1903 Grace Crockett was born. They grew up
enjoying life together, each helping with the work of the home, and going
to the two-teacher school. Burney and Elizabeth went to boarding school in
Lynnville, Tennessee. This was called the Robert E. Jones School and
consolidated into being Richland High School today along with
Campbellsville and other small schools nearby with school buses. Children
used to walk to school, the father coming in the wagon after the children
when a snow caught them at school, then some rode horses, then went in pony
carts or double buggies where as now it is the
custom to have a car for the teenagers and school buses all over the
country side or even across the small town. “I have seen a lot of changes
in my time.”
Burney
served in World War 1 from December 1917 until about spring time 1919 never
going overseas but guarding German prisoners who had been captured in Germany
and shipped overseas to America to get them out of the way. This was the
first break in my close family. Many of my family members never traveled to
Nashville in earlier days. Now I watch over the hills seeing my folks fly
overhead but always coming back to my peaceful hills. Well, the old ones
chatter on and on and I must get back to my account of the people you will
remember and trace the line of modern Campbells.
Crockett and
Forest’s son returned from his far away camp at Columbia, South Carolina
and even as far as Jacksonville, Florida to Camp Johnston. We study the
pictures Burney sent back of the marvelous cities, palm trees, alligators
and ocean, dreaming of someday seeing these things and rejoiced when we
could once more gather daily within these walls with our familiar local
affairs. Burney married Virginia Knox and they lived in Lynnville. They had
no children, but reared a cousin whose name was Virginia, and she became
their daughter. She and her husband J.T. Lowery lived with them and cared
for them in their old age with their son, Jim and his son Brad, giving
their grandparents joy. Teaching the boys to fish became their hobbies as
well as cooking all good things for them.
Ann
Elizabeth, the next child had beautiful auburn hair, she had two
grandchildren that followed her with this, Harrell Murrey
and Mary Ann Morris Jefferson. However as they got older their hair color
changed. She became an elementary school teacher and married Turner Orr
Morris who taught for a short time and became a farmer. They bought her
father’s farm after their death for 2,800.00 and moved to my homestead to
carry on the tradition. Their first child William Campbell was two months
old when they moved from his birth-place, Little Dry Creek. He grew up on
the farm and spent almost three years in the U.S. Army stationed in Camp
Jackson then in Kaiserslauten, Germany.
Their next
child was Jane Elizabeth. She graduated from Martin College then from the
University of Tennessee and became a County Demonstration agent at
Gallatin.
The youngest
child, John Newton, played football for Campbellsville High School, and
later went on to play for the University of Wyoming. He made his home
Wyoming.
Donald
Andrew was the next child of the Crockett and Forest and he married Wessie Eugenia Campbell and they lived in Pulaski where
their two daughters grew up. The first one, Jane Burns, graduate at Rhodes
College, then known as Southwestern, a Presbyterian University at Memphis.
She was named as a Phi Beta Kappa member and became a school teacher just
after she married Charles Gilbert Hosay of
Pulaski in 1956. He was a Baptist minister. They have three boys who were
raised mostly in Virginia and still live there.-Charles Andrew, James
Lesley and John Morgan. James married Jackie Cutchin
and they have a girl Lisa Nicole and a son James Alexander. John Morgan and
Andy do work such as city planning as does their father helping to make a
better life for the elderly or disadvantaged and restoration of old
sections of the city. James is in the U.S. Army Band and serves as an
organizer of music and sometimes directing the band. Andy taught for the
University of Virginia and restores old historic houses.
The younger
girl, Mary Don, obtained her Doctor of Education degree to become Dean of a
branch of Home Economics in Kansas State University at Manhattan, Kansas.
She married a native of that city, Virgil, after going there to teach. They
have two daughters, Mary Virginia (Ginger) who came to Knoxville, Tennessee
for her college education where her mother graduated. She majored in
Journalism and now lives in Kansas City where she works. Her sister Laura
Jane (Janie) has an Associate Veterinary degree and specializes in the
health of horses and trains and rides for her own recreation/ she also
lives in Manhattan, Kansas.
The next
Crockett child was Almanza, who died when about
three years of age then the youngest child, Grace Crockett was born in
1903. She grew up loving school and was very sad when, due to the poor
health of her mother and father, she could not go away from home to school
until there was a High School built in Campbellsville four years later.
Grace returned to school and by being old enough to realize the value of a
good education, she really studied and made good use of study time which
was limited by home chores. She won the honor scholarship medal and
graduated in 1926 in the first high school class. Only six pupils were
enrolled this first year in the senior class.
Now began
the effort to go to college in the fall. With only $100.00 and a lot of
determination, the family sent her to Middle Tennessee State Teachers
College in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for two college quarters then she had to
return home to the farm when her father became very sick. He died in a few
months and she obtained all the rest of her college work and B.S. degree in
summer school and wherever college credits could be gained. Finally in 1942
the degree from Peabody was realized and extra credits earned with teaching
experience, while working on preparation for teaching she spent spare time
observing teachers with classes at Peabody Demonstration School, a valuable
help in ways to interest and make practical schoolroom methods.
After her fathers death in 1927, Grace finished out the year
teaching at an eighth grade school at Pigeon Roost, a one teacher school
for $55.00 a month an eight month term, and again the next year, then to
Elkton first and second grades, then progressed to a nine month school and
Pulaski Elementary School in a building used for a hospital during the
Civil War. Just prior to this move, school had been held in the basement of
the Massey Boys School. Teachers were allowed to live in the little
upstairs dormitory rooms of the closed Massey School although cracks were
forming in some of the rooms. Money was not available for teachers to pay
rent. She graduated Peabody College in 1942. After sixteen years in first
grade from 1930 to 1946 she transferred to first grade in Winter Garden,
Florida near Orlando and taught there twenty three years, then stayed on in
the town after retirement in this beautiful section of the country until
1981 before moving back to Pulaski. Forty two years of teaching first grade
has offered many opportunities and pleasures.
After
Elizabeth and Turner moved to this Old House in 1927 there was gaiety and
activity with three children working and playing on the hills and valleys.
Much hard work was necessary, as times in the thirties and forties were
lean years with not much spending money. There were William Campbell, Jane
Elizabeth, and John Newton. All graduates of Campbellsville High School.
William Campbell served in the U.S. Army in Kaiserslauten,
Germany part of three years. We missed him from our halls on two
Christmases. He returned in 1955 and married Ruth Nesbitt of Gallatin. They
lived in Pulaski and Ruth became a Licensed Practical Nurse and worked a
number of years at Giles County Hospital.
Elizabeth
Turner’s daughter, Jane Elizabeth, graduated at Martin College then at the
University of Tennessee in Home Economics in Home Demonstration work and
became a Home Demonstration Agent in Sumner Co. Gallatin, Tennessee. She
married Harrell Preston Murrey of Gallatin and
they moved to Russellville, Kentucky where three children were born.
Harrell Preston, Jr. married Loretta Martin and they are expecting their
first child in May 1989. Harrell is employed at Donnely
Printers and Loretta is a teacher at a local college and working on her
doctrine in English. William Floyd (Bill) married Terri Lessenberry.
They have two children, William Ryan age 6 and Anne Kathryne
age 3. They are employed with a family insurance business. Both boys
married Glasgow, Kentucky girls after they moved from Russellville. Jane
Grace was born next in Russellville and moved to Glasgow when she was
small, and lives there now. She completed her training as a beautician. She
is working part time as a beautician and also works at a local company in
the dietary department. John Morris was born in Glasgow and is enrolled in
his third year in music at Middle Tennessee State University, where he is
training to be a band master.
Jane
Elizabeth was an assistant librarian at the High School in Glasgow until
her sudden death of a heart attack on February 18, 1988.
Elizabeth
and Turner’s youngest child, John Newton born in 1931 grew up on the farm
and went to the University of Wyoming at Laramie and played on the football
team for four years and then in ROTC training. After graduation, he married Norma Jean
Bell, daughter of pioneer family in the ranching business. John served in the Army as second
Lieutenant at Fort Benning and in Missouri. He then settled on a ranch near Cheyenne,
Wyoming raising cattle and race horses.
Their three girls enjoyed riding and ranch life. Their oldest daughter Betsey married Jack
Graham and with children John Morris, Jamie, and KaLea
(Katheryn Leigh) live in California where she is
a homemaker and substitute teacher.
Karen went into television after winning the title of “Junior Miss
America” in 1984, but is now occupying her time caring for Taylor and Katheryn, identical twin girls almost a year old and
occasionally making commercials for television. She married Curt Gowdy,
Jr., Sports Director for ABC television in New York City. The youngest child Marcy Jo has just
finished a five year college course with a B.A. degree and will teach
Dramatics and Music this fall.
After the
death of Elizabeth, Turner lived alone and life was quiet and lonely. Turner had always put in his days farming
and raising stock and now had to take on housekeeping also, a chore he did
not like or find much time for. With
the help of his daughter-in-law, Ruth, he got through those years. The farm was bought by William Campbell
and Ruth and after modernizing my still strong sturdy frame the family
moved in in 1976 and I was beautiful and functional on the interior and
more attractive in every way.
Now three
different age groups of friends of the three Morris girls brought fun and
interest around.
Deborah
Carol went to Martin College and then continued on to graduate at The
University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1978 with a B.S. in Nursing. In 1980, she married Donald Eugene Hickerson of Lynnvillle. They have a six year old son Jonathan
Morris and a three year old daughter Jennifer Susann who enjoys riding
ponies and horses and makes the grandfathers enjoy hose shows and riding in
parades.
The next
girl, Mary Ann, graduated from Giles County High School and also attended
Martin College and was cheerleader for their sports. She married Mark Tague
Jefferson of Huntsville, Alabama and they live there. Mary Ann is an accountant manager for an
advertising agency and real estate agent.
The youngest
girl, Susan Janine attended High School at Richland School and served
through several years of cheerleading.
She graduated from High School there and married Jeffery English
Montgomery of Pulaski in 1986. He is
an airman E4 at Hurlburt Field, Fort Walton
Beach, Florida. They have a little
son Jeffery, Jr. age 2 and return for visits. They are expecting another child in April
1989. Susan is a homemaker and works
part-time.
I have seen
many changes take place since I first took my stand here early in the 1800
era and my walls are strong and useful and so are my people. My hope is that each generation leaves a
good heritage of highest ideas and habits of obedience to God and
Country. I hope they instill in each
inhabitant an appreciation of our blessings in being able to worship and
serve God in such a way that those dwelling in this house will be eternally
blessed with a rich heritage.
I’m the oldest
Campbell to remember
In 1988 this
December.
I want to record
who our ancestors were and what they were like
As men and women
and children as well,
Hoping the young
ones will tell,
Of our ancestors
and homes and where they lived
Part of the story
that has gone before
And how dependence
on God was still the trend
And still the most
important thing that has ever been.
With a great love
and enjoyment for all my family,
Aunt Grace
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