Transcription of Heritage Society Site Articles
Heritage Society Site
Articles
All of the below has been cut and pasted, therefore it is presented here EXACTLY
as transcribed by the SUBMITTER.
Macon County, NC Heritage Society Web Site: Submitted by Diana Ford
Submitted to Brendel Brendle Brindel Brindle Forum by Diana Ford - January 4, 2000.
Rev. John McDowell
My 3rd great grandfather Rev. John McDowell stated in one of his letters to
Lyman Draper that he was born in the lower part of the state of Georgia in
1800. I do not know the name of
his mother, but his father was Daniel McDowell according to historian and
author Silas McDowell who was a distant cousin and a prominent farmer in the
Sugartown community of
Franklin, North Carolina. Our grandfather, Reverend John, in his letter to
Lyman Draper also said that he was brought up in North Carolina and raised
until age 11 by his
grandfather William McDowell in Haywood County at which time William died at
73 years of age in 1811. It is not known for sure who raised Grandfather
John after his grandfather
William's death. John may have lived with his father Daniel and his new
family, or possibly with his Uncle "Flowery Garden John McDowell and his
family. Johns future father-in-law,
Alexander Caldwell Jr. and family, were obviously close friends as in the
estate sale of Grandpa, William McDowell it mentions Alexander Caldwell. The
fact that four years later
grandpa John married Alexander's daughter Elizabeth, I feel that it is a
possibility that he may have even lived with them for awhile. Rev. John
McDowell married Elizabeth Caldwell
in Waynesville, Haywood County October 6, 1815 when they were both 15 years
of age and Alexander Caldwell Sr. is listed as the grandfather of Elizabeth.
In 1827 while Grandpa John and his family were living in Haywood County,
North Carolina, he was elected County Trustee of Haywood County and served
until 1833 after which he
moved with his family to Macon County North Carolina. Rev. Johns Uncle
"Flowery Garden" John McDowell, moved to Tennessee during this time period
and his father Daniel we
believe, moved to Carroll County, GA. On August 4, 1832, Grandpa John
purchased 124 acres of farm land for $800. on the West Bank of the Tennessee
River, Sec. 69, Dist. 15
according to the Old Macon County records. When my 3rd great grandpa was
about 33 years of age he moved with his wife Elizabeth and four young
children to Franklin, Macon
County North Carolina. The twins, Uncle William and Aunt Maria were 13 years
old, my Great Great Grandmother Nancy Elmina McDowell was seven and Aunt
Sarah was two years
old. I can just envision them traveling by wagon train over the beautiful
but rugged Blue Ridge Mountains. John's family was among the first of the
sturdy pioneers to locate in the
Tennessee Valley where Franklin, North Carolina is located. They would have
traveled the old Indian trails and wild game would have been their chief
source of food on the trail as
there was an abundance of turkey, squirrel, pheasant and they may have
bagged a deer along the way. The journey from Waynesville, Haywood County,
North Carolina would have
taken them several days.
The territory now embracing Macon County was acquired by a treaty from the
Cherokee Indians in 1817-1819 and in 1820, the present site of Franklin was
decided upon. Grandpa
Rev. John was 20 years old when he helped survey the town of Franklin and a
general auction sale of the land that had been platted, took place in
Waynesville, Haywood County, North
Carolina where our family lived at the time. Grandpa John is credited with
helping Robert
Love defeat a proposition to locate Franklin on the river bottom instead of
the hill. This story is reported by Dr. C D Smith in his Brief History of
Macon County. I imagine that John's
father Daniel was part of the Survey
Corp as Grandpa John had followed in the footsteps of his father Daniel and
his grandfather William McDowell, they were all surveyors. Johns son William
R. was also a surveyor
continuing a family profession. In 1828,
Franklin was then a part of Haywood County (Old Buncombe County) and Rev.
John was among the Survey Corp hired by Robert Love to plat the land forming
the new county of Macon
where the town of Franklin is the county
seat. As the men folk traveled, they would hunt for deer, turkey and
pheasant and often traded their surplus meat to the friendly Indians for a
meal or vegetables. Often they would have
the Indians dress the skins of
the deer and pick up on a later trip. These skins, so dressed, were much
softer and more like velvet than those tanned by the white mans method.
Grandpa John surveyed many land
entries in Haywood, Jackson and Macon
Counties for over 40 years.
Asheville was 27 miles from Waynesville and another 69 miles from Franklin,
North Carolina. Even though it was some distance to travel by horse back, or
wagon train, Asheville it
the main source for many of the needs of
the pioneer families. Franklin is nestled in the heart of the Nantahala
Mountains which was named for Chief Nantahala of the Cherokee Tribe who my
5th great grandfather, William
was a close friend.
In the extensive research by Lyman Draper in the 1870s, the correspondence
and reports told of how Rev. John and a distant cousin of his, Silas
McDowell, fixed the exact place of the
Indian battle known as Dark Hollow
which took place in 1776. Dark Hollow is located approximately 5 miles from
Franklin, North Carolina and this is where the Indians ambushed Williamson's
troops, killed several
soldiers, and then withdrew. This battle and the further destruction of
Cherokee villages and crops by Rutherford and Williamson paved the way for
more white settlements.
Our family settled in the rolling lush mountains in Franklin, North Carolina
where they had a farm. It is just a few miles south of the town of Franklin
and about 5 miles across the
Georgia border. Neighbors helped each other at harvest time and very little
hired labor was depended upon. Corn Huskings, quilting bees and barn
raisings composed the social life of
the community. Most all families had a spinning wheel and in the winter it
was common for the ladies getting together for a spinning session and the
gossip flowed thick and fast.
During the 1840s , Linsey Clothe was very popular which was a homespun
clothe dyed with walnut hulls and used by the women to make dresses.
June 22, 1834, my third great grandparents, Rev. John and Elizabeth, had
another son, Byron Gibbs McDowell, more children were to follow, Daniel
Leander born 1836 and I believe
another set of twins, Sethia (Elizabeth)
Caroline born 1839 and Athan Layfayette McDowell born August 29, 1839.
In Macon County, North Carolina, Oct. 15, 1835, a bond was applied for by
John and 6 other men pledging $10,000 for John Tatham, elected clerk of
court of pleas & quarter
sessions and was registered June 25, 1836.
Sept. 26, 1838, John and 5 other men pledge $2000 bond and another $10,000
bond for John Hall, elected Clerk of Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions.
John is one of six listed as trustees, for all of Macon, & their successors,
in trust for M. E. Church , for good will be hath for the said M. E. Church,
2 + acres on W. side of Public
Road in Sec 5, including the grave yard, to use of church, a plase of Public
worship of Almighty God, March 1, 1844 and acknowledged in court June 4,
1844.
In the 1850 census of Macon County in the Tennessee Valley, John McDowell is
listed as a Methodist clergyman, age 52 born in Georgia. Living with him are
his wife Elizabeth, age
52 born in Georgia; daughter Nancy E., age
24 born in Haywood County; daughter Sarah T., age 20 born in Haywood County;
Daniel L., age 14 born in Macon County, son Bryant G., age 13 born in Macon
County; daughter
Althia, age 9 born in Macon County, and a
labourer, Wilson Blain. Grandpa John owned a farm of 160 acres, 70 of these
acres had been improved and his farm was valued at $900.00 and the farm
implements were valued at
$250.00. His livestock consisted of 6 horses,11 milch cows,15 other cattle,
12 sheep, 30 swine and his livestock was valued at 550.00. His produce
consisted of 800bu of Indian corn,
400 bu of oats, 30 lbs of wool, 75 pound of butter. Homemade manufacture,
$50.00 and Animals slaughtered $35.00
John was a local preacher and in 1833 it is recorded that he traveled as a
Circut Rider to preach at the Snow Hill United Methodist Church in the Cowee
Community where worship
services were held in Old Peabody School, a
log building built in the woods below the present cemetery. It wasn't until
1874 that the present church was built. Oct. 1860 Rev. John was elected an
Elder, by the Holston Conference
of the Methodist Church, which covered
Western NC at the time. He was ordained by the Holston Conference in 1866 in
Asheville.
It was stated by Silas McDowell who was known for being very out spoken as
well as a very knowledgeable historian and writer, in his letter to Lyman
Draper that, "Rev. John
McDowell is amiable, very pious of commanding physiology and a head that
promises strong intellectual powers yet he does not rank a man of well
balance spirit and seeming ill at
ease in the company of intellectual gentlemen, can preach a good practical
sermon if he thinks no one of intelligence to criticize, but then, the
scenery, ~ Heaven ~ Earth and I might
add Hell are_____to for a metaphor figure and topics and the consequence is
making A'pe of himself and runs his sermons into the ground". I feel that a
little harsh. Gramma
Nancy's brother Byron Gibbs McDowell painted his father Rev. John McDowell
in a very different and very loving light.
According to Uncle Byron, as quoted in Prominent Tennesseans, "His father,
Rev. John McDowell was a merchant in early life and originally a Baptist,
but dissolved his connection
with that Church on account of disagreement
with its doctrine of immersion. He then attached himself to the Methodist
church, in which he preached until his death, September 11, 1883. He was an
active worker in the church, of
limited education, but of wonderful
originality; a very zealous man in any thing he undertook and exceptionally
devoted to the work of the ministry, and of good business qualities, mostly
acquired by experience. He was
county surveyor of Macon and Haywood
counties, North Carolina, for forty years, he had few enemies; was a man of
even temperament, and always had a kind word for everybody, irrespective of
their positions in life. He
taught his children at an early age to respect the Sabbath and the Church,
which resulted in their early connection with the church of his choice. He
died a triumphant death, making
a profound religious impression upon those who witnessed his departure. He
left six children living. (1) William R. Who married Elizabeth Gibbs, and is
living, a farmer near the old
homestead. (2) Nancy E.; unmarried, and living on the old homestead. (3)
Sarah T., wife of Joseph Brendle, a farmer in Haywood County, North
Carolina; has one child, John. (4)
Caroline, wife of William McClure, a farmer in Macon county, North Carolina,
living near the old homestead. (5) Byron G., subject of this sketch. (6)
(Uncle) Athan L., a farmer on
the old homestead; married Caroline Russell, daughter of James Russell; has
four children, Ara, Adaline, Emma and Elizabeth." The biography goes on to
say Uncle Byron spoke
gratefully about his mother Elizabeth McDowell for her faithfulness and
self-sacrificing devotion to her children, and her constant and consistent
Christian life. Elizabeth (Caldwell)
McDowell died June 11, 1876 at the age of sixty seven. Byron listed his
mothers maiden name as being Morrow in this biography and Caldwell in
another biography and the correct
surname for our 3rd great grandmother Elizabeth McDowell is Caldwell
according to John and Elizabeth's marriage bond.
After viewing and reading three letters that our third great grandfather
Rev. John McDowell wrote to Lyman Draper in 1872 and 1874 when grandfather
was 72 and 74 years of age, I
have come to the conclusion that he certainly had some education as he had
beautiful hand writing, and was very artistic. One of Grandpa John's
letters has a detailed map that he
drew for Lyman Draper describing the battle ground his grandfather William
McDowell fought while William served with General Sumpters Brigade of rifle
men. My other thoughts
regarding Grandfather Johns education is that to be ordained he would have
had to have had some sort of formal education to become a
minister, although it probably was very limited according to today's
standards.
My great grandfather, Charles Birum McDowell was born in Franklin, North
Carolina May 9, 1863 during the Civil War which began in 1861. His mother
Nancy McDowell was 36
year of age. Fortunately there was not much
fighting in the Franklin area as it was so isolated, but at the end of the
war, the Yankees led my Col. George Kirk marched to Macon County intent on
burning the town of Franklin as
the Yankees felt it was a real hot bed of
rebeldom. The day before they would reach Franklin, the word came through
that the Confederate Army under General Lee had surrendered. Col. Kirk was
hell bent on teaching the
mountain people a lesson, and he kept on until he arrived in Franklin where
he converged on the Court House to try and over awe the people. He set up
his headquarters in the old
Dixie Hall on Main Street in Franklin from where he robbed and pillaged the
town and country side and then left.
Great Great Grandma Nancy's brothers, ( our uncles) Byron Gibbs and Athan L.
McDowell and many of our McDowell cousins fought in the Civil War. Uncle
Byron Gibbs McDowell
joined the 39th NC Infantry when the war first broke out and he rose in rank
to Major in the 62nd Infantry. While at Cumberland Gap on September 13,
1863, his regiment was
surrendered by General Frazier, which, Major Bryon Gibbs McDowell and others
in the
regiment felt this surrender was not necessary. Byron then led approximately
800 men in all from the Thirty-Seventh Virginia regiment through the Federal
lines at night to safety
and to fight again. It was a very emotional time for the families of Macon
county, being many of them were more for the north then the south. I was
told by my grandmother Mary
Elmina (McDowell) Schafer, that when she talked to her grandmother Nancy
Elmina McDowell (mother of Charles Birum McDowell), about the Civil War that
her grandmother Nancy, who was a soft spoken southern woman, would get so
angry that the blood
vessels would protrude in her face. Nancy was
extremely bitter about the war. NC was the last state to secede from the
Union and on May 6, 1861, grandpa John McDowell and his family found
themselves no longer US citizens as
they were now Confederates and they feared of the coming war and their loved
ones having to fight. Many families in Macon County who sympathized with the
union fled to Tennessee.
According to the December 1992 issue of Macon County Historical Society
Echoes, in 1862-1872, wheat, rye and oats were major crops for farmers in
Franklin and local mills played
a big roll in community life. The threshers were paid by a "toll" or portion
of the crop. A farmer may have as little as two bushel of grain threshed or
as much as 156 bushels.
Grandpa John McDowell and Uncle Athan are listed in the ledgers of S.H.
Hyatt & Co. in 1867 and Uncle Athan and Uncle William McDowell are mentioned
in the ledgers of George
Angel & Jesse Carson in 1868. According to the 1850 agricultural census
however, Grandfather John harvested 800 bushels of Indian Corn and 400
bushel or oats.
I feel Grandfather John lived a fairly comfortable life for the times and
gave good care to his family. His land and home were sold after his death in
1883 and the sale of his personal
property consisted of the following:
To my 3rd Great Grandmother Nancy E. McDowell and daughter of Rev. John
McDowell:
1 Grindstone .35
30 Bushels Corn @.50 15.00
1 Cupboard 10.00
1 Table 1.00
1 Wheel .75
1 bed & stead 10.00
To William McClure (husband of Aunt Elizabeth Caroline McDowell):
Wagon Irons 4.60
Books .25
To Dan McClure:
1 Buggy 10.70
2 Books .25
To Bessie McClure
1 Bay Mare 45.50
To John McDowell (grandson of Rev. John McDowell and son of William R.
McDowell):
1 clock 3.00
To John Bates (son-in-law of Maria Ann (McDowell) McClure):
1 Bureau 8.00
1 Oven and Lid 2.60
3 Books 1.25
To Willliam Dryman (son-in-law of Maria Ann (McDowell) McClure):
1+3 Books .35
To Col. Addington:
2 Chairs .50
To William R. McDowell (son of Rev. John McDowell):
1 Bookcase 9.75
4 Books .50
Books 50.00
1 Handsaw .25
1 Vice 4.50
To A L McClure:
Books .65
To Albert Gellitan VanHook:
Books .60
Total 180.40
I do not know for sure what the settlement amount was of the farm and the
rest of the estate that was divided up between the children in the family.
Looking at the 1850 agricultural
census gives you a good idea of his holdings, but by 1883, the estate should
have been worth considerably more. Johns daughter Sarah and her husband
Joseph Brendle purchased a
40 acre portion of the farm for $370.00 and Rev. John's son Athan L McDowell
consolidated his home and 32 acres that he lived and had improved and was
paid $1000 by the estate.
My 3rd Great Grandparents Rev. John and Elizabeth (Caldwell) McDowell are
buried at Clarks Chapel Cemetery which sits on a picturesque hill next to
the chapel in the lush rolling
hills near Franklin, North Carolina. This well maintained cemetery is so
peaceful and beautiful and there are many of our family buried here.
By Diana Ford
Any corrections or additions are most welcome.
Edited by Site Manager for upload form.
Brendel Brendle Brindel Brindle Forum Web Site created by Lorraine Adams Douglass December 31,
1999.
Last updated: January 12, 2002.
