Creed Edgemon was born 1898 in Meigs County, Tennessee on the farm which was settled by his grandfather more than 150 years ago, and which was to remain in the family for three generations. His recollections of early life are remarkably clear for one who is 98 years old. "I can remember things that happened in 1901. I am sure of the date because my father had a brother who died that year, and I can remember that."

"I went to school in a log schoolhouse. It was a one room structure with just one teacher. She taught all the different levels. We were all together in a school that wasn't really graded at that time. We just went to school and learned the basic things. They did begin designating grades before I left there."

That was what was then known as the Concord School. The log building no longer stands, but it was near the Concord Baptist Church which is still there.

The closest town was Ten Mile, Tennessee, one of those bustling little communities which has since become but a shadow of its former self. "It used to be a pretty active community. I can remember when there used to be two general stores there. It had a blacksmith shop and a grist mill, two churches and a school. Now quite a few of the old residences are still there. The old school building is still there, and the two churches, but the stores are gone."

Creed's family lived on a farm in Meigs County until he was 14 years old. After his father, James Edgmon, died he and his mother Rebecca moved to Bradley County where he lived for the rest of his life. When he was old enough he worked during the summer months at the Hardwick Mills. Life was demanding when Creed was a young man.

As one would expect, Creed treasures keepsakes from the earlier days. "Daddy was a Civil War veteran, a second lieutenant in the 5th Tennessee Cavalry. Father was not given to telling war tales. I was 10 years old when he died in 1909. He just never spoke much about the war."

Even so, there are some treasured items in Creeds possession. One is his father's discharge issued on May 3, 1865. "Mom left it with me not too long before she died at the age of 93 years. She told me one day: 'now you are the last one of the family. You take this and keep it.' "

Another valued item is the handwritten copy of the oath of allegiance to the United States that his father and other Civil War veterans were required to take after the South's surrender. President Andrew Jackson was to issue an amnesty for all of those who had fought for the Confederacy.

Then there was the matter of the horses! Creed says that when his dad's cavalry unit was disbanded, the men were allowed to keep their horses. But after he had returned home, some men representing themselves as agents of the U.S. Army came through the area saying they had been authorized to gather up all the military horses.

There is some question that these men were who they said they were, but the government was to make good on the loss of the horses later. Creed still has the document which the government sent to his dad on January 7, 1904, along with $132 in payment for "property taken by the military forces of the United States." It was signed by A.M. Butts, captain and quartermaster of the U.S. Army Depot, Washington, D.C. Butts was later to be listed among those who lost their lives when the Titanic sank.

Creed has some carefully preserved $20 and $50 bills in Confederacy money. "Dad turned in $400 in Confederacy money for Confederacy bonds which he never received."

Creed Edgmon has seen lots of years come and go, and at age 98 he enjoys reflecting on the history of his family. And why not! Few of us can say, as he can, that his father fought in the Civil War and that his grandfather lived during the administration of the first President of the United States. It is remarkable that merely three generations in one family covers such expanse of time.

As he recounts it, his grandfather Samuel was born in 1792 while George Washington was in office. When he died at age 84, during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, 18 presidents had been in office. His father James was born in 1835 while Andrew Jackson was President, and when he died in 1909, with William Howard Taft in office, he had lived during the terms of 20 presidents. Creed was born in 1898 while William McKinley was in the White House. During his life so far Creed has seen 18 presidents in office.

Creed and his wife Effie lived on Hardwick Street near Big Springs Baptist Church, which has been important in their lives since the early 1900s. He became a member there in 1915, and it was there that he met Effie Williams, who he married in 1923. Effie died on January 19, 1997.

Creed and Effie had one daughter, Martha Ann who married Don Erwin and live in Chattanooga. The Erwins have two have two children, Don Erwin, Jr. of Chattanooga, and Jan Frost of Knoxville. Creed and Effie have four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

About the secret to living a long life, Creed admits that he never drank alcohol or smoked tobacco, and that he has been able to eat just about anything he likes, although he has cut back on salt and fat in keeping with today's dietary preachments. "But", he adds, "I've known a lot of people who lived a clean life and died early, anyway. My message to young people would be that churches are a benefit for any young person. We have great men back in history that we can look at, and learn from what they have done. Many of them had to go into life the hard way."

Submitted by J W Henson

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