“There’s some land in Tennessee that has just opened
up from the Indians, and I think that we could all get a fresh start there,”
James Ross told his son Robert and his son-in-law John Dickey. “What kind of
land is it?” John asked. “I’ve heard that it’s well-watered, and that the soil
is good,” he replied. “They said that about this place,” Robert interjected.
2 “All I know is, if we’re interested in getting
ourselves a piece of it, we’re going to have to get down there and stake our
claim,” James continued. “I’m of a mind to open a little powder mill on one of
them streams,” he told them.
3 “Well, there ain’t nothing to keep us here,” John
finally declared after considering the proposal for a few moments. Robert
looked at his brother-in-law, and then studied his father’s face before
responding. “If there’s a chance for building a better life for Polly and the
children, I’m for it,” he said slowly and deliberately.
4 “That settles it, we’ll plan on leaving early next
year,” James said with a tinge of excitement. “Well, I’m going home to talk it
over with Margaret,” John told his in-laws and headed for the door.
5 The small caravan entered what was shortly to become
Giles County in the summer of 1808. The rugged hillsides were covered with
thick forests, but they were surprised to find a large amount of open land and
meadows scattered around the countryside.
6 “Look at how thick that cane is!” John exclaimed.
“And there’s plenty of places to plant a mill,” James observed. “Well, I think
they’ll be logs a plenty to build a cabin,” Robert added.
7 Within a few weeks, they had settled on their plots
and had begun putting their new homes together. The men and boys busied
themselves with cutting logs and cane and providing their families with food
and shelter. The women and girls cooked, washed, tended fires and animals and
mended clothing.
8 As a veteran of the War for Independence, James was
chosen by the legislature to be one of the commissioners tasked with finding an
appropriate place to establish a county seat. That same year, he also began
building a mill along one of the many streams that traversed that part of the
county.
9 “Next year, we’ll be making gun powder,” he
promised. Nevertheless, with the hard work and exposure to the elements that
such work entails, James fell ill and was gone within a month of having made
that statement.
10 In the spring of 1809, John Dickey planted a small
crop of corn. In the fall, he planted some turnips. His agricultural successes
were duly noted and applauded by his neighbors.
11 With the death of his father-in-law, the
legislature tapped him to be one of the magistrates for the region. And, just
eight years later, John Dickey was elected to represent the county in the
Tennessee Legislature.
12 In the meantime, Robert and Polly welcomed a new
son into their household in 1809. Still mourning the death of his father,
Robert explained to his wife that he would like to name their son after his
parents. “I’d like to name him James Mitchell,” he told her. “I think that
would be just fine,” Polly smiled as she snuggled the baby lying next to her in
the bed.
13 Two years
later, the couple welcomed a daughter into the world. They named her Mary Annie
Ross. The family was completed a few years later with the addition of another
son, John Dickey Ross.
14 In 1835,
Mary Annie Ross married William McMasters, and they had seven children
together. Among them, they had a daughter who they named Charity Emmaline.
Charity would go on to marry William James Kelly and have seven children of
their own.
15 After
their daughter’s marriage to Will McMasters, Robert and Polly (along with son,
John Dickey, and Robert’s brother, Adam) moved to Arkansas. They settled in
Liberty Township in Pope County.
No comments:
Post a Comment