A Glance At The 1896 Town Records

 

A Glance in Our Past

The following article is from the archives of The Crittenden Press. It was written Dec. 10, 1896. It says “Just a glance at the town records of an early date, 40 years ago. A two cent advalorem tax, and a mud hole of note.”

This would have made the article written starting in the year 1856. Some very interesting and worthwhile business activities were being done all those many years ago. And we are fortunate that someone took the time to write the article so we can have a glimpse of the happenings from that time period.  Many of these early pioneer names are unfamiliar to us today. 

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Some of Marion early pioneer business men and town officials and their duties.

It appears from the old records that the town of Marion had some of the same possessions forty years ago that it has now. It had a board of trustees about that time.

On March 19, 1855, the following officers steered the municipal affairs as trustees: John W. Blue, Henry L. Leigh, Wm. Rochester, Wm. C. Carnahan, John. N. Woods. All are now dead except Messrs. Blue and Woods. John W. Wilson, long ago dead, kept the town’s funds then, and John Fowler wore the star of authority as marshal;  (Most of these early founding fathers are buried in the Old Marion Cemetery on Moore St.

Warren Wager, who died in Florida several years ago, presided over the destinies of the police court, and Jeff Tyner was the assessor, while Robert L. Bigham was city clerk.

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The town had bylaws then, and some of them are like those that irritate the Dr. McGraws of today. For instance, bylaw number one provided that any free person of color who shall be found loitering about said town unemployed in some visible laudable occupation, shall be fined ten dollars, and in default of payment shall be committed to the jail of Crittenden County, not exceeding one day for every two dollars of the fine.”

A bylaw that confronted the hotel keeper when he sold liquor in those good old days provided that he should first pay a license tax of fifteen dollars; however, if he sold in quantities of not less than a quart, it only cost ten dollars, and if he failed to pay he was promptly fined the princely sum of thirty dollars. A plain town drunk was fined one dollar and a half, and he who “cussed” was made to pay the fiddler to the tune of five shillings.

A bylaw like the latter, if enforced, would fill the town treasury now in 24 hours, and readily provide water works, electric lights and street rail ways within a year.

***

On Jan. 3, 1856, the board tackled the claim of J. W. Rutherford for services as assessor for the year 1855. It was agreed to allow him a reasonable compensation and he was allowed $2.50.

At the meeting on the 11^th day of Dec. 1856, the following order was made:

“It is ordered that Wm. H. Rochester, Captain of patrol, together with all the citizens of the town of Marion, be and they are hereby appointed a patrol for the town. Said patrol, or a sufficient number thereof, under the direction of said captain, shall patrol the town every hour during the night from this time until the said body of police shall be dissolved by this board under the direction of said captain, he or they shall have power to search any negro suspected of having weapons or ammunition, or either and may also search the quarters, boxes, etc., of any negroes for concealed weapons.

***

After this meeting the board appears to have held only six meetings until 1859, and after a long rest the dog tax question was discussed, and the tax on the curs that year was fixed as follows:

“For one dog nothing, for the second dog 25 cents, for the third dog 50 cents, and all about that $1 each.”

Within the past few months some of the citizens have preached the funeral of the present board of trustees for directing the owners of certain property to build their own sidewalks, the owners holding that the town should at least furnish the curbing, that this was the law and the custom, but the records of July 6, 1859, bear this order:

“It is ordered that each proprietor make a substantial brick or stone pavement in front of his property on each side of Main street.”

Then follows the name of the citizens who are to execute this order. So the records are against those who want the town to build the sidewalks.

***

August 5, 1859, the trustees met and ordered a hitch rack to be put up on the north side of the public square and lo, for these thirty years horses have been hitched there. At a meeting a week later the county surveyor was ordered to survey the town.

From 1859 to 1862 there is no record; it is probable that the trustees got the town in good shape and took a three years rest. From 1862 to 1867 the record in blank. In 1867 the town legislature met and found that one member had moved away, another had died, and Messer’s. A. S. Threlkeld and J. W. Blue were elected to fill the vacancies, and E. H. Perkins was appointed city marshal.

***

On April 16, 1868, a claim of $42 in favor or E. R. Pickering for work done on the streets in 1855 was allowed. No man who has claims against the town these days let whiskers grow on those claims like Mr. Pickering did.

In Nov. 1868 the board agreed to pay Dave Woods $85 for a street through the lower part of his garden. Our fine school building is now near that street.

***

In January 1869 James W. Bigham, now the famous Methodist preacher, was appointed town attorney. All the town attorneys have not made preachers, though the present one is secretary of a church conference and has plenty of time to reform and get into the ministry.

In May 1869 Wm. S. Carnahan was appointed town marshal Vice E. H. Perkins resigned, and in December he gave way to T. L. R. Dickerson. At the same meeting Wm. Hughes was allowed the price of his tavern license for filling a mud hole near Nathan R. Black's. This license carried with it the privilege of selling ardent spirits by the drink. If the taxes on the license was as high then as it was subsequently, that must have been a famous mud hole for that day and generation, though it doubtless would not compare in magnitude with some of its more modern progeny. Whatever may be said of the degeneracy of our own race, the mud holes have more than held their own; in fact, they have kept pace with the march of civilization, with an ease and suavity of manner that is astonishing.

The election of April 1870 resulted as follows: Police Judge, John G. Hoover, Marshal, T. L. R. Dickerson; Assessor, John E. Black; Town Clerk, Dave Woods; Trustees, John W. Blue, John H. Cameron, John N. Woods, Aaron S. Threlkeld, Berry S. Young.

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On July 28, 1870, a preamble and resolution was adopted setting forth that the peace and good order of the town on Monday, August 1^st, the day of the election, depended on the sobriety of the citizens, and there fore the “saloon and hotel keepers and druggist” are requested to suspend the sale of liquor on that day. There is nothing to show how the matter terminated. It may be that white winged peace spread her snowy opinions over the town at that election and may be otherwise.

***

On November 30, 1870, the treasurer was ordered to collect from a man whom we will call “John Smith,” deceased, $15, his town tax for selling liquor for the year 1869. What the result was when the treasurer presented the bill to the dead man, we are unable to say; the records throw no light on the transaction, but we will venture the assertion that this was one occasion in Marion where a bill was presented and the man who owed it did no “Kicking.” And as the probabilities are so strong that the thing occurred just this way, it forms an epoch in our history, and we draw the curtain, and leave the next epoch to future historians.

The Tradition Of Sarah

 This interesting article was written many years ago by Mr. Albert L. Wheeler, son of Isaac and Elvira Wheeler. The John Wheeler family was some of the early pioneer settlers of Crittenden County. They settled in the area of the B. C. McNeely home place on Just-A-Mere Road and on the land where Rodney Paris now owns on Hwy. 506. In fact their two family cemeteries are located on these farms. The James Wheeler Cemetery on Just-A-Mere Road and the John Wheeler Cemetery on the Paris farm land.

We are fortunate to be able to have some of these stories that were handed down from generation to generation and now tells us about another time in the early days of our county, and in the lives of people that lived back then.

The Tradition of Sarah Mayes

When ten or eleven years old, in the year, 1880 or ’81, I was often required to ride an old mule and carry a turn of corn to the mill. Most often it was to the Marion Mill, owned by Dan Bigham and his partner and situated on the Princeton road at the then outskirts of town. (the mill sat where Conrad’s Grocery and parking lot are located today).

A strong running spring was near and within the enclosure, which supplied water for the boiler. Between the mill and spring the ground was covered with what appeared to be sawdust (later I understood it to be refuse tanbark. Previously a tan yard had been there). It was a good place for a boy to play while waiting for his corn to be ground, which might take a half day or all day, according to the amount of grist ahead of yours.

Negroes lived across the road to the east, who got water from the mill spring. When they came, I stood well back. Perhaps I was over timid, but no Negroes lived within the confines of the Copperas Spring School District, all but the confines of my then world.

Once a very old Negro woman came to get water. Her form was bent from disease or age until her body was horizontal, her neck bent acutely up to see ahead, her face deeply set with wrinkles. Several times she came, always caring a small tin bucket, perhaps too old and feeble to carry a big one. One day as she crossed the road with water, she started singing; her voice was strong, sweet and melodious. Such melody from an old women seemed incongruous.

When I returned home, I told Ma, (Elvira Crider Wheeler), about the old Negro and the spring. She said, “Why that is old Aunt Sarah Mayes, if she had known who you were, she would have taken on over you!”

Later my elder sister, Theresa Wheeler Woodside told the history, or rather tradition of Sarah. Sarah was born a slave of William Elder near Spartanburg, South Carolina, and given by him to his daughter Mary. In 1796 William Elder together with his brothers, James, John and one or two others joined a party of emigrants bound for Kentucky. Sarah’s father did not belong to the Elders, but to a neighbor staying in South Carolina. He followed the party for a half day, trotting by Sarah’s horse continually repeating in a doleful tone, “Goodbye Sarah, Goodbye Sarah.” At noon he stopped his journey and he returned home. In giving me the story above, Theresa imitated the Negro’s doleful tone as he bade his daughter Sarah his final farewell.

Theresa had been told this story from our Grandmother Mary Elder Wheeler, daughter of John Elder, above mentioned, and who was 10 or 11 years old when they left South Carolina.

The party headed for Kentucky traveled east to Cowpens, South Carolina, where 15 years before an army of eleven hundred British under the intrepid Tarleton had been vanquished and all but annihilated by a thousand Americans under General Morgan. They (the party of emigrants) there awaited a contingent of emigrants coming up from the South. Together they crossed the mountains, how many in the party I don not know, but there must have been a considerable cavalcade.

At Campbell’s Station, 15 miles west of Knoxville, they heard of Indian depredations to the west and stopped there. While the main caravan stayed there, seven of the men in the group, including David Hill, George Mayes and five of the Elder brothers immediately resumed the journey to Kentucky.

When they reached their destination, they cleared 10 acres of what was afterward known as the Mayes Pond, which was about 2 ½ miles south-east from where Marion now is. They grew a crop, harvested and stored it and then returned to Campbell’s Station to get the rest of their party.

In 1798, the party headed for Kentucky, built a boat and launched it on Holston River, loaded the household goods, women and children, with enough men to navigate the boat, and floated it down the river. The balance traveled by land to bring the stock and rest of the supplies. The boat being small and crowded; they would land at night and camp on shore. The tradition is that they ran the 30 miles down Mussel Shoals in 30 minutes. In rounding the Horse-Shoe-Bend the men turned the bow of the boat toward midstream and rowed with all their might to keep off the rocks on the outer curve. They floated to the mouth of the Tennessee, poled the boat up the Ohio and Cumberland to where Dycusburg now is and camped there until the men with the stock brought teams to carry them to their new homes.

Sarah and her owner’s cousin, John Elder’s daughter, Mary Elder, were closely associated in their early childhood during the pos-Revolutionary years in western South Carolina. They traveled together with the emigrants across the mountains to Campbell’s Station, and sojourned there for two years. And from there, together, Sarah and Mary, traversed the entire length of the Tennessee River as it meandered through primeval forest, infested with savage Indians and wild beasts. When they reached their new home in Kentucky they were neighbors that endured the rigors of pioneer life, and they contributed their quota to the development of the civilization and culture of Crittenden County.

Though one fair and free, the other in bondage and black, the friendship formed endured ‘til death.

******

Mr. Albert L. Wheeler, who wrote this article, was a grandson of Mary Elder Wheeler, who was the good friend of Sarah, the Negro slave.

Mary Elder married James Wheeler and they are buried in the James Wheeler Cemetery on Just-A-Mere Road.

Sarah Mayes was listed as one hundred years old in the 1880 Crittenden County Census and she was living with her daughter and husband, Lewis and George Ann Wilson, in the area of what today in the old Piney Road.

Perhaps Sarah is buried in the colored area of the Old Marion Cemetery, either the one near Hwy. 60 or the Old Marion Black Cemetery located at the end of W. Central Ave. But if her grave is marked, it is only with a sandstone rock, for no written monument marks her grave, and no history about her early days here in Crittenden County are known.

Mr. Wheeler was the eighth in a family of ten children, seven of whom were school teachers. He taught school for a number of years in Crittenden County before going west. He attended the Marion Academy, and was a classmate of Ollie M. James. Mr. Wheeler died in Lufkin, Texas and is buried there.

The Flanary Home as it once was.

 

This beautiful old home was once one of Marion's valued treasurers, but not appreciated as it should have been in later years.  It's earlier history is featured in an earlier Blog.  But in this post I've centered on the inside on the home as best we can with only black and white old Press photos. 

Did you every wish you could have seen the inside of this home?  I wished it many times.  In March of 1976 the Crittenden County's Homemaker clubs were featuring a Heritage Home tour for a state project.  Houses were selected for their age and structural design.  The John Flanary home on West Bellville Street was featured on this tour.  The Crittenden Press made pictures of some of the rooms.  It must have been a fairy tale home.

The writing says:
The walnut etagere at left, a family heirloom, dominates the upstairs living room of the house.  The piece, which survived the floods of 1914 and 1937 in Union County, hold a collection of objects d'art.  It was originally owned by  George W. Orme of Uniontown, great grandfather of John Ormer Flanary.

This is one of the upstairs bedrooms furnished in cherry. 

The brick fireplace and china cabinets, in this downstairs dining room, were built by Charles Evans during the latter 1800's.  Evans was at that time headmaster of the Marion School.  The buffet, inset, was originally used around the turn of the century in the large dining room of the old Crittenden Springs Hotel. 

The upstairs dining room, has a collection of cherry and walnut furniture.  Antique Silver plateau graces the cherry banquet ends.   (Look at that beautiful chandelier, no mention of it.)

I would have loved to seen the staircase also, but it wasn't shown in any of the few pictures made for the article.  The home and all it's wonderful contents went on Auction in June of 1986.  Wonder where these beautiful pieces of furniture ended up and if it is still beautiful and used today??