Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-07-31
How Tennessee was Settled.

DuuuhI OFcSCCNt M
CRess ROADS CoUErY STORE
"Yes," said Tom, y there she is,n
"Who2" said /. "Did | never tell
you" said Tom, about that old woman
you see over there buying snuff and cal
leo at the corner grocery Well, you
know this part Of the country West
Tennessee) was settled originally by old
Virginians and large sprinkling OF peo-
pie from the State of Buncombe, in
North Carolina; you know the State OF
Buncombe, don't your" We confessed
our ignorance of geography, and Tom
went out of his way to tell US that Bum
combe was situate in that region OF Tar
river which burnt up some time, and
consisted of four counties known as
Upper and Lower Hog Thief, Promise
Fair, and Never Pay. /" But as was
going on to tell the way this part Of the
country happened to be settled was this
Some families from Virginia, in moving
out West, passed through the State OF
Buncumbe. They all had regular old.
fashioned covered road wagons, the hind
wheels of which were, as usual, much
larger than the fore wheels. A wagon OF
any sort was something new in those
parts and everybody turned out along
the road to see them great many fol
lowed them, expecting every moment to
see the big wheels overtake the little ones.
In this way they kept on until they got
clear over west of the mountains, and
not having over sense enough to get
back, settled down right there. Look
here, Tom, said one, you don't intend
we should believe that Pledge you
my word it's as true as preaching-yes. :
"But what about the old woman, Tom,
said one of the party. "Well, said he,
"she was one among those first ones who
followed the wagons from Buncombe.
After she had been out here about ten
or fifteen years, her father died i'll old
Virginia and left parcel of negroes to
be divided among his children. There
warn't many negroes in this settlement,
and those who did have them were looked
upon as sort of aristocrats. y So when the
old woman heard other good fortune she
at once made arrangements to get the
chattels, and one Monday morning,
bright and early, she and the old man
harnessed up the best horse they had,
put their best feather bed in the bottom
of the wagon and started for Virginia to
bring the negroes home. After weeks
of travel they reached the old homestead,
and secured their share of the common
fortune in the shape OF an old negro
wench by the name of Nancy. They
placed her right in the middle of the big
feather bed and hauled her all the way
back to West Tennessee. They of course
had to walk ,sbut that was nothing; they
we're the proud owners of slaves aud
could afford to do great many things
that their poor neighbors could not.
"When they arrived home the old wo-
man was so proud of being called Miss
Betsey that she would 60 to the door of
the log cabin and call to Nancy, W ho
was in the kitchen, N-a.n.c.i.e; and the
answer would invariably come back,
What do you want, Miss BetsyS Moth
ing at all i only want to hear you call
me Miss Betsey. Fact said Tom,
"nnd one time | was there just after they
got home. Eli and some more of us
we're going up the crooked fork of Little
Sandy to fish, andrtopped to get little
water to mix with something one Of the
boys had in Jug. Nancy was down at
the spring, just under the Mill, doing the
washing, and the old woman went out in
in the back yard, and yelled at the top
of her voice Nancy" and way under
the hill heard the answer, What do
you want, Miss Betsey? Then the old
woman sung out again, oh nothing, |
only wanted to hear you call me Miss
Betsey from the spring., ...-..a5t,.
BY this time everybody was laughing
fit to kill themselves, except Tom, whose
face was without wrinkle - Yes, sir,
said he, F" believe in ancestry nothing
like knowing where we all sprung from.
Come, boys, if Judd has any schnapps
left let take a drink TAR HEEL.