Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-18
THE MCFARLAND FAMILY.
"Reminiscences of the EARLY Days i'm
Tennessee.
To John and James s omers:

Tennessee.
To John and James somers:
Having arrived at the age which ad
monishes me to put my house in order
and being acquainted with our ancestr,
for two centuries back, feel that it is
duty incumbent on me to give their his
tory to posterity.
Our Oldest ancestor that / know O
additionally, was Duncan Mcfarland
who was born near Edinburgh, Scotland
de was the father of Walter and Tabby,
and Tabby was the mother of the famous
hob. McGregor. Walter had a son thai
ne called Arthur, who went to Ireland anC
there married Elizabeth Porter, sister OF
commodore Porter, of revolutionary
fame. The fruit of this union was q
glri, whose name l have forgotten and
three boys, Alexander, Thomas and John.
The latter, who was the founder of our
family, was bound for seven years to the
| hatter's trade. Although his boss was a
tyrant, he served him several years;
but when he was about sew
enteen, his boss attempted to chastise
him with cat-'o-nine-tails, whereupon,
the apprentice, who was cutting the fur
| off coon skin with a round knife, resis-
ted, knife in hand, and the boss had to
beat timely retreat to avoid being cut
open by his incensed apprentice. This
was violation of the law and the halter
threatened a prosecution, when grand
father fitted up his son john and sent him
to North America. His middle name was
Porter, but he dropped it, as he was
charged with committing a crime, upon
his arrival at America, which was before
the war of Great Britain with the Ameri-
can colonies. He peddled about a year
on dry goods with two horse wagon.
Grandfather Arthur finally became I'M
easy about him and sent Uncle Thomas
In search of him. Uncle Thomas found
him at Charleston and the war coming on
soon, they both enlisted, John as Lieu
tenant and Thomas as Orderly Sergeant.
AT Gates defeat the Captain was wound
ed and your grandfather took the COM
mand of the company. He ordered his
men to stand and fire, which was obeyed.
and this delay left them between the pur-
suing and retreating armies, but he con-
Quoted his men safely through.
AT the siege of York, a bomb with the
old-fashoned fuse dropped near him and
he instantly cut off the blaze before it
reached the powder, thus saving himself
and the others from its raYages. 1t con-
taiued nine pounds of powder, which was
used TO shoot back at the British. He
and Uncle Thomas remained in the SER
vice until hOnorably discharged, when
they went TO the French Lick, now Nash
vile, where father married Nancy Me
nees, of Virginia, and uncle Thomas.
Peggy Todd, of Ireland DR.. Felix
Robertson was the first male child born at
the French Lick, ard James Mcfarland.
my Oldest brother, your uncle, was the
second. When Buchanan's fort was at
tackled by the Indians, father and mother
were in it. The number of Indians were
five hundred, and there were only sixteen
men, with their wives and children, in
the fort. During the fight the bullets gave
out, and Ssllie Buchanan and Nancy Nc
Farland, moulded more shot while the
fight was going on, and handed them
warm to the men. The Indians set the
fort on fire, but a shower of rain extin-
guished the flames. Providence thus saw
cd them from being massacred by the
Indians or burned There was blunder-
buss in the fort which was doubly loaded
aud shot with great precision, killing and
wOunding several of the enemy and
breaking the collar bone of the man who
shot it At this juncture the Indians
exclaimed 'Umph, big gun" and ran
off, to the great relief of all in the fort.
When the soldiers were in want of salt,
your grandfather, John Mcfarland, drove
lot of pack horses to the Saline salt
works in Kentucky, and brought back as
much salt as his horses could carry. The
savages were prowling along his path and
he did not dare kindle a fire, though he
stood in much need of it, as it was winter
and the weather cold. After the battle of
NickajaCk the Indians were subdued, and
father moved TO farm near Haysborough
and cultivated the soil, attending strictly
upon the ministry of the distinguished
Thomas Craighead, Presbyterian minis
ter of much talent. In 1903 he moved
to the $40 acre tract granted him by North
Carolina for his services in the revolution
airy war. II lies eighteen miles east of
Nashville, and eleven miles west of Leba-
non, in Wilson county, Tenn. There l
was born, being the youngest but one of
nine children.
My father raised nine children, all of
whom he lived to see grown and married,
but two, myself and youngest sister,
Jane. After fathers death, Jane mar
ried Lewis Lindsay, talented Baptist
minister and a ripe scholar. My father
held an honorable, lucrative office for ten
years, and in 1924 he was confined to his
room by disease that had been preying
upon him for years. He calmly and
peacefully passed away on the path of
May, aged seventyfour years and four
months.
My mother lived twenty-one years after
fathers death. She died in 1845, aged
SO years. Her goodness is fresh in the
memory of all who knew her. Two of
my brothers aided to maintain that indie
pendence which patriotic father assisted
to gain, under the immortal Hero of New
Orleans
Having finished a sketch of my fathers
life, l will name few of his distinguished
sons and graud-sons. John B. McFar-
lalIu, NJ II was u SIdNludJO VI INC ulld-
delphia Medical School. He practiced in
Paris, Tennessee, where he married Miss
Cook, daughter of Judge Cook, of Paris.
He was elected 10 The State Legislature in
1915, but died before he took his seat.
His only son, John P. Mcfarland, is
graduate of the Philadelphia Medical
School.
James P Mcfarland, another son of
your Uncle James, who was born in the
fort, is a graduate of the same school,
and practiced successfully in California,
and was twice elected by the people to
the State Senate. He now lives near
Lebanon, on the $40 acre tract granted
your grandfather by the State of Tennes-
see for defending the helpless women and
children from the tOmahawk and scalping-
knife of the ruthless savages. James Il.
Mcfarland, NJ. D., has retired from the
profession and given it to his son, VIM.
W., young man of intellect and fine
promise. DR.. Berriman Bilbrow prac-
tictd twenty years at Milton, and laid
down his labors in this life at the age of
so years. DR.. James SOmers, of Ores
den, Tenn, is a graduate of the Nash
vile Medical College, and stands
at the head of the profession, be