Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-02-03
The Country We live In.
Ressrs. Editors:

saw notice Of some human bones
being dug up in the Western part of
your growing city. In the first set
Element or tho country there was a
neighborhood grave yard OH the
shannon tract OF land, and with
common consent those living in and
around Jackson, buried their
friends at that place.
Mrs. Shannon (who was daugh-
ter of Nathan Ewing, of Nashville
died in jackson, and was, no doubt,
buried in that grave yard. She was
very accomplished woman, and
the wife of the first Sheriff Of AIadi-
son county.
Soon after Jackson was incorpO-
rated the Mayor and Aldermen pro-
cured the present site for grave
yard, the old one not being eligible;
nor could the land be procured for
that purpose. So soon as the new
graveyard was secured, the citizens
then living in and around Jackson
removed their dead from the old to
the new grave yard. No doubt a
number were left, because there
were no surviving friends to attend
to their removal; no one at that time
supposing that your growing city
would ever extend its limits to the
Shannon branch, near the present
foundry. l would not be surprised
that in the next ten or fifteen years
your present grave yard will be sur
rounded by stately mansions and
business houses, and be the centre
of large portion of the business of
your city.
l have been requested by several
old settlers to point out the place
where Col Thomas Williamson,
who commanded a regiment of vol
unteers from Davidson county, was
buried. | answer, he was buried at
Denmark. Col. Samuel Taylor was
buried in the new grave yard ut
Jackson. Col. Robert II. Dyer, who
commanded a regiment from Ruth
erford county, was buried on his
farm, ten miles North OF Jackson
AS to Col. Thomas Gibson, who
was Lieutenant Colonel in Col. Dy-
er's regiment, and who settled two
and half miles North of Jackson.
and adjoining the farm of Col. W.
II. Stephens; DR.. Nelson /. Hess,
who was the first practising physi-
clan in Madison county, in speaking
about Col. Gibson, said, az knew
him better than any other man in
Madison county. | was the Sarge
ant of Col. Dyer's regiment. Col.
Gibson was his It. Colonel. Col.
Gibson and myself were mess mates.
We slept side by side, eat out Of the
same plate loved him as my faith
err; he was a good man, good SOL
der. WAITED on him in his last ILL
ness; 1 saw him die; | closed his
eyes; / dressed him; helped
bury him with military honors.-
He was buried on his farm two and
half miles Northwest of Jackson"
have the testimony of John It'd
well, Elijah Jones and Sugars Nc
Lemore, all of whom concur with
DIR. Hess as to the place where the
gallant soldier now sleeps, and will
net awake until Christ will call the
old soldier hoihe.
felt it my duty to give this no.
tice Of those old soldiers, all four of
them under command of Gen. An
drew Jackson, on the 2Sd of Deem
Der, 1914, and on the 8th of Janua-
ny, 1915, did their duty as officers
and soldiers. They met the flower
of the British army, under the vail
ant Buckingham, and overcome
them, Notwithstanding they had
been melted to deeds of daring by
the promise of the "beauty and
booty" of New Orleans, as the re-
ward of their anticipated victory.
Our gallant soldiers said to them,
Washington defended our mothers
and we viii defend their daughters,
and nobly did they redeem the
pledge; and such was the respect
shown to them on their return, that
they were held in lasting remem-
brance by the whole people; and
when one of them died he was bu-
ried with military honors. This
was right, and should be practiced
as long as we have a green spot of
earth that we can call the Gland of
the free and the home of the brave"
AS to the spur spoken of in your
paper, it is very probable that it
was that of a stranger who was
found dead between jackson and
the Forked Deer, supposed to have
frozen to death. He was buried
Just as he was found, and no doubt
the spur was upon his heel when
buried. He was doubtless buried
in the old grave yard, and having
no relatives, his remains were left,
with others, in the old grave yard.
E. B. MASON.
MasOn's Grove Ian d 10