The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-01-08
Early RccOllectiOns of Franklin
County.
Editor Home journal:

Editor Home journal:
am not citizen, but II native Of your
cOunty--llaving been born and partly
raised in the goo'l old county of Franklin.
Being among the very first births in the
county, and having spent the first four
teen years of my life in the nciglibOrh00d
of old Goshen Church. propose to give
you n few of my early recollections per-
sons. places and things IN that locality.
My father. James McCord. Esq. togeth-
or with Major John Cowan and Robert
Cowan-whO were my mothers brothers.
with perhaps, one or two more families
were the very first settlers in that neigh
borhOod. and perhaps in the county; hav.
ing cmigratcd from Blount county in the
fall of 1906. Major COwan settled at the
place called Cowan; Robert Cowan at the
place where his son Ross now lives; and
my father ut the foot OF the mountains,
where Il Mr.. LaCney lived two years ago
part of the old Foster place. Here my
father used to 20 up the side of the NOUN
tain before breakfast and kill us much
meat rs he wantcd-decr, bear. turkeys,
&c. AT this place was born in January,
1908, and am. perhaps, the first person
born in Franklin county who is now liv-
ing. Who can dispute the palm? In q
year or two after these first settlers, sev-
cral other families from East Tennessee
came out, and the first church Organiza-
ton ut Goshen was composed mainly of
these Blount county cmi@rants, who were
all Presby
This part Of the county settled up rap
idly during the next few years, and the
impression was made on my youthful
mind then, and has clung to me all my
life, tia. among those early rmigrants
there were some OF the hest men | ever
knew. Permit me now to give you the
names, as | remember, of most of the early
settlers there: Major John COwan. Hugh
Montgomery. James Montgomery. Vim
Moore, Capt james COwan. UondD Jim
Cowan, Col George Caperton. John Cupcr-
ton, Major Bill Russell, Archie Brooks.
Robert Cowan. james McCorl, Daniel
McAlistcr. David Robinson, Jas Keith,
Daniel Keith, George Wear. Benz Wear.
George Davidson, VIM Hutton, Jas Mar
tin, Little John Bell. Ambrose McCord.
Samuel Norwood, Sberroh Williams. VIM
Alexander, Nathaniel Davis, Mr. Gross,
VIM Street. VIM Foster. Rev james Farris,
Capt Jim Taylor. Rev Andrew 5 Morri-
son. Charlie Wool. Mr. Mcllheron. Gent
Trigg, Thomas Chilcoat, two or three Mr.
Holders and B.ctlsocs, Thomas ID. JolIE p
Il George p Wiggin, VIM Adams. Thos
Kilgorc. Nathaniel Bighanl, VIM Brazel-
ton, Isaac Hannah. Mr. MrCarley, Avery
Reaves, Robert Dongan. Maj Joe Taylor.
Major Farris. George Gray, and others.
Nearly all these men l knew personally
and remember well, and was intimately
associated with good many of their chill.
dren in my childhood days. knew also
some of the early settlers near Salem, on
Beans Creek. viz: Capt Samuel flandley.
(for whom was namely Rev Robert Bell
the first pastor Of Goshen Church. David
McCord, David iitclley, ThOs Ross. David
Bell, big John Bell. and Others.
have heard my father say that Thomas
ID Wiggin was the first man that sold
goods in II 10y cabin at or near Winches-
ter, and built the first mill on Boiling
Fork. He was not only the first. but also
one OF the Leading merchants in Winches-
ter for number of years. The next old
est merchants remember were old Col
Crabb, Elayter, Spyker, Daugherty, and
afterward the Decherds, Pryor and others.
The first doctors | remember were Dick
son, Higgins and kincaid, before the
time of Drs Wallace Il VIM Estill and DR.
Turner. The earliest lawyers rcmcnl-
Der were Major Isaacs, Frank Jones, who
was II member of Congress, Billy Martin,
Joe Young and Argyle Campbell. before
the time Of Judge Nathan Green and 9TH
ers. The first whisky saloon Tor dog
cry" ~ it was then ralled) ever saw was
kept in Winchester by one Daniel Eanes
and his sons. One Jonathan Burford
taught the first school | remember. in a
little log house near Mr. George David
sons spring. The fist to which | went
WAS taught by Rev Andrew $ Morrison in
II log house on the side of the Little
Mountain, on VIM Alexandcr's placc-af-
tcrward the Street place. The next to
which went WAS Il three months school.
taught near Benz Wears by Ahram Shook.
a young man from Bedford. who. about
the end Of the term married Miss Matte
Keith. eldest daughter Of Jas Keith, Esq.
The next school I attended was taught at
the Little Mountain school house by
Mitchell X Jackson. This. l think. was
the first Of 1acEsons series OF school
teaching In that neixl'borhood, which con-
tinued many years thereafter. After this
l went to Jackson at the old Gross School