Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-07-05
IN TENNESSEE.
Some Interesting Data AbOu
MaurV County.

lcdu.
A visit to Columbia and day in tha
beautiful little city, and riding out on the
| fine pixies, seeing the most lovely country
that my eyes ever beheld, inspires me te
"write book"
A more inviting country for the farmer
than Maury county cannot be found on
this continent. 1t was settled up first
about 1906 by people whose early his
tory and marked lives would make many
books. The grants to the land were gem
orally North Carolina grants, given for
services in the Revolution, and located
by the men Of the times, who, after in
specting far and wide, found what they
believed was the garden spot of the
world.
These men, and their sons and grand
sons, have made more history, and in the
great upbuilding of country have been
more interw5vep with it's fortunes, than
the men from any other one county that
has been organized since Robertson and
Sewer crossed the Allegheny Mountains.
Before the war this country was a para
dises There was nothing 80 lordly in the
way Of estates and social life in all South
land. The farmers generally had cotton
farms in Arkansas, Louisiana and other
Southern States, from whose wealth
these farms were ornamented and beau
titled. The men were of high type
business men as well as gentlemen--with
fine libraries and plenty of time to read.
The women we're educated in the best
schools at home and abroad, and refined
to degree which Il will risk saying) has
only been reached when climate, COM
bined with life's highest advantages,
makes perfect woman.
With here and there an exception,
these farms have been restored. They
are generally in the hands of rich men.
whose homes bear the highest evidence
of refinement, and whose broad acres of
blue grass and clover fields and extended
forests of majestic trees indicate the
highest degree of prosperity.
This country was once much larger,
embracing part of Bedford, Marshall and
Lewis counties. The grave of Merri-
wether Lewis-now in Lewis county
was, when he was buried, in Maury.
And, by the way, there are 80 few people
now that know the facts of this mans
romantic life and tragic death, that 1
may be pardoned for briefly mentioning
them.
By the side Of the old ssNatchez Trace >"
in what was Maury county, is plain
monument to Merriwether Lewis. It is
in the woods, in solitary place.
When very young man he lived near
MIR. Jefferson; he was great favorite
with the great statesman; he had spells
of melancholy which made his friends
uneasy, but Mr.. Jefferson put him in
charge, in 1904, of the expedition to ex-
plore the Rocky Mountains and to reach
the Columbia river, with Clark second
in command. He performed that won
derful task, and in two years returned.
When he returned Mr.. Jefferson made
him Governor OF Louisiana. with head
quarters at st. Louis. Lewis melan-
choly returned, and his friends grew un-
easy. He left st. Louis and came down
the Mississippi River to the Chickasaw
Bluffs (Memphis), and then started on
horseback to Washington over the old
Natchez Trace. He stopped to stay all
night with Mrs. Grinder. Late in the
night the family heard pistol. Lewis
had shot himself through the head.
Judge Fleming has gathered up the
facts about the old Natchez Trace road.
1t was built by the United States. 1t
started at Nashville, went out by the
Harding farm, crossing Duck river at
Gordon's Ferry, crossing the Tennessee
river at Colbert Shoals. The object was
to open communication with the Indian
nations and the Spaniards on the lower
Mississippi.
Lieutenant Edmund Pendleton Gaines,
af!erward Major General Gaines, built it
under the direction of Mr.. Jefferson. 1t
was built in 1901 and 1902.
1t is fact well known here, gathered
by living citizens from those who we're
witnesses, that Captain John Gordon,
father of Major Boiling Gordon, when
the road was made, in partnership with
a half-bree Indian named McClish, es-
tablished a ferry and tavern on Black
river and employed Thos. HI. Benton to
keep the books, which he did until 1905,
and then moved to Hillsboro, William
son county. This is the road that Aaron
Burr travelled as he came to see General
Jackson before going to Blennerhassett.
Thomas H. Benton next turned up as
a lawyer at Columbia, when the county
was organized and the Court of Pleas and
Quarter Sessions was established.
The first nttice of his appearance on
the record is motion against ,nsta-
BILE for SIG. The next notice is fine of
81 for "swearing in open court"
One of the very earliest settlers was
John Jacob Zollicoffer, father of General
Felix X. Zollicofer, and here on the Lit
tie Bigby the General was born.
1t will be pleasant to the numerous
friends of this much beloved Tenneseean
to know that one of his daughters, Miss
Maria Zollicofer, after spending much
time in Boston and New York, has now
in Columbia an art gallery, where she is
delighting her friends in that wonderful
and mysterious art of portrait painting.
She is believed here to be quite an artist.
General Zollicoffer has another daughter
here, Mrs. Bond. Both ladies are worthy
in every respect Of their noble father.
DIR. Thomas Gayle, who died few
years ago, 30 much esteemed, started life
here as school teacher.
The Polk family was the most noted OF
all the leading families.
Colonel William Polk, Revolutionary
soldier, at an early day located what is
now the finest 5000 acres in Tennessee.
He had six sons, the bishop, Leonidas,
Lucius j., George W., Rufus K, William
l., and Andrew j. George is still living
and occupies his old home. He is a very
old man, and much esteemed. He is the
father of Isaac Hilliard Pope.
Major Sam Polk, an early settler, was
Of another family. He was the father ol
the President and Of Colonel Bill Polk,
and of Mrs. james Walker. Mr.. Walker
came from Kentucky in 1918 and estab
lished the first newspaper, called the