Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1902-02-06
SEOUACHEE VALLEY HISTORY.
Amos /, Griffith Continues His COntribu.
ti0ns on the Subject.


After Amos Griffith had been burned
out several years in succession by Uni
ted States soldiers there came a white
man to his cabin one night with drove
of ponies be had stolen from the Indi-
ans, and asked for nights lodging
which the old man gave him. During
the hours till bedtime the white man
was laughing and telling Mr.. Griffith
how he had managed to steal the pom
les, think that the old man was like
himself, thief, or he would not be so
far from civilization After breakfast
the old man got his rifle and told the
thief he had TO take the ponies back to
where got them. AS the old man had
the drop on him the thief very reluct-
antly complied with the request The
old man turned thief and ponies over to
the Indians, and left him in their care
to deal with him according to Indian
customs.
The next time after that when the L.
S, Regulars came around, an old Indian
came with them to Mr.. Grifith's cabin
and claimed it and the field of growing
corn as his property, so the soldiers did
not burn him out Every year after
that the Indian laid claim to the old
mans premises to keep him from being
burned out. After he had become per-
manently adopted by the Indians he
moved to Cedar Springs and built the
house on the hill where p. L. Daniel
lived, and is now known as the Daniel
farm.
Being in wilderness infested with
all manner of wild beasts as we'll as
savages, Polly, his wife, learned to
shoot a rife as we'll as her husband In
fact she was quite as good a shot as he
was, which was saying good deal
when be could knock squirrels head
off ten times in ten shots in the highest
trees in the woods, if the head was visi-
BILE. The old woman killed many wild
'varmints" as we'll as turkeys, squir-
rels, &c The old man built a grist
mill on the spring branch, and opened
up two or three hundred acres of clear
ed land. When he first came to the
valley the nearest mill was east Of
Walden's Ridge, about two days journ-
ey from the valley, or go or 20 miles, l
forget the distance. 1t took from four
to five days travel to make the round
trip for meal The early settlers cut
down a tree, and burned out a bowl or
mortar in the end of the stump Is or 20
inches deep, and made swinging pes
tie with stick run through it for
handle. They put the corn in the NOR
tar and begun to pound it with the end
of the pestle till they made pretty good
hominy or grits, and some fine meal.
The old woman did most of the grind
ing on this mill while the old man
cleared up the land, ana fenced and cul-
tivated it.
In few years people began to move
into the valley and settle in Bledsoe
County and upper Marion County.
James Robertson, William Stone, Sam
uel Worthington, Jonathan Pope, and
Moses Easterly settled in the upper
edge of Marion County. Israel Standi-
fer, Luke Hendrix, Mark Hendrix, Is
aac Steel, Richard Phillips, Dick Stone
and Jesse Humble and others settled in
and around Old Madison, and what was
known as Dadsville. Luke and Mark
Hendrix settled where Sequachee is
now located, Dick Stone on the Wash
Turner place, David Shropshire, Ander
son Cheek, Benjamin Hawkins and
Green H. Pryor settled in and near
WhltWell, "Old Madison"
AMOS l.. GRIFFITH