The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-29
(Atlanta Constitution }

| few months ago some doubling cor
respondents hintcd that the story Of
| Nancy Hart was exaggerated romance or
handed down tradition or maybe i
| myth II is fortunate that the doubt Mas
| published, for it awakened and aroused
| the good old people OF Ebert and Hart
| counties and brought TO light facts and
| records concerning the old lady that
| might have passed into oblivion The
| story of her heroiSm is now cstab-
| lished as clearly as it was when Hart
county was cut of from Ebert ana named
| for her, the only county in Georgia that
was named for a woman. While this
| newspaper controversy was going on
| down in Georgia there was a great strap-
| ping NirSinian named Tom Leo, 6l2 feet
| high and large in proportion, operating
| the passenger department OF the G-acIl-
awanna Railroad. He is a great grandson
| of Nancy Hart, descended from her in a
ice line through honorable Virginia an
| cestors. He knew nothing Of this con
! troEersy concerning the maternal anccs-
| tor and said recently when speaking Of
| her that it was the sorrow OF his life
| that he was not personally acquainted
| with her.
| Tom Lee is a great favorito among
| nc ON oou OIHCIdlS. Very recently ne
wished to try the work and speed of
| new monster locomotive and invited the
| presidents and supcrintcndcnts Of sew
| eral railroads and forty three cditors and
| newspaper men to go With him on Il
| special to Pocona mountains and back
| again. On the northern roads tho super
| lntendentS now have an indicator or
! Dutcn clock in their private car that reg
] listers the speed What do you want -"
| said Tom Lee. Well about 20 miles =
said the editor. The speed was then -
! miles an hour, but quickly tho clock reg
| istered 36 81, 5S 90, So, -. whcrc il re-
| manned for several minutes while the en-
| gineer was holding her down 10 an oven
| steady pace. glassful of water on he
! floor would not have spilled a drop TON
| Lee said Il would have given you 50
| il you had asked for it After awhile
| they stopped at the saltwater house.
| whore Washington and Lafayette played
| croquet after the war was over ana
| where Joe Jefferson spends his summers
| Tom Lee knows his lineage and that his
| parents were Virginians ard nearly rc-
| lated to the Harts, for whom Thomas
Hart Benton was named.
For the sake of many children who
| have never heard tho story / will bricflv
| relate that during the dark DAYS of the
Revolution five tories came to her cabin
and ordered her to got dinner for them.
She did so and While they were eating
| and drinking and their guns were sot IN
! in the corner Of the room she quietly
took them outside, and standing at the
door with one in her hand she drew aim
on the leader and ordered them to sur
render or die. One man started toward
her and she shot him dead and seized
another gun and shot another who had
risen from the table. With another gun
she kept the othcrs quiet until some
neighbors came and thoy were taken
prisoners. No doubt this is 4 true story
and g man had better nor move to Elhort
or Hart county and express any doubts
about it. ! have been there and know. F.
Some years ago l lccturcd in HartwoI +.
and from there journCyod 10 ElbcTton in
a buggy with a preacher. sNc got d late
start and tho preachers horse wanted
to slow up at every house whore there .
WAS a woman in sight, and when We got
to the river the fcrryman was away and .
had to wait an hour for him to come
back. So it was dark when We reached
Elbcrton. The court house was lighted .
UP and seemed full of people AMI the
bows We're rappng and calling for Arp, .
Bill Arp" The preacher unloadc1 ne .
rear by and told me to 20 up stairs and .
open tho ball while he went homo to pu.
UP his horse. AS | hurried in the donr
the door keeper stopped nc and said:
Hold on, my fricnd, you haven't paid. :" .
modestly told him that l vas The
speaker. "Oh. yos," said he. ''Mayb" .
you are and maybe you ainf Several .
other men have tried 10 pass on ;Lat
schedule. reckon you had better pay.
So I paid a half dollar 20 20 in ana hear
myself talk, but I cot half Of i bacn
when we divided proceeds
Now, | don't know that Nancy could
read or write. but she could shoot ma .
in war times that is better. At any
rate Gcorgians arc proud Of E"r n II hcr
great grandson, Tom Lee, nas never tar
nished the name or fame Of the family.
When John Randolph boastcd Of his an
ccstral blood, Tristan Burgess of Rhode .
Island. his bitter enemy, rose ~ to say
that good conduct in postoritv wa; of
more consequence than good blood in
ancestors. Il have great respect said
he. 'for the gentlcnan's English blood
and his Indian blood hlt ho should re-
member that he is removed from them
hy several generations a1d that one
sixty fourth part Of Lord Rolfe or Poca-
hontas blood flows in his veins. That
not much to boast Of. The rest is wide
" scattered. diluted and dcgcncrateG. =
Burgess and Randolph had many spat=
like that but they never ca NJ to blows.
There never was time in tho South
land wncn so much eager interest was
manifested in tracing up ancn.t tfv-lin-
cage. ! receive letters almost daily from
good people. from Carolina 20 Texas
asking for hel? to trace M ard prov
their claim 10 Join tho Sons or Daugh-
ters of the Revolution or 70 sarvic" Of
their father or crandfat thor in tha ,riyiI
War Of forty years ago The -cncal alogi- /
cal department Of the Constitution ard
George Smiths weekly contributions -
the Journal arc doing valuable AMI il
tcrosting work on these lines.
There is one other line th3- has been
shamefully neglected. From first 10 last
there were near 10000 Georgia soldiers