The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-01-09
MAI. NAT.F. CHEA|RS,
COUNIy'S OLDEST
CITIZEN IS DEAD
PIONEER RESIDENT OF MAURY
GOES TO REWARD AT NINETY
FIVE YEARS OF AGE.
The end CAME WHILE In TEXAS
Born Dec. 18, 1918, He Lived All Of
His Life on the Farm Near Spring
Hill Where He First Saw the Light
of Day-Gallant Confederate.


Maj. Nathaniel F. Cheairs, the old
est citizen of Maury county, died at
the home of his daughter, Mrs. Jen-
ME Cheairs Hickey, in Waco, Texas,
Monday. The remains will +, be
brought at once to Spring Hill, the
home of Maj. Cheairs and will be
taken to- the residence on Tuesday
morning where the funeral services
will be conducted. The remains will
be brought to Rose Hill for inter,
meht. .E<...
Maj. Cheairs was born on Dec. IS
1918, on the farm near Spring Hill
where he lived all of his life, span
of more than ninety-five years. He
was active and enjoyed good health
practically all Of his life. A few
weeks ago he was stricken with par.
tial paralysis in Texas while visiting
his daughter and never recovered,
Maj. Cheairs was a member Of one
Of the best known and most promi
nent families of Maury county, fam
lily that was among the very first to
come to the county. There was a
time when he was known to almost
every one in the county. He enlisted
at the outbreak of the war between
the states in the Confederate army
and became major Of the third Ten.
nessee, serving with gallantry and
distinction until the close of the con
iict. He had the unique and unusual
distinction Of having son in the ar
my, Thos. G. Cheairs, who preceded
him to the grave several years ago
Maj. Cheairs was engaged in many OF
the desperate battles of the Confeder
acy and always acquitted himself
with courage and honor.
Maj. Cheairs was a man of genial
disposition who made thousands OF
devoted friends in his long earthly
pilgrimage and was held in the high
est esteem by all who knew him. He
was practically all of his life a devot
ed member Of the Methodist church
While he never aspired to political
Office he always took very lively
interest in the affairs of his county
land was progressive and enterpris
ing.
Maj. Cheairs is survived by one
son, w. M. Cheairs, of Spring Hill
who lives on the estate where his
father was born, and two daughters
Mrs. Jennie C. Hickey, of Waco, Tex.
and Mrs. J. M. Moore, Of Spring Hill
Early in life he married Miss Susan
B. McKissack, who has been dead for
many Yeas.
During his long life Maj. Cheairs
saw practically all of the history of
Maury county. He saw it develop
from frontier settlement practical
ly to one of the richest and most
prosperous counties in all the Union
He was a witness of practically all
of the inventions that have changed
the whole course of modern life. He
voted in probably two-thirds of the
presidential elections of the country
Maj. Cheairs lived under all of the
presidents of the United States ex
cept the first four, Washington, Ad
ans, Jefferson and Madison. He wit
messed the passing of dynasties, the
crumbling of thrones and the triumph
of democracy in many of the coun
tries of the world. He was born long
before the German Empire was
dreamed of. When he first saw the
light of day the Bourbons were on
the throne of France and the great
Napoleon was yet prisoner upon
the bleake and desolate island of St
Helena. Since his birth U. S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Gar
field, Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleve
land, Benjamin Harrison and Will
liam Mckinley, have been born, riser
the steep heights of fame to the pres
idency of the nation and have al
been gathered to their Father. He
was twenty-eight years of age wher
the battle of Buena Vista was fought
and was comparatively speaking ar
old man, when the "crime of seventy
three" was perpetrated.
Cakes & Nichols funeral directors