Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1915-04-28
A VOICE FROM THE PAST.
j. N. Rains Recounts Several Interesting
Incidents Of Long Ago.
Pomona, Tenn, April II. 191

Pomona, Tenn, April II, 1915
Dear Editor: As you have invited
the OLD residents of this county tC
write, / thought would throw in my
mite.
\ was born in Wayne county, Ken.
lucky. in 1881 and came with my par
ents to Overton county, Tennessee,
when about two years old. After liv-
ing there for four years, my father
bought farm two miles south of john
son Stand, in what was then White
county, nov Cumberland, where he
built cabins and lived IN true mountain
style. Deer, turkeys and wolves were
so nun erous that we could find them
without much hunting. have never
heard any music in my life that sound
ed as lonesome as the howilng of
wolves.
Our nearest neighb0r was two miles
distant; next nearest tour; nearest
grist mill Is miles until David Beam
built a mill four miles from US and
later added saw mill and also black
smith shop. There were no churches
t or schools; had preaching at the neigh
bors sometimes.
The big March snow of 1884 is still
fresh in my memory. My father was
sick and had the feeding to do and
most of the. firewood to cut and haul
out of the woods with an OK cart.
was only IL years old at that time.
Many of the settlers lost pearly all Of
their stock, but warm weather soon
came and we got over our hardships
alright, but my hardest trial was yet
to come.
In 1848 my father died. Then was
the beginning of trouble indeed. That
le1t the care of eight children on moth
er and myself, as lny oldest brother,
6. W. Rains, was only years old.
My mother died in 1872. stayed with
her during her lifetime.
In 1881 was married to Miss Mary
Beam, youngest daughter of Widow
Beam and born in 1849. Soon after we
were married | moved to my wife's
home, where we still live. Never had
any children; l will leave the editor to
guess about the grandchildren.
If the people of this day knew the
privations and hardships of the first
settlers of this country, they would be
appreciate their churches and schools,
things that we had to do without. The !
seem to be any happier now than they |
were then. 1t seems to me they ought /
to be.
1 was about to forget to say that !
still have my fathers flint lock rifle I
that he and | have brought down many
a fine deer with.
20 Nhvatn snln arlx
the time since 1t was first published. | I
news is to take the county paper.
am "a years old, have lived IN this
county 78 years, excepting about Ia
of the civil war,
have yet the worst to tell: am
blind. | am comfortably situated and
could enjoy a peaceful old age had /
tient and feel that have much to be
for.
J. M. Rams.
(Mr. Rains neglected to state that
he was elected trustee of the county.
The editor well remembers when he
served in that capacity. 1t is pleas F,
ire to remember, also, that we never
heard any man say an unkind or unfa-
,orable thing about MAT" Rains. IS
le was familiiarly known years ago. +,
His life has been an open book in
which any person could read with l
pleasure and know that they were |
'iewing the life of an honest man and
Christian gentleman. If Mr.. Rams '
'nly knew how often his old friends 6
md associates think of him he would I
eel even more cheerful than he does. {
t Is a great thing to be able to feel
heerful when plunged into the con- e
tant darkness that besets him through
he loss of his eye sight. Hundreds in i
his county will join with the writer in q
Wishing him all the pleasures that can b
ONE to q mind free from remorse and .
life rich in kind deeds.-Editor {
e