The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-01-18

i NOuu a. HIS hotuC II @NnApSA ~
near Mount Olive Tuesday morning.
Jan. Is, 1918, 0bion County loses
another one of her oldest and best
citizens. Deceased had been in de-
clining health for the past few years,
but was taken with pneumonia. and
passed away with just short strug-
gle and then quietly and peacefully
laid to rest in the presence of his
family and friends. aged 81 years, 8
monIns and 2S days.
Last fall Captain Underwood came
to town for the first time after long
absence. He looked frail, but at
some cost to his personal comfort en-
deavored to maintain his old-time
military, tho courtly, bearing. 1t was
an effort that bespoke the man and
his splendid ideals.
Thomas Benton Underwood was
born in Maury County, Tennessee,
and came to this county when a
young man. He was engaged here
in teaching. He was united in mar
riage to Miss Nellie Reeves and the
union gave them six children, one of
whom is numbered with the dead.
The living are Rev. John Underwood,
Baptist minister at Brownsville,
Tenn; Geo. Underwood, who, like
his father has been teaching; Mrs.
Ida Self. Caledonia. Miss; Mrs. Laura
Bond, wife of r. X. Bond, and Miss
Dora Underwood.
Deceased was a member of the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, an
elder of the church at Antioch for
twenty-eight years, and member of
the Masonic order.
Captain Underwood was not one of
the first teachers in that portion of
the county where he located, but his
advent in our schools was when the
old forms were just beginning 70 dis
appear for the use of the desk, and
he was first to adopt them. / remem-
Der when he taught at the old West
brook Academy northwest of Troy.
At that time there were number of
young men nearly grown from this
and other portions Of the county in
his school, including those who have
since filled important positions in
life. Later in Number Ten one of
|
his pupils was the late General Cald-
we'll. But the old school at West
brook, being the only one of conse-
quence at or near Troy, was sus-
tanned practically by nearly all the
families there, who were both patrons
and friends of the genial school
master. It was while teaching there
that Cupid smote him, and he fell at
the feet of one of the fairest and
sweetest girls of an age and circle
in which some of the rarest and
purest ideals were preserved. Nellie
Reeves was the daughter OF John
Reeves, well known merchant and
citizen of Troy. That was forty
years ago. She is widow now of
one of the most gallant and chiv-
alrous of his race, sustained in her
sorrow by the grace Of God.
From Hancock's Diary we find of
Captain Underwood the following:
It. B. Underwood, son of John and
Parmelia Underwood, was born in
Maury County, Tenn, Sept. 20, 1885.
He attended school at Thompson
Academy in Williamson County,
Tenn, of which institution the Hon.
Atha Thomas was principal. From
there he went to Cumberland Uni
yersity at Lebanon, where he re-
NAMED until the war broke out. In
the spring of 81 Captain Underwood
enlisted with Company under Cap
tain Ewing. He re-enlisted at Jacin-
to, Miss, for three years with Com
pany B, into which his company was
consolidated, forming the Second
Tennessee Cavalry. After serving
one year as lieutenant he was pro-
NOTED to the captaincy of his COM
pany, which rank he held. till the
close of the war. He led a. famous
drive in 1863 destroying bridges and
trestles along the Nashville and De-
catur Railroad at the head of de-
tachment of fifty men. The historian
says of him that HE made noble
soldier, gallant lieutenant, dar-
ing captain, and by kind acts and
generous deeds he won the admiraz.
ton and esteem of all his comrades.
Captain Underwood was in West
Tennessee recruiting when the war
closed, afterwards locating here. He
was a Mason and man of great
worth and character.
Funeral services were conducted at
the home of Captain Underwood by
Rev. w. B. Cunningham, and the re-
mains were inferred at Antioch.
Death of H. W. Hart.
H. w. Hart, farmer and citizen
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