The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1921-05-05
more ABOUT RANDOLPH
IN The EARLY DAYS
MRS ]. W. NORVELL. OF WASH
INGTON FURNISHES DATA

MRS ]. w. N0RVELL, OF WASH
INGTON FURNISHES DATA
Mrs. NOrvelI Was Born At Randolph
in 1853 and Also Once a Resident
of COvingtOn- Recalls Incidents of
Her Early Life and Tells Of Prom
inent People Who Once Made Ran
dolph Their Home.
Mr.. W. H. Barton, Of Randolph,
kindly sends us the following letter
from Mrs. J. W. Norvell. Of Wash
ington, d. G., former citizen Of
Randolph, which we publish with
much pleasure:
Mr.. w. H. Barton,
Randolph, Tenn.
NY Dear Sir-A friend of mine
has just sent me copy Of the Mem
phis Commercial Appeal with an
account of my birthplace, Randolph.
| have read and re-read the article,
telling Of the present condition of
that one-time busy town. / notice
in the article that one Mrs. Temple
ton, who has lived in Randolph over
go years, is still living there, so
am going to ask you few questions
of interest to me. If you do not
know, possibly Mrs Templeton will
know.
was born in Randolph in July,
1853. My father was Edward
| Joseph Mariner. NV mother was the
daughter Of William and Polly
Lamb. My father had a store down
/ by the river. 1t formerly was
owned by John Steele. My grand
father, Joseph Mariner, went to Ran
dolph, I imagine, about 1886 or
| thereabout, and died there. NV
fathers brother, Prof. William Mari
ner, taught the college there, and
from there went to Lebanon, Tenn.
One of my mothers brothers, WyIey
Lamb, died in Randolph and his wife
later on married a DR.. Martin. /
think mothers other brother, James
i Britton Lamb, married and moved
to Fayetteville. Tenn. When was
about four years old my father
moved to Coyington and for years
had dry goods store there. For
| awhile, / believe, the business was
/ Mariner & Mears. Then. later on,
Mariner & Wiseman. Then till after
the war it was just r. J. Mariner.
Of course, my parents and grand
parents are LONG since gone, and /
myself not far from 70 years. Still
I've often wondered about the burial
places Of my kin. Ny father once
told me, that his father. Joe Mari
ner, was buried on the hill overlook
ing the river. Also my grand
father, William lamb and grand
mother Lamb. Joe Parish and Aunt
Paulina Parish and her children are
buried in Randolph. Is it possible
to find grave Of any one Of these
dear ones? I was told often that /
was born in the hotel my grand
father owned before his death; also
told that it was not burned when the
federals burned the town. Was not
that the hotel your father bought
| from my grandfather? / have with
| my keepsakes an invitation to a
dance given at 4Joe Mariners
Hotel" and among the names Of
men giving the dance are Postel-
wait, Munford, Barton and Mears.
Perhaps the Barton was your father.
In the notice sent me, | remembered
well the Densford family mentioned.
NY cousin Amanda Lamb, married
John Densford and he was killed in
one Of the southern battles. His
sister, Julia Densford, used to stay
at our house in Covington and at
tended the female seminary there.
Do you know, or will you please
ask Mrs. Templeton, if any one can
tell me when my grandfather, Will
liam Lamb, moved to Randolph and
what part Of Kentucky he came
from? Did he marry my grand
mother in Randolph or over in
Arkansas +? / thought my mother,
Mary Frances Lamb, told me her
mother was Mary Frances Robinson,
Of Arkansas. She was called Polly,
but Uncle James Lamb, of Fay
etteville, told his son, William B.
Lamb, that our grandmother was
Polly Roberts, of Georgia. Also /
was often told that she was cousin
to Alexander H. Stevens. vice-presi-
dent Of the Southern Confederacy.
Are there any real old people living
about Randolph who could tell me
anything about my grandparents
After my grandfather Mariner died,
his widow married man named
Miller; shortly after left for parts
unknown. I well remember when
Grandma Lamb was buried in
1868 or 1864. / presume her
old, home is long since gone. Do
you have any recollection of young
doctor from Georgia named Moseley,
building a house in Randolph after
the war and began the practice Of
medicine there, only to live short
time? He died, ! think, within
year, and when his wife came back
from the burial their house had
burned down and every dollar on
earth lost. His wife was my cousin,
Alice Parish. Then she went to
live with my aunt, Mrs. Dan Angus.
They moved to Nevada, Mo-, where
Mrs. Angus died.
Ny friends in Memphis are named
Frank O'Connor and wife. He sent
me the paper with notice of Ran
dolph and has kindly invited me to
visit them which I would dearly
love to do and then 90 see my old