Smith County Poor House

The Smith County Poor House (sometimes called the County House, Alms House, or Poor Asylum) was a county-administered institution for the welfare of "the aged, the orphans, the insane, and the paupers" who were unable to provide for themselves. Opening sometime around 1829, it remained in operation in various locations around the county until it closed in 1952, with the advent of Social Security and other programs to assist the needy.Maggart, Sue. W. The History of Smith County Tennessee. Dallas, Texas: Curtis Media Corporation, 1987.
==History==
In the early days of the county, the Justices of the Peace were responsible for the needy in their own districts, recommending them to the County Court for assistance. In 1829, the Court named a committee of David Hogg, Zachery Ford, Exum Whitley, John Chambers, Littleberry Hughes, William Walker, Solomon Debow, Richard Alexander, and Adam Dale to study the costs of instituting a county poor house.
===Key Hollow location===
Sometime after the committee made its report to the County Court, 75 acres of land were purchased from a Mr. Carpenter in Key Hollow, near the Monoville community, on the banks of a creek still bearing the name of Poor House Branch.The Poorhouse Lady. "SMITH TENNESSEE POORHOUSE HISTORY". Poorhousehistory.com. n.d. Web. Accessed 12 June 2015. It consisted of a house and a farm, where the residents would work to support themselves. The Court appointed a committee to oversee the enterprise, with one of their member being elected treasurer, and to hire a superintendent. In 1866, Silas M. Phelps was hired as overseer (paid $175 a year), and the next year promoted to superintendent (with a salary raise to $250), a position he would hold for at least two decades.Goodspeed, History of Tennessee- Sumner, Smith, Macon and Trousdale Counties. Unknown publisher, 1887.
===Horseshoe Bend location===
Sometime around 1871, the Poor House was relocated to a 211-acre farm (purchased for $1,200), where frame buildings were erected at a cost of $3,500. This farm was quickly deemed both unhealthy and inconvenient to Carthage and other communities, and was sold.
===Location west of Carthage===
The third and final home of the Smith County Poor House was a farm about two and a half miles west of Carthage, near the present-day Lebanon Highway. In 1885 a large brick house was built there, "with all modern improvements". It was used until it closed down on January 8, 1952, deemed unnecessary in the wake of Federal and State programs to assist the needy. Saunders F. Hailey and his wife Nannie were the final superintendents of the farm. The brick house burned "a few years" before 1987.
== Lists of residents ==
All of the following information comes from the Federal Census data from the respective years.
=== 1870 residents ===
Last Name 	First Name 	Age	Sex	Race	Birthplace 	Notes
CARMON 	Dorcas 	66 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
CHERRY 	Mary 	33 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	John Ann 	2 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	
CORNWELL 	Garlan 	79 	M 	W 	Tennessee 	Deaf
 	Juda 	43 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	Robert 	1 	M 	W 	Tennessee 	
DENNIS 	Kittie 	76 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't write
GRIER 	Truman 	42 	M 	W 	North Carolina	Can't write; Deaf
 	Lucinda 	38 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	Martha 	13 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	William 	7 	M 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
HALE 	Juda 	24 	F 	B 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write; Deaf & dumb
PHELPS 	Silas M. 	38 	M 	W 	Tennessee 	Superintendent
 	Martha 	40 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	Margaret J.	20 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Attended school in the past year
REEVES 	Mary 	73 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	Easter 	53 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	Emily 	39 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
 	Ellen 	3 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	
SAMPSON 	Lettie 	54 	F 	W 	Tennessee 	Can't read or write
TIMBERLAKE	Martha 	33 	F 	B 	Tennessee 	Can't write; Idiotic
 	Mattie 	3 	F 	B 	Tennessee 	King, Joy. "1870 CENSUS SMITH COUNTY TENNESSEE POOR HOUSE". Poorhousehistory.com. 24 August 2001. Web. Accessed 12 June 2015.
===1880 residents===
Last Name 	First Name	Age 	Sex	Race	Status 	Birthplace 	Notes
BEASLEY 	Francis 	32 	F 	B 	Single 	Tennessee 	
BUSH 	Delcy 	72 	F 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	Insane
CARMAN 	Darkes 	74 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Deformed
CORNWELL 	Juda 	51 	F 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	
FREDERICK 	Frankis 	54 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Blind
FRELTG 	Mary 	33 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
 	Mandy 	3 mos.	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
GARNER 	Carolina 	35 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Fall of womb
 	William 	14 	M 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
GORDON 	Mary 	43 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Blind
GREEN 	Mary 	37 	F 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	
 	Auntny 	1 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
GRIYOR 	Lucy 	46 	F 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	
 	William 	16 	M 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	"Rupsure"
HAIL 	Juda 	33 	F 	B 	Single 	Tennessee 	
HIRSSLEN 	Lucy 	60 	F 	W 	Married	North Carolina	Blind
LAMBERT 	Almeder 	9 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Great-niece of Superintendent
MARTIN 	William 	19 	M 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Fits
MATHES 	Marth 	40 	F 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	Fits
PETTRESS 	Charlotie 	36 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
 	Sidney 	9 	M 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
 	Harvey 	7 	M 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
 	Florance 	4 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
 	William 	1 	M 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
PHELPS 	Silas 	54 	M 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	Superintendent
 	Martha 	53 	F 	W 	Married	Tennessee 	
REAVES 	Easter 	62 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	Arm Broke
 	Emily 	47 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	
ROBINGSON 	Faorra 	42 	F 	B 	Married	Tennessee 	
SMITH 	Celey 	66 	F 	W 	Married	North Carolina	
TIMBERLAKE	Marth 	52 	F 	B 	Single 	Tennessee 	
WILSON 	Tennie 	34 	F 	W 	Single 	Tennessee 	King, Joy. "1880 CENSUS SMITH COUNTY TENNESSEE POOR HOUSE". Poorhousehistory.com. 24 August 2001. Web. Accessed 12 June 2015.
==Poor House Cemetery==
A cemetery for the residents of the Poor House farm at Key Hollow did exist, on a hill behind the later site of the Monoville School house, but there are no markers remaining (if there ever were any) at this site. It is unknown if the other two farms had burial grounds, though that seems likely.
The following legend is told of the cemetery:
:"Gruesome tales are told of 'grave snatchers' who would dig up the corpses and bring them to Carthage where they were sold to some doctor who wished to further his medical education. In one such instance, one of these unscrupulous robbers was enroute to Carthage with the corpse tied behind him on his horse. Upon hearing another rider coming, he rolled the body into the ditch and continued on his way. When the road was clear, he went back and retrieved his burden."
==References==
Category:Smith County healthcare
Category:Poor Houses
Category:Monoville
Category:Defunct Smith County institutions