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VIRGINIA NAYLOR SMITH "VIRGIE" ~ REMEMBERS ~ |
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VIRGINIA NAYLOR SMITH "VIRGIE" ~ REMEMBERS ~ |
JANUARY 28, 2004
I WAS PRINCIPAL OF DANCYVILLE SCHOOL IN 1929-30, TEACHING
7TH & 8TH GRADES. LORRAINE COOK
TAUGHT 4TH, 5TH, AND 6TH. OLIVIA POWELL TAUGHT
1ST, 2ND AND 3RD.
I WAS ONLY 20 YEARS OLD WHEN I WENT TO DANCYVILLE AND I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND I HAD FALLEN INTO A NEST OF KIN FOLK. I DID NOT REALLY LEARN ABOUT THE JONES FAMILY UNTIL MANY YEARS LATER WHEN I BEGAN TO RESEARCH MY FAMILY HISTORY. MY RECORD OF THE TEN GENERATIONS OF THE JONES FAMILY BEGINS WITH ROGER AND EVAN JONES, TWO SONS OF COL. ROGER JONES WHO CAME FROM WALES TO NORTH CAROLINA IN 1710. IN 1711, ROGER JONES WAS DECAPITATED DURING AN INDIAN MASSACRE.
MY PARENTS WERE HOWELL ARTHUR
AND EL VIRGINIA MAUD KELSO NAYLOR. MY MOTHER
WAS FROM THE DO ME GOOD CHURCH COMMUNITY AND
TAUGHT AT THE DEZERN SCHOOL NEAR BROWNSVILLE.
THE DO ME GOOD CHURCH WAS SO
CALLED BECAUSE AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN HAD SAID, "THIS
CHURCH DO ME GOOD." THE OFFICIAL
NAME WAS MT. PLEASANT AND WAS LOCATED
PERHAPS AT HILLVILLE, NOT FAR FROM
EUREKATON.
WILLIAM JAMES NAYLOR, JR., MY FATHER'S OLDEST
BROTHER, WAS THE PASTOR OF THE DANCYVILLE
METHODIST CHURCH FROM 1898 TO 1900.
I OBTAINED THE RECORDS OF HARMONY BAPTIST CHURCH
FROM ALVIS STUART AND
HAD THEM COPIED FOR THE TENNESSEE STATE LIBRARY.
THEY SHOULD BE PUBLISHED
BECAUSE THEY READ LIKE A NOVEL. THEY TOLD
OF MONTHLY MEETINGS OF A COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO
DISCIPLINE MEMBERS FOR BEATING THEIR WIVES,
DRINKING OR LACK OF ATTENDANCE.
MY GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM JAMES NAYLOR, SR., WAS
EXPELLED FROM HARMONY
BAPTIST FOR LACK OF ATTENDANCE. HIS CRIMES
WERE; HE MOVED ACROSS THE RIVER,
MARRIED A METHODIST AND GAVE LAND*¹ FROM
HIS FARM FOR MARVIN'S CHAPEL METHODIST CHURCH.
MR. TURNER, THE MAN WHO SPONSORED HIM FOR
MEMBERSHIP, YEARS LATER SCRIBBLED BETWEEN THE LINES,
THAT MY GRANDFATHER WAS GIVEN A LETTER WHICH
EXONERATED HIM FROM ALL GUILT.
I PUBLISHED A BOOK, "KELSO KIN AND ALLIED
FAMILIES" IN 1979. THE ALLIED FAMILIES ARE:
COLLINS, HINES, JONES, CARNEY, NAYLOR, MOORE
AND LINK. A COPY IS IN THE BROWNSVILLE
LIBRARY. THE BOOK HAS A CHAPTER ON EACH ALLIED
FAMILY INCLUDING THE JONES FAMILY. WILLIAM
STEPHEN KELSO MARRIED ELIZABETH ANN JONES,
MY GRANDMOTHER, THE DAUGHTER OF JAMES THOMPSON
JONES. WHILE STILL IN NORTH CAROLINA, AS
A 6 YEAR OLD, ELIZABETH HAD MARCHED IN
A CIRCUS PARADE WITH TOM THUMB. ALTHOUGH
TOM THUMB WAS 28 YEARS OLD THEY WERE
THE SAME SIZE. WHEN THE FAMILY RETURNED
TO TENNESSEE AND BEFORE SHE WAS MARRIED,
ELIZABETH LIVED WITH HER SISTER ABIGAL. DURING
THIS PERIOD SHE ATTENDED THE SOMERVILLE GIRLS'
SEMINARY.
JAMES BOUGHT 640 ACRES OF LAND IN MEMPHIS (IF WE STILL OWNED THAT LAND CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE WORTH?) HE RODE DOWN ON HORSEBACK TO LOOK AFTER IT AND DIED FROM HIS CLOTHES BEING FROZEN TO HIS BODY, WHEN HE WAS RIDING HOME. HE WAS THE FIRST BURIAL IN THE JONES FAMILY CEMETERY, ON THE JONES FARM, SOUTH OF DANCYVILLE. HE HAD 75 SLAVES. HIS GRAVE HAD A BRICK WALL, ABOUT THREE FEET HIGH, WITH AN IRON SLAB COVERING THE TOP. DURING THE CIVIL WAR THE FAMILY HID THEIR MEAT IN THIS "COMPARTMENT" SO THE YANKEES COULD NOT FIND THEIR FOOD SUPPLIES.
IN LATER YEARS THE FAMILY
HAD A FENCE PLACED AROUND THE CEMETERY AND
CATALOGUED THE CEMETERY FOR THE LIBRARY. JONES
WAS A VERY PROMINENT MEMBER OF THE DANCYVILLE
COMMUNITY.
THE JONES FARM PROPERTY WAS LOCATED IN THE
NORTHERN MOST PORTION OF FAYETTE COUNTY, ONLY A
MILE OR SO SOUTH OF DANCYVILLE.
WHEN JAMES THOMPSON JONES MADE
HIS FIRST TRIP TO TENNESSEE TO BUY LAND
HE WAS STOPPED BY WOULD BE ROBBERS. THEY
TOLD HIM TO PRESENT HIS ARMS BUT HE
TOOK OUT HIS BIBLE AND SAID THAT WAS ALL
THE PROTECTION HE HAD. THE ROBBERS SAID, "
THIS OLD FOOL HASN'T ANY MONEY, LET HIM
GO." HE ACTUALLY HAD $1500 IN HIS
BELT WITH WHICH HE BOUGHT LAND IN
DANCYVILLE AND MEMPHIS.
WHEN JONES DIED HIS WIDOW, SARAH JANET
CARNEY JONES TOOK ALL BACK TO
NORTH CAROLINA AS HE HAD TOLD HER TO
DO. LATER THEY CAME BACK AND HER
SON RODE AHEAD TO FIND A SLEEPING PLACE
FOR ALL. HE DREAMED SHE WAS IN
TROUBLE, WOKE THE INNKEEPER, WHO PERSUADED HIM TO
GO BACK TO BED. HE
DREAMED IT AGAIN AND WENT BACK TO FIND
HIS MOTHER DYING. HE BURIED HER
ALONG SIDE THE ROAD BUT LATER WENT
BACK AND MOVED HER BODY TO THE JONES
FAMILY CEMETERY.
GRANDMOTHER HAD TWO SISTERS, ABIGAIL AND SARAH
F. ABIGAIL MARRIED THOMAS KELLY ARCHBELL, A
RELATIVE OF BISHOP ASBURY , THE FIRST METHODIST
BISHOP IN NORTH AMERICA. ABIGAIL IS BURIED
IN THE DANCYVILLE METHODIST CEMETERY. SARAH
MARRIED DAVID CRAIG (DC) RUSSELL. SARAH
AND DC ARE BURIED IN THE DANCYVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CEMETERY.
GRANDMOTHER HAD 3 BROTHERS, THOMAS
LOVICK JONES, EVAN ROBERT JONES AND JOHN
WESLEY JONES. THOMAS LOVICK MARRIED MARTHA
HUNTER. SOME OF MARTHA'S ANCESTORS WERE IN
THE NORTH CAROLINA ASSEMBLY AND THE U.S.
CONGRESS. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED BY ELDERLY
RELATIVES THAT MARTHA HAD 33 PREGNANCIES. I
HAVE FOUND RECORDS OF ONLY 10, SOME DIED
YOUNG AND SOME AT BIRTH. EVAN ROBERT DIED
AT FOUR YEARS.
JOHN WESLEY WAS ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED. HE
ASKED HIS BEST FRIEND TO BE IN THE
WEDDING AND THE FRIEND TOLD HIM HE WAS
MARRYING THE SAME GIRL. JOHN WESLEY SHOT
HIMSELF.
SARAH F. JONES RUSSELL AND HER
HUSBAND DAVID CRAIG RUSSELL OWNED A
BEAUTIFUL MANSION WHERE I BOARDED. (THIS HOME
HAS RECENTLY BEEN REMODELED BY THE CURRENT
OWNERS.) OTHERS LIVING IN THE HOUSE WERE
JAMES MONROE "ROE" CRAWFORD, SON - IN - LAW
OF THE RUSSELL'S; ROE'S SON DAVID CRAIG
(DC) CRAWFORD SR., HIS WIFE AMY AND
CHILDREN: RUSSELL, ANNIE MARIE, GEORGE WILLIS
AND DC JR. DC SR. DIED OF A HEART
ATTACK SOON AFTER I MOVED IN. THERE
WAS SO LITTLE TO DO AT NIGHT WE
WENT NEXT DOOR TO MR. JOE MOORE'S HOUSE
AND LISTENED TO AMOS AND ANDY.
DOROTHY MOORE WAS IN TOWN A FEW
MONTHS AGO WITH HER YOUNGEST SISTER AND I
TALKED TO HER ON THE PHONE. SHE SAID
SHE STILL KNOWS THE SPEECH SHE MADE WHEN
SHE GRADUATED FROM 8TH GRADE IN 1930, WITH
ME THERE.
FIRST I LIVED WITH RHEA AND MATTIE
SUE CRAWFORD, A LITTLE FARTHER OUT. ONE
NIGHT I TRIED TO CALL THEM FROM MY DOG
TROT SITUATION ROOM (NO LIGHTS, ETC.) THROUGH
OUT THE NIGHT I FELT SOMETHING. WHEN I
AWOKE AND TURNED DOWN THE SHEETS, THERE
WERE A MILLION, TINY, SQUIRMING NEW BORN MICE
UNDER MY TORSO. MATTIE SUE APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY
FOR THE MICE. SHE EXPLAINED SHE HAD MADE
A LONG TRIP THAT SUMMER AND HAD NOT
CHECKED HER MATTRESSES ON HER RETURN.
GO HERE FOR MY REMEMBRANCES OF LEXIE FERRELL, AN EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT.
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GO HERE FOR PAGE 2 ~
VIRGINIA NAYLOR SMITH ~ REMEMBERS
GO HERE FOR INDEX TO THE JONES FAMILY CEMETERY.
THANKS TO VIRGINIA NAYLOR SMITH FOR PROVIDING
THIS INFORMATION AND GRANTING PERMISSION TO
USE IT ON
THE DANCYVILLE WEB SITE. I MIGHT ADD
SHE HAS SENT ALL
THE INFORMATION ON PAGES 1 AND 2 BY
E-MAIL.
MISS VIRGIE CELEBRATED HER 95TH BIRTHDAY ON
JANUARY 9, 2004.