Found this genealogy cartoon in the Mary McCown Collection at the Sherrod Library in Joynson City |
On my second day in Elizabethton I headed for the East
Tennessee State University which is actually in the adjacent town of Johnson
City. Why I was going there is an odd story. I remembered from my first trip to
Tennessee that Robert Nave had advised me to do research at another nearby
institution but I could not recall its name. I had a clear vision of what it
looked like though – it was on a hillside, on the left side of the road, and
mostly white buildings. As I drove towards the university I looked for those
white building but once on the campus everything was red brick. Hum, now what?
Sherrod Library, East Tennessee State University |
I drove onto campus, which was lovely, and stopped to ask
where the library was. It was very close by so I turned that way and as soon as
I saw the name of the building I knew I was in the right place the Sherrod Library.
More serendipity. Somehow everything on this trip just keeps falling into
place.
The archive room is on the third floor and looks out over the campus. It is like being in a tree house. |
I found a parking place in the shade and got ready to join
Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer for a conference call meeting. The three of us are
doing a capital campaign for the California Genealogy Society. We’ve been
meeting monthly for over a year and are continuing to do so even though I’m
traveling.
After the meeting I walked the short distance to the nice,
air-conditioned library and stopped at the front desk. They directed me to the
archives on the fourth floor. The archivist showed me how to use their computer
to find what I was interested in. I filled out a few request forms, handed them
to the archivist and a few minutes later she wheeled out a metal cart loaded
with boxes of files.
This is the most exciting document in the Nave Collection - a deed dated 1809 |
Most of the boxes were from the Nave Collection. Robert Nave
died about two years ago and he distributed his genealogical collection to a
number of institutions. ETSU has 5 boxes of his material. I found several items
that interested me but the best by far was a deed between one of Robert’s
ancestors Abraham Nave and my fourth great grandfather Daniel Stover. The deed
was recorded on October 3, 1809. This just blows me away – I was actually
holding a document that my ancestor signed 208 years ago! Genealogy doesn’t get
any better!
The Nave Collection included a couple dozen documents like these written on small scraps of paper. |
I also requested files from the Mary McCown collection and
there I found two historic photographs of Daniel Stover, Sr.’s home which still
exists today but it’s been remodeled a little. Also historic photos of the E-town
covered bridge, the first school house and the home/business of Andrew Johnson
before he became president. One of my favorite photos is of a Sycamore tree
where General Andrew Jackson held the first court session in Tennessee. The
reason I like finding these historic photos is to include them in the
individual bios I write on my Pattillo-Thornally Family History blog. I try to
show what these places and buildings looked like at the time my ancestors lived
there – show what they saw as a way of conveying what their lives were like.
One of the two historic photos of Daniel Stover Sr. house from the McCown collection |
The Nave collection included a number of standard genealogy
documents like family group sheets and a few family history stories published
in the local papers. I spent two days at the Sherrod Library in Johnson City.
On the first day I took 101 photos of pages of documents and 88 on the second
day. They did not allow me to use my scanner but my iPhone photos all came out
well.
The Mary McCown collection included a few personal letters
that she had received and saved with information about her ancestors, including
a letter from King George, on Windsor Castle letterhead dated April 1918
thanking US soldiers for joining the British forces during WWI.
King George's letter |
On my second day at Sherrod I copied a book by Richard Drake
(could be a relative) “An Outline History of Appalachia” that should provide
good background information. I also copied a few news articles about Stover
Hall which was built by Mary Johnson Stover after her husband Daniel Stover
died in the Civil War. The original house burned but many Stover artifacts were
saved from the burning building and a replacement Stover Hall was rebuilt on
the original foundation.
Sinking Creek Baptist Church |
One of the last things I found was a 1971 copy of the master
plan for Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. This interested me because it is
the sort of thing my landscape architecture firm does today. The next post will
be about Sycamore Shoals.
The second photo of Daniel Stover's home. This and the next few shots all from the McCown Collection |
First schoolhouse in Carter County |
The covered bridge in E-town |
Andrew Johnson's home and business before he was elected president. |
You've been having a really successful trip finding great treasures in archives, libraries, and courthouses. I am enjoying your journey and wonderful photography. I'm very envious of your trip and hope I have at least some of your success on my road trip to South Dakota and Iowa next month.
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