America Firsthand

I just returned from a family camping trip on the Spring River in Hardy, Arkansas.

I declared the outing a “no-electronics trip” with no phones, Kindles or iPads. Of course, books were encouraged.

Being outdoors on the bank of a river turned out to be the perfect place to read “America Firsthand, Volume One: Readings from Settlement to Reconstruction.”

A textbook, and available in multiple editions, the book presents stories and letters from history in the words of people who lived it. From well-known figures, such as John Smith, who described the Powhatan people he encountered in Virginia, to lesser-known figures, such as John and Margaret Winthrop, whose love letters offer a glimpse into Puritan life, the first-person writing of people who were there makes history come alive for me.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history and genealogy.

That got me thinking about how much I enjoy coming across things written by my own ancestors.

Simeon Amherst Cobb

Simeon Amherst Cobb (1840-1927), quality improved with AI

One of the best examples I have found so far is the 1875 diary of Simeon Amherst Cobb, better known as Sim Cobb. Sim was the brother of my second great-grandfather, William Thomas Cobb (1833–1898). William Thomas Cobb was the father of Mary Etta Cobb Brantley (1871–1935), who was the mother of William Day Brantley (1897–1969), who was the father of my maternal grandmother, Virginia Brantley Lovelace (1917–2007).

Joe H. Cobb reprinted some of Sim’s diary in “Nicholas Cobb: Descendants, Neighbors, and Relatives, 1613–1983.”

Sim was brought to Haywood County as. boy by his father who was my third-great-grandfather, John Hardy Cobb (1798-1880). Sim fought in Company L of the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, CSA, during the Civil War. He married his third wife, Caroline Fletcher, when he was 63 and she was 32.

Caroline Fletcher Betts Cobb (1871-1935), quality improved with AI

They remained married for 24 years and had four children together. One of their sons was Lawrence Cobb (1904-1989) who owned and managed a country store in Haywood County that I visited frequently as a child with my grandparents. When Sim and Caroline married, she was younger than two of his children. Sim died in 1927 at age 87 and was buried in the Cobb Family Cemetery. Caroline died eight years later at age 64 and was buried in Holly Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.

Sim’s diary places him with many of my ancestors, including W.C. Cobb, Tommie Rawls, J.C.W. Cobb, Sam Marbury, Sarah Elizabeth Steele, Daniel Watridge, Tinie White, Martha Watridge and others.

Here are a few entries from his diary that mention my ancestors:

Sunday, Jan. 17: Went to father’s in company with William Thomas Cobb and back to John Charles Warren Cobb and from there to Daniel W. Watridge and took supper and came home. Bet went to Daniel W. Watridge. Sunday, Jan. 31: Bet went to her mother’s and I went to Daniel W. Watridge; faired off about 12 o’clock; took dinner at Daniel’s and came home. Friday, Feb. 12: Went and asked hands to help roll logs. John Charles Warren Cobb, Leonard Decatur Cobb, Daniel W. Watridge, John F. White, W.G. Booth and J.E. Lott helped some. Sunday, May 2: Went to Sunday School; Daniel W. Watridge and family was here and stayed until after supper. Monday, Oct. 4: Daniel W. Watridge came to get me to go with him to hunt. Tuesday, Oct. 5: Cloudy and rainy; went with Daniel to hunt horses. We went to the bottom as far as Lewis Tatum by 12; took dinner at his house; went to near Woodville and back to Tatum’s by night. Wednesday, Oct. 13: Went to Daniel W. Watridge and got his mules; James L. White came with me and drug old Jack off (possibly a mule or horse).

Robert Green Marbury

Tintype photos of unidentified individuals from the collection of Janet Marbury Lewis. They are thought to have been passed down from Robert Green Marbury to his son Rush Marbury to his son Andrew Frances Marbury to his daughter Alice Marbury Cobb.

Another really interesting written history from one of my ancestors was shared with me by a mutual Marbury descendant, Janet Marbury Lewis.

She has preserved some fascinating items from Robert Green Marbury (1809-1904), my fourth great-grandfather, including some revealing letters.

One letter from his brother, W.C. Marbury, was written April 14, 1889 and included political news.

Mr. R.G. Marbury Brownsville Haywood County, Tennessee South Chicago April 14, 1889 My ever dear and only brother, I now write in reply to your kind letter of some months since. This leaves us tolerably well. I truly hope this letter will find you and yours in good health and doing well. Have no news of much interest to write. I want to see you and yours worse and more than I can express but see no chance to come. Money is so scarce and times are so close that I can hardly venture to make the trip down there. I would gladly come to see you if I could. I do hope and constantly pray God that I may yet live to see you but if never we do meet on this earth let us work and pray God that we may meet in heaven where parting will be no more forever and where we shall sing praise to God forever and forevermore. I see Rush is married again. Well, I hope he and his dear companion will live a long, peaceful and happy life and be prosperous and kind to each other. I was very glad to know you are keeping in pretty good health and spirits, and I hope and pray God you will continue so. Yes, I was truly sad over Cleveland’s defeat. Cleveland got more popular votes than Harrison by nearly 100,000. The Republicans bought up the bosses of big companies such as foundries, big machine shops, mills and factories, and these bosses and head men, after getting immense pay, turned their men over to the Republican Ring to vote the Republican ticket. There never was as much money spent by the Republican Party before. They paid from $1 to $500 apiece for votes, and that is the way they swung New York into their line. The winter has been lighter and milder here than has been known in a great many years. I hope Rush will stay with you to help and take care of you, dear brother. Take good care of yourself and remember me in your prayers as I do you in my prayers every night. Please write soon all ___ _____. I will try and write you once a month from this out. You please do the same without fail. W.C. Marbury

Robert Green Marbury died May 27, 1904, and his obituary appeared in the Brownsville States Graphic on June 3, 1904.

“Elder R.G. Marbury died at his residence in this county on Saturday last, and the remains were interred in the family burying ground the following day. He was born in North Carolina, Dec. 2, 1809, and during infancy his family removed first to Middle Tennessee and in a few years to this county, being contemporary with the Taylors, Nixons, Connors, Jacocks, Bradford, and other pioneers. In the early 30’s he went to Missouri, thence to Arkansas and was for some years in the employ of the government as an agent for the Creek Indians. Returning to this county he made it his home and lived here ever after, leading as useful and upright life as human nature allows to man. He resided here almost 30 years. He, early in life entered the ranks of the Primitive Baptists, became a ____ and at Brown’s Creek church in 1875 was ordained an elder, filling that office to the day of his death. He was possibly the most widely known and loved member of this church in the state, and had great influence in it’s counsels. Since 1875, he had united in matrimony between 325 – 335 couples, few of his church for near a generation being married by any other man. He was twice married and is survived by his second wife and four sons of the first marriage. Personally, Mr. Marbury was one of the most genial of men, and industrious farmer, and a first rate sportsman, fond of the hunt, a fisherman, fond of animals and birds and in love with all nature, and all the beautiful works of his Maker. Godly, sincere, loyal and honest, a host of friends, will long cherish his memory.”

Cordilia Brantley Jacocks

Sisters Virginia Brantley Lovelace, Cordelia Brantley Jacocks and Betty Brantley Sullivan with their parents Willie and Allie Marbury Brantley around 1940.

This last example of letters from ancestors comes from my maternal grandmother, Virginia Brantley Lovelace (1917-2007), and her sister, Cordelia Brantley Jacocks (1919-2005). The letter gives provides a glimpse into their lives in the late 1930s, near the end of the Great Depression.

Bells, Tenn. June 15, 1939 Dearest Virginia, How are you all getting along? I haven’t heard from you all in so long I thought I would write to you. I had to write a letter because no one in this county had a postal card. I guess you know by now that I’m an old married lady now. I don’t feel so much older though. Maybe I just haven’t had time yet. How is Bobby? Tell him I said hello and that he has a new uncle. I guess he thought that J.T. was already a member of the family though. Are you all through chopping cotton? Daddy is going to try to get through by Saturday. J.T. and Mr. Arthur have been chopping for hire while it was too wet in theirs. I haven’t chopped any since I married. I am celebrating. They are [unclear] here this [unclear], but they won’t let me help. I mean they really are nice to me here. They treat me just exactly like they treat J.T. and Solan. Aunt Clara said to tell you she thought about you every day and would surely like to see you, but that was a little too far to walk. When have you seen Aunt Gladys? I haven’t seen anyone in a long time. Tell Bobby J.T. said tell him “hey.” How is Guy? I’m so sorry he isn’t doing well. Daddy said he looked mighty bad last Sunday afternoon when they went by there. They said Aunt Mabel was sick too. I guess our family has a curse over it. Something is always happening to us. I aimed for us to go up to Mother’s Sunday, but we messed around and didn’t even get up until nearly 11 o’clock. Aren’t we lazy? Didn’t it rain hard Saturday night? J.T. and [unclear] and I got wet all over. We went to Bells and were coming back when it started raining so hard. That lightning scared me. I never saw it lightning so hard in all my life. I better get up from here. I’ve got to wash out some things and finish cleaning up the house. I clean up the house and [unclear] the kitchen every morning. Well, I’ll see you when I can. Lots of love, Cordelia

Only a few people write letters anymore, but let’s hope the genealogy fans of the future try to figure out who we were through more than just our emails and texts. That’s one of the reasons I started this blog.

Hopefully, just like these letters, it will help those in the future learn a little more about the ancestors who came before them.