Photo: Marie Lovelace Carlton (1921-2022)
Welcome. You’ve made it to my blog.
Whether you are “part of the family” doing your own research or just curious about history or genealogy, I hope you’ll discover something here of interest. The posts are in chronological order and go all the way back to 2010. I’ve learned a lot since then, so the older ones have been dusted off, fact checked, copy edited and given a second life here. Of course, if you have more information, photos or corrections about any of those mentioned or facts in these posts, please email me at [email protected]. You can skip directly to the blog archives here.
Recent Posts
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Following the Footsteps of the Lovelace Family
I love photos of my ancestors. However, the farther back I trace each line, the less likely I am to find portraits, letters or newspaper accounts. Instead, much of their story survives in land records, leases, surveys, deeds, quit-rent accounts and wills. In researching the Lovelace line and their beginnings in colonial Maryland, those documents…
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Lewis Grave Yard with Some Mention of Early Settlers Along Fifth Creek, Iredell Co., N.C.
My interest in Lewis Graveyard is personal. Several of my direct ancestors are buried there, including my fourth great-grandparents Thomas Lovelace (1772-1829) and Amelia “Millie” Dyson Lovelace (1761-1828), whose names appear near the end of Mary Elinor Lazenby’s pamphlet. Thomas and Amelia’s son, Thomas A. Lovelace (1812-1876), eventually left Iredell County and settled in Haywood…
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Will of Thomas Lovelace, 1772-1829
Thank goodness for wills. Of course, a diary with frequent entries about a person’s day-to-day life would be an easier way to learn about one’s ancestors. Since that rarely happened, an individual’s will can provide a little clarity about who they were and the life they lived. The will of my fourth great-grandfather, Thomas Lovelace…
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Holly Grove Baptist Church: A Castellaw Legacy
The 2026 reunion of the descendants of John Dawson Castellaw (1780–1859) and Zilpha Spruill Castellaw (1778–1842) is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. Few places are more closely connected to the Castellaw family than Holly Grove Baptist Church. For nearly 150 years, generations of Castellaws have worshipped there, taught school there, served as deacons and…
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What I Discovered About my Family Tree from my DNA
Photo: Receiving my DNA way back in 2016 / DNA: a decade later In July 2016, I wrote a blog post after receiving my first AncestryDNA results. At the time, the company’s DNA database had just passed 2 million samples, and my results consisted largely of broad ethnicity estimates and a list of possible cousins.…
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George Williams of Bertie County and the Battle of Stono Ferry
Photo: A British map of Stono Ferry referencing the 1779 battle. Source: South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust / As I blogged a few days ago, I have been trying to learn more about a George Williams who served in the North Carolina militia during the American Revolution. If further research prooves the connection, he would…
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Following my Williams Line Back to Bertie County, North Carolina
Photo of four generations: From left: Will, Scott, Bo and Bob Williams For years, I have been able to trace many of my ancestral lines back 10 or more generations. But my Williams line, the one that gave me my last name, has stopped at my fourth great-grandfather, George S. “Brother George” Williams (1797–1852). George…
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Maggie Williams Sullivan: A Haywood County Tragedy
Maggie Williams Sullivan (1881-1921) was my first cousin, three times removed. Her father, Edward Williams (1853-1893), and my second great-grandfather, George D. Williams (1846-1919), were brothers. Her story shines a light on just how powerless many women were against abuse in the era in which she lived. I knew a little about her tragic life…
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Townmania: Marcus Winchester and the Making of Memphis
After three years of work, countless early mornings and late nights in front of my laptop and many weekends at numerous libraries, my biography of Marcus Winchester will soon be available on Amazon and in bookstores. Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Mempis Public Library For a man who played such an important role…
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Johnny Lee Williams: From Omaha Beach to the Bakersfield Sound to France’s Legion of Honor
Photo: Johnny Lee Williams, right / My wife, Michelle, with her grandfather, Johnny Lee Williams Michelle’s paternal grandfather, Johnny Lee Williams (1925-2006), was only 15 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1940. By the time he left the Army five years later, he had crossed much of Europe with the 83rd Infantry Division,…
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Johnny Lee Williams: French honor service of local WWII veteran
Photo: Michelle’s paternal grandparents, Rose Hash (1923-1989) and Johnny Lee Williams (1925-2006) / This article about the paternal grandfather of my wife, Michelle, was in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on Feb. 19, 2005. Dignitaries, friends, family salute Williams BY SARA LEE FERNANDEZCaller-Times Friday was the biggest birthday celebration Johnny Lee Williams has had in 80…
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Northern Ireland Trip Report: Belfast, Portrush and a Wedding at Dunluce Castle, Part I
Photo: Titanic Belfast, a world-leading visitor attraction that tells the story of RMS Titanic / We just returned from an adventurous week with family in Northern Ireland. Our trip included a few days in Belfast followed by the remainder of the time in the “wee seaside town” of Portrush on the Causeway Coast. While we had…
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Northern Ireland Trip Report: Belfast, Portrush and a Wedding at Dunluce Castle, Part II
The wedding of Liv Williams and Eric Leeds / Headed to Portrush Want to read Part I first? Click here. We picked up two rental cars in Belfast and began making our way north along the Causeway Coastal Route. Our first major stop was Carrickfergus Castle, a Norman castle that has guarded Belfast Lough for…
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Scotland Trip Report: Part II
Isle of Skye The Cluanie Inn For the next few days, our home base was The Cluanie Inn. It was our favorite hotel of the trip. Calling it “remote” does not adequately describe its solitude, and the inn is surrounded by hiking trails. Helpful hint: Take the well-marked Cluanie Estate path. As soon as you…
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Scotland Trip Report: Part I
For people like me who enjoy ancestry research as a hobby and can trace some of their ancestors to Scotland, a trip there is often a bucket-list item. My wife and I recently returned from two weeks in Scotland, so I thought I would share our itinerary and some of our experiences in case they…
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Tech. Sgt. Aaron S. Castellaw: ‘Spirit, Courage and Devotion to Duty’
Photo: Aaron Samuel “Sammy” Castellaw, far left / When I was a boy, my paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Castellaw Williams (1915-1998), often took me to cemeteries around Haywood County, Tennessee. As we walked among the headstones, she shared stories about our ancestors and helped me understand who they were and how they connected to me. The…
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A Chickamauga Battlefield Map With a Haywood County Connection
Photo: Lynn Shaw / I recently purchased a collection of books and several other items from an online auction of the estate of Lynn Jackson Shaw (1940-2019). Shaw served for many years as the Haywood County historian and helped establish the Haywood County Museum in Brownsville. Years ago, he gave me a personal tour of…
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The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee’s David Crockett
When I first moved back to West Tennessee, one of the first things at Discovery Park of America that sparked my curiosity was the statue of David Crockett. I began exploring what made this Tennessean so special that he deserved a statue. From that spark of curiosity came “The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune…
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Nathan Washington Parlow and his 170-Year-Old Clock
Photo: In 1909, Nathan Washington Parlow (1849–1919) and his second wife, Martha B. Womack Parlow (1852–1928), posed at their home in Alamo, Tenn., beside a clock that Nathan said was 170 years old and “still keeping correct time.” / Although this West Tennessee couple is not in my direct family line, I recently came across…
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April 4, 1920: 100 Years Ago Today in Haywood County, Tenn.
Whenever I live through a period that I know people will someday study as “history,” I find myself thinking about my ancestors and wondering how they experienced the upheavals of their own time. That was especially true on April 4, 2020, during the opening weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. While doing a little genealogy research…
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Sharing Old Family Photos Found in an Envelope
Photo: Bertha and Charles Miller, Contra Costa County, California / Michelle’s sister recently shared an envelope of photos she found among the belongings of their late mother, Barbara Trefren Mayer (1948-2018). Barbara probably received the photos from her own mother, Gladys Serilda Williams Trefren (1917-2002), a passionate family researcher and amateur genealogist. In case you…
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Barbara Trefren Mayer (1948-2018)
Barbara Trefren Mayer (1948-2018) was born Sept. 3, 1948 in Boise, Idaho, and died of pancreatic cancer July 8, 2018 at her home in Memphis. She was 69. It has been about a year since my mother-in-law died. One day, she was golfing despite a little pain in her side. The next day, her doctor…
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Remembering Dempsey Williams, a West Tennessee Bird Dog Sportsman
While researching my Williams family genealogy, I came across part of an article in American Field about Dempsey Williams (1929-2014), one of the younger half-brothers of my paternal grandfather, Lloyd “Bo” Williams (1910-2008). I do not believe I ever met him. Demsey Williams and his brother, my grandfather, Bo Williams far right Both were sons…
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“Fury in the Earth”: Harry Harrison Kroll and the New Madrid Earthquakes
Harry Harrison Kroll (1888-1967) is my “lesser-known Tennessee author from the past” for the summer of 2018, as I wrote in a blog post a few weeks ago. My wife and I recently took a quick trip to Virginia Beach, so I brought along Kroll’s “Fury in the Earth” to keep me company. Published by…
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The Battle of the Bozos
When I was last home, my parents, Alex and I stopped for a quick meal at Bozo’s Hot Pit Bar-B-Q in Mason, Tennessee. I have eaten at Bozo’s many times through the years with family. During this visit, however, somewhere between devouring a half rack of ribs and a pulled-pork sandwich, I became curious about…
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‘I’d Like to Kiss You, but I Just Washed My Hair’: Tennessee Writer Harry Harrison Kroll
Every summer, I select a lesser-known Tennessee author from the past and add some of his or her work to my reading list. This summer, I chose novelist, short-story writer, illustrator and professor Harry Harrison Kroll (1888-1967). His subjects, characters and descriptions provide a fascinating bridge to the lives of rural West Tennesseans several generations…
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Cotton-Picking Robots
The last time I was in Haywood County, I stopped to say hello to my friends at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center and spent some time in its cotton exhibit. The exhibit uses historic photographs, antique equipment, an old roller gin, baskets, sacks and scales to explain how cotton was planted, cultivated, harvested and…
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Unity Shirley: An Early Haywood County Settler
Photo: Me; my mother, Shirley Williams; her father, Guy Lovelace; his father, James L. Lovelace; his father, Charles B. Lovelace; and his mother Angeline Shirley Lovelace who was the daughter of Unity Shirley. I wish we had named one of our daughters Unity. Not only is it something we could use a little more of…
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William Smallwood: My Second Cousin, Seven Times Removed
Early this morning, I was researching the Lovelace branch of my family tree when I came across a limb I had not explored. It was even more fascinating to learn that the home of one of the family’s most interesting members, Revolutionary War Maj. Gen. William Smallwood (1732-1792), was less than an hour away from…
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Nancy Ross Joyner and Her Family’s Journey to West Tennessee
While updating the Joyner family page on my website, I discovered that my third-great-grandmother, Nancy Ross Joyner (1825-1906), had a much more interesting family history than I realized. Nancy was born April 22, 1825 (according to her headstone) and died June 25, 1906, in Madison County, Tennessee. Apparently, her family remained confused about her actual…
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Exploring the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
Photo: Peyton Overall clearing the land on his farm at the Hatchie River Bottom around 1800; photo credit: Tennessee State Library & Archives While I was home for Christmas, my dad, my family’s dog Romeo and I spent a day exploring Haywood County, Tennessee. Along with finding some good Tennessee barbecue, we included a visit…
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Looking for Annie Plunk Fowler Robison
My third great-grandmother, Annie Plunk Fowler Robison (c. 1829-after 1880), married twice, raised children from two families and spent most of her life in McNairy County, Tennessee. Until recently, however, I knew little about her beyond her first name. My great-grandfather, Jim Lovelace, in chair with his children, from left, Hobert Lovelace, Blanche Lovelace, Guy…
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The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878
I recently finished Jeanette Keith’s 2012 book, “Fever Season: The Story of a Terrifying Epidemic and the People Who Saved a City.” The timing was fitting: 2018 marked the 140th anniversary of the devastating yellow fever epidemic of 1878. Anyone interested in Memphis, West Tennessee or Mississippi River Valley history will find Keith’s account especially…
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Elbert Williams: The First to Die
Photo: Elbert Williams (far left), pictured with other members of a Haywood County NAACP chapter. / I have wanted for some time to include the story of Elbert Williams (1908-1940) on this blog. Williams’ name is not as widely known as that of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), but his murder belongs to…
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James Sumler and Camp Morton
I’ve been working on my Forrest and Sherrod family lines during the holidays, and today I came across an interesting young couple whose courtship appears to have been interrupted by the Civil War and imprisonment. The story also adds another piece to the complicated family history of my third great-grandmother, Ann “Annie” W. Sherrod Yelverton…
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The Mystery of Laurinda Jordon
After blogging first about my search for the location of Richard Nixon’s cabin and then about finally identifying the property, being home for the holidays gave me the opportunity to see the site for myself. Thanks to Billy Wright for providing directions and to Durwood Dixon, the current owner, for giving me permission to explore…
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Brownsville and the Hatchie River
Although Brownsville never sat directly on the Hatchie River, during the first half of the 19th century, it functioned very much like a river town. The Hatchie flowed south and west of Brownsville before emptying into the Mississippi River about 35 miles north of Memphis. The Forked Deer River drained the northern portion of early…
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The Cobb Family Cemetery
Photo: My daughter Liv with her third great-grandparents Mary Etta Cobb (1871-1935) and Henry Preston Brantley (1872-1956) in the Cobb Family Cemetery in Haywood County / The Cobb Family Cemetery in Haywood County, Tennessee, has always been one of my favorite burial grounds, partly because it sits in such an unexpected place. A visit to…
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Mrs. Serilda Warn Tells of 94 Years of Exciting and Colorful Experiences
Serilda Warn in center in black dress with family. Her daughter Nettie Grace Warn Williams is to her right, and her son-in-law Hiram Watt Williams is to her left. I’m taking a break from blogging about my own family and the history of Haywood County to share a rare find my wife received from her…
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Will the Real John Dawson Please Stand up?
Researching the Castellaw family has always been entertaining, but one ancestor in that branch has remained elusive. And to tell you the truth, I am about to ready to let this one go. My fourth great-grandfather, John Dawson Castellaw (1780-1859), left Bertie County, North Carolina, for Haywood County, Tennessee, in the early 1830s. Family tradition…
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Where was the Home of Richard Nixon, the First Haywood County Settler?
I have driven along Poplar Corner Road east of Brownsville many more times than I can count. Until I began researching the earliest history of Haywood County, I never paid much attention to the narrow stream passing beneath the road near the house of my late grandparents Guy and Virginia Lovelace. View of Nixon Creek…
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My Ancestors’ Journey West
Photo: Tennessee, 1826. Created and published in Baltimore by Fielding Lucas Jr. (1781-1854), this color map shows Tennessee shortly after the Chickasaw cession opened the lands between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers to settlement. Photo credit: the Tennessee State Library and Archives, TSLA Map Collection. / I recently wrote about finally finding time to read…
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From a Haywood County Stew Pot to Grocery Shelves Across America
Photo: Jars with stew from Kirk Baptist Church in Piperton, Tennessee / I have always wondered why someone in Haywood County, Tennessee, did not package and distribute the stew local cooks prepare in enormous black pots. As it turns out, someone did, sort of. My wife and I attended a stew at Holly Grove Baptist…
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Samuel Cole Williams and the Beginnings of West Tennessee
Photo: Collection of Samuel Cole Williams items auctioned off at recent auction / I’ve long been aware that ancestors on both sides of my family migrated from Bertie County, North Carolina to West Tennessee. They played a role in the earliest years of development in the region following the Chickasaw land cession of 1818. Several…
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A Visit to the Brantley Family Cemetery
While back in Tennessee a few weeks ago, I had a chance to visit several of my favorite places in Haywood County. One of my stops was the Brantley Family Cemetery that sits way out in a cotton field. The last time I was there a few years ago, I had my wife and daughters…
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Captain James Blount and Culpeper’s Rebellion
My 10th great-grandfather, Capt. James Blount (c. 1620-1686), appears in the early records of Virginia and the Albemarle region of Carolina as a planter, landowner, council member, legislator and justice. You can also add political rebel to his resume. He helped overthrow a colonial government, served in the government that replaced it and later returned…
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2017 Castellaw Family Reunion
I traveled back to Tennessee last week for a reunion of the descendants of Thomas Jefferson Castellaw (1808-1878), and the gathering reminded me of the important role storytelling plays in passing family history from one generation to the next. I have long been fascinated by the story of Thomas Jefferson Castellaw. With his two wives,…
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James: The First Castellaw
Photo: The Bertie County Courthouse in Windsor, photographed in the early 20th century. Built in 1889, the courthouse stands about two miles downstream from the earlier colonial courthouse site established on or near James Castellaw’s Cashie River plantation. / Some ancestors leave behind nothing more than a name, a marriage date and a line in…
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An Odd Book Launch
I just returned from Gallipolis, Ohio, where I had the privilege of launching “An Odd Book: How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York” in the hometown of O. O. McIntyre. After spending several years researching Odd and Maybelle McIntyre, it was meaningful to finally share their story with the people who know…
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Living in the Home of a Comic Book Hero
I like to think about the people who occupied a place before I did. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that we aren’t the first ones here. The National Hotel I work at the Newseum, the museum of the news and the First Amendment, which stands at Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street NW in Washington…
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Blog Archives
You can skip directly to the full archives here.
Most recent 50 posts:
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Following the Footsteps of the Lovelace Family
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Lewis Grave Yard with Some Mention of Early Settlers Along Fifth Creek, Iredell Co., N.C.
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Will of Thomas Lovelace, 1772-1829
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Holly Grove Baptist Church: A Castellaw Legacy
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What I Discovered About my Family Tree from my DNA
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George Williams of Bertie County and the Battle of Stono Ferry
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Following my Williams Line Back to Bertie County, North Carolina
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Maggie Williams Sullivan: A Haywood County Tragedy
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Townmania: Marcus Winchester and the Making of Memphis
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Johnny Lee Williams: From Omaha Beach to the Bakersfield Sound to France’s Legion of Honor
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Johnny Lee Williams: French honor service of local WWII veteran
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Northern Ireland Trip Report: Belfast, Portrush and a Wedding at Dunluce Castle, Part I
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Northern Ireland Trip Report: Belfast, Portrush and a Wedding at Dunluce Castle, Part II
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Scotland Trip Report: Part II
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Scotland Trip Report: Part I
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Tech. Sgt. Aaron S. Castellaw: ‘Spirit, Courage and Devotion to Duty’
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A Chickamauga Battlefield Map With a Haywood County Connection
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The Accidental Fame and Lack of Fortune of West Tennessee’s David Crockett
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Nathan Washington Parlow and his 170-Year-Old Clock
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April 4, 1920: 100 Years Ago Today in Haywood County, Tenn.
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Sharing Old Family Photos Found in an Envelope
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Barbara Trefren Mayer (1948-2018)
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Remembering Dempsey Williams, a West Tennessee Bird Dog Sportsman
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“Fury in the Earth”: Harry Harrison Kroll and the New Madrid Earthquakes
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The Battle of the Bozos
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‘I’d Like to Kiss You, but I Just Washed My Hair’: Tennessee Writer Harry Harrison Kroll
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Cotton-Picking Robots
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Unity Shirley: An Early Haywood County Settler
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William Smallwood: My Second Cousin, Seven Times Removed
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Nancy Ross Joyner and Her Family’s Journey to West Tennessee
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Exploring the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
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Looking for Annie Plunk Fowler Robison
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The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878
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Elbert Williams: The First to Die
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James Sumler and Camp Morton
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The Mystery of Laurinda Jordon
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Brownsville and the Hatchie River
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The Cobb Family Cemetery
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Mrs. Serilda Warn Tells of 94 Years of Exciting and Colorful Experiences
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Will the Real John Dawson Please Stand up?
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Where was the Home of Richard Nixon, the First Haywood County Settler?
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My Ancestors’ Journey West
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From a Haywood County Stew Pot to Grocery Shelves Across America
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Samuel Cole Williams and the Beginnings of West Tennessee
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A Visit to the Brantley Family Cemetery
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Captain James Blount and Culpeper’s Rebellion
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2017 Castellaw Family Reunion
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James: The First Castellaw
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An Odd Book Launch
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Living in the Home of a Comic Book Hero
