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knoxcotn-digest Saturday, April 15 2000 Volume 01 : Number 080
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:31:57 -0700 From: "Billie R. McNamara" <knox@tngenweb.org> Subject: [KnoxCoTN] Home again, home again, jiggety-jig <g> Having survived the slowly inching-upward British pound (a 1 pence increase in exchange rate = 10 cents more cost in US dollars), driving 1000 miles on the wrong side of the road, major road construction, unseasonably cold gale-force winds and rain/sleet/snowy weather, a huge protest in London by soccer fans, an awesome ride on the London Eye (the world's largest "ferris wheel," designed by my distant cousin), a trip to the "used book capital of the world" (www.hay-on-wye.com) and the side effects of being inundated with Welsh ancestors back to pre-1800 and meeting a whole villageful of cousins that I never knew existed.... ....I'm home after 2-1/2 weeks with less money but more of God's blessings than I can enumerate in a short message. I have a trainload of e-mail and snail mail to wade through, so please bear with me if you're waiting for a response. First I've got to get my body clock back on Eastern Daylight Time! But, I wanted to let everyone know I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, and I will get all this mail answered and web page updates loaded ... eventually <wink>. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 06:09:57 -0700 From: "Billie R. McNamara" <knox@tngenweb.org> Subject: [KnoxCoTN] Fwd: Col. Parnemes Taylor from the Turnley book >From: "Bennett" <rabit@preferred.com> >To: "Billie R. McNamara" <knox@tngenweb.org> >Subject: Col. Parnemes Taylor from the Turnley book >Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 14:52:58 -0400 > >Billie, >Below is a copy of what I found in my book "the Turnleys" published in 1905. >someone on the Tennessee list was looking for information regarding him. I >added >and introduction and a very brief note at the end regarding the author. Since >some of the descendants are in Knox County you may want to put it on the Knox >county page. I can send more later if you like. >Thanks! >Leota >Col. Parmanes Taylor daughter married John C. Turnkey. > >One of the Col. Parmanes Taylor daughters married John C. Turnkey, the son of >George and Charlotte Cunningham Turnkey and the grandson of John and Mary >Turnkey in Jefferson County, TN. John and Mary Turnkey are my ancestors >through >their daughter Elizabeth Turnkey who married George Graham. They also lived in >Jefferson County. (With the exception of the Taylor family) these families and >the Cunninghams, Seviers, Sehorns, and others moved to the French Broad >Settlements by mid to late 1780's from the old Augusta and Botetourt >sections of >Virginia. > >John C. Turnley's oldest son, Parmanes T. Turnkey wrote a second family >history >called "The Turnley's " in 1905. > >On page 132 of that book it states: >"On October 9, 1817, he (John C. Turnkey) married Miss Mahala Taylor, a >daughter >of Colonel Parmenas Taylor, who, with old John and George Turnley was >among the >first settlers of Eastern Tennessee on the French Broad river and whose lands >lay on the river, directly opposite those of George Turnley. After his >marriage >he settled in Dandridge(county seat of Jefferson County, TN), and established >there a large hotel...." > >Pages142-144 it states: >"Mahala Taylor, Wife of John C. Turnley and daughter of Colonel Parmenas >Taylor" >"Parmenas Taylor, father of Mahala. was born April 4, 1753, in the Colony of >North Carolina, and was therefore twenty-three years of age at the outbreak of >the Revolution of 1776. He served in the Colonial Army, first as Captain, >afterwards as Major, under the command of Colonel William White, of Burkes >County, North Carolina. Both officers were together captured in one of the >engagements in that Colony. After being held for some time as prisoners of >war, >they were exchanged and returned to duty, and served during the remainder of >that war. After the restoration of peace, Taylor married White's daughter, >Betty. White was a wealthy man, for that day, and the section of the >country in >which he lived." >"Taylor settled on the French Broad River in Jefferson County, Tennessee, on a >large body of rich river land, in what is still known as Taylor's Bend. He >was a >man of vigorous intellect, and a rare specimen of mountain growth physically, >standing six feet three inches in height, and through by no means fleshy, yet >weighted one hundred and eighty pounds at advanced age. By profession he was a >Land Surveyor, but carried on farming work." >:He was several years a member of the Legislature of the Territory, and >afterwards of the State, and was also one of the chief delegates who >framed the >first constitution of the State of Tennessee. Being of Catholic parentage, he >found no church in his new home of that denomination, and never was known to >recognize nor yet to disapprove of any. It was often a matter of remark among >his family and acquaintances that a man of his decided character, exemplary >life, and frank opinions on so many points, should never so much as allude to >religious matters, so generally discussed by the community." >"He died at his residence on Taylor's Bend, Jefferson County, Tennessee, on >February 28th 1827, in the 74th year of his age. The writer (Parmenas T. >Turnley), then six years of old, well remembers standing by the coffin at the >funeral." >"His widow, Betty, died at the same place, eleven years later, 1838, also >in the >74th year of her age, and the writer also attended her funeral. The parents of >the latter were of the English Church, and Betty in her later years >attended the >Methodist Society, then predominant in that section of the country. She >was not >16 when she married and not 17 when her first child was born." >"Parmenas and Betty Taylor had nine children, and it is their fourth, Mahala, >who formed the subject of our present narrative." >"Mahala Taylor, wife of John C. Turnley, was born at her father's home in >Taylor's Bend, Jefferson County, Tennessee, August 3rd, 1792. Was married >at her >father's house October 9th 1817; and died at Mt. Pleasant August 10, 1844. She >was a large and portly woman, being five feet six inches in height, weighting >one hundred and sixty pounds, of very strong physique, and robust >constitution. >She had fair complexion, light hair, blue eyes and large and decided >features." > >Note about the book's author, Parmenas T. Taylor: >He was the grandson of Col. Taylor. He graduated from West Point and became a >judge in Chicago, Illinois. > > > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 07:39:39 -0700 From: "Billie R. McNamara" <knox@tngenweb.org> Subject: Masonic records (was Re: [KnoxCoTN] Masons in E TN) Hey, everybody! I'm so glad our list is friendly! This topic has such potential to flame so many people!!! I've got a lot of Masonic ties in my family on both maternal and paternal lines. After my daddy died unexpectedly, I established a web site for his lodge -- my husband is now the webmaster, since it's his lodge, too. Here's the official "poop" on the records issue: individual lodges and the grand lodge in Nashville don't give out info on living members. They will give out info on deceased members -- but all they have is birth date, death date (if known), dates of different things that the man did in the organization, and info about any lodge the man might have transferred to or from. There's a really interesting published history of Tennessee Masonry -- it's got lists of lodges and dates and places, if you're trying to find somebody's membership "home." You can write to the Tennessee Grand Lodge in Nashville, and they will help you. Please keep in mind that they're all volunteers and are extremely overworked just keeping up with the current membership activities -- genealogy isn't a big thing to them. My husband has links on his webpage: http://www.korrnet.org/bml763/links.html And Masons do take care of each other -- and members' wives/widows and children. They also do marvelous things for the community. There's no secret stuff, really -- my daddy and my husband have told me repeatedly that everything that's in their ritual is based on history and Biblical text. The "secret" is how they apply it in their lodge functions. My husband's ritual book is in a drawer in our house -- I could read it if I chose to, but I respect that it's part of his life and not mine. Enough of all that -- write to the Grand Lodge if you have questions about deceased members, or write to the individual lodges if you know where the man was a member!
At 05:36 PM 4/11/00 -0700, Barbara Brinkley wrote: >My cousins and I are seeking info on elusive Knox Co ancestors, some of >whom we believe may have been Masons. We are wondering if Masonic Lodges >would provide historical and/or membership information. Does anyone know >if this is feasible, what kind of information they have, and how I would >find a contact person among the Masons of E TN? Barbara Brown Brinkley ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 07:43:35 -0700 From: "Billie R. McNamara" <knox@tngenweb.org> Subject: Re: [KnoxCoTN] Knox Co families Thanks for writing to the list, Regina -- you'll find a number of Walker researchers around these parts! At 06:34 PM 4/12/00 -0400, Steve Roper wrote: >Hello. I am new to the list. I have information to share (and hopefully >can learn more) about the following Knox Co families: ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 07:35:14 -0500 From: "Mary Sheridan" <mawmaw5@peoplepc.com> Subject: [KnoxCoTN] McMillan Family Is anybody out there researching the McMillan family of McMillan Station in Knox Co.? I am trying to make a connection with McMillans who settled in Bowie Co. TX. The Bowie Co. McMillans have strong ties to the Meeks family in the 1800's. There is a Johnson McMillan on the 1850 Bowie Co. census born TN who was the pastor of the Methodist Church in DeKalb, Bowie Co. TX in 1854/1855. http://c-23.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/tx/bowie/misc/dekalbpastors1.txt http://c-23.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/tx/bowie/census/1850bowie.txt 158-158 McMillin, Johnson - M - 27 - Minister - Tenn ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 16:10:03 -0400 From: Betty B Osborne <betty@ellijay.com> Subject: [KnoxCoTN] McMillan Station Dear Mary, My ggg grandparents Alexander and Margaret McMillan were buried in McMillan Station, TN 1837 and 1836. Most of what I know came from Zella Armstrong's book "Notable Southern Families". Have you found that book? Would love to swap info with anybody. Betty in N GA mountains ------------------------------ End of knoxcotn-digest V1 #80 ***************************** |