Godfrey Carriger, Jr

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Son of Gotfried Kercher (Germany) , Godfrey being born May 13, 1767-1769 in Germany and he died 6 May 1827 in TN.  His family moved to Carter County, TN when he was approximately 13. He served as a soldier of the Revolution and received a grant of land issued on a military warrant. He was known as Major Carriger (his Revolutionary War rank).  He served as register of Carter Co. for 31 years.  He and his brother Christian built the first schoolhouse east of Elizabethton.  Godfrey himself donated the land for the Schoolhouse which also served as a meeting place.  Godfrey married Elizabeth Lovelace Crawley on the 27th of October, 1803.  They had ten children, seven sons and three daughters, one daughter died when very young. He built a two-story log house in 1796 which was considered the finest residence in the Watauga settlement. He died February 27, 1826.

Jackson D. Carriger, son of Godfrey Carriger, Jr., was born March 8, 1821 and left fatherless at the age of 5. He was sworn into a company in the secret service of the United States known as the East Tennessee Bridge Burners during the Civil war, under the order of Colonel Dan Stover.  Confederates became suspicious of him being a Bridge Burner and he left and sought refuge in the mountains.  He suffered greatly during this excursion and felt its effects all of the rest of his life.  He was finally captured and taken to Taylorsville for trial and would have been hanged but one of the men who tried him was a brother Mason (Coordinator Note:  I haven't been able to find out who it was; Any Clues??) and he saved his life.  He married Edna G. Dugger (b. April 8, 1838 in Butler, TN daughter of Samuel Dugger)

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