Slaves along with their masters cleared hundreds of acres in Union County for farming. The second and third growth of timber on many acres is very misleading. Many of the hills, knobs, and ridges along with lowlands, lost their timber to build homes, barns, storage buildings, and for fuel in heating and cooking. Much of the virgin timber was cut and the logs floated down the Clinch and Powell rivers to New Orleans where they were sold. Years later Ross' Landing was establish at Chattanooga and hearty old pilots who were acquainted with the waterways such as George Fields, David Parkey, Pleasant Cooke, John Hitch, and John Robinson, disposed of their log rafts there. With the coming of the railroad through Luttrell in 1880, this treacherous practice was soon abandoned.
Since the land owners possessed few conveniences, all hands, both black and white, were employed in farm and farm related activities. There was a tremendous amount of work to be done the year around. In 1860, Union County farmers produced 15,000 pounds of tobacco. They sheared 10,000 pounds of wool while processing cheese, butter, and wine in large amounts. The same year flax and flax seed were harvested, yielding 4,000 pounds of flax and 224 bushel of seed. Bees, kept in hives or in forests, produced 13,188 pounds of honey and 600 pounds of wax. In one season cane crops were harvested for livestock feed and the manufacture of sorgum molasses, producing over 10,000 gallons. While crops and livestock thrived, the forests produced 224 gallons of maple syrup and 6,674 pounds of maple sugar. In addition to providing these staples, labor was required in the raising of cattle, hogs, crops of hay, corn, wheat, oats, other grains, and garden vegetables, and a variety of fruit orchards. Neither black nor white "let their shirt tails touch their backs" in attending to farm chores.
In the same year taxes were paid on 97 slaves in the county. Following the Civil War, this number increased, and by 1870, the figure nearly doubled to 188. The heads of ex-slave families with several children were classified as farm laborers or day laborers. A number of black women were employed as domestic help in a limited number of homes during this period.
No cases of mistreatment of slaves was reported, rather it is recalled that blacks worked along with their masters and were generally treated as family members. When slaves died, they were sometimes buried in separate plots, but most always in local family cemeteries.
During the slave period, some slaves earned wages by hiring themselves out to local farmers. A portion of the wages they were allowed to keep. Over a period of years some had saved to purchase their freedom. But, many discovered that when freedom was obtained they found themselves in a worse situation. The most difficult of which was having to leave the country. In 1831, a Tennessee law was made "conditional upon the freedman leaving the statew. In 1854, manumission (formal liberation of a slave) was possible only for blacks who could emigrate to Liberia. A slave named Coto, who was old and in poor health, for example, had purchased his freedom from John Sharp in 1855, for $400. In order to remain in Tennessee, he was forced to go into open court and petition the court to grant him leave "to remain in the state of Tennessee rather than be shipped to the western coast of Africa." Coto was much more fortunate than others. His request was granted by the court while hundreds of ex-slaves had been shipped out of the state by that time. Coto was born in Virginia and migrated with the early Sharps to Union County. After the purchase of his freedom and permission granted to remain in Tennessee, Coto may have been a tenant farmer on a few acres in the Lost Creek area of the county. In 1860, the value of his personal estate was $250.
Other arrangements to free slaves were negotiated. For example, "Pioneer" Henry Sharp, who settled near Sharp's Chapel, had a highly esteemed slave known as Black Harry. This Negro was given his freedom by Sharp, and the slave's wife and children were sold to Harry who gave a promissary note in payment. The debt was not fully paid when Henry Sharp died in 1848. Since Harry was a skilled stone cutter, the estate gave him the unpaid note on condition that the ex-slave erect a suitable monument for his former master. Black Harry prepaired the monument and carved the following inscription on a large stone slab: "Here lies Henry Sharp, the pioneer, who settled on this farm in 1797, whose house was a home for Methodist ministers where the weary and needy found relief. By his side rests the wife of his youth and the mother of his children.
Born 1765, died September 1848. This monument was erected by his beloved and freed slave Henry Sharp." The monument was later replaced by a marble marker set by a grandson who was irked by the fact that the slave took the name of the master as well as credit for work for which he had been abundantly paid. Today Black Harry's grave marker can be found outside the fence that encloses the Irwin Cemetery.
Freedom meant a great deal to many, and some went as far as possible to obtain it and to aid others in becoming free. On March 19, 1859, Martha Davids prepared her will with the freedom of a friend in mind when she wrote: "I Matilda Davids, free woman of color, do make the following bequest (sic) to parsol (sic) as my last will and testament to wit: I desire that all my personal estate as so much thereof as will be sufficient to purchase my friend Jess, a man of color, let it take all and if any remainder, my desire is that it be equally divided among all my children to which request Peter Davids and Elmire Jane was called to notice." Matilda's will, recorded in the Union County Guardian Book 1856-1877, showed her concern.
Samuel
Smith.
Many slaves accepted the situation they found themselves placed in and made
useful citizens. One outstanding slave was Samuel Smith who lived in District
2 of Union County. Samuel was a blacksmith by trade, and probably did not
win his freedom until after the Civil War. No record is found in the county
to indicated he was granted freedom or purchased it.
Samuel Smith was the property of Harbert Smith of
Jackson County, Alabama. An abstract of Smith's will reads: "...Know all
men by these presents, that I, Harbert Smith for and of my own accord relinquish
unto Josiah Smith his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, one Negro
boy named Sam six years old, and do by myself and administrators toward and
defend the right of the said Negro unto the said Josiah Smith, of the above
obligations such: That said Harbert Smith is to keep the said Negro boy during
his lifetime, and at the death of said Harbert Smith, the Negro boy is to
belong to the said Josiah Smith, his heirs and assigns. In witness whereof
I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of L. D. Boshart and
Jessie Nicholas."
(Read Harbert
Smith's Will) The transcription of the abstract did not contain the date
the will was written; however, based on Samuel's age the will was probably
written in 1825.
Josiah Smith (Sr), son of Harbert Smith, was of Scotch-Irishorigin and was born in Virginia on October 22, 1782. He served in the War of 1812 and probably received bounty land for his service. This writer believes that Smith owned many acres on Fall Creek in what is now the Cedar Grove Baptist Church community and lived there. He purchased additional acreage in the area and owned a tract of land on Bull Run Creek that he purchased from Jacob Vandergriff. He married Nancy Stonley who was born in Pennysvania County, Virginia on January 5, 1782 and died on November 17, 1847 in Grainger (now Union) County. She was the widow of William Condray. Josiah Smith Sr prepared his will on April 19, 1837 and according to the records died two days later on April 21, 1837. Both he and Nancy are buried in Butcher Cemetery in Hickory Valley.
Josiah Smith Sr's will stipulated that "my Negro Sam is to be equally divided between James and John, my two sons." The will mentioned a slave named Charles that was to go to Josiah Smith. (Read Josiah Smith's Will) In a previous compilation this writer erroneously listed John as a brother to Samuel. After further investigation of church records and oral history, it was revealed that the brother was named Charles. Although the death of Charles has not been recorded, it is said that he was buried near Samuel's grave in Butcher Cemetery.
At the death of Josiah Smith Sr., the boys were around age 16. The Smith property was divided and the section where the Sylvan Academy was established went to John A. Smith. The academy was probably started by John Sr long before his son John Jr gave a tract adjacent to the academy for the Cedar Grove Baptist Church in 1856.
As Samuel and Charles grew, their value increased. In 1854, the brother's estimated value was $1200. The following year their value had increased by $100. The third year, when they were around 33 years of age, a third slave had been acquired by their master and he estimated their total value at $2100. Many of the old-timers recall talk of the Smith brothers, and of their Christian character and kind deeds in the community.
Before local churches were established the Smith slaves were members of the United Baptist Church of Jesus Christ at Liberty (Maynardville) along with their master's family. As the need for additional churches became necessary the Smiths along with white brothers and sisters petitioned the church for a separation to form a new church. The petition included Sarah A. Smith, Nicholas Keller, Paskel Tucker, R. H. Savage, Margaret Savage, Onlena Wolfenbarger, Jerimiah Selvidge, Lucy Cox, Josiah Smith, and Alminda Smith. These members were declared in good standing and were "set apart to constitute a church at a school house (Sylvan Academy) near John A. Smith's in Hickory Valley on Saturday the sixteenth day of April, 1856, for the purpose of examination to qualify them to organize a new church." The presbyter consisted of Mark Monroe, J. H. Cowan, Anderson Acuff, and William Hickle, found them qualified to organize a new church that became Cedar Grove Baptist Church. Samuel and Charles Smith were charter members of the new organization.
Clayton Irick recalled his grandmother's recollections of the Smith brothers and of their participation in church meetings. She said "both of the brothers prayed in public." She remembered too, many of the exact words and phrases used in their prayers. Samuels' prayer mentioning lightening bugs, the signs and seasons and natural phenomenon. He said "seeing such wonders in nature made him a stronger believer in God." Charles Smith's prayer at one of the revival meetings showed his concern for the "lost" when he prayed: "Lord! Take these
For more information on this article or any article or publication of the Union County Historical Society please write them at:
Union County Historical Society
P.O. Box 95
Maynardville, TN 37807
Or
E-mail the Union County Historical
Society.
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