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Researching Brooks, Ballard, Baxter, Ward out of the 1700s
Carolinas into Tennessee and Alabama along with the Fenn families of
Alabama into Texas and back again.
When the land in Texas
was offered to the whites at two dollars an acre, many families
moved to try it out but eventually returned to their home land
*****
Lawrence County is located in Middle Tennessee, one
of the state's three "grand divisions."
Lawrence County was
formed mostly from Indian territory as a result of the Treaty of
1816 with the Chickasaw Indians, and Hickman County and a small
portion of Giles County.***
One of the first commissioners and
justices of the peace from Lawrence County was David Crockett. He
ran a water-powered grist mill, powder mill and distillery in the
area of the county that is now David Crockett State Park. Although
he was only here for four or five years, David Crockett had a
tremendous impact on the county and is a main attraction for
tourists.
In addition to the county seat of Lawrenceburg,
other primary communities are presently Summertown, Henryville,
Ethridge, Leoma, Loretto, St. Joe, West Point, and Iron City. Most
of these were once major towns and their existence came about either
because of Jackson's Military Road or due to iron ore mining.
Several people have influenced Lawrence County's history.
Colonel George Henry Nixon was Colonel during the Civil War, a
politician, and the person most responsible for the railroad coming
to Lawrence County. James Jackson Pennington was our most famous
inventor having invented and patented a working model of an "Aerial
Bird" -- similar to a zeppelin -- in 1877. Thomas Paine was a
lawyer, politician, and teacher, but most important, he was
appointed the first Commissioner of Education in Tennessee in the
1880's by the Governor. During this time he helped develop the
public education system. In 1899 Paine was appointed Commissioner of
Agriculture. James D. Vaughan transformed Lawrenceburg into the
undisputed capital of Gospel Music in America. People came from all
over the south to attend his school of music. Vaughan Publishing
Company printed gospel music books and had branch offices in South
Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas.
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- 1920
John Brooks in Alabama (768
KB)
John Brooks and Annie Ballard in Montgomery Alabama
- Ballard
and Baxter in 1850 Lewis Tennesee (770
KB)
Finding Larkin Ballard and his inlaws appear on the
same page. It is Larkins' granddaughter Anna thru James Ballard
who married John Brooks in TN and had our James Edgar Brooks later
found in Montgomery Alabama
- 1860
R P Smith in Mt Pleasant, Maury TN (613
KB)
Caroline Bond Smith has remarried to John Cox....it
shows her children living in this household as Smith before
Roxanna Permilia married John Brooks.
- 1910
Montague Texas Thomas Fenn (617
KB)
Thomas of Alabama with wife Lula. Thomas was son of
John and Emeline Fenn, born in Tuskegee AL
- WWI
draft card registration (24
KB)
James Edgar Brooks
- 1900
Emily Fenn (782 KB)
mother of
Thomas and William Fenn, wife of John, she is found in Russell
Alabama living with her grandson by Ida, young W O Murry and his
wife Annie Fletcher Murry. Emily was known as Emiline Harrell born
in Macon Georgia where she married John Fann and they later moved
into Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama having William, Madison,
Thomas, Ida in the 1850s.
- 1930
James Brooks in Montgomery AL (1086
KB)
with wife Susie Mae Cooper and James Jr
- 1880
David Craig (966 KB)
Lawrence
Tennessee - this family connects to Annie Ballard Brooks
- Rebecca
Caroline Pennington (587 KB)
1860
Lawrence Tennessee - She married Wm Craig and they had Willie
Eudora Craig who married James Ballard. The Ballards had Anna
Ballard who married John Brooks and Anna had James Edgar Brooks
who went to Montgomery Alabama and then married Susie Mae Cooper (
Mamaw )
- 1880
Anna Ballard (1002 KB)
Lawrence
Tennessee with many relatives living around them.
- 1900
Anna Ballard Brooks (885
KB)
Lawrence Tennessee - with husband and baby Edgar.
Her father James Ballard is at the bottom of this page.
- 1860
John Brooks (643 KB)
Giles
Tennessee, working as a tailor, John is from Pennsylvania
- 1880
John Brooks in Texas (833
KB)
shows his father from Holland |
