Gattis Family History, Parts 1 & 2, 1759-present

James Gattis, Soldier of the Revolution and his descendants Gattis Family History 1759-Present

By Claudia Kay Johnson Direct Descendant

18 August 2011 Giles County, Tennessee Today is the birthday – 81st – of my Daddy, Edward Franklin Johnson. He has lived all his life, except for a short stint in the Army, within a few hundred yards of the place where he was born on Rose Hill, Tenn. His siblings lived within 25 miles, with the exception of Wilba Lee, who lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for several years before being enticed back to Tennessee by the beautiful rolling hills and the love of a good Southern family.

The view from my front door was my grandparents’ home – a modest place on a sizable farm. My brother and I were allowed, after a certain age, to travel down the road or through the field, to my Grandmother’s and Grandaddy’s. Grandmother died in 1969 when I was only 10, and she had been sick a long time. When I think of her, it’s coconut cake, a trunk of old pictures in the upstairs room, watching her kill a chicken once, the “cinnamon vine” that grew along her kitchen window, a slamming scene door and a squeaking porch swing, church at Rose Hill Free Will Baptist, bouquets of honeysuckles, fan magazines, a box with hair collected from her brush and a story that each day before Granddaddy returned from work Grandmother would “fix up” for him.

Always interested in history or just perhaps nosy, I once asked my grandmother about her own mother, and she told me her name had been Amanda. I remember going to Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Ala., to visit the graves of both grandparents. I loved the family reunions when Uncle Ruf Gattis and Aunt Flossie Gattis Fann would come up for the day. Long after Grandmother died, I traveled to Huntsville to see Ruf and Flossie to learn more about the family history. That is the day I copied the photo of Amanda and Franklin Gattis (reprinted herein) and learned Amanda’s maiden name, Frame.

I was fortunate to grow up knowing my aunts and uncles and their families and spouses. Each of them is dear to me, and I had hoped for years to be able to work on a family history for them to enjoy. I so wish Uncle Ben and Aunt Dorothy had lived to see this document. I have spent years collecting all the information and trying to organize it to tell the family history – our Gattis history – accurately. Along the way, I met Charles Gattis, grandson of Uncle Lem, who has been a tremendous help in connecting the dots by sharing with me his own research and offering encouragement.

I believe this document to be very accurate. I tried to verify everything I’ve used, and if I still have a concern after extensive research, I have addressed my questions in the text. I included originals of many documents so that my family could enjoy seeing how the original looked.

The portion of our Gattis history that I can verify begins with the birth of James in 1759 in Pennsylvania. It is my belief that he was the child of John Gattis and that their family were among the Scots-Irish immigrants to America during the Colonial period, long before the American Revolution. The term "Scots-Irish" refers to settlers who were born in or resided in Ireland but whose earlier origins were in Scotland. There are a myriad of possible reasons for the immigration of so many of the Scots-Irish to America in the 1700s. High rents and religious persecution have often been blamed. Note that these are not the immigrants of the later potato famine years.

Many of the earliest Scots-Irish immigrants of the 1720s and 1730s first settled in Pennsylvania, then moved down from Pennsylvania into Virginia and the Carolinas. From there, immigrants and their descendants went on to populate the states of Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Our Gattis family moved in the mid-1820s to Lincoln County, Tenn.

Giving further credence to my belief that our Gattis were among the Scots-Irish, these immigrants were often referred to as "Scotch-Irish," "Ulster Scots" and "Irish Presbyterians." Early records of the New Hope Presbyterian Church in Orange County, N.C., where our ancestors moved in 1763 show Gattis family members in leadership positions. In a history of that church written in 1891 but looking back more than a century it states, “The Geddes family, now spelled "Gattis," in their early history, belonged to New Hope church, but nearly all of them are now in the Methodist church. One of the descendants of the old Elder Alexander Gattis, is now a Methodist Minister – Thomas, by name.”

This search for 250 years of Gattis connections has been a fascinating – like the mystery of Grandmother’s mother, Mandy, – and oftentimes moving endeavor. James’ recounting of his Revolutionary War service is as compelling as any movie. Grandmother’s great uncle, Cicero Wade, an eager young soldier who volunteered for the Confederacy, was killed at age 21 during the Battle of Seven Pines. Frank Gattis, Grandmother’s father, Frank, died of Parkinson’s disease at age 55. Grandmother’s own grandmother was named Jemima, causing me to wonder if this is somehow linked to Grandmother’s unusual name, Jimmie.

I do not presume to be the family authority on the Gattis genealogy or even on Grandmother. My 17 first cousins most likely knew her much better than my brother and I, though we lived close. They have their own stories, and each of them can and should add to this record.

This book is dedicated to our parents, the children of Jimmie Gattis Johnson, in memory of those who have gone before us and with hope for those who follow.

Claudia Kay Johnson ©Claudia Johnson, all rights reserved

If you would like to print a copy of this book in high resolution, please contact me at dejavu159@gmail.com, and I will send you a print-quality copy via Dropbox. This is low-res.

James Gattis I believe this to be our James Gattis because he is specifically listed in Hillsborough in the 1800 & 1810 Census, the place that he names as his home before his move to Tennessee in1826.

I have no proof this is our James, but I do have the marriage listing from the 1783 marriage book from Orange County, N.C. I believe these are our ancestors, however, despite the fact her name never appears in a record I have found in Tennessee.

1810 U.S. Federal Census, Hillsborough, Orange Co., N.C.

Was this James the son of John?

Our James?

John’s son-inlaw, Nathaniel King, lived nearby. Our James had a son, Nathaniel.

Could he be named for his sister’s husband?

James Gattis stated in his Revolutionary War pension application that he lived in the Hillsborough District of Orange County, N.C., marked on the left by a red star on a tax district map for 1774. In November 1786 James Gattis was impaneled as a grand juror at Hillsborough.

James Gattis’s brother, Alexander, was acknowledged on this marker as having served in the Revolution from New Hope Church in Orange County, N.C. He did not move to Tennessee as James did.

Marriage of James Gattis & Anne King, Oct. 24, 1783

Marriage of Nathaniel Gattis & Marry Cate, Feb. 9, 1824

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Will of John Gattis Made July 6, 1809, Proven: Aug Court 1810, Orange Co., N. C., Book D, Page 269-70.

In the name of God Amen. I John Gattis of the County of Orange and the state of N.C., this sixth day of July in the year of our Lord Christ, eighteen hundred and nine, being of perfect mind and memory, bearing to mind that it is appointed for all men once to die, so in the presence of God and before these witnesses constitute and declare this to be my last Will and Testament. In manner and form following: that is to say; First, I give up my Soul to God the Great Judge of Heaven and Earth who gave it. Secondly, my body to be decently buried in a Christian like manner and afterwards all my just debts to be paid and then my whole estate, both real and personal to be distributed and given in manner and form following, that is to say: First: I give and devise to my son Thomas Gattis, two hundred and fifty acres and one fourth acre of land being the west part of my tract, including my house and meadow, beginning at a red ashen Joseph Kirkland Road, running south east or nearly so, to a Walnut, thence South to____and____tree and white oak thence on the same course to the out side line being divided by Thomas Mulhollen. Also I devise to my said son, all my plantation, utensils of every sort, also my kitchen and household furniture, also three head of my cows and three calves, one mare and two colts, twelve sheep and all my hogs, also my coon and all the geese here whence belonging, suitable for Linen cloth, to him and his heirs forever.

Secondly: I give and devise to my son Alexander Gattis, one hundred and forty-three acres and two fourths of an acre of land being the east part of my lands thence south to a four and of white oak, thence same course to the out side line being divided by Thomas Mulhollen. Also I devise to my said son, my riding horse and saddle, one flageolet cow to him and his heirs forever.

Thirdly: I give and devise to my daughter Martha, or John Caldwell the sum of five shillings to them and their heirs forever.

Fourthly: I devise to my son, James Gattis the sum of five shillings to him and his heirs forever.

Fifthly: I devise to my son, Samuel Gattis, the sum of five shillings to him and his heirs forever.

Sixthly: I devise to my son John Gattis, the sum of five shillings to him and his heirs forever.

Seventhly: I devise to my daughter Jinnet Marrow, or William Marrow, the sum of five shillings to them and their heirs forever.

Eighthly: I devise to my daughter Sarah King, or Nathaniel King, the sum of five shillings to them and their heirs forever.

Ninthly: I devise to my son William Gattis, the sum of five shillings, to him and his heirs forever.

Tenthly: I devise to my son Isaac Gattis, the sum of five shillings, to him and his heirs forever.

And lastly in order to put this my last Will and Testament in full force and to announce its intent hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my trusty and well beloved sons, Thomas Gattis and Alexander Gattis to act for me as my Executor and to______in everything as I have set forth as I myself might or could to was I yet in the land of the living. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the year and day first above named.

Signed, sealed, published and pronounced by the Testator, John Gattis, in our presence to be his Will and Testament, and at this request in his presence and in the presence of each other, weave subscribed our names to appear hereunto.

Witnessed: George Johnston Mary Johnston Joseph Kirkland Orange Co., N.C, Aug Court 1810

I found nothing more than circumstantial evidence that the John Gattis who executed this will that was proven in Orange County in August 1810 is our ancestor or the father of the James Gattis who later moved to Lincoln County, Tenn., 1826. However, I believe he was our James’s father. James Gattis, not being the eldest son, received five shillings in John’s will. Since a shilling was worth about 25¢, his inheritance was worth about $1.25.

This is a copy of the original will from the record books from Orange County.

What happened to James Gattis after this will?

In the 1850 census of Lincoln County, James Gattis, age 90, born in Penn., is found living with son Nathaniel Gattis, age 49, and his wife Mary, age 45. According to Bible records, Nathaniel was born July 31, 1801, in Orange Co., N. C., and married Mary Cate. The 1880 Federal Census shows Thomas, our ancestor, who is certainly the son of James and brother of Nathaniel, still living in Lincoln County. He is 89. Wife Nancy is 74, and their daughter, Jane, is still living at home at the age of 47. Thomas’ brother, Nathaniel, a widower, has moved onto the farm with them, and he is 79.

1820 U.S. Federal Census, Orange Co., N.C.

Son-in-law of John

Kirkland mentioned in will

Son of John

East Pennsborough, Cumberland County, Penn., list of taxables in 1762 included James Gattis and William Gattis, either of which could have been the father of our James.

James Gattis, Revolutionary Solider, Pension Statement James Gattis served in the Revolutionary War with the infantry and the cavalry, Captain Allen's Command, N.C. Line. Application for pension, S3385 Volume A, page 136, 23 January 1834. His birth date, Nov. 27, 1759, is corroborated by his pension application. Certificate of pension was issued on 8 March 1834, Book E, Volume 7, page 80.

State of Tennessee, Lincoln County On this 23rd day of January 1834, personally appeared before the Justice of the County Court of said (Lincoln County, Tenn.) country now sitting, James Gattis, a resident of said county and state, aged seventy-four years, who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the prevision made by act of Congress, passed June 7th 1832.

I was born in the state of Pennsylvania but do not recollect in what county, as my father moved from there to Orange County, N.C. when I was about four years old. I have no record of my age, but according to information and my best recollection, I was born about the 27 November 1759. I was living in Orange County, N.C., when I entered the Service of the United States. I volunteered Captain Allen's Company of Cavalry for a three months tour. We marched up into Randolph County and were engaged in scouting parties against the Tories in that quarter, and also in procuring baggage wagons for the use of the troops that were marching from the North towards S.C. The exact time of my entering the service I cannot recollect, but I think it was about the month of May in the year 1779 or 1780. After we had procured the baggage wagons we took them to the Kingston, N. C., where the troops then were. We then went home having been out about two months and there being no particular call for our services we staid [sic] at home, perhaps for two or three weeks, subject to be called on by our Captain at a moment’s notice.

At the end of that time we were called on by our Captain and were engaged in Scouting against the Tories until we had made up the time of our three months tour.

About the first of October 1780, a few weeks after Gates defeat, I became a substitute for a man whose name I now forget, in the Company of Cavalry Commanded by Captain Mark Patterson, Lint. Powell Riggans, Ensign Matthews. We marched through Chatham and Anson Counties and went down over the S.C. line on the Pedee River. We were accompanied in our march by a company under command of Capt Grissum, one under Capt.

Douglas – here for two lines, Lint. Taylor and one under Captain Douglas, and also one company from Wake County the Capt. not recollected and all under the command of Major McCalla (I think was his name). When we arrived on the Pedee we were placed under the command of a Col. whose name was Kinyon or Kenyon or some such name. We were principally engaged in marching down on the north side of the Pedee, in searching and scouring the swamps and pursuing the bodies of Tories who were infesting that part of the country. We went on 'til we came within 30 or 40 miles of Georgetown, when the time for which the companies had been raised having expired, we were discharged by companies and went home. I was in service this tour for two months.

About the first of May 1781 I volunteered in a company of Cavalry under Capt. William Douglas for a two month tour. We were accompanied by a company from Wake County under Capt. Hunter, one from Caswell County under Capt. Bledsoe I think one from Chatham County – Capt. Roper or Roipran – three different companies met near the rocky river in Chatham County and were placed under command of Col Dudley. We were then discharged and went home.

A week or two after this last tour, a body of Tories, supposed to be about three hundred, came suddenly and took Hillsboro, our county seat. After they had remained two or three days they left Hillsboro for fear of Gen. Butler, who was marching upon them. As soon as I heard of the approach of Gen Butler I went and joined him, and we pursued the Tories about sixty miles. After I had been with Gen. Butler about two weeks, he gave all those who had joined him for the purpose of pursuing them leave to go home.

A few weeks afterwards another body of Tories committed several robberies in our county. When Col. O'Neal and Mar. McCalla raised a company of volunteers for the protection of our citizens, I joined the company, and we marched about in different parts of Orange County and Chatham, but the Tories immediately dispersed, and we were dismissed in about ten days. I never received a written discharge from service. I continued to live in Orange County until about eight years since, when I came to this county where I have lived ever since.

I would refer for my character for veracity and revolutionary services to the Rev. John Copland and Drury M. Connally and Robert Ervin. I have no documentary evidence, nor do I know any person whose testimony I can conveniently procure to my service.

I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to pension or annuity except the present and declare that my name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any state.

Sworn to and ordered this day of year aforesaid, F. L. Kincannon, Clerk

James Gattis We, John Copeland, a clergyman residing in Lincoln County, Tenn., and Robert Ervin and Drury M. Connally residing in the same, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with James Gatts who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be seventy four years of age that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion.

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

F. L. Kincannon, Clerk John Copeland Robert Ervin Drury M. Connally And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogations prescribed by the war department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he stated. And the Court further certifies that it appears to them that John Copeland, who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in said county of Lincoln, and that Robert Ervin and Drury M. Conally, who also have signed the same, are residents in said county and are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.

John Lanier unreadable signature I, Francis L. Kincannon, Clerk of the County Court of said County do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of said court in the matter of the application of James Gattis for a pension. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and my seal of office this 25th of January 1834.

F. L. Kincannon, Clerk Note:

James Gattis’ Official Pension Records JAMES GATTIS LINCOLN COUNTY, TENN. PRIVATE INFANTRY AND CAVALRY NORTH CAROLINA LINE $30.83 ANNUAL ALLOWANCE $93.40 AMOUNT RECEIVED MARCH 8, 1834 PENSION STARTED AGE 74

Various people named James, Alexander, William, John and Thomas Gattis’ appear in the Orange County, N.C. Census for 1840.

In Lincoln County, Tenn., there is a Charles, William, B(erry). W., Isaac, Nathaniel and Thomas for 1840 as head of household.

Original Court Record, Lincoln County, 23rd day of January 1834, James Gattis

Hillsboro District Militia Old Orange County, 1752

At the outbreak of the Revolution, the newly formed North Carolina government divided the state into six military districts.

These districts were each comprised of a number of counties surrounding a significant town. The six districts, which corresponded with old judicial organizations, were: Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington, Halifax, Salisbury, and Hillsborough. Later, two additional districts were added, further dividing the mountainous western part of the state.

Within the Hillsborough District were the counties of Caswell, Chatham, Granville, Orange, Randolph and Wake.

Each district was to supply a brigade of militia regiments under the command of a brigadier general. Thomas Person was appointed the first commander of the Hillsborough District Brigade in 1776.

During the 1781 Guilford Court House campaign, the Hillsborough District was commanded by John Butler.

Each county supplied a regiment (Orange County supplied two regiments), which in turn was composed of various companies. James Gattis served in the Revolutionary War with the infantry and the cavalry, Captain Allen's Command, N.C. Line. Each company consisted of no less than fifty men and was further divided into five "divisions." One of the five divisions was reserved for "the more aged and infirm men." The other four divisions, of each company, drew lots to determine the rotation they would follow for their tour of service, which usually lasted for three months.

Eventually the "fifth division" of "aged and infirm men" was dropped, as was the maximum age limit from 60 to 50. In order to provide a Hillsborough, home of our Gattis greater pool of available manpower, family, was founded in 1754. the old colonial militia exemption list was revised.

As the militia had a poor reputation for turning out, bounties to induce volunteerism were common during the war. For men who chose not to serve when drafted, there were two options: pay a substitute or pay a fine. These options, with some modifications, remained throughout the war. Militia from the Hillsborough District participated in nearly all of the important Southern campaigns and engagements. Orange County militia were particularly involved in many engagements including Stono Creek, Charleston, Camden, Cowpens, Cowan's Ford, Clapp's Mill, Guilford Court House and Lindley's Mill.

U.S. Pensioners, 1818-1872 Ledgers of Payments, 1818-1872, to U.S. Pensioners Under Acts of 1818 Through 1858 From Records of the Office of the Third Auditor of the Treasury, 1818-1872, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

The NSDAR has the Revolutionary service record for James Gattis information incorrect. I believe it is because there is a mistake in the file somewhere else. Clearly James Gattis who testified before the Lincoln County, Tenn., quarterly court for a pension is our James Gattis, was granted the pension, was still alive in the 1850 Census at age 90 and, according to the record above continued to COLLECT his pension at least through September 1848. Notice that the amount the James Gattis listed above is receiving each period is the same as was awarded on the pension documents. The reason it says Pulaski is because this was a district office. James Gattis never lived in Giles County and probably many of these people listed did not either. I plan to file a request for correction with the NSDAR so that their files are correct and our ancestor gets his story of 90 years on this earth corrected. Any of who are descended are eligible for DAR or SAR already.

The civil divisions of Lincoln County, Tenn., were first designated by the companies of militia in the respective parts of the county, i.e., the civil officers of the county were elected from the various militia companies. Founded in 1809, by 1835 the county was laid off into 25 civil districts.

James Gattis gave his address as Eastland on pension records.

Thomas is on 1830 Tax List as owning land in Taylor’s section.

Early Unpublished Court Records of Lincoln County, Tennessee : Guardians, Settlements, Land Deeds, Tax Lists (Marsh, 1993)

1830 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

James Gattis had a white female and white male up to 69 years old living in this household. Because the Census of 1830 provided no information about familial relations, it is not known if this is his wife or what her name may be.

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Son of James

Son of James

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Lincoln County Marriage Book, Jan. 3, 1843 This is not the mother of our ancestor

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

This is the son of James, father of Greene.

1860 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

This age does not match with the other census records for G.C. Gattis, he was 26 in 1850 and 40 in 1860. I believe this to be a mistake of the Census taker, which was very common in the 1800s when some of those taking the Census were barely literate themselves.

Ellen Jemima Wade, daughter of James & Verlinda Wade

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Jemima E. Wade, 7, is found in the home of James and Verlinda Wade in the 1850 Census.

1860 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Jemima Wade, 17, is found in the home of J. L. Morehead in the 1860 Census for Lincoln County, TN. It identifies this person as a male but the name is clearly female.

1860 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Jemima Wade does not appear in the home of her mother in 1860.

Her father is absent. In Verlinda’s home are several children, including Sarah, Cicero, William, George, Saffronia, age 5, Henderson, a boy, age 3, and girl named Margaret Wiseman, age 10. Mary is missing.

Verlinda is a weaver, and her personal property is valued at $200.

1880 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Verlinda lost her husband before 1860. James Wade was born in about 1805 in N.C. and appears in the 1930 Lincoln County Cenus. He is a blacksmith in 1850.

By 1880 Verlinda Wade is living with her daughter Selina Wade Tipps. This Census was taken in the Marble Hill District, Moore County, Tenn., on June 8, 1880.

In the 1900 Census Mike and S a l i n a Ti p p s h a v e b e e n married 36 years and are living in the Justice Precinct, Cook County, Texas.

A Verlinda Wade, 70, born in N.C. is listed as hired help in the home of B.E. Spencer.

There is no listing for the birthplace of her parents. This Census was taken in Dist. 4, Moore County, Tenn., on June 17, 1880.

The Revenue Act of 1862 The Revenue Act of 1862 was passed by the United States Congress to help fund the American Civil War. The Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, introducing the first progressive rate income tax to the country.

The office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue was established with the Act specifying that Federal income tax was a temporary measure that would terminate in "the year eighteen hundred and sixty-six.�

Annual income of U.S. residents, to the extent it exceeded $600, was taxed at a 3% rate; those earning over $10,000 per year were taxed at a 5% rate. With respect to the income tax liability generated by the salaries of "officers, or payments to persons in the civil, military, naval or other employment or service of the United States, including senators and representatives and delegates in Congress," the law also imposed a duty on paymasters to deduct and withhold the income tax and to send the withheld tax to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

This Act repealed the flat rate income tax that had been established by the Revenue Act of the previous year. To assure timely collection, income tax was "withheld at the source" by the employer.

In Lincoln County four entries were for Gattis – William, Charles, Nathaniel and B.W.

Green C. Gattis and Ellen Jemima Wade The Census ages for Green C. and G.C. Gattis do not add up in 1850, 1860 & 1870. America appears to be the daughter of Green and Mary Maxwell, who may have died. America is shown in the Thomas and Nancy household in 1860 and 1870. Green is there in 1860, but he is shown as 40. This does not work with the Green that married Mary and was shown in the 1850 census as 26 to be 40 in 1860. In 1870 G.C. Gattis is married to J.E. and is 47. Green’s death has been given as 1878 and 1881. I find no proof of his date of death, and I have found no marked grave for him.

However, the Green C. Gattis of Lincoln County, Tenn., is the son of Thomas and the father of Alexander Franklin.

Jemima E. Wade, 7, is found in the home of James & Verlinda Wade in the 1850 Census for Lincoln County, Tenn.

Jemima Wade, 17, is found in the home of J. L. Morehead in the 1860 Census for Lincoln County, Tenn. It identifies this person as a male but the name is clearly female.

This J.E. Gattis in the household of G.C. Gattis in 1870 is age 27, which puts her in the exact age progression for Jemima Wade through the 1850 & 1860 Census records. G.C. Gattis’ age also matches Green C. Gattis’ age in the 1850 Census when he was married to Mary Marshall.

Various sources have stated her date of death as 1905. I have found nothing to substantiate this date, nor have I found a marked grave for her.

Green & Jemima had the following children: William. Born in 1862.

Sarah Emma. Born in 1865.

Thomas. Born in 1868.

Commodore Bainbridge. Born in 1869.

Franklin Alexander. Born Sep 3, 1871.

James Wesley. Born Sep 5, 1874.

George Robert. Born Aug 2, 1876.

Green C. Gattis was Not a Civil War Soldier

J. len l E n ed arri 1861, i m s , tti n.

20 . Ga arch ty, Ten C .

G e, M oun Wad coln C Lin

The G.C. Gattis that served in the Civil War was killed. I went to the Tennessee State Library and Archives and pulled the record. It was George C. Gattis. If Green was in the War, there should be a record for him, but I have found none. He would have been approaching age 40 during the war. There is a G.C. Gattis from Madison County, Tenn., listed in several Census records prior to the War.

Pvt. Cicero M. Wade, brother of Jemima Wade,

enrolled April 29, 1861, at Lynchburg, Tenn., at aged 24. He was killed at Seven Pines, Va., on May 31, 1862. He was in Co. "E" of the 1st Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Provisional Army, Confederate States of America, made up of men from Moore County, then Franklin County, called "The Lynchburg Rangers".

Cicero’s record is available on microfilm, M231 roll 45.

Battle of Seven Pines

1ST CONFEDERATE INFANTRY REGIMENT
 Colonel-Peter Turney Records filed as 1st (Turney's) Tennessee Infantry Regiment. Organized at Winchester, Franklin County, Tenn., April 29, 1861; mustered into Confederate service at Lynchburg, Va., May 8, 1861; surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse April 9, 1865.

Practically simultaneously with the holding of a mass meeting in Winchester on Feb. 24, 1861, at which Franklin County petitioned to be allowed to secede from Tennessee and join Alabama, then a Confederate State, Peter Turney commenced the organization of a company in Winchester, which was later to become "C" Company. Shortly thereafter, other companies were formed in and around Winchester and in the neighboring counties of Coffee and Grundy. Quickly after the fall of Fort Sumter came the formation of four other companies to complete the regiment.

On April 21 Colonel Turney reported to the Confederate War Department that his regiment was organized, although without weapons. On April 28 the regiment was assembled at Winchester, bivouacking on the grounds of Mary Sharp College; on May 1 it departed by rail for the Virginia theater. Six companies arrived at Lynchburg, Va., on May 5, and the remainder of the regiment shortly thereafter, when the regiment was sworn into the Confederate service.

On May 17 the regiment was moved by rail to Richmond, where it went into training camp, to be drilled by the detachment of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute.

On June 1 the regiment moved by rail to Harper's Ferry, there to be under the command of Brig. General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. In July it was moved to the locale of Manassas, and for the Battle of First Manassas was part of the 3rd Brigade (Bernard E. Bee), Johnston's Division. The regiment remained in the Manassas area until about September 30, when it moved to duty along the Potomac, between Occoquan and Aquia Creeks. On Jan. 10, 1862, it was part of the task force of Brig. General William H.C. Whiting, at Dumfries, Va., being placed on Feb. 9 under the command of Maj. General Theophilus H. Holmes, commanding the Aquia District. At the same time the 1st Tennessee Infantry (Maney), 2nd Tennessee Infantry (Bate) and 3rd Tennessee Infantry (J.C. Vaughn) were detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and returned to the Tennessee Theater, leaving the 1st Confederate Infantry, the 7th Tennessee Infantry and the 14th Tennessee Infantry as components of a brigade which was to serve with minor changes from time to time, during the rest of the war, and which was to become known as the Tennessee Brigade, Army of Northern Va. Organization of the Tennessee Brigade was announced on March 8, 1862. Its first commander was Brig. General Samuel R. Anderson; his headquarters were at Evansport, now Quantico, Va. On March 8, 1862, the brigade was assigned to the division of Brigadier General William H. C. Whiting.

Under General Anderson, the brigade entered the Peninsular Campaign as part of A.P. Hill's "Light Division" of Magruder's Corps. Its initial position was about midway between the York and James Rivers. Here the regiment was reorganized; General Anderson was relieved from active field service by reason of ill health (he was 58 years old and was serving in his second war), and the brigade command passed to Brig.

General Robert H. Hatton, formerly colonel of the 7th Tennessee Infantry.

General Hatton was killed in the fighting near Fair Oaks Station, May 31, 1862, the same day as Cicero M. Wade.

The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Va., as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, in which the Army of the Potomac reached the outskirts of Richmond.

On May 31 Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston attempted to overwhelm two Federal corps that appeared isolated south of the Chickahominy River. The Confederate assaults, although not well coordinated, succeeded in driving back the IV Corps and inflicting heavy casualties. Reinforcements arrived, and both sides fed more and more troops into the action. Supported by the III Corps and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's division of Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner's II Corps (which crossed the rain-swollen river on Grapevine Bridge), the Federal position was finally stabilized. Gen. Johnston was seriously wounded during the action, and command of the Confederate army devolved temporarily to Maj. Gen. G.W. Smith. On June 1 the Confederates renewed their assaults against the Federals, who had brought up more reinforcements, but made little headway. Both sides claimed victory. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it was the largest battle in the Eastern Theater up to that time (and second only to Shiloh in terms of casualties thus far, about 11,000 total) and marked the end of the Union offensive, leading to the Seven Days Battles and Union retreat in late June.

The Gattis family became associated with the Mulberry are of Lincoln County later in the 19th Century and finally with Moore County in the nearby Gattistown area.

Gattistown

Type to enter text

Marshall County formed from old districts 16 in 1836

Moore County formed from old districts 1, 2 & 3 in 1871

Gattistown

Lincoln, Co., Tenn., historic communities

1870 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

Son of James, he is our ancestor

This J.E. Gattis in the household is age 27, which puts her in the exact age progression for Jemima Wade through the 1850 & 1860 Census records. G.C. Gattis’ age also matches Green C. Gattis’ age in the 1850 Census when he was married to Mary Marshall.

1880 U.S. Federal Census, Lincoln, Co., Tenn.

The Gattis family is noted as living in a 21-acre corn patch in 1880.

Nathaniel, with whom James lived at age 90, now lives with his brother Thomas and wife, Nancy.

Common Mistake about Nancy & Thomas Gattis of Lincoln County, TN. I have discovered that many Gattis family “researchers" have said the parents of Green C Gattis are Thomas Gattis and Polly Mason because they have seen a marriage bond from 1808 N.C. for those names. Our Thomas Gattis and wife Nancy were both born around 1800, so they did not marry at age 8. “Polly� was a nickname for Mary. I personally saw this original bond when I visited Orange County, N.C. These Gattis people used the same names over and over, and there were a bunch of them there.

Our Thomas and Nancy Gattis who lived in Lincoln County, Tennessee, were the parents of Green C., who were the parents of Frank, father of Jimmie., Lem, Emma, Flossie, etc.

Thomas and Nancy appear in several court records as being supported by the county because they are indigent.

Family History of Jimmie Gattis Johnson

Monroe & Jimmie Johnson, 1961

By Claudia Kay Johnson Granddaughter

Jimmie with little sister Flossie and brother Lem.

18 August 2011 Giles County, Tennessee Today is the birthday – 81st – of my Daddy, Edward Franklin Johnson. He has lived all his life, except for a short stint in the Army, within a few hundred yards of the place where he was born on Rose Hill, Tenn. His siblings lived within 25 miles, with the exception of Wilba Lee, who lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for several years before being enticed back to Tennessee by the beautiful rolling hills and the love of a good Southern family.

The view from my front door was my grandparents’ home – a modest place on a sizable farm. My brother and I were allowed, after a certain age, to travel down the road or through the field, to my Grandmother’s and Grandaddy’s. Grandmother died in 1969 when I was only 10, and she had been sick a long time. When I think of her, it’s coconut cake, a trunk of old pictures in the upstairs room, watching her kill a chicken once, the “cinnamon vine” that grew along her kitchen window, a slamming scene door and a squeaking porch swing, church at Rose Hill Free Will Baptist, bouquets of honeysuckles, fan magazines, a box with hair collected from her brush and a story that each day before Granddaddy returned from work Grandmother would “fix up” for him.

Always interested in history or just perhaps nosy, I once asked my grandmother about her own mother, and she told me her name had been Amanda. I remember going to Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Ala., to visit the graves of both grandparents. I loved the family reunions when Uncle Ruf Gattis and Aunt Flossie Gattis Fann would come up for the day. Long after Grandmother died, I traveled to Huntsville to see Ruf and Flossie to learn more about the family history. That is the day I copied the photo of Amanda and Franklin Gattis (reprinted herein) and learned Amanda’s maiden name, Frame.

I was fortunate to grow up knowing my aunts and uncles and their families and spouses. Each of them is dear to me, and I had hoped for years to be able to work on a family history for them to enjoy. I so wish Uncle Ben and Aunt Dorothy had lived to see this document. I have spent years collecting all the information and trying to organize it to tell the family history – our Gattis history – accurately. Along the way, I met Charles Gattis, grandson of Uncle Lem, who has been a tremendous help in connecting the dots by sharing with me his own research and offering encouragement.

I believe this document to be very accurate. I tried to verify everything I’ve used, and if I still have a concern after extensive research, I have addressed my questions in the text. I included originals of many documents so that my family could enjoy seeing how the original looked.

The portion of our Gattis history that I can verify begins with the birth of James in 1759 in Pennsylvania. It is my belief that he was the child of John Gattis and that their family were among the Scots-Irish immigrants to America during the Colonial period, long before the American Revolution. The term "Scots-Irish" refers to settlers who were born in or resided in Ireland but whose earlier origins were in Scotland. There are a myriad of possible reasons for the immigration of so many of the Scots-Irish to America in the 1700s. High rents and religious persecution have often been blamed. Note that these are not the immigrants of the later potato famine years.

Many of the earliest Scots-Irish immigrants of the 1720s and 1730s first settled in Pennsylvania, then moved down from Pennsylvania into Virginia and the Carolinas. From there, immigrants and their descendants went on to populate the states of Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Our Gattis family moved in the mid-1820s to Lincoln County, Tenn.

Giving further credence to my belief that our Gattis were among the Scots-Irish, these immigrants were often referred to as "Scotch-Irish," "Ulster Scots" and "Irish Presbyterians." Early records of the New Hope Presbyterian Church in Orange County, N.C., where our ancestors moved in 1763 show Gattis family members in leadership positions. In a history of that church written in 1891 but looking back more than a century it states, “The Geddes family, now spelled "Gattis," in their early history, belonged to New Hope church, but nearly all of them are now in the Methodist church. One of the descendants of the old Elder Alexander Gattis, is now a Methodist Minister – Thomas, by name.”

This search for 250 years of Gattis connections has been a fascinating – like the mystery of Grandmother’s mother, Mandy, – and oftentimes moving endeavor. James’ recounting of his Revolutionary War service is as compelling as any movie. Grandmother’s great uncle, Cicero Wade, an eager young soldier who volunteered for the Confederacy, was killed at age 21 during the Battle of Seven Pines. Frank Gattis, Grandmother’s father, Frank, died of Parkinson’s disease at age 55. Grandmother’s own grandmother was named Jemima, causing me to wonder if this is somehow linked to Grandmother’s unusual name, Jimmie.

I do not presume to be the family authority on the Gattis genealogy or even on Grandmother. My 17 first cousins most likely knew her much better than my brother and I, though we lived close. They have their own stories, and each of them can and should add to this record.

This book is dedicated to our parents, the children of Jimmie Gattis Johnson, in memory of those who have gone before us and with hope for those who follow.

Claudia Kay Johnson Copyright 2011, Claudia Johnson, all rights reserved

Mandy & Frank Gattis

Mandy’s First Marriage Mandy Frame married A. Woodard on May 20,1883, in Moore County, Tenn. He died in an accident involving a mule or horse, according to Helen Johnson Kilgo, Mandy’s granddaughter.

The Woodards had two daughters: Myrtle and Sue Ella, both who are listed as stepdaughters of Frank Gattis in the years following the remarriage of their mother, Amanda Woodard, to Frank Gattis, on 4/24/1891 in Moore County, Tenn.

Myrtle married Thomas L. Painter, who worked in the carding department at Merrimack Mill. At the 1920 US Census, they lived on A Street in Merrimack (25) Village. She was 35, he was 40 and their son Floyd was 13. Thomas and Myrtle were both born in Tennessee as were all their parents. Floyd was born in Alabama. She did not work. Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Ala., shows a grave for a Thomas Painter who died 12/19/1927 and a Floyd T. Painter, 4/19/19066/20/1982.

The other daughter, Ella, was born 6/26/1887, in Tennessee. She married Marlin H. Bean on 11/26/1910. Marlin Bean is listed in the household of Lucy Bean in the 1910 Census. They live two households from Frank Gattis. Marlin is 25 and works as a weaver at Merrimack. He was born in Alabama, but both his parents were born in Tennessee as were his widowed mother’s. Ella died 7/2/16 in a stove fire at the home of her mother, Mandy Gattis, while cooking for a celebration. She is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Ala. Marlin, 39, is listed as head of household at Madison Crossroads, Ala., in 1920 with his mother Lucy, 64, and daughter Jewell Bean, age 5.

His occupation is general farming, and both he and his mother can read and write. By 1930 he has remarried and lives on Burton’s Row in the Whitesburg area of Madison Co., Ala. He and wife Madenia have a 1 1.2 year old daughter, Catherine, and his daughter Jewell is 15. His sister, Mamie Griffin and her two sons and two daughters live with them, and all but Medenia and the Bean girls are listed as farmers.

1900 U.S. Federal Census, Franklin Co., Tenn.

Neither Frank nor Mandy could read and write, they did not own their place and he worked as a farmer. Between this Flossie’s birth in 1903 and the 1910 Census, they moved to Huntsville, Ala.

Back: Sarah Amanda Frames, Franklin Alexander Gattis, Myrtle Woodard Painter, Ella Woodard, Emma Gattis Gibson Lema Gattis Ransom Front: Jimmie Gattis Johnson, Flossie Gattis Fann, Floyd Painter (son of Myrtle), Rufus Gattis, Lem Gattis

Child

Birthdate

Marriage

Death

Burial

Rufus Wroden Gattis

6/24/1891 Moore Co., TN

4/7/1912 Flora Bell McGee Huntsville, Ala.

11/6/1983 Huntsville, Ala.

Maple Hill Huntsville, Ala.

Emma Gattis Gibson

9/14/1893, TN Moore Co., TN

10/8/1910 Carlton Gibson Huntsville, Ala.

5/18/1970 Lincoln Co., TN

Lincoln Co. ?

Lemuel Mosely Gattis

6/4/1898 Moore Co., TN

2/5/1922 Selma Ozell Williams Toney, Ala.

3/24/1963 Huntsville, Ala.

Maple Hill Huntsville, Ala.

Jimmie Gattis Johnson

11/24/1900 Winchester, TN

5/2/1916

12/22/1969 Ethridge, TN

Rose Hill Cemetery, Giles County, TN

11/21/1916 Homer Talmus Fann Lincoln Co. TN

7/1/1991 Huntsville, Ala.

Maple Hill Huntsville, Ala.

1. Wiley Knight 3/7/1912 Lincoln Co. TN 2. Albert Roscoe Ransom ?????????

9/6/1969 Huntsville, Ala.

Maple Hill Huntsville, Ala.

Flossie Mae Gattis 9/3/1902 Moore Co., TN Fann Lema M. Gattis Knight Ransom

4/5/1899 Winchester, TN

Benjamin Monroe Johnson Lincoln Co., TN

Frank Gattis is listed in the Huntsville, Ala., City Directories for 1911-12 and 1918-17

The old Madison County Courthouse (1914) was built while the Gattis family lived in Huntsville.

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Madison Co., Ala.

Gattis home in Merrimack Village

Life in the Mill Village The Gattis family is first listed in Early days of Merrimack, note mules the Merrimack Mill Village in the 1910 Census.

At about the same time construction of the mill began in the mid-1890s, work was begun by the Merrimack Mill Company on houses for its employees.

Merrimack Mill planned to recruit most of their employees from other towns and outlaying areas and knew that housing would entice a large work force. Most of these first houses were two-story, two-family dwellings, with five or six rooms to the side. Houses were set on lots large enough to allow space for outbuildings for the stabling of cows or horses, and the Mill also provided a pasture for employees’ cattle to graze on.

Near the pasture was a pigpen, for those employees who could afford to have a hog. Rent for the village houses was $.50 - $.75 per week, depending on the size of the house and was deducted directly from the worker’s pay. Toilet paper was delivered once a Cotton being processed week by the mill to each village house’s outhouse. The Mill provided a communal garden area so employees could grow their own produce.

Cotton was delivered to the plant by drays pulled by two mules. When the mill began operations on July 9, 1900, there were approximately 60 houses completed and occupied by some of the 750 initial mill employees.

The mill was operated by steam, and required a four-man boiler crew to feed coal into the boiler at all times. A typical shift was from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. and until World War I, wages were paid in gold coins. The many windows in the mill were designed to allow as much light as possible into the building. The only additional lighting was provided by dim, oil burning lamps.

Merrimack Mill, ca. 1923

Merrimack Mill, 1900-1992 Gattis children became employed at the mill very early. S.M. was their mother “Mandy� and Frank was their father. The Gattis family lived in the Mill Village, pictured above in 1923.

In 1899 construction started on Merrimack Mill and village. The mill began operation in 1900. A second mill building, added in 1903, made it one of the largest in the South. Under Joseph J. Bradley, Sr., managing agent (1905-1922), the village grew to 279 houses, a hospital, school, company store and other small businesses. In 1920, the steam-operated mills converted to electricity. Lowenstein fabrics bought the mill (1946), changed its name to Huntsville Mfg. Co., and the village became Huntsville Park. The million-square-foot plant continued to operate until 1989, and in 1992 Huntsville's last operating textile mill was torn down.

Huntsville, Alabama, as it looked when the Gattis family lived there in the early 1900s.

We think the girl on the end looks like Jimmie Gattis.

Prior to the mandatory school law passage, children were allowed to work in the mill as spinners or sweepers. Children were given their own wooden boxes to stand on so that they could reach the spinning machines. Initial regulations on mandatory school only required children to attend class six weeks a year. Until the Child Labor Law was placed into effect, children were allowed to work in the mill year round, reporting for their shift at the end of their school day during their required six weeks of class time. As each Gattis child attained the age of 12, Frank and Mandy signed affidavits allowing them to go to work in the mill.

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Madison Co., Ala.

Father

Self

Mother

Mandy never stated these origins for her parents as her father being from Illinois and her mother being from France and speaking French until the 1920 Census. In 1910 she stated her father was born in Tennessee and her mother in North Carolina. By the 1930 Census Frank is dead, and she is the head of household with her widowed daughter Lema Gattis Ransom’s family living there.

Here she again states that her father was born in Illinois but is back to stating that her mother was born in Tennessee. Lema works as a speeder hand and Ola as a doffer at Merrimack. The boarders are spinners. There is some indication that Mandy was mentally ill, so perhaps she was delusional during the Census. Note that in no Cenus where she is shown is she working. Her children, however, went to work as preteens.

1930 U.S. Federal Census, Madison Co., Ala. Self

Father

Mother

Death of Frank Gattis Death Certificate The official certificate of death, signed by Rufus W. Gattis, his son, states that Frank had been sick for one and one-half years and died of paralysis agilaus, which is a disease of the nervous system now called Parkinson’s Disease.

He had received no operation, and no autopsy was conducted.

The death certificate was signed

by Dr. Carl Grote Sr. His parents are given as Green Gattis, born in Tennessee, and Jemima Wade, also born in Tennessee.

Sarah Amanda Myrtle

Emma Lema Jimmie

He was buried at Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, Ala.

The Mystery of Mandy In the 1900 Census for Franklin County, Tenn., neither Frank nor Mandy could read and write, they did not own their place and he worked as a farmer. Between Flossie’s birth in 1903 and the 1910 Census, they moved to Huntsville, Ala. In 1910 she stated her father was born in Tennessee and her mother in North Carolina. Mandy never stated that her father was from Illinois and her mother from France and speaking French until the 1920 Census. By the 1930 Census Frank is dead, and she is the head of household with her widowed daughter Lema Gattis Ransom’s family living there. Here she again states that her father was born in Illinois but is back to stating that her mother was born in Tennessee. Lema works as a speeder hand and Ola as a doffer at Merrimack. The boarders are spinners. There is some indication that Mandy was mentally ill, so perhaps she was delusional during the Census.

In no Cenus where Mandy is shown is she working. Her children, however, went to work as preteens. The Gattis children became employed at the mill very early. The affidavits granting permission to work were signed by S.M., their mother “Mandy” and Frank, their father.

Something is seriously wrong with the birth dates of Frank and Mandy. The 1871 dates on their tombstones do not match what they reported in more than one Census. Her daughters by the first marriage were born in 1885 and 1887, making Mandy 14 when she had Myrtle if born in 1871 and 10 if Mandy was born in 1875 as she said sometimes.

I have found a Sarah M. Frame in the Lincoln County Census for 1870 who is age 6 living next door to the G.C. Gattis family. I have confirmed using Will and Estate Settlement records in Lincoln County, Tenn., at this is not our Sarah Amanda. I found the estate settlement of father in that household, G.B. Frame, who had a fairly large estate even in 1870. His children were mentioned, and his daughters, Polly A. and Sarah M., were named with their husbands. I have also found both of their marriage certificates. Neither were married to a Woodard or a Gattis.

Ben Johnson (1922-2003), the oldest son of Benjamin Monroe and Jimmie Gattis Johnson, recalled that their Granny (Mandy) Gattis lived about five blocks from their house in Huntsville, Ala. The old streetcar line ended there, and he remembered the conductor getting out, taking a line that hung down for the electric arm that he would swing around to the other end of the car and hook it on an overhead line that made the electric motor run, powering the car.

"They were very slow," Uncle Ben said, "but believe it or not, people got run over by them."

Sarah Amanda Frame Gattis Died Jan. 19, 1950 Huntsville, Ala. She is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery.

Jimmie Gattis Johnson Born 11/24/1900 Died 12/22/1969 Benjamin Monroe Johnson Sr. Born 7/17/1899 Died 7/19/1973

Benjamin Monroe and Jimmie Gattis Johnson on their wedding day (above), May 2, 1916, and on their 50th anniversary (left).

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Madison Co., Ala. Monroe was a section hand at Merrimack Mill. Jimmie did not work. Daughter Helen is shown in the household of her paternal grandparents, Wm. Ed & Leoma Williams Johnson, also of Merrimack.

Birthday

Death

Helen Lorene

12/13/1917

1/10/2014

12/27/1933

Harold Frederick Kilgo

Dorothy Gaynell

11/27/1919

6/21/2002

7/5/1935

Milas VanBuren Myers

Benjamin Monroe Jr.

3/30/1922

10/28/2003

3/2/1944 8/7/1982

Maria Barbara DeWeert (1) Wylodean Bell (2)

Mildred Pauline

7/15/1924

4/13/2012

3/2/1944 11/2/1968

Clifford Reavis Garrett (1) Charles Edward Owens (2)

Brooks

12/5/1926

12/29/2013 9/11/1948

Wilma Pearl Barler

Edward Franklin

8/18/1930

Alive

4/27/1952

Okaleen Fagan Carvell

Wilba Lee

7/20/1935

Alive

6/17/1952

Charles Henry Featherstone

Child

Marriage

Spouse

Jimmie and Monroe, who had lived at 316 B Street in Huntsville, bought their Rose Hill farm in 1929. His aunt, Ethel Williams Booker, his mother Leoma's sister, lived there. J.F. Rosson drove down from Campbellsville to Huntsville to move the family, which at that time included Helen, Ben, Dorothy, Mildred and Brooks. Edward and Wilba Lee were later. The Johnsons followed Rosson's truck 75 miles over horrific roads in a open four-door 1926 Star Car. It was about the third car on Rose Hill. Monroe was a mechanic, so the family always had some sort of car. However, their old twostory Victorian era house did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. Water came from a well. Monroe wanted to modernize it to the more popular bungalow style, so he hired the Helton brothers, neighbors, to make the changes. Later Monroe erected a windmill and generated electricity years before anyone else on the hill had power. When the Star Car was no longer usable for transportation, Monroe rigged up the motor to pull a small grist mill, thus becoming the miller on Rose Hill.

Brooks, Edward & Ben Johnson

Jimmie Gattis Johnson with Mildred and Edward on the tractor Monroe built from plans in Popular Mechanics magazine.

Edward Johnson

Dorothy & Ben when the family still lived in Huntsville.

Monroe and Jimmie Johnson at Rose Hill, Tenn.

Jimmie with Edward and Wilba Lee. ca. 1936-37

Brooks, Wilba Lee and Jimmie.

1930 U.S. Federal Census, Giles Co., TN.

Wilba Lee. And her cat

50th Anniversary, 1966, Rose Hill, Tenn.

Jimmie Gattis & Monroe Johnson

Helen, Brooks, Dorothy, Monroe, Jimmie, Edward, Mildred, Wilba Lee & Ben.

Jimmie with Edward