All Tennessee natives seemingly have a connection to Andrew Jackson. There are literally hundreds of stories regarding President Jackson’s lodging during his trips from his home at the Hermitage to Washington DC. In the Smyrna area alone, he reportedly had a couple of favored places to visit.

One was Ridley’s Landing, the current location of Youth Incorporated. (It is a fabulous summer camp for kids – if you have children, you really should look at this camp.) Another supposed stop was the White – Nelson – Gregory – Posey Home that once stood on Old Nashville Pike.

It is quite possible that President Jackson did make stops in the area, though the exact locations are lost to history. His nephew (and namesake) Andrew Jackson Donelson was married to Catharine Nelson on October 13, 1835. Apparently it was a brief marriage, as it seems Catharine died soon after the ceremony. She is buried, along with her parents,  in the Nelson-Peebles Cemetery near Almaville Rd. The cemetery stands in the middle of a field. The original section of One Mile Lane passed relatively close to this cemetery but is no longer used.

Thompson Cemetery

Originally uploaded by lorbsel

Nestled in the side yard of a home in the Thompson Woods subdivision is the Thompson Cemetery. It is the final resting spot of Dr. Nimrod Whitfield Thompson Sr., his daughter Annie and son William. According to the 1975 Cemetery books, it is also the location of the unmarked graves of his sons George and Joe and a child of George and his wife Ada.

Dr. Thompson was born in 1811 in Hartsville, Trousdale County, Tennessee. According to the Rutherford County Marriage Records, he married Nancy Alford on November 1, 1848. In the Nashville Christian Advocate, we find an obituary for Nancy. She died of consumption on February 7, 1860, at the home of her father, Capt. William Alford. Her only child, a son, died a few days before she did. She was the first known burial in the Alford Cemetery. 

In 1861, Dr. Thompson married Musidora Drake. To this union were born 5 known children: William, George, Joseph, Annie and Nimrod Jr.

Dr. Thompson died February 1, 1895.

Many thanks to Jamie & Jessica for pointing out the Templeton Grove Cemetery on Florence Rd. This neglected cemetery is the final resting spot for one of Smyrna’s earliest families. John Nash Read came to Rutherford County in 1806 from Charlotte County, Virginia. John died in 1826 and was the first known burial at this cemetery. Also buried here is his 3rd wife, Mary Barksdale Read. If I am remembering correctly, the William Barksdale family arrived in the area around 1808. Was she part of this family? Did the Barksdales follow the Reads to Rutherford County or did John and Mary marry after his arrival in Smyrna?

John fought in the Revolutionary War. He participated in the Battle of Guilford Court House in present day Greensboro, NC. He had several children, including 10 from his marriage to Mary. 5 of those children are known to be buried at Templeton Grove. I am assuming that Templeton Grove was the name of the family home. I say this because John’s mother, Mary Nash, was from Templeton Manor in Virgina. If any of you have more information on Templeton Grove, please share!

Christopher Ridley

Originally uploaded by lorbsel

One of the “hidden” gems in Smyrna is Mapleview Cemetery. Tucked between a subdivision and a soccer field, it is a veritable cornucopia of Smyrna history.

As Smyrna grew, many of the town’s smaller family cemeteries were moved here. The pictured grave is that of Christopher Henry Ridley. Mr. Ridley was originally interred in the Ridley Cemetery on Stewarts Creek. Since his grave was marked, Mr. Ridley was moved to Mapleview when the area was developed.

Born October 7, 1842, he was the son of Granville and Rebecca Ridley. He was a member of the 1st/27th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry and participated in the battles of Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. Christopher was felled in battle at Atlanta on July 22, 1864. His is just one of the many fascinating stories now resting at Mapleview.

First, let me apologize for being a slacker and not posting lately.  Sometimes, life gets in the way.  And, now, rather than post something new and exciting….I’m going to ask for your help.  I’m looking for information.  If you resided in the Smyrna area in the 1950s or 60s, then you probably knew of Dr. Goodall.  The building that housed his clinic is still standing behind the Mrs. Winners on Lowry Street.  Any personal anecdotes about Dr. Goodall would be appreciated!

Secondly, I am looking for information about an old cemetery.  It stood somewhere behind the present location of Stewartsboro School on Old Nashville Highway.  I’ve heard varying accounts of the size of this cemetery.  One person I talked to placed it “near the old Peebles house”.  There have been stories of grave robbing by high school students in the 1970s.  I’m curious as to what cemetery this may have been and if there is anything left of it.

Since I know the readers of this blog are the most fabulous and knowledgeable folks on the planet, I am sure you will have some interesting info on these subjects.  You can leave a comment or send me an e-mail at tncemsearch @ yahoo. com  (You’ll need to remove the spaces in the address to get it to work…I’m trying to cut down on the spam I receive!!!!)  Thanks!

Ethelbert Barksdale was the younger brother of Confederate General William Barksdale.  He was born in Smyrna on January 4th, 1824.  He moved to Mississippi as a young man and was elected to the Confederate States Congress in 1861.  He represented the state of Mississippi until 1865.  After the war, he represented Mississippi in the US Congress from 1883 – 1887.  Ethelbert died on February 17, 1893 and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  This is the same cemetery that serves as the final resting place for his older brother who was mortally wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Their parents and grandparents are rumored to be buried in the Barksdale Cemetery in Smyrna.

More information and a picture of Ethelbert can be found here.

Smyrna golf

Originally uploaded by lorbsel

Yes, it is true. Smyrna once played host to the legendary Bing Crosby. During WWII, the USO and the Red Cross hosted golf matches across the country to raise money for the war effort. In 1943, Ed Dudley, Byron Nelson, Billy Conn and Bing Crosby participated in one of these matches at the old Sewart Air Base course. The nine holes that they played comprise the current back nine at the Smyrna Golf Course.

This information came from one of the historic info signs that are located along the greenway trails in Smyrna.

Perhaps it would be redundant to recite the story of Sam Davis on this page. Those of us who have been in the area for a while no doubt know Sam’s story.  However, I was surprised a few months ago when asked by a visitor “who, exactly, was Sam Davis.?” I can recount the legend no better than it is written here.

I will, instead, use this space for some interesting, if little known, trivia. When a family friend reached Pulaski to retrieve Sam’s body following his hanging, Sam had already been buried. He was exhumed and brought home to Smyrna and buried in the forgotten Ridley cemetery across Stewart’s Creek from his boyhood home. His mother then requested that he be moved to a space behind the house. After 3 burials, it appears that Sam was finally able to rest in peace.

The 2nd annual Depot Day will be held on September 27, 2008 from10-6.  As the name implies, it is held near the Depot on Front Street.  A collaboration of the merchants in the downtown area, it is quite an event!

Go to www.historicsmyrna.org for more information/

Greenwood School 1908

Originally uploaded by lorbsel

The picture on the right shows the students attending Greenwood School in the 6th district in 1908.  Among those pictured are members of the Adkerson, Hunter and Swain families.

Many thanks to Carson for sharing this photo!