Jacob Gardenhire - 1750 - 1824
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Great Roane County Resource
JACOB GARDENHIRE, Rev.War Sold.
Original Owners of Old Wheat Area
Source, Roots of Roane County TN by Snyder E. Roberts, page 127
The Gardenhire family is an ante-bellum family who made big imprints in Roane history, but whose name has finally disappeared from the local scene. The William Gardenhire story is a "must" in order to understand the histories of pre-Wheat community in Roane, the City of Dayton in Rhea, and much of the city of Chattanooga.
The story starts with JACOB GARDENHIRE who was a Rev. War Soldier from VA who bought (Knox Book C, Vo.l 2, p. 22) 300 acres on the TN River (presently Roane) from Stockley Donelson October 16, 1795. Jacob was evidently closely associated with Sheriff John Brown, and was Brown's main bondsman ($12,000) for his first term of office Jacob and all of his sons, except William, had removed to Overton County by 1830. Jacob was the father of at least seven children as follows:
1.
ELIZABETH GARDENHIRE mar ____ ELDRIDGE
2.
WILLIAM GARDENHIRE mar ESTHER NAIL
3.
GEORGE GARDENHIRE mar (1803) ANN ROGERS RATHER
4.
THOMPSON GARDENHIRE
5.
MARGARET (1797) mar _____CARMICHAEL
6.
ADAM GARDENHIRE mar (1813) ALSEY TIPPETT
7.
JOHN GARDENHIRE
Jacob Gardenhire's will dated 1824 is of record in Overton County, and names his wife, Margaret, and seven children. Of the above children, only WILLIAM GARDENHIRE and his descendants will be discussed.
WILLIAM GARDENHIRE AND PRE-WHEAT SITE
William Gardenhire was born 1770-80, and Roane Chancery Records indicate that he died in 1841. He married (10-14-1796) ESTHER NAIL, the daughter of Rev. War Soldier, Nicholas Nail who lived near the Anderson County line on the East Fork of Poplar Creek. On October 14, 1797, he was commissioned by Gov. John Sevier as a Lieutenant in the Knox Regiment. Later he is mentioned in Roane records as Major Gardenhire. In October 1799, he bought (Knox E, p. 94) 150 acres on Poplar Creek from Stockley Donelson. He continued to buy land and slaves. In 1807, William Gardenhire bought at a Sheriff's sale (B, p. 360) 3000 acres on Poplar Creek that had been granted by North Carolina to Stockley Donelson and Thomas Hutchings in 1788. Judgment had been obtained against Donelson, but Dr. Zaccheus Ayers convinced the Court that he had bought Hutchings' interest in 1803. The Court appointed a commission to divide the land between Gardenhire and Ayers. The land was described as being bounded by Moore and Hutchings on the west (the Welcker tract) and with the meanders up Poplar Creek to the lines of Boyd, Galbraith, Henley, including the Alexander Nesmith place. This description would have included "downtown Wheat," (the juncture of Blair Road with Gallaher Road today), the sites of old Roane College, George Jones Memorial Church, Crawford Memorial Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Adams Store, Welckers -Adams -Williams Mill, and the Dr. Cross and Ed Arnold home sites. The tract would have adjoined the Elias Roberts tract (K-25 Plant site) astride Poplar Creek.
GARDENHIRE KILLED BY MARAUDER
In 1810, Gardenhire bought 1500 acre tract, and two 500 acre tracts from James Glasgow, and a 280 acre tract from Alexander Mahan in 1809 (E, p 33). In 1808, he sold (C, p. 188) 61 acres to Joseph Moore which may have included the mill site; 640 acres in 1818 to Isaac Casner; and he sold to Charles Welcker in 1832, to Michael Arnold, Sr. (D, p 156) 148 acres in 1813; and to (his son) Andrew J. Gardenhire in 1839 (G. p 733) 280 acres on Poplar Creek.
A story handed down by family members is that during the Civil War, marauders were bad about stealing horses, cattle, etc. and each farmer had to be his own guard or policeman. One night, Mr. Gardenhire (probably Andrew J.) got up in his white night clothes to investigate some unusual sounds emanating from the barn yard. The white clothes made him an easy target in the darkness of the night, and he was shot to death by the unknown assailant.
WILLIAM GARDENHIRE was active in Roane County affairs as shown in the official records. In 1809, he ran against John Brown for Sheriff, but lost the contest. William expanded his operations by buying and entering much land in the counties of James and Hamilton. He apparently left Roane about 1832 to look after his interest in Hamilton County, and as noted he died about 1841. All members of William and Esther Gardenhire's large family are not known. His son, GEORGE W., and two of George W.'s sons, FRANCIS M. and WILLIAM C. will be discussed below.
GEORGE W. GARDENHIRE, son of William
GEORGE W. GARDENHIRE was born 1797 in Roane and died 11-16-1894. He married (3-28-1826 in Roane) MARY "POLLY" BOTTOM (1806-1867). George W. was the eldest son of William, and eventually came into possession by inheritance and purchase all of his father's large estate. His estate included approximately two miles of TN River front in Chattanooga on which was later located the city water works, the Citico Furnace Co., and a part of Harrison Ave. He also owned several plantations further up the river and owned many slaves. During the Civil War his property was confiscated, but he recovered it after the war except, of course, the slaves. He donated land for the Citizens Cemetery, and land for the Confederate Cemetery in Chattanooga. George W. and Mary had ten children, the next to the youngest of whom was FRANCIS M. GARDENHIRE.
FRANCIS M. GARDENHIRE, son of George W.
FRANCIS M. GARDENHIRE was born 9-10-1836 in Roane County, but grew up in Hamilton County. He served with the rank of Lieutenant in the Confederate Army, and was captured at Richmond, VA. After the War, he returned to farming and engaged in cattle dealing. He was a stockholder in several Chattanooga banks and was in the real estate business on a limited scale. He was a highly respected businessman, belonged to the Masonic order, and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. Francis M. married (1868) LEONA ROGERS, daughter of Sheriff William Rogers. She inherited valuable land on Waldens Ridge where they made their home. They had seven children: GEORGE W., WILLIAM C., FRANK R., CHARLES, LASSIE, HARRY, AUGUSTA
WILLIAM C. GARDENHIRE, son of George W.
WILLIAM C. GARDENHIRE, the son of George W. and Mary Bottom Gardenhire, was born 5-14-1838 in Roane County. William C. was a man of considerable ability, and lived a full and varied life. Goodspeeds' History of East Tennessee gives a running account of his itineraries throughout his career. He received a liberal education and began work as a salesman. Later, he established a mercantile business of his own at Harrison and on a boat on the Tennessee River. William C. served three years in the Confederate Army. In 1866, he went to CA and was engaged in the mining stock business until 1869,at which time he made a voyage to the South Sea Islands. He returned to CA in 1871 bringing with him four natives from the Island of Fiji, and after exhibiting them at Woodward Garden in San Francisco for some time at $150 per day, he sold his interest in them to P. T. Barnum for $20,000.
FOUNDING FATHER OF DAYTON, TN
WILLIAM C. GARDENHIRE resumed his mining stock business until 1878. In 1877, he went to New York City and became a charter member of the American Mining and Stock Exchange. By 1879 his health began to fail and he visited mineral springs throughout the US, and then around the world, arriving at San Francisco in 1881. In 1884, he had a survey made, and located the town of Dayton, TN. He built a fine home there and drank the water from Dayton Spring which improved his health. Gardenhire was very active in the erection of buildings and improving the town. He was instrumental in erecting six brick stores, an opera house, a stone bank (Dayton City Bank) and numerous dwellings.
He was a Democrat in politics, and a man well-known and respected by all who knew him. William C. Gardenhire married JULIA WISEMAN of CA on April 3, 1881.
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Re: Jacob Gardenhire - 1750 - 1824
Robert Beardsley 7/15/05