Author: Dennis

William Lafayette Depew, Man of Many Skills

March 16, 2016 Dennis No comments exist

Ira Ayers’ grandfather on his mother’s side was William Lafayette Depew. Some called him Bill, but most folks called him Will. He was born in 1872 in Hancock County, Tennessee, as the oldest child of Henry and Sarah Depew. Will grew up farming and raising and shearing sheep with his brothers on his father’s farm. However, he eventually developed skills that would lead him into other occupations. Although various records indicate that he was a farmer his whole life, his daughter, Elizabeth Suckel, claims that although they lived on a farm, he never did very much farming. Instead, at various times, he was a butcher, a grocer, a surveryor and a carpenter.

In 1893 at age 20, Will Depew married Matilda Seal who was two years younger. Very little is known about her. She apparently was mostly called Tilda, but maybe also Grilla at times. Her grand daughter Rose Jordan never knew her, but remembered the name sounded like “Gorilla” to her as a little girl. Will and Tilda had four children until Tilda’s tragic death around 1904, perhaps as a result of her last childbirth. No record of death is available.

The Louisville & Nashville (L&N) Railroad was one of the first railways built in the South starting in the 1850s. After the Civil War it grew rapidly and by the turn of the century it had pushed into the coalfields of the Southern Appalachians. At Jellico, a small town on the KY and TN border, the L&N tied into the Southern Railway and continued down through the Elk Valley in Campbell County on the way to Knoxville and then Atlanta. Because of his grocer experience, around 1900 Will Depew was hired by the L&N to run its commissary at the train depot in Jellico. So, he moved his family from Hancock County to Campbell County, TN.

Unfortunately, in September 1906 Jellico was the scene of a horrendous disaster when a train car at the depot loaded with 11 tons of dynamite exploded killing 12 people nearby, and wounding some 200 more. 500 people were left homeless as the town of 3000 was devastated. It was very fortunate that Will was not a victim, but the incident apparently ended his job with the railroad as the town of Jellico had to be rebuilt.

After Tilda died, and about the time of the Jellico incident, Will met Florence Ada Ayers and they were later married in 1907. Florence was a loving and loyal wife. Between 1909 and 1932 Bill and Florence had seven daughters and two sons. Tragically, one daughter died at only one year old from measles and whooping cough, one son died from typhoid at age 20 and one son died at age 15 when struck by a car while riding a motor scooter to school. Two of their daughters, Estelle and Ethel, were twins. Their youngest daughter, Lena Elizabeth, born in 1926 still lives in Long Beach, California. She is a delightful lady and loves to talk about her memories of earlier times.

Will Depew was about 5 foot 9 inches tall with a slender build. He never was called to serve in any military capacity. According to Elizabeth, he was a quiet man who only spoke as needed. He was strong willed, determined, and sustained by his faith and perseverance. He was very strict with his children as he was raised himself. Will did all the shopping for the family. While attending a turkey shoot in his thirties, he was shot in the hip, but recovered. Elizabeth, also remembers him playing the fiddle and the organ, so he must have had a good ear for music.

After Will married Florence, he continued working as a grocer, but also learned carpentry. He eventually went on to build houses and restore churches. By 1910 Bill and Florence and their family were living in the Hickory Creek area next to Florence’s father, William Riley Ayers. In the 1920s, when Florence’s brother, Martin, decided to build a new house on Walnutt Mountain, Will helped with the carpentry work. He told Elizabeth that when work became scarce during the 1930s Great Depression, he “nickeled and dimed’ to keep the family going by fixing up places, sharpening tools and saws, and helping neighboring families with “how to” advice on many things.

Unfortunately, as he grew older, Will became badly crippled with severe rheumatoid arthritis in his hips and legs, and needed to depend on canes and crutches to get around. By 1940 he was unable to work. It was hard for him to sit with one stiff leg, so he designed a special high stool/chair to be able to sit at the table. He designed, built, stained and polished the chair with a cane seat to match the other dining chairs. Will was very innovative that way.

Florence died of cancer in 1942 and for awhile Will lived in an “old folks” home. However, about 1945 he moved to LaFollette to live with his daughter, Della Cornelius. That’s where he later died in 1956 at age 84 from a heart attack. Will is buried in the Hall Cemetery on Stinking Creek where both of his wives and both sons are also buried.

Silent Killers in the Civil War

April 5, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

Diseases were the silent killers during the Civil War. With so many soldiers gathered in such small areas with generally unsanitary conditions, diseases were able to spread rapidly. There were a whole host of them but the worst of all was by far Dysentery caused by contaminated water. This disease alone accounted for around 100,000 deaths on both sides. Other common diseases were Typhoid, Malaria, Tuberculosis and Pneumonia.

Measles which killed William Depew also killed around 11,000 soldiers total. Not as many as other diseases, but Measles had its fair share. About 1 in 20 people who got this disease died as a result of it.

Unfortunately, the biggest thing that all of these Civil War diseases had in common was the fact that at the time nobody had any idea how to cure them.

Depews in the Civil War

April 3, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

In the Derrie chapter of our family history, I told the story about the William Derryberry family in Greene County, TN having sons who fought on opposing sides in the Civil War. Read on and you will hear another similar story about Isaac Newton Depew’s family.

First, it is worthwhile to set the scene. Isaac and his wife Betsy were married and started their family in Hawkins County, TN. However, in 1844 the part of the county where they lived was removed from Hawkins and became Hancock County. The new small county was nestled up against the Virginia line on the north and separated from Hawkins County and most of East TN by Clinch Mountain on the south side. The seat of the new county was originally called Greasy Rock, but the name was later changed to Sneedville. Consisting of small valleys and hollows squeezed in between 800 foot taller mountains, Hancock County was from the onset very rural and very poor. Still there were some slaves, even in an area that was comprised mostly of small farmers. In 1860 there was a total of only 66 slaveowners and 243 slaves.

Isaac’s two oldest children were sons. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, William Rufus was 20 years old and his brother Joseph was 19. Like the rest of East TN the county was divided by the war. With slavery not a big issue for county residents there was not much at stake except perhaps southern pride. You can imagine the Depew family conversations or arguments over the war especially since Isaac was a preacher. Being very close in age, William and Joseph must have been very close brothers, but they ultimately decided to choose different sides of the conflict.

William was the first to jump in when he joined the Confederacy along with some others from the county by enlisting as a Private in the 29th Regiment Tennessee Infantry in Nov of 1861 at Knoxville. The 29th Infantry was part of the Army of Tennessee and it participated in various campaigns in central TN including the Battle of Murfreesboro in late 1862. Around that same time records show that William appears on a list of casualties as slightly wounded. However, he actually died later on Jan 28, 1863 from measles while in the hospital in Chattanooga. He was buried in an unmarked grave at the Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery. More than 135 years later, a Depew descendant sought to rectify the injustice of William Depew’s unmarked gravesite. Billy Edwards took action to have authorities erect a nice headstone for William at the Cemetery in Chattanooga.

When Joseph Depew decided to join the fighting he enlisted as a Private with the Union Army. He joined the 47th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment at Irvine, KY in Sept 1863. His unit operated mostly in Eastern KY during the war guarding the railroads and saw little fighting and almost no casualties. Finally, Joseph was mustered out unharmed in Dec 1864. Since Joseph didn’t even join until months after his brother William had died in a hospital farther south, they never came close to opposing each other in battle. Still this story is similar to that of many families divided by the Civil War.

Our DEPEW Lineage

March 25, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

Note: This is a January 2021 revision to the original post from 2013.

As with earlier depictions of ancestor lineages, I have used a timeline chart below, to show the life spans of each Depew ancestor over the last three centuries. In the chart you can see Walter (Gaultier) Depew on the left who was our ancestor living first in France and then England. He is followed in line by his son, John Walter Depew, who was our immigrant ancestor to America arriving in New Jersey, before the Revolutionary War, and then by his son John W. Depew Jr., and then his son Edward and so forth.

Dozens of dedicated researchers tried for many years to identify the parents of Isaac Newton Depew (IND), but without success due to lack of records. Circumstantial evidence of the right time period and the right location in East Tennessee seemed to point to a connection with the John W. Depew line, but without hard proof. Recently, however, I was able to use DNA forensic analysis to develop a very strong case that the connection was through John W. Depew, Jr., and his son, Edward H. Depew. Although this analysis is still not absolute positive proof, it is still the best currently available identification without records. My DNA forensic analysis was based on the same approach and technology now being used by some law enforcement agencies to solve cold case crimes.

Again to give a better perspective of when our Depew ancestors lived across the three centuries, I’ve added major wars to the timeline. As I continue to describe family stories of this Depew lineage, you might find it useful to refer back to this chart to get a feel for the time period in which they lived.

Click for a Larger Image

John DEPEW, the Immigrant for the DEPEW Line

February 1, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

As mentioned, Walter Depew migrated from France to Ludlow, England around 1695. We do not know who Walter married, but he had a son, John, who was born near Ludlow castle “in the North of England” in 1726. Thanks to the research of others including Josephine Depew Shelton a descendant, we believe that John came to America in 1748 while the colonies were still under British rule. So, John was our American immigrant for the Depew line.

Also, in 1748, John married Catherine Shepherd in Princeton, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Later, they lived for a while in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, as records show there was a lawsuit in 1770 in which “John Depew Senr” was a party, and also in Lancaster County where “John Depew, freeman” was taxed 15 shillings in 1771 as a resident. John and Catherine had eight children.

Like many other Pennsylvania families, sometime prior to the Revolutionary War the family moved southward and finally settled in Botetourt County, VA. John is then listed on Rev War roles as an officer in Captain Henry Heith’s Independent Company of Virginia Troops stationed at Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania in 1777 and 1778. So, it was ironic that John took up the fight as a colonist after being born as a British citizen.

After his war service, the earliest record of John Depew in Botetourt County shows that he surveyed a road there in September, 1778. Residents of the county were responsible for maintaining roads for the five miles nearest their property, and all men between the ages of 18 and 65 were required to work on the roads, and could be fined for not doing so.

Later, in Aug 1798, there was a survey for John Depew Sen’r of 370 acres on Glade Creek, on both sides of the Great Road (perhaps the Great Wagon Road?). John died at age 85 in April, 1811, after leaving a will made in June 1809. His wife, Catherine, also died that same year at age 80.

Our DEPEW Forebears in Europe

January 30, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

The earliest Depews appear to have come from the area near Paris, France, in the seventeenth century and were of noble origin. During that period, as elsewhere in Europe, there was a bitter struggle between the Catholics and the Protestants. In France most of the Protestants were called Huguenots (properly pronounced yu-geh-noh). They diverged from Catholic beliefs in the rejection of the Pope’s authority and in the individual’s right to interpret scriptures for himself. This placed them in conflict with both the Catholic Church and the King of France. The Huguenots advocated liberal reforms in religion and government, while the Catholics, who were in power, persecuted all who opposed them. In 1685, King Louis XIV went on the throne and began a campaign of unbearable cruelty against all Huguenots.

As a result of such intense persecution, it has been estimated by historians that by the end of the 1600s, up to 300,000 Huguenots had evaded authorities and made their way out of the country. In general, those who left France were of a superior type, many of them belonging to the nobility. They were industrious and independent, with many coming from the highly skilled artisan class. This exodus was a primary reason that French culture and artistic ability have been scattered throughout the world. Against this historical backdrop, some of the Depews were among those Huguenots who fled for religious freedom.

According to the book, The Trail of the Huguenots, by G. Elmore Reaman, Barthelmy Depew was born in 1650 and became a trusted Lieutenant in the palace guard of Louis XIV. He retired in 1682 and married countess Susannah Lavillon. However, following his Protestant beliefs, he escaped to Germany in 1685 where he stayed for 14 years before going to England in 1699. He then sailed to America to a Huguenot settlement near Richmond,Virginia where he died in 1714.

Also, Walter (Gaultier) Depew was born in 1674, and although some researchers suspect he was a descendant of Barhelmy, to my knowledge it has not been proven. Like many other Huguenots, Walter, made his way to England about 1695 and located in Ludlow, Shropshire, where he is said to have been a soldier. That is where he died in 1728 at age 54. Walter was our Depew ancestor.

The DEPEW Branch of Our Tree

January 28, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

Now I will turn to stories about the DEPEW branch of our family tree which follows my father’s mother’s maiden name ancestors. As might be expected just from the sound of it, the origin of Depew is French, and the name was apparently derived from those who dwelt near or on a hill. Sometimes the P is capitalized as well as the D in the spelling (i.e, DePew). However, there are numerous spelling variations including Depue, Depuy, Depui, Depuis, Dupew and many more. None of the variations are very common in the United States. For example there are only about 6000 persons named Depew as of the 2000 census. Most Depew families today live in New York state. Most Depew families in Canada live in the Ontario Province across the border from New York. As you will see later on, however, our line of Depews in America migrated from New Jersey to Virginia and then on to Tennessee.

By the way, also as of the 2000 U.S. Census, only 8.3 million Americans claimed French ancestry. That’s only about 3% of the total population, much less than those who claim ancestry from other European countries.

Additional DNA Test Results – Ethnicity

January 26, 2013 Dennis No comments exist

Before discussing stories about another line of ancestors, I want to share some additional DNA test results which I received. Previously, I mentioned that my first DNA test was to determine my Y-Chromosome genetic profile which tracks paternal lineage, and that I successfully used those results to close a gap in our Ayers line of male ancestors. To refresh your memory, see the post “DNA Solves The Mystery”

Subsequently, in late 2012, I also had a newly available type of DNA test run to determine my “genetic ethnicity”. Without getting too technical, the new test analyzes Autosomal DNA, which includes all 23 pairs of chromosomes, as opposed to only the Y-Chromosome. Thus a person’s Autosomal DNA includes genetic information from both the father and the mother and provides a complete heritage picture. Autosomal DNA markers can then be compared to various ethnic groups from around the world to see which groups match. These groups can be defined by time and place. So, a person’s genetic ethnicity may reveal where their ancestors lived hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years ago.

Since my 2012 test, thousands of other people have also taken the Autosomal DNA test. More people means more data to analyze. As the number of testers continues to grow, the additional data is causing the genepools to continuously be refined, resulting in clearer identification of my ethnicity. So, as of 2020, my data indicates that my ethnicity is 81 % from the British Isles and Northwestern Europe, and 19% from Scandinavia. Analysis of my data by other testing laboratories using their defined genepools show slightly different percentages, but my general ethnicity stayed very similar. The British and Northwestern Europe part of this mix is very obvious from my family history research, but where did the Scandinavian part come from? Recall from history that about 1000 years ago, the Vikings from Scandinavia swarmed down into Europe and graciously spread their genes around as they plundered, pillaged and intermingled with those already living there. So, during this time those Viking genes most certainly would have been added to my genes.

Now, my results may have also included traces of other genetic populations that were too low to pinpoint. For example, I know from my research that I have traces of American Indian ancestry in my genepool, but it obviously was not enough to show up in this test. (By the way Indian ethnicity would probably show up as East Asian since that is from where they originally came).

Lastly, no one else will have identical test results as mine. This even includes my sister, who may have very similar results, but not quite the same. This is because half of your DNA is inherited from your father and half from your mother. However, the genes picked up from each half is variable and can result in many unique combinations. So, she and I don’t share all the exact same genes, which I’m fairly certain makes her most happy!

Derrie Sisters and Brother

March 13, 2012 Dennis No comments exist

Tom and Myrtle Derrie only had five of eleven children who reached adulthood. There were four sisters and one brother. I’ve never seen a picture with all of them together. The picture below from 1963 only shows the sisters who are youngest from left to right: Veatta, Helen, Alma, Lillie. Brother Bud was not present at the small reunion in Knoxville. Lillie and Alma were born in Greene County, TN while Helen, Veatta and Bud were born in Campbell County.

The family never lived on a farm, and always lived in or close to town. Due to poverty living conditions when they were young, it cannot be said that the children grew up in a normal household. They had few possessions, and none of today’s conveniences. With money for daily necessities very scarce, attending school was difficult and attending church almost never. There’s even a story that the oldest sister, Lillie, had to share a single dress with her mother when she went to school. Despite the hardships, the offspring stood together to weather their situation. However, all left home as early as possible to seek better lives. Unfortunately, none of them remain alive today. Below is an introduction and short summary of how each of the brothers and sisters’ lives evolved from the oldest to the youngest, with some old pictures thrown in for fun. All facts may not be totally correct, so readers please let me know when I need to make corrections. Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them.

Lillian Mae Derrie McNutt (1905 – 1976)

Lillian, or Lillie as most people called her, was born in 1905. She was serious and determined as first-born children tend to be. She may have been the only one in her family to finish school. In fact, she taught school in Campbell County for about a year after graduating. Soon though, Lillie set off for Knoxville which is about 40 miles from LaFollette where she put herself through business school. In 1929 at age 24, she married S.F.C McNutt whose initials stood for Samuel Franklin Casenberg, the name of the doctor who delivered him as a baby. As a youngster he apparently was called Casey, but later everyone just called him Mac. He always called his wife Lillian and not Lillie. Mac was a jovial

person and liked to listen to baseball games on the radio. In 1934 they had their only child, a daughter named Shirley. Lillie was a strong Christian and always worried about the well-being and spiritual health of her siblings. In 1940, Lillie and Mac took in her youngest sister, Veatta, to live with them for about a year when she was still in school. Then in 1943, they generously took in her sister, Helen, (Mom) and me as a baby to live with them for a year to escape the living conditions back home in LaFollette. Mac worked many years for the Southern Railroad in knoxville. Lillie worked initially in business offices, but later in life she worked as a real estate agent and broker. Her reserved and proper nature probably served her well in that profession. She also taught Sunday School for about 50 years. A lifelong smoker, she died of cancer in 1976 at age 70. Mac lived a little longer and died in 1981 at age 76.

Alma Bernice Derrie Wilson (1909 – 1986)

Alma & Otney Wilson ca 1970s — **Alma and Ott 1970s**

Alma, born in 1909, married Otney Wilson in 1927. They lived their entire lives in LaFollette with many years in the beginning next door to her parents, Tom and Myrtle. Unfortunately, this led to excessive drinking in their household as well. Alma and Ott, as he was called, had seven straight sons between 1927 and 1941, but finally had a daughter in 1949. Their sons’ names were James (called JL), Phillip, Carl, Chester, John (called Nookie), Don, and Alvin. Sadly, Chester died when only 1-year-old, and Nookie was killed at age 16 when he stepped on a downed power line while walking in the woods. All the sons are now deceased. Their daughter born last was named Veatta after her Aunt so they always called her “Little Veatta”. After she was born, Alma and Ott turned their lives around. Ott got a job with the LaFollette Fire Department and over the years worked his way up to become the Fire Chief before he retired. They moved to a house in LaFollette proper, became Christians and attended church regularly. Alma was a sweet and gentle woman who was always a homemaker. She died of cancer in 1986 at age 76 and Ott died just a few months later at age 84. They are buried with most of their children in the Cumberland View Cemetery in LaFollette.

James Alvin (Bud) Derrie (1919 – 1979)

James Alvin was called Bud almost from the day he was born in 1919, but always used Alvin for official purposes. He grew up as the only boy in a poverty-stricken, dysfunctional household. As a consequence, he always took the brunt of his father’s bitter harsh ways. Bud only finished the 6th grade and finally got away from home by first joining the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs) and then when he was 20 years old, he enlisted in the Army in 1939 in Punta Gorda, Florida for duty in Panama. However, in 1940 he was stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia and was soon dragged into WW II. It is believed he served mostly in an Engineer Aviation Battalion which built and repaired runways throughout the war. There is a story that he participated in the D-Day invasion of the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944, in the second wave when the US brought vehicles ashore, some of which were to help build temporary airfields. He was released from duty after the war in 1945, and his family thought he returned as an emotionally handicapped person. It was probably what today is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, which affects some war veterans. He developed the same heavy drinking pattern of his father and never found a smooth road. Bud re-enlisted in 1947 for a second tour in the Army, but was always in trouble for going AWOL and was released again just prior to the Korean War. He was married to Ruth Norman in 1953, but then was divorced a short time later. In 1964 he married Cora Lloyd, a woman 23 years older than him, but she died in 1965. Bud never really found any happiness in life and eventually died in 1979 at age 60 while in the Mountain Home VA hospital in Johnson City, TN. He is buried next to his mother and father in the Jacksboro Cemetery.

Helen Louise Derrie Ayers (1923 – 2005)

Helen 17 Years Old — **Helen at about 17**

Helen, born in 1923, married Ira Ayers in 1942, and they moved to Baltimore, MD in 1946. Ira worked for the B&O railroad while Helen was a homemaker and farm woman until the 1960s when she began working outside the home, first as a Licensed Practical Nurse, and then as an Industrial Therapist. She and Ira had three children: Dennis, Carol, and Annette. Helen had an outgoing personality and loved to talk to anyone. She was a loving mother and a devout Christian. She died in 2005 at age 81 and Ira died in 2003 at age 90. They are buried in the Crestlawn Memorial Cemetery in Ellicott City, MD. See more details about her life in the post dated May 9, 2011, and in a following post.

Veatta Belle Derrie Whistleman (1925 – 1998)

Veatta born in 1925, was married several times before her final marriage to Marshall Whistleman in 1958. Before that, she lived for a few years in Baltimore, MD where they apparently met. However, they were actually married in Lockport, NY where Marshall had taken a job. They later lived in Newfane, NY where they both worked at Harrison Radiators, a division of

General Motors. The location was only 25 miles from Niagara Falls. Marshall was a soft-spoken, gentle guy, while Veatta had a strong and sometimes gruff personality. They never had any children, but later in life Veatta stayed home and took in foster children raising them as her own. She loved to go play bingo and grow roses. She and Marshall both loved their little poodle dogs, and they liked to travel in their mini motorhome with the dogs beside them. A lifelong smoker, Veatta had various cancer problems starting in the 1980s and finally died from a brain tumor in 1998 at age 72. Marshall died from a heart attack in 2001 at age 76. They are buried in the Hartland Central Cemetery in Gasport, NY.