Category: General Information

The Fraterville Mine Disaster Created Need for More Miners

April 21, 2018 Dennis Ayers

On the morning of May 19, 1902, the community of Fraterville lost all but three of its adult males. A devastating explosion in the Fraterville Mine killed 216 miners of which only 184 were ever identified. The cause of the explosion was never identified, but it

was most likely due to a build up of methane gas resulting from poor ventilation. At the time, the miners were working about 3 miles under Cross Mountain. Most were killed instantly, and 26 later died of suffocation before rescuers could reach them. Some entire families were lost. It was the worst mining disaster in Tennessee’s history and among the top five in the nation.

The miners were a mix of itinerant workers, expert miners and local men and boys. Most of the itinerant miners were never claimed and were buried alongside the nearby railroad tracks. The others were buried in local cemeteries with 89 being interred in Leach Cemetery in a spot called Miners Circle.

Due to this tragic loss of so many lives, the disaster created the need for replacement miners in the following months. This need is strongly believed to have been the reason for the entire Jackson family to relocate to Campbell County around 1905. Fraterville was located near the town of Coal Creek (now named Rocky Top) bordering Campbell and Anderson Counties. The distance to Jacksboro where many of the Jacksons moved is about 7 miles.

The JACKSON Branch of Our Tree

December 29, 2017 Dennis Ayers

Myrtle JACKSON was Helen Derrie’s mother. So, the JACKSON branch of our tree follows her line of male Ancestors. JACKSON is a famous English surname, and throughout history has had various spellings such as Jacson, Jagson and Jaxon. It is a patronymic surname formed from the personal names Jaques or John, both originating from the ancient Hebrew “Yochanan”. The name was first introduced by returning Crusaders from the Holy Land in the 12th century, and quickly gained popularity in England.

Now, JACKSON is also a very common surname in the United States. As of the 2010 census there were slightly over 700,000 people with the name ranking it 19th of all surnames in the US. The name is most common in the Southeastern states, as well as being especially popular in the District of Columbia. It is least common in the midwestern states. There are actually more African-Americans named Jackson than Caucasians in the US.

Amongst the many interesting name bearers was Andrew Jackson (1767 – 1845). He was the seventh president of the United States of America, from 1828 – 1836, but earlier he became a national hero when he successfully defended New Orleans against the British in 1815. Even though he lived in Tennessee, our family has no relationship to Andrew Jackson. However, we do have a very distant relationship to another famous Jackson, entertainer Michael Jackson.

Our branch of Jacksons in America is an interesting story which begins with the arrival of our immigrant Jackson ancestor from England as an indentured servant in the late 1600s. Over the next two hundred years his descendants became prosperous land and slave owners in the South before losing all their prosperity again by the time of the Civil War. Read on to discover how their story unfolded.

Here’s One to Think About

April 22, 2016 Dennis Ayers

An interesting bit of information is worth noting about the complicated relationship between Ira Ayers and Florence Depew. On his father’s side, Florence was Ira’s Aunt since she was his father Martin’s sister. However, on his mother’s side, Florence was also Ira’s Step-Grandmother after she married Will Depew, who was Ira’s mother’s father.

Nothing irregular here, but it kind of makes you think of the humorous country song “I am my own Grandpa”.

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.

How Do You Say Botetourt?

February 1, 2013 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

The word Botetourt easily rolls off your tongue doesn’t it. Not for me! The local citizens of that county have no trouble with it though….they just pronounce it like “Bod – a – Tot”. When I visited the area in 2000, I was amazed that they were able to twist the spelling to make it sound like that.

Botetourt County, VA is one of the oldest counties in the state and it was named in honor of Lord Botetourt, the governor of VA when the county was formed in 1770. The land consists of beautiful rolling foothills situated in the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge Mountain and the Appalachian Mountains. This is also where the James River originates before it travels to Richmond, VA and eventually to the lower Chesapeake Bay.

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!

Surname Changes

February 27, 2012 Dennis No comments exist

Doesn’t it seem strange that a family like the Derryberrys were able to change their name so easily back in the late 1800s? Were there not laws against such practices? No, not really. We know that spelling variations were very common in the past mostly due to illiteracy, and earlier generations just didn’t seem to worry much about it. In fact, documents such as land records or wills could have the same name spelled differently in multiple places throughout the document as long as it sounded the same.

On the other hand, some folks actually did change their name purposely so it didn’t sound the same. This was usually done for a variety of reasons including a desire to break with the past, a dislike of the original name, or even if it was too difficult to pronounce or spell. Often this was done along with a move to a new location. It was never a legal problem since there were no “official records” maintained about people in most states until about 1900. Although some states had started earlier, about that time the Federal government began mandating that all states officially record births, marriages, and deaths and regulate name changes. Since that time, folks have gradually become more educated and there are now relatively few surname changes or variations, unlike the past.

Confederate Shoe Problems

January 30, 2012 Dennis Ayers No comments exist

It is said that armies march on their stomachs. Well, it is also true that they march on their feet and good footwear is an absolute necessity. During the Civil War the roads were dusty in the summer and muddy in the winter, and both the Confederate and Union soldiers suffered greatly during marches. More Confederates were country-bred and accustomed to longer hiking, but on the other hand the Confederacy was always low on shoes. Ill-fitting shoes were also a problem. Confederate soldiers identified as shoemakers were encouraged to send home, or in some cases were given leave to go home and retrieve their tools. They were then put to work repairing shoes, being exempted from guard duty and other camp duties. However, the general shortage of footwear only got worse as the war continued on.

There were numerous accounts of Rebels marching barefoot for miles, even in winter months. On the march back from Gettysburg in the Summer of 1863, those whose shoes were worn out or whose feet were sore from wearing bad shoes, were organized into a separate command and allowed to pick their way along the grassy roadside. Shoes and boots were so valuable that special missions were made to procure them. They were even pulled from the feet of dead men on the bloodstained battlefields.