Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Edward Walker, Jr., Home for Sale

The Edward Walker, Jr., home on Mulberry Creek, where he moved about 1818, is up for sale.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

New Letters Posted

In the Letters and Diaries section of the Web site are three new pages, including:
  • A letter from 1885 from Manerva Jane (Walker) Walker in Missouri to Albert Sidney Atkins in Tennessee not long after the death of Albert's mother.
  • A letter from 1919 from Amanda (Hodges) Demarcus to her sister, Alice (Hodges) Gose, the widow of Albert Sidney Atkins, soon after the Knoxville Riots of 1919.
  • Telegrams from 1942 to Leroy Hilton Walker involving a Japanese-American student detained in Nampa, Idaho.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Major Family File Update

Uploaded a new version of my family file, including a significant amount of work done in the past year on a number of different family lines.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Rosters for East Tennessee in the War of 1812

Although many of us often forget that the United States even fought a second war against Great Britain, the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812 is coming soon. Roberta Estes and Steve Smith have allowed me to post transcriptions of the rosters of three War of 1812 companies to add to the one I had posted, so I created an expanded section of the Web site, Rosters for East Tennessee in the War of 1812, to link to the known transcribed registers on the Internet. If you know of others, let me know.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Obituary: Anne (Yoakum) Modlin

Anne can be found in my family file here. From the Knoxville News Sentinel, 4 October 2009:

MODLIN, ANNE YOAKUM - age 95, ended unexpectedly in her apartment at Colonial Hills Retirement Center in Johnson City, TN, Thursday, October 1, 2009. Anne was born in Lone Mountain, TN, November 4, 1913. She was the daughter of Mallie Virginia Walker and Joseph Sherman Yoakum, who desired for her a "city education." To accomplish this, she lived with her older sister Lenore Mitchell attending Knoxville schools, graduating from Knoxville High and the University of Tennessee. Summers were spent on the farm with her parents and her beloved horse 'Bird'.

After receiving her B.A. degree from U.T., she taught first grade at Minders Elementary School in Knoxville, and shortly married her college sweetheart H.L. Modlin (who died in 1984) Residing in Yakima, Washington and Little Rock, Arkansas after their wedding, the Modlins returned to Knoxville, after WWII, in 1946 with their two daughters. Anne continued to live in Knoxville until 2007. She was very active in many activities; DAR (where she was a 50 year member) to the Taliluna Garden Club, and golf at Cherokee Country Club, where she had a 'hole in one'. She was a very passionate person. Besides her family, the great loves of her life were the University of TN [Go Vols]; the Republican Party [she was campaigning for John McClain in the 2008 election]; the Alpha Delta Pi sorority (being an advisor to the college girls keeps me young), and Second Presbyterian Church, where she was a member for 63 years. Except for being 'tight with tips', she was a very generous person with her time, her magnolia tree, and especially, with the scholarship fund she established at the UT College of Business in honor of her husband.

She loved to laugh and delighted in the outdoors and in all things social. She was last seen dancing the Saturday before she died-with her impish blue eyes twinkling. Anne is survived by her daughters and their husbands: Anne M. Burkhardt (Nat), and Betsy M. Beaver (Dick); seven grandchildren: Libby Burkhardt Staub (Richard), Susan Burkhardt Curtis (Jeff), Laura Burkhardt Vik (Jorgen), Richard Beaver (Mary Es), Anne-Corinne Beaver Mola [Mike], Margaret Beaver Hassenstab [Jason] and Alice Beaver; eight great grandchildren: Burk and Nathan Staub, Christain, Issac and Thomas Vik, Jack and Ellie Beaver, and Henry Hassenstab; and special friend Issa Ngwele - and not to forget 'Cute Kitty', who gave her much joy! Memorial service will be held at 2nd Presbyterian Church Knoxville TN, at 2 PM, Sunday October 11, 2009. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to 2nd Presbyterian Church or to the Anne Y. and Herman L Modlin, Jr. Scholarship College of Business Administration 721 Stokely Management Center, Knoxville 37996. Online condolences may be made through www.morrisbaker.com. Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 Oakland Ave., Johnson City, TN 37601 (423) 282-1521 is serving the family.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Photos: Clementine (Walker) Burch and daughter Effie

David Campbell, an archivist on a special grant program with the Museum of Appalachia, was sorting some photos recently and contacted me about two that relate to the Walkers. One was labeled "Effie Burch Flack, Straight Creek, Claiborne Co." and the other "Aunt Clemintine [sic] Burch, Straight Creek, Claiborne Co." The original source of these photos is unclear. You can click on either one for a larger version.

Clementine (Walker) Burch, the older woman pictured at left, was born December 30, 1852, on a farm at Bear Creek, where she was raised. Old Time Tazewell called her "a very handsome, intelligent-looking young lady" who lived with her husband on her husband's father's property at nearby Straight Creek.

Clementine was the second daughter of James D. and Mary (Ann) Campbell Walker. Her father had lived in the Bear Creek/Walker's Ford area since his own parents moved there from Mulberry Gap in 1843. James was a son of Samuel and Jane (Doherty) Walker and a grandson of Edward B. Walker. Her mother was a daughter of Barnett and Mary (Brooks) Campbell, who lived in the Cedar Forks area of Claiborne County.

Clementine's husband, Wiley Patton Burch, died at the young age of 39, but not before the couple had nine children, six girls and three boys, most of whom lived to adulthood. Clementine went on to live another 35 years. She died on November 23, 1928, in Claiborne County and is buried with her husband at Burch Cemetery on what is now known as Lone Mountain Road in New Tazewell, Tennessee.

Clementine and Wiley's youngest child was Lizzie Effie Burch, who was born in April 1892, a year before her father died. She apparently was raised on Straight Creek on the Burch family farm.

About 1911, she married Lewis Davidson Flack (1879-1959) and raised four known children, three boys and a girl. At least through the 1930 Census, the couple lived in Claiborne County, but the entire family eventually settled in Hamblen County, where she and Lewis died months apart in 1959.

They are buried in Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Three of their four children, Charles, James Mont, and Mildred, who married Burl Goodson, are buried in the same plot.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Obituary: George W. Liford

George can be found in my family file here. Published in the Knoxville News Sentinel, 20-21 June 2009:

George W. Liford

LIFORD, GEORGE W. - age 67, went to be with our Lord on June 18th. He is preceded in death by parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Hopson Liford; sisters, Lorena Brantlley and Vicie Logan; 7 half brothers and sisters; brother-in-law, J.M. Wells. He is survived by wife of 43 years, Bonnie Wilson Liford; brothers, Clifford and wife, Peggy Liford of Maynardville, Floyd and wife, Irene Liford of New Tazewell; brother-in-law, James Logan; sisters-in-law, Fran Hensley and husband, Noble and Lillian Russell and husband, Willis; 8 nieces and nephews; 8 great-nieces and nephews. Member and deacon of Beech Grove Baptist Church, 32 degree Mason of Beaver Ridge Lodge #366, member of Scottish Rites of Freemasonry. The family will receive friends 5-7 pm Saturday at Weaver's Chapel with the service to follow at 7 pm. with Reverends Billy Moore, Robert Holt and Brian Liford officiating. Family and friends will meet at 1:45 pm Sunday, June 21st at Oak Ridge Memorial Park for a 2 pm Entombment Service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Beech Grove Baptist, 2733 Tooles Bend Rd., Knoxville, TN 37922 or Shriner's Hospital for Children, c/o Kerbella Temple of Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37901. You are invited to share your thoughts and memories of George at his website www.mem.com. Arrangements by Weaver Funeral Home.

Source: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/knoxnews/obituary.aspx?n=george-w-liford&pid=128646107