Settlers to Haywood County, North Carolina

Felix Walker

In some respects the most remarkable man that ever occupied a seat in the Congress of the United States as a member from North Carolina was Felix Walker, who was elected from Haywood County in 1817 and served until 1823. Mr. Walker was a genuine type of frontiersman of the Daniel Boone stripe and Buffered himself to be surrounded by the vanguards of civilization only two or three times in his eventful career. He was born in Hampshire County. Va.. on July 19th, 1753, and spent his boyhood days in that locality. About 1774 he came to North Carolina and went with Daniel Boone on one of his frontier trips to Kentucky. He was with that remarkable man in some of his thrilling and eventful adventures with the Indians in the Great West as then Kentucky County was then called. Returning to North Carolina the same year he settled in that part of Tryon County that is now called Rutherford.

Enlisting in the service of his country Mr. Walker was a soldier for eight years during the entire period of the Revolution. He was a faithful and patriotic soldier during the time that tried men's souls. After the war closed he began his career as a farmer and merchant. He studied law also and was for many years a practitioner. He owned large tracts of land in what is now Rutherford, Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, and Cherokee Counties. In 1792 he was elected as one of the members of the Legislature from Rutherford County and was re-elected the following year. In 1799 he was again elected to the Legislature and re-elected in 1800,1801, 1802, and again in 1806. During all those years he served the state and his county most acceptably. In 1807 he moved from Rutherford to Jonathan's Creek in what was then Buncombe County but now Haywood. He soon became identified with the growth and development of this section. His name appears frequently in the early records. When the county was erected Mr. Walker was one of the leaders in that event and contributed largely to its success. He was a candidate for the clerk of the court for the new county but was defeated for that position by Colonel Robert Love.

As a businessman, Mr. Walker Avas was very successful. He had a store in Waynesville, one on Scott's Creek, and another at Qualla-town. While engaged in business he had some time to devote to politics and became a successful party manager. In 1817 he was elected to the Congress of the United Sta t,j s from the Asheville district and re-elected in LSI!) and 1821. lie retired trom policies in 1823. While in Congress he became famous on account of a pi rase which was used. Webster's International Dictionary, in defining the word "buncombe" has the following remark about Mr. Walker: " The phrase originated near the (close of the debate on the famous Missouri question in the sixteenth Congress.

It was then used by Felix Walker, a native mountaineer who resided at Waynesville, in Haywood near the border of the adjacent county of Buncombewhich formed a part of this district. The old man rose to speak. while the house was impatiently calling for the question and several members gathered around him, begging him to desist. He persevered, however, for a while1 declaring that the people of his district expected it and that he was bound to make a speech for Buncombe."Lis term o1 office expiring in 1823 Mr'. Walker retired to private life; but being still a frontiersman at heart he sold out his business interests here and went first %o Tennessee and later to Mississippi, where he died in 1830. Robert Love. As a pioneer in Western North Carolina and the founder of Haynesville Colonel Robert Love became the best-known man connected with the early history of Haywood County. His services to the State were many and varied.

He Lived a Long and useful life respected and Loved by his friends and feared by his enemies. Colonel Love was the son of Samuel Love and Dorcas Bell Loveof Augusta County, Va. He was born in that county in 1760 and spent his boyhood days near his birthplace. Not much is known of his early life. Still, he must have been very well educated because specimens of Ins handwriting in the records in the Clerk's office at the courthouse in Waynesville show evident signs of good training.

When scarcely fifteen, the Revolutionary War broke out, and the stripling of a boy al once volunteered in the patriotic cause, joined Washington's army in the fall of the year near Boston. He was with Washington in many of the campaigns in the North, and on many battlefields displayed the courage of a here He was with General Anthony Wayne a1 the attack upon Stony Point in 1779.

Later, in 1780, he was transferred to the South and served under General Nathaniel Greene. He was promoted from one position to another, and before the close of the war he held the commission of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Continental Army, being one of the young men to attain such rani-;. Colonel Love was m several pitched battles, one the battle of Guilford Court-house being one of the most famous in the Revolutionary struggle and the turning point of the war. There Cornwallis received his death blow and the climax at Yorktown followed as a natural result. After the close of the war Colonel Love married Miss MaryAnn Dillard, daughter of Genera] Thomas Dillard of Pittsylvania County, Va., and removed to Washington County, Tennessee, where he soon became prominent in civil affairs. For one term he was a member of the State Legislature from Washington County and traveled on horseback five hundred miles to the capital which was then at Newbern.

A year Later he became involved in the controversy over the abortive State of Franklin, which Colonel Sevier and his adherents sought to set up ou1 of the western territory of North Carolina. Colonel Love espoused the cause of North Carolina and assisted Colonel Tipton in overthrowing the government, which Colonel Sevier had organized. His service in this incident is found in Ramsey's "Annals of Tennessee" and the recent historical novel, "The Crossing," by Winston Churchill. After the close of the Sevier-Tipton controversy in Tennessee, Colonel Love removed to what is now Haywood County but what was then Burke. He settled at Mount Prospect and bought vast tracts of land. When Buncombe was erected in 1791, Colonel Love became influential in the affairs of the new county. He represented Buncombe in the State Legislature in 1793, 1791, and 1795 as senator from that county. In other ways also he was prominent in public affairs besides amassing a large fortune in land.

When the agitation for a new county west of Buncombe began Colonel Love was one of the prime movers. He was largely instrumental in having the bill erecting the county of Haywood passed by the State Legislature, and he was named at once as a commission member to locate the county seat and erect the public building. The bill was passed in December 1808 and ratified the same month. On the fourth Monday of the following March, the first court of pleas and quarter sessions met at Mount Prospect and proceeded to the election of county officers. For the office of Clerk of the Court, there were two candidates, Robert Love and Felix Walker.

Colonel Love was unanimously chosen. He served in that capacity for several years. At the June term of the Court, the question of the location of the county seat came up. The commissioners unanimously agreed that Mount Prospect should be the favored spot. Colonel Love, who owned most of the land donated sites for the courthouse jail and the public square. He also suggested the name Waynesville, in honor of Anthony Wayne, the hero of Stony Point. Colonel Love may well, therefore, be called the founder of the little city, beautifully situated on Richland Creek on the site of the ancient Mount Prospect. Besides the sites for the public square, courthouse, and jail, land for the cemetery and several churches was also the gift of Colonel Love.

In politics, he was an ardent Democrat and an intimate friend and earnest supporter of Andrew Jackson. He was a presidential elector during each campaign for thirty years, and to deposit his vote he traveled the long journey from Waynesville to Washington City in his gig, often weeks on the road. From his mother, Colonel Love inherited a more considerable fortune which he invested in immense boundaries of mountain lands in Haywood and Jackson Counties. It was at one time one of the largest estates in North Carolina and is still considerable in its extent and value.

In the courthouse today on the wall just back of the judge's stand is a bronze tablet, erected in 1902 by the Dorcas Bel] Love Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to the memory of Colonel Love. Governor Chas. B. Aycoci delivered the oratibon at the unveiling at that time. The tablet contains this inscription:

" 1760 1845. In Memoriam of ROBERT LOVE. Pounder of Waynesville. Soldier, Statesman, Benefactor
Erected by the DORCAS BELL LOVE CHAPTER, D. A. R. August 23; 1902. Colonel Love was a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church. His family consisted of six sons and seven daughters, namely: Thomas, Samuel, and William. Dillard, John, dames. Annie. Winifred, Dorcas, .. Sarah. Mary Anne, and Rebecca."

Edward Hyatt

Edward Hyatt, the first of the name west of the Blue Ridge mountains was born in England in the middle of the eighteenth Century. He was one of seven brothers who crossed the Atlantic and settled in Maryland before the Revolutionary War. Two brothers went North and five finally found their way into the South and West. Edward was one of the five who drifted South. lie stopped in Burke County. Soon the Revolution came on. and Edward enlisted in the service of the Colonies. He was in the army during the eight years of its continuance. After the war, Hyatt began life anew in Burke County. In about 1785, after the first treaty with the Indians in Western North Carolina was made, he with two sons ventured into the Indian country among the mountains, even though the savages were hostile at that time and had sworn by the Great Spirit that no white man should come west of the Blue Ridge Hyatt undaunted, however, blazed away across the mountains and with his sons traveled across the French Broad and selected a suitable spot for a camp on the east bank of Pigeon river near whereCanton now stands. Their food was such a game as they killed on the way as they were expert hunters. After camping there for some time they explored the country round. Then they moved down the river and stopped briefly near Clyde. Not liking the Pigeon Valley, Hyatt pushed on through the forest till he came to a good spring near where Turpins Chapel now stands. Here he built a camp on the land now owned by Captain Alden Howell, of Waynesville, and located a claim of good land which suited him, returning to his home about twelve miles from Morganton on the Catawba River. Soon, therefore, with several of his sons and two negroes and bringing a horse packed with corn and such provisions as would be needed, he returned to the claim he had located,- and c crop that year. Late in the fall he returned to Morganton and brought back with him his family. He also took out grants of land which are recorded in the office of the register of deeds of Burke County.

Afterward, he located grants in what is now Jackson County. At his home near where Turpins Chapel he reared a family of six children, namely, Shadrick, Elisha, Nathan, Abel, Alcie, and Airy. He was a member of the Baptist Church and a very devout man. He built the first Baptist Church in Haywood County, a structure made of logs and situated near the site of Turpins Chapel

in the gap or road running from Hyatt Grove through C. Cagle's to the residence of the late Captain John Turpin. One incident which showed Mr. Hyatt's ingenuity occurred as he was crossing the Blue Ridge mountains with his family coming to this county. The hills were very steep and he had no brakes on his wagon. To prevent trouble of that nature he cut down a small tree and lashed the butt to his wagon and thus came down in safety. He is said to have been the first man to bring a wagon into Avhat is now Haywood County. Another incident is related which showed Mr. Hyatt's kind nature. When he first came to this county he won the friendship of the Indian hunters and warriors by his kindness. Whenever they came around, he gave them something to eat and invited them to his camp.

The Indians reciprocated by asking him to hunt on their hunting grounds. When Hyatt's family came the Indians squaws came to his home. Mrs. Hyatt treated them kindly and gave them something to eat. Then the warriors came and they were fed also. Some time afterwards another white man came into the neighborhood and settled near Hyatt. His wife was afraid of the Indian squaws and would not give them anything to eat. This made the Indians mad and they said to Mr. Hyatt:

"Hyatt good man. Indiana liked him. II-- can Btay. Another white man, he bad man. Won't feed squaws, must Leave or Indian scalp him."

It is useless to Bay the other man left, but Mr. Hyatt remained on the friendliest terms with the Cherokees who lived all about him.

In 1817 Mr. Hyatl died at the home of Ins Nathan in what is now Jackson County. He was among the very first to be homeless on the Pigeon River.

Thomas Love

General Thomas Love, one of the oldest and most highly honored pioneers of the early days of Haywood County, was born about the middle of the eighteenth century in Augusta County, Virginia. In Ins young manhood he was a soldier in the Revolution like I served under Washington.

After the close of the war, he went to East Tennessee and was in the Sevier-Tipton War when the abortive State of Franklin was attempted. He came to what is now Haywood County. When Buncombe County was formed in 1791 he became active in the affairs of the new county. In 1797 he was elected as representative from Buncombe to the lower house of the State Legislature and re-elected for each year after that until 1808 when Haywood was created mainly through his efforts.

From the new county of Haywood General Love was one of the House of Representatives, the other being Thomas Lenoir. He was elected in 1810 and 1811; and again in 1815. In 1817 he was again returned and re-elected in 1818, 1819, and 1820. h2>Ninian Edmonston. Among the prominent citizens who lived and died in Haywood County, Ninian Bdmonstou ranks high. For more than forty years he was one of the most conspicuous and influential men in this part. Mr. Edmonston was born in Burke County, on Oct. 21, 1789. His ancestors came from Maryland and settled among the foothills in full view of the blue peaks of the Appalachians. Later, the family moved across the Blue Ridge and made a home near the limpid waters of the French Broad in what is now Buncombe County. Here, in the midst of the wildest mountain scenery, Ninian Edmonston was born two years before Buncombe became a county. As a boy, he grew up near nature's heart and imbibed the inspiration which only nature can give. Nothing is known as to his early training. Few schools were in existence in this mountain country then. It is quite clear, however, that the boy was well taught and schooled, for his afterlife displayed a well-tutored mind. His training was primarily mathematical, for he exhibited more skill in that subject than in any other. He became a surveyor early in life and assisted at nineteen years of age in running the line between Buncombe and Haywood when the latter county was formed. Some years previous to the erection of Haywood County.

Mr. Edmonston's father had moved to the Pigeon Valley, and as soon as Haywood became a county in December 1803, he immediately identified with her interests. When the war of 1812 broke out Ninian now grown to a young man of twenty-three volunteered for active service in the field. It is not known where or in what capacity he served, but he came out at the close of the war without a wound and returned to his home on the west fork of the Pigeon River. Mr. Edmonston, however, was not allowed to spend his days in retirement. He was shortly afterward elected sheriff of the county, and for four years was the chief executive officer of all the country from the western boundary of Buncombe to the Hiawassee River. This was an arduous task and Mr. Edmonston declined a third term.

In 1821 he was elected to represent Haywood County in the House of Commons at Raleigh on the ticket with James R. Love, Haywood having two representatives. At the same time Hodge, Rabourne was elected senator from this county. Rabournehad served several terms before and two afterward. At the election of 1822, Edmonston was not a candidate, but in 1823 he was again elected as the colleague of James R. Love.

Afterward he served nine terms in the House and in the Senate, closing his Legislative career in 1836.

His children survived him, four sons and three daughters, namely: Benjamine P., Thomas B., Basil B.. Rufus A.. Nancy A.. Laura and Dorothy.

Joseph Cathey

Colonel Joseph Cathey. an influential citizen of Pigeon Township and for many years and a leader in the county, was born on March 12th, 1803, and died June 1st. 1774. He was a son of William Cathey was one of the earliest settlers on the Pigeon River. His early life was spent among the picturesque surroundings of his own home and he grew to manhood under the silent influences of the beauties of nature. His early education was greatly neglected as schools in this county during the early years of the nineteenth century were rare. He received, however, sufficient training in his youth to put him on he road to a full and thorough education in his manhood. A contemporary who wrote his obituary has the following to say of Colonel Cathey's education: ''In many respects, he was the most extraordinary man the writer ever knew. He was a man of sound practical judgment, well versed in all subjects, and yet his education in early life was very deficient. Few men, if any, knew so much about all kinds of business transactions and all industrial pursuits as he. He could tell a country woman what it would cost her to make a web of cloth; could approximate the cost of a wagon.

He became a member of the Methodist Church and was a pillar of strength in that denomination in the county for a long number of years.Colonel Cathey shrank from politics, but he was chosen almost without his consent to represent Haywood County in the constitutional convention of 1885. There he met with some of the intellec- tual giants of the State�Macon, Graham, Gaston, Badger, Bragg, Reid, and others; but Cathey from Haywood was no little man among them. He was respected in the convention, and though he rarely spoke his opinions were listened to with evident mark of appreciation.

Again in 1842 he was called from the quirt of his country life to serve a term in the State Senate. He had not sought the honor, hut it came to him as being the. one that was preferred to many. In the senate he was the quiet statesman without vanity or desire to exploit himself, and served his county in a manner that reflected honor upon himself and his constituents. Several times afterwards he was solicited to run Cor the Legislature, bul always declined. He could have secured the nomination for congress from this district,hut In, tastes did nol Lead him thai way. He had no aspirationsfor public honors, preferring to live a quiet, peaceable life andfollow those pursuits that would is at peace and comfort to his family and add t" the general improvemenl of his county.

When the Civil war came on Colonel Cathey, though too oldfor active service, was keenly alive to the interests of the South, was a stricl constructionist and a secessionist after he saw thai the union could no1 be peaceably maintained. During thill. � armies were in the field contending for the master} he wasever ;i deeply interested reader of the papers and an earnesl sympathizer with and supporter of the boys in gray thai wenl to thefronl from I Eaywood < lounty. After the conflicl was over and the State had been readmittedinto the union, it was hard for him to accepl the situation, remaining an unreconstructed rebel to the day of his death. Be was anardenl admirer of our governmenl in its besl days, bu1 during theperiod of reconstruction he would lamenl thai it was nol asll onceHe did uol live long enough to Bee the revival after the flood, but passed away fearing thai the besl days of the republic hadgone by. As ,i business man and farmer Colonel Cathey was looked upto by his neighbors; as a legislator and citizen his opinions uponpublic questions had weight with the thoughtful; as a man he wasrespected and admired by a large number of persons. Be lived a useful life, which is still fresh in the memory of men.

James Robert Love

James Robert Love, son of Colonel Robert Love and Mary Ann Dillard Love, was born in the month of November, 1798. His father was, at the time, prominent in the affairs of Buncombe County, having served three terms in the house of commons as one of the members from Buncombe. As a boy James Robert played along the banks of Richland Creek and hunted in the mountains near by. He was taught the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic in the elementary schools of that time, and later was sent to complete his education at Greenville, Tenn. He was an apt scholar, for at an early age m> showed depth of thought which marked him through life. Before reaching his majority he became interested with his father in the purchase of mountain lands. Large entries were male both in western North Carolina and East Tennessee, which laid the foundation of the immense Love estate which exists until the present. Soon after reaching his twenty-first year Mr. Love found himself drifting into politics. He had no love for public life, but his ex- cellent qualities as a ready speaker and his good judgment brought him into prominence. In 1821, when he was just t>\ . ntythre. years of age, he was elected as one of the members from Haywood to the House of Commons. His colleague in the House that year was Colonel Edmonston and in the Senate Hodge Rabourne. Mr. Love was re-elected in 1822. 1823. 1824, 1825, 1826 and 1827. the elections then occurring annually. He was again elected in 1829 and 1830, serving again with Ninian Edmonston as his colleague. William Welch was then serving in the senate from this county. As a legislator Mr. Love was faithful and energetic. He became well known among the lawmakers and the officials of the State. His services were eminently satisfactory to his constituency, who sought to continue him in the position longer but he declined. While a member of the Legislature he met and married Miss Maria Williamson Coman. a beautiful and accomplished lady of Ral- eigh This union was signally blessed. Four sons and four daughters were born. The eldest son, James Coman, was a contractor on the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad in 1851 when the scourge of cholera visited Greenville where he was stationed. He was taken with the disease and died, Oct. 18th, of that year.

The other sons, Colonel R. G. A. Love, Dr. S. L. Love, and Capt, M. H. Love, lived to make names for themselves, but have since passed away. The eldest daughter, Sarah Jane Burney, married Colonel William II. Thomaaand died April 17th, 1877. The other three daughters MargaretElizabeth married Dr. W. L. Billiard, of Asheville, Mar) Josephinemarried Joseph A. Branner, of Jefferson City, Tenn., and MariaMalvine, wife of Colonel W. W. Stringfield are still living. Mi- [jove was much interested in railroad building and anxiously looked forward bo the coming of the iron horse to Waynesville. He even predicted the coming of the road, gave rights of waythrough his land and the site where the first depot was built, andleft provision in his will that each of his children should have a lot adjacent to the depot. He died Nov. 22, 1863, while the great war was raging and twenty years before the railroad, which heFondly Imped for, was built In his life-time Mr. Love was noted for his kindness of heart, especially to the poor and friendless.

William Welch

Among the earliest Bettlers on Richland Creek was John Welch,who mad.- entries of land before the organization of the county. Hewas prominent in the affairs of Buncombe County, and after Waynesville was erected he at once became a leader in the new county.In 1809 he was elected the first senator from Kayw 1 to theGeneral Assembly of North Carolina and re-elected in l s l". Hewas oi f the wealthiest and most influential citizens of thecounty at that time. William Welch, the subject of this sketch, was the son of JohnWelch and Dorcas Dillard Welch. He was horn April 8th, 1796. Nothing is known of the early educational advantages of the boy;but he must have 1 well educated, for specimens of his handwriting show that he was well trained. The large business, also. which he afterwards carried on, displayed a knowledge Of men andmatters, which comes only by good training. Soon after reaching his twenty-first year. Mr. Welch went ona prospecting trip to Missouri, where he remained for about twopears, getting hack in 1820. After returning to his native county, he married Miss Martha Love, but she died within a year. He afterward married Miss Mary Ann Love, sister of his former wife. From this union there were ten children. namely: Robert V., Martha Elizabeth who married Benjamin J. Johnson and was the mother of Mrs. B. J. Sloan of Waynesville and Mrs. Alford of Georgia, John H.. Weston R.. Thaddens D.. Mary Louise who married Captain AY. N. Freeman and moved to Texas. James L.. William P., Joseph N. who as captain of his company was killed at the battle of Piedmont in the Civil war. and Lucius Marcellus the youngest who is the only one still living. Mr. Welch was not fond of politics, but he was chosen as sena- tor from Haywood County in 1829, and re-elected in 1830. He was also a member, with Joseph Cathey. of the constitutional convention of 1835. Besides being a member of the General Assembly. He was for a long time clerk of the court, and an influential citizen. Fo*r a. long time Mr. Welch was a merchant in Waynesville and a hotelist. At the same time he carried on extensive farming operations, by which means he succeeded in amassing a considerable fortune. When the Civil war broke out he was too enfeebled by age to go to the frdnt, but he sent his boys, and they became gallant and patriotic soldiers. Mr. Welch was a close student of affairs during the four years of strife and was a firm believer in the justice of Southern cause. He watched the reports of the battles and marches with keen interest, and was steadfast in his faith in the righteous- ness of the contention of the South. On Feb. 6. 1865. while Colonel Kirk was making one of his raids through the county. Mr. Welch, who had been in poor health for a long time, sank under the disease and died. His body rests in Green Hill Cemeterv.

William H. Thomas

Colonel William Holland Thomas was born on Pigeon River, near Sonoma, in Haywood County. Feb. 5. 1805. He was the son of Richard Thomas, who came from Virginia in 180:{. and Temperance Calvert, a descendant of the brother of Lord Baltimore. Soon after their marriage the couple came to North Carolina and settled in the beautiful and fertile Pigeon valley and began to build a home for themselves and their children. In lsiio. a short time before the birth of Colonel Thomas, Richard Thomas was drowned in the Pigeon River, thus leaving a widow with a child unborn. The mother was, however, a woman of unusually sound judgment and so raised the boy, training him herself largely in the elements of a good education. Thrown upon In. resources earlj in life the boj turned Ins attention to a business career, in 1820, when be was just fifteen jrearsof age, he was employed by Felix Walker as clerk in a store at Quallatown. It was agreed thai he would work for three years for his board and clothes and one hundred dollars in money. At the end of the three years Thomas received Mr. Walker's old Law books as pay.It was the good will of Walker's customers which was worth much to him. Succeeding, in a year or two, to Mr. Walker's business position, upon the latter's removal to Mississippi, he launched oul upon his career as a business man. He opened several stores at different points in what is now Jackson and Cherokee Counties. While ye1 in his teens and while he was a clerk in Felix Walker's store al Quallatown, Thomas became a favorite of the [ndian Chief Sonaguska, who was the head of the Cherokee tribe living al Quallatown near where Thomas was clerking. Sons, Xonaguska was a frequenl visitor to the store and became very friendly to young Thomas. A little later Xonaguska had the Indian Council at Qualla to adopl Thomas as a member of the tribe, and made a statemem thai he wished the white brother to Bucceed him al Ins death The old chief died in 1836, and, in accordance with Ins expressed wish. Mr. Thomas was chosen chief and continued in that position for many years. From 1836 to 1848 Mr. Thomas spent much time in WashingtonCity, being called there in the interest of the Indians, over win. in he now exercised control and in whom be was deeply interested. There was much litigation between the Cherqkees and the government growing out of land claims and Mr. Thomas was constantly employed in taking care of the interests of the tribe. In Ins frequent visit, to the Capital City he was always courteously received by the presidents, especially by Andrew Jackson, who was an admirer oi M,. Thomas. Dunn- .-ill tins time thai the white chief was looking after the interests of the red men, and he soon became a manof wealth as well as influence. When Jackson County was formed in 1850, Mr. Thomas was chosen to the State Senate and Berved in thai capacity until 1862. He was also a delegate from Jackson County to the Secession Convention of 1861, and Bigoted the ordinance that severed the relation existing between North Carolina and the other States of the union. Although Mr Thomas was now in his fifty-seventh year and beyond the age for active military service he was authorized by President Jefferson Davis, with whom he was well acquainted, to raise a regiment for the Confederate service. Thomas spared neither time nor money to equip a regiment that would compare with the best in the service. The command was mustered into service at Knoxville, Tennessee, in the summer of 1862, and contained fourteen companies of white infautry from the counties of western North Carolina and a few from East Tennessee, four of Cherokee Indians who were true to Thomas, four of Cavalry, one of engineers, and one of artillery. The regiment was known on the official roster as the sixty-ninth North Carolina, but was known as Thomas's Legion, as he was elected Colonel and put in command. James Love, of Jackson County, was chosen lieutenant-colonel and V. W, Stringfield. of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., was elected Major. Soon after its organization the regiment was ordered to Virginia and, under the command of Love and Stringfield, participated in many of the great battles in that State. Colonel Thomas did not go with the regiment, but with a part of the command remained in western North Carolina to protect this territory from the inroads of the Federals. During the whole period of the war he was the soul of the Confederate government in the western counties and was trusted and beloved by President Davis and other leaders. As already related, he was present at the last battle at the Sulphur Springs on May 7, 1865 and forced Colonel Barltett to terms of surrender on May 10th, after which his legion then united was dis- banded, and he returned to his business relations. After the war Colonel Thomas turned his attention to the task of securing good roads for the county south of the Pigeon River. By legislative enactment he had turnpike roads built in different sections of the counties on which his influence was exerted. Perhaps his greatest achievement was in forcing, while he was a member of the Legislature from Jackson County during the seventies, the adoption of an amendment to the charier of the North Carolina railroad to extend the road to Ducktown. The proposition vas bitterly fought, but Colonel Thomas stuck to his text and finally ucceeded in seeing the amendment carried by a decisive majority. That amendment borught about the building of the Murphy branch.

Colonel Thomas was married in 1858 to Miss Sarah J. Love, eldest daughter of Colonel James R. Love and a grand-daughter of Colonel Robert Love. His home was in Jackson County on the Tuckaseigee River, on the spot where General Rutherford routed the Cherokees in battle in 1776. He left three children, William Jr. who lives in Jackson County and Sallie Love, the wife of Judge A. C. Avery of Morganton.

William Hicks

Rev. William Hicks, while not a native of Haywood County, spent an important portion of his life here and, therefore, deserves mention. He was born about 1820, in Sullivan County, Tennessee. Not much h is been learned of his ancestors, hut it is quite certain that they were among the back-woodsmen of 1781 that assembled againtl Ferguson at Sycamore Shoals and dislodged him from his fortified position at Kings mountain.

Mr. Hicks, when a boy, went to the country schools of Mast Tennessee and rapidly displayed ihe talent for learning and public speaking which he afterwards exhibited to such a marked degree he also attended a session or two at Emory and Henry College. Later in his life he became a Methodist preacher and served some churches in East Tennessee in the forties.

Francis M. Davis

Francis McGee Davis, boh of Philip Davis and Margarel McGee, was born in Fines Creek township, August 15, 1825, and died August of 1903, lacking one day of rounding out seventy-eight years. His ancestors were among the courageous pioneers who first brought civilization to these mountain coves. His grandfather Davis was with John Sevier at the battle of Kings Mountain and with General Green at Guilford Courthouse. After the close of the Revolution he settled in this part of North Carolina and began to build ;i home, and reared a large family. Frank Davis, as he was called, was horn and reared in a neighborhood famed for its lovely scenery and thrifty people. Winneight years old he was sent to school, but his school-days, at that time, lasted only two months. At that early age he displayed decided talent, but his advantages were cut short. He was a boy on the farm until he was eighteen when he again had a chance to go to school and went three months. It may he he supposed that during that brief time he learned more than the average boy does. At twenty years of age he again had the opportunity of attending school two and a half months, making his entire school life seven and a half months. On Oct. 21, 1817, he married Angeline Ferguson and began living life as a farmer in what is now Iron Duff township. He soon became a leader among his neighbors in everything that looked toward the improvement of farm life. He was a believer in fine stock and spared no effort to improve the breed of cattle upon his place. By good judgment and the skill which, as a thoughtful farmer, he always displayed, he won success and accumulated considerable property, while not wealthy yet in easy circumstances. During the Civil war he was a member of the home guards and performed military service in protecting the county from the ravages of the bushwhackers. Immediately after the war he was solicited to become a candidate for sheriff. He consented and was elected, holding that position during 1866 and 1867. In 1874 he became a candidate for the State Legislature and was elected, being re-elected in 1876, 1878, and in 1880. About him as a political leader Judge G. S. Ferguson has this to say: "In the campaigns which he made for the legislature, as well as many he made for his party when he was not a candidate, he proved himself to be a master of political debate, thoroughly acquainted with the principles of government, the policies of his party and the needs of the people. As a legislator he was careful to look after the local interests of his immediate constituents and attentive to general legislation. Conservative and wise, his counsel was sought and opinions listened to with respect by the ablest men of the State. He was not a man of extensive vocabulary but he understood the meaning of the words he used, selected them Well, talked to the point, and was one of the most, if not most, effective public speakers Haywood County has produced. "Sir. Davis was an active mason. He was also a member of the M. E. Church, South. His influence was always exerted on the side of the highest type of morality and Christian virtue. He was temperate in all his habits, not even using tobacco. He regarded both the use of tobacco and intoxicating liquors as an evil and advised against both. He was a prohibitionist from principle. In the prohibition campaign of 1881 he took the stump for the measure and was largely instrumental in enrolling Haywood as one of the six counties to give a prohibition victory that year. Of his thirteen children nine are living. One daughter, Lorena, the widow of the late Captain A. Rogers. He had 8 sons.

Francis Davis was the first from North Carolina to volunteer for the war. He was ap- pointed major and chief commissary of United States Volunteers and served on the staff of Major-General J. Warren Keifer, who com- manded the First Division of the Seventh Army Corps. As an officer Major Moody was diligent and careful in the discharge of duty. Resigning his position in the United States army, at the close of hostilities, he returned to Waynesville and resumed the practice of law and soon built up a large business. In 1900 he was nominated by the Republicans for Congress from the Ninth district against W. T. Crawford, who had already served three times, both candidates being from Waynesville. At the polls Major Moody was elected, and served one term lacking about four weeks. In 1902 he was again nominated for Congress but was defeated by J. M. G-udger. Jr.. of Asheville. During the winter of 1902 and 1903 Major Moody's health became bad; and in January 1903. He died on Feb 5, 1903.

Thomas Isaac Lenoir

Haywood County's first representatives in the lower house of the General Assembly were Thomas Love and Thomas Lenoir, two old heroes who had fought the British and the Indians in the times that tried men's souls. Colonel Thomas Lenoir came from Wilkes County to what is now Haywood about the closing year of the eighteenth century and bought from the State large tracts of land on the East Fork of Pigeon River and engaged in farming and stock raising. In this he was successful. He had one of the largest negro quarters in the county and governed his slaves with such a Christian spirit that he always got from them obedience and re- verence. After being in the county more than thirty years Colonel Lenoir moved back to his old home in Wilkes County where he died about 1850. A worthv son of this noble sire was Thomas Isaac Lenoir, who was born al the homestead on Pigeon River, August 26th, 1817. He grew up as a country boy tutored by nature and schooled in all the fine feelings that make up a _____ life. After getting the training thai was afforded by the county schools of his day, be was sent to the State University where be took an extensive course. Finish ing there he spent a few years in Wilkes County where his fathe rwas then living. About 1917 be returned to Haywood County and took charge of the large estate of his father. He turned his attention to thedevelopment of the resources ol his father's farms. He was a be- liever in fine stuck. He was. perhaps, the lirsi m this part of theState tu introduce fine Btockraising. His blooded cattle were the finest ever Been in Haywood County up to that time. During the agitation leading up to the Civil war Mr. Lenoir's sympathies were always with the Smith, and when the storm ol warhurst upon the land he at once volunteered. He raised a companyof soldiers, about nine-tenths oi them being fr Pigeon and East Pork townships, and was elected Captain by the unanimous vote ofthe men composig it. Later, the company and regiment were re- organized and Captain Lenoir returned home, having passed the agelimit for active service. Also a farmer and stock-raiser Captain Lenoir is chiefly remembered. He was the pi er who blazed the way for the strides thathave since been made. In t h is industry in Haywood County. Captain Lenoir's neighbors were all benefited by his zeal and en-thusiasm in this branch of endeavor. On June 11, 1861, Captain Lenoir was married to .Miss MaryElizabeth Garrette. Prom this union three children were born: Mary Lenoir Michal, Laura Lenoir, ami Sara Lenoir Hickerson.Captain Lenoir was a member of the Episcopal Church. He died on Jan. 5th, 1881 at his home on Pigeon River.

Humphrey P. Haynes

In the making of Haywood County the Haynes family has playedan important part. From the earliest times members of the family have held conspicuous positions in the eivil, religious and educatiional life of their communities. One of the most honored representatives of the family was Humphrey Posey Haynes, who was horn at Pigeon River (Canton) in 1824,and died in August, 1895. His father. Rev. William Haynes, born in the same township, was well known as a local preacher and an earnest Christian worker. His mother was Elizabeth Hood, daughter of Allen Hood who came to this county from England. Mr. Haynes was. in his day, one of the foremost men of Haywood County in all that makes for good citizenship, and as such was honored with subtantial evidence of the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens. In 1872 he was elected as a member of the lower house of the State Legislature and served with signal ability for one term. In 1880 he was chosen as a member of the Board of County Commissioners and served as chairman of the board two terms.His public services were patriotic and unselfish, which is shown by the high esteem in which his memory is held today. Mr. Haynes was twice married, his first wife being Nancy V. Leatherwood to whom he was married Feb. 18, 1817. The children now living of this union are Rev. J. M. Haynes, well known as a Baptist minister, William J. Haynes, who served two or three terms as sheriff of the county and is now living in Haynesville, Rufus P. Haynes. F. Cansler Haynes. now serving his second term as county commissioner, and Mrs. Sallie E. Robinson. His second wife was Jerusha E. Ownby whom he married April 2, 1865. The living children of this union are Etta, widow of the late J. Wiley Shook. J. II. Haynes. Mark P. Haynes. F. E. Haynes, a prominent and prosperous merchant of Clyde, who by toil and industry has built up a produce business that brings thousands of dollars to the farmers of the county.

William P. Welch

Humphrey P. Haynes

In the making of Haywood County the Haynes family has played an important part. Prom the earliest times members of the family have held conspicuous positions in the civil, religious, and educational life of their communities. One of the most honored representatives of the family was Humphrey Posey Haynes, who was born at Pigeon River (Canton) in 1824, and died in August 1895. His father. Rev. William Haynes, born in the same township, was well-known as a local preacher and an earnest Christian worker. His mother was Elizabeth Hood, daughter of Allen Hood who came to this county from England. Mr. Haynes was. in his day, one of the foremost men of Haywood County in all that makes for good citizenship, and as such was honored with substantial evidence of the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens. In 1872 he was elected as a member of the lower house of the State Legislature and served with signal ability for one term. In 1880 he was chosen as a member of the Board of County Commissioners and served as chairman for two terms.

His public services were patriotic and unselfish, which is shown by the high esteem in which his memory is held today. Mr. Haynes was twice married, his first wife being Nancy V. Leatherwood to whom he was married on Feb. 18, 1817. The children now living in this union are Rev. J. M. Haynes, well-known as a Baptist minister, and William J. Haynes, who served two or three terms as county sheriff and resided in Waynesville, Rufus P. Haynes. Haynes. F. Cansler Haynes served a second term as county commissioner, and Mrs. Sallie E. Robinson.

His second wife was Jerusha E. Ownby whom he married April 2, L865. The living children of this union are Etta, the widow of the late J. Wiley Shook. J. II. Haynes. Mark P. Haynes. F. E. Haynes, a prominent and prosperous merchant of Clyde, by toil and industry, has built up a produce business that brings thousands of dollars to the county's farmers. Mrs. Mattie E. Rich. Robert II. Haynes. Mrs. Sarepta Caldwell. Lola K.. .Airs. Pearl McLaughlin, Airs. Maude White, and Grover C. Haynes.

William P. Welch

Captain William Pinckney Welch was born in Waynesville, November 14th, 1838, and died in Athens. Ga., March is. 1896. He was of patriotic ancestry, his mother's father, Robert Love, having served in his youth as a Lieutenant in the Army of the Revolution. His father. William Welch was the son of John Welch, one of the earliest settlers in this county. The family came to this part of the State soon after the Revolution from Philadelphia, Pa. With such training as the neighborhood schools afforded the boy Pink was sent to Asheville to school. There he was prepared for college by the father of General Stephen l> Lee, oi Mississippi. Id then took a course in Bmorj and Henry College, Va., Leaving there in May 1861, to enter as a volunteer the Confederate service. He enlisted in the Becond company that left Ins native county, which became Company C of the twenty-fifth regiment of North Carolina. In the organization, Mr. Welch was chosen first lieutenant. The unit, after being stationed a1 Asheville for a brief time, was ordered to Wilmington, and was on duty on the coast of North; Carolina until the early summer of 1862, when it was ordered to Virginia. Reaching Richmond about the first of June of that year, the regiment was in the thickest of the seven days battles from Gaines Mill to Malvern Hill. Lieutenant Welch served with distinguished gallantry and earned the praise of his Superior officers. After the retreat of McClellan Lieutenant Welch's company be- came attached, with the twenty-fifth regiment, to General Robert Ransom's brigade of Longstreet's Corps, [n all the subsequent campaigns, including the battles of Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg, his company played an essential and conspicuous part. Afterward, Lieutenant Welch took part in the campaign in North Carolina in 1864.

The Forces of General Beauregard

Late in the war, Lieutenant Welch was transferred to the engineer corps with the rank of Captain and continued in that line of duty in- the remainder of the war. While discharging his duty he was once wounded in one of the numerous battles near Petersburg and surrendered with Lee a1 Appomattox. No officer of his regiment was more popular than Captain Welch.

The Survivors in Haywood County have honored his memory of him by naming their organization the Pink Welch Camp of the United Confederate Veterans.

After the war, Captain Welch studied Law and opened an office to practice the same in Waynesville. He became a beneficial lawyer and built np an extensive practice. As a public speaker, he sunn I ame noted, and In consequence was drawn into politics. He was elected to a seal in the Lower House of the State Legislature in 1868 and again in 1870. En those memorable sessions of the General Assembly, Captain Welch took a prominent part.

In the impeachment proceedings of 1870 against Governor W. W. Holding he was active and aggressive. He was a member of the judiciary committee that drew up the charges of high crimes and misdemeanors against the governor and aided in prosecuting the case at the bar of the Senate. His speech on that occasion was eloquent and compelling. Captain Welch's legislative experience did not end with the conviction and deposition of Governor Holden. He was chosen to represent in the State Senate the forty-first senatorial district, composed of Henderson, Haywood, and Transylvania counties.

Politics, however, had no fascination for Captain Welch. Even before his term of office as a senator had expired he had planned to leave North Carolina, give up law and politics, and enter the cotton manufacturing business in Athens, Ga. In 1876 he moved to that place and became interested in the Georgia Manufacturing Company with mills at White Hall. In that business, he remained until he died in 1896. Captain Welch was married twice, first to Miss Sarah Cathey, a daughter of Colonel Joseph Cathey, and second, January 26. 1875, to Margaretta Richards White, Daughter of John White and sister of John R. and Captain James White, of Athens, Ga., Their only son, John White Welch, is now a resident of the same city.

Dr. Robert V. Welch

Robert Vance Welch was born in Haywood County, on Dec. 4th, 1822 and died on Jan. 12th, 1899. He was a son of William and Mary (Love) Welch, and a grandson of Colonel Robert Love. After getting the rudiments of an education in his native county. The boy, now almost a young man, was sent to finish his academic course at Washington College, Tennessee. There he studied for some years before going to the medical college at the University of Kentucky, from which he graduated with an M. D. One the singular thing about this part of his life is the fact that, when he went to college, he rode horseback to Lexington, Ky., took his negro servant with him, and kept the negro and the two horses in Lexington the whole time he was in school there. After receiving his diploma Dr. Welch settled in Waynesville and began the practice of his profession. He continued training for some years until a diseased leg forced him to retire from active work. In 1862 he was a Burgeon in the Confederate Army and served acceptably in that capacity.

Dr. Welch was. for several years, engaged in the mercantile business in Jackson County. He also did a large business as a contractor transporting goods over the old State Turnpike in Asheville and Cherokee. He invested extensively in real estate and other properties during his life, and at the time of his death had amassed a considerable fortune.

Positive in speech and in action Dr. Welch had considerable influence in his community. He was a prominent member of the Baptist Church to which he always contributed liberally. Dr. Welch in early life was married to Miss Mary C. Peebles of East Tennessee. Seven children were the fruits of this union, Julius C. who lives at the old homestead about two miles from Waynesville, Samuel C, a prominent and successful lawyer of Waynesville, Marietta who is the wife of Dr. J. Howell Way, of Waynesville and Nora I... now Mrs. H. P. Ashton, of Chattanooga,Tennessee.