Pleasant Hill Church: many of my ancestors are buried in its cemetery. (Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995)
My father’s parents came to California from Tennessee, specifically, Greeneville, in Greene County, Tennessee.
About Greene County
Located at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Greene County is found in the Eastern part of Tennessee, and is named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Major General Nathanael Greene. It was organized from Washington County, Tennessee, in 1783, with Greeneville as the county seat.
Greene County is ranked the 6th largest county in the state, and covers 624 square miles with an average elevation of 1,320 feet above sea level. Of this, more than 230,000 acres are under cultivation by Greene County's nearly 3,400 farm families.
Like in the days of early Greene County, farming continues to be an important industry. (Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995 )
Some famous Greene Countians:
Davy Crockett (Col. David Stern Crockett) was born in Greene County on August 17, 1786. You probably know him as the “King of the Wild Frontier,” but he also had quite a political career, and represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Col. Crockett died at the historic Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.
President Andrew Johnson used to make his home in Greenville. “Old Hickory,” as he was known, became the 17th President of the United States after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. His former home and tailor shop are open to the public.
This replica of Andrew Jackson's South Carolina birth place stands in Greene County. (Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995 )
But I’m not related to either of these gentlemen.
My Visit to Greene County
My father, my aunt (Dad’s sister), and I took a trip to see the “ancestral home” of Greeneville over Memorial Day weekend in 1995. My aunt was the person who got me interested in genealogy back in 1987, and she had been researching our family for about a decade before that. So it was fitting that we should make this trip together.
My father and I met at the airport in Knoxville; he flew in from Massachusetts, and I from San Diego. The first thing I noticed was the HUMIDITY. It was like a wall of steam hitting me in the lungs! Being a California desert girl, this came as quite a shock.
Once my aunt arrived from Washington, we were able to really get the show on the road. The next day, we took the scenic route from Knoxville to Greeneville via the Great Smoky Mountains and a teensy corner of North Carolina. Having never been in this part of the country before, I enjoyed the drive very much.
The "Olde Greene County Gaol" (jail), built in 1882 by Turner and Lane.
(Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995 )
While in Greeneville, we experienced as much of the “local color” as possible. My favorite was the way the waitresses would always ask, “Would you like grits with that?” Grits aren’t a staple of the typical California diet, so this was an unusual question to me. I really didn't want grits with anything, and I still don't.
(Oddly enough, my husband loves grits. But then, he’s a “southerner,” having lived in both Carolinas, as well as Florida, growing up.)
I was also struck by how aptly named Greeneville was: everything was so green! After a few days, I started wondering why on earth my grandparents ever left Greeneville for California. I mean, I know why they really left (I think), and it had nothing to do with the landscape, but still… Los Angeles must have been quite a change for them.
Tusculum College, founded in 1794, is Tennessee's oldest college.
(Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995 )
We stopped for a short visit at Tusculum College, admiring the beautiful stone arch at the entry. In my grandfather's younger days, he wanted to become a teacher, and had dreams of attending Tusculum. Life got in the way, and this didn't happen; however, he did raise two children who became teachers, and two of his grandchildren also became teachers. It seems that teaching runs in the family.
The three of us trekked through as many cemeteries as possible, visiting the known graves of ancestors, and discovering a few new ones. We hit cemetery “pay dirt” at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, finding lots of family graves to photograph and record. Unfortunately, we had a big missed opportunity, because at the time, we didn’t know that the burial location of our Revolutionary War ancestor Leroy Taylor was just down the road in Leesburg (the town named for him – DUH!).
Greeneville’s most historic cemetery, the Old Harmony Graveyard, was established in 1791. Many of Greeneville’s most famous residents are buried there. Although none are/were related to me, we did check it out, just the same.
Old Harmony Graveyard (Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995 )
We also visited the courthouse and found some genealogical gems, which I’ll be happy to talk about in future articles.
I really loved visiting Greeneville, Tennessee. The landscape was lush and green, and the people were warm and friendly.
I hope to make it back again soon, especially now that I’m armed with even more genealogical information!
We were surprised to learn that we're actually named after this sign! Or was the sign named after us? Either way, it was a fun find! (Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 1995 )
____________________
More About Greene County, Tennessee:
TN GenWeb
Pleasant Hill Cemetery on Find A Grave
Old Harmony Graveyard on Find A Grave
Thursday, May 1, 2008
It's Greener in Greeneville
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sending Out an S.O.S.
Part 3 in a series about the proposed closure of La Purisima State Historic Park.
A docent demonstrates blacksmithing skills at "Purísima's Peoples Days" at La Purísima Mission (Lompoc, Santa Barbara Co., California). Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, March 1, 2008.
Imagine that you turn on the TV news one night to find that a wildfire is burning its way through the hills towards your home (those of us in California won’t have to imagine too hard).
Your first thought is to get your loved ones and pets out of the house, right? But what other items will you load into your car? What will you choose to save?
You will choose to save those items that are irreplaceable.
Photos, souvenirs, mementos of family members who have passed on. Items you were safeguarding, probably to give to your own children someday, so that your family’s history will not be forgotten.
This is particularly true if you are the family genealogist. There is no way you would ever leave these items behind.
Unfortunately, the Governor’s proposed budget will leave some of California’s valuable historic treasures “behind,” one of which is our own La Purísima Mission State Historic Park.
Why Should I Care if La Purísima Mission is Closed?
La Purísima Mission is the most fully restored of all the California missions.
The mission’s linear design is unique among all the California missions.
Docents regularly dress in period costumes and demonstrate arts and crafts, as well as everyday life in the 1820’s.
California mission history is a required part of the California 4th grade curriculum. Thousands of students come to La Purísima each year to learn about mission life firsthand.
The mission is situated on a 1,800-acre preserve. Hikers, runners, botanists, equestrians, and photographers come from all over to walk the miles of trails in this state park.
If the park is closed, will there be enough security to protect the mission’s historic treasures?
How You Can Help
Write a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger.
Write a letter to your local lawmakers.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Blog about this issue. (Even if you don’t live in California, you will still be affected if you decide to visit a California park or beach and find it closed one day!)
Visit some of the parks on the closure list.
Participate in the Mission Possible Rally on Saturday, March 29. Meet at River Park in Lompoc at 10:00 a.m. for a one-mile walk to the mission. Or just show up at the Mission for the rally at 11:00 a.m.
Participate in Park Advocacy Day on April 7 in Sacramento.
Spread the word that the parks need support!
For More Information
Governor Schwarzenegger’s Proposed 2008-2009 Budget
Map of Proposed Park Closures
SOS – Save our State Parks
SOS – Save our State Parks on MySpace
California State Parks Foundation
La Purísima Mission
La Purísima Mission – Volunteer Opportunities
Friday, March 7, 2008
Back to 4th Grade: A Brief History of La Purisima Mission
Part 2 in a series about the proposed closure of La Purisima State Historic Park.
Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Founding Fathers
Founded on December 8, 1787, by Father-President Fermin Lasuén, Mission La Purísima Concepción de María Santisima (“The Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Most Pure”) became the 11th of the 21 California missions.
The location for the new mission seemed perfect: the valley was fertile, the Chumash Indians were friendly and intelligent, and everything seemed to bode well for the success of their project.
Construction had to be delayed, however, until the end of the rainy season. In April 1788, Father-President Lasuén and two padres arrived to take charge of the operations, and within four months had baptized seventy-five neophytes (neophytes were “Christianized” Indians).
Within three years, the mission was flourishing. The crops were successful, the herds were growing, and the Indians were happy with their new home. Father Mariano Payeras began his nineteen-year service at the mission, four of which he served as Father-President and La Purísima was the seat of government for all of the missions.
Several years of prosperity followed. A report dated December 31, 1798 indicated that there was insufficient room for the 920 mission residents. New buildings, including a church, were necessary immediately, and were completed in 1802.
Earthquake!
Courtesy of UCR/California Museum of Photography
On December 8, 1812, twenty-five years to the day after the founding of La Purísima, several small tremors occurred. On December 21, 1812, a huge earthquake lasting four minutes badly damaged the walls of the church.
An aftershock, about a half-hour later, destroyed most of the remaining buildings. As if that weren’t enough, the hillside behind the mission opened in a huge fissure, allowing floods from the prolonged, drenching rains that followed to completely devastate whatever remained. Adobe bricks melted back into mud, and stores of food floated away.
1812 would be known in California as “El Ano de los Temblores,” or “The Year of the Earthquakes.”
For many reasons, the mission would not be rebuilt at the same site. Father Payeras was given permission to relocate the mission about four miles northeast, across the river, in La Cañada de los Berros (The Canyon of the Watercress). This new site had several advantages, including better access to El Camino Real, the main road between the missions.
A ten-year period of prosperity followed construction of the new mission. La Purísima became entirely self-supporting, and the community of approximately a thousand neophytes thrived.
The Beginning of the End
Mexico declared its independence from Spain in 1821, leaving the missions with no supplies and the soldiers without pay. The declining Indian population was forced to support the soldiers, who used them for military construction projects for little or no pay. Father Payeras died in 1823, leaving the mission without his guidance.
By 1824, tensions were exploding, and the Indians revolted. The immediate cause was the flogging of a La Purísima neophyte by soldiers at Mission Santa Inés. When the news reached La Purísima, the Indians seized possession of the mission and fortified the grounds. They held the mission for almost a month.
The revolt ended when 109 soldiers were sent down from the presidio in Monterey. The battle lasted less than three hours, leaving sixteen Indians dead and many wounded. Only one soldier was killed, and three wounded.
For their part in the rebellion, seven Indians were put to death and eighteen others were sentenced to imprisonment and hard labor.
Secularization and Saving Graces
Historic American Buildings Survey, Photographed by Henry F. Withey, May 1937
La Purísima Mission never recovered after the Indian uprising. The Indians vanished, the padres moved to Santa Barbara, and in 1834, an administrator took control. In 1845, the mission, with all of its lands and historical treasures, was sold to Don Juan Temple of Los Angeles for $1,100.00.
The Union Oil company bought the property in 1903, and in the early 1930’s, deeded several parcels to the State. The National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, soon came to the rescue of the crumbling mission complex.
After nearly a year of study, restoration finally began in 1935 using original tools and techniques whenever possible. The mission was dedicated as a State Historical Monument on December 7, 1941.
La Purísima remains the most completely restored of all the California missions. It was considered one of the finest historic restorations of its time.
____________________
SOURCES:
Krell, Dorothy (ed.) 1979. California Missions (Sunset Pictorial)
Nelson, Bob (ed.) 1994. Sagas of the Central Coast
About.com: California Travel – La Purísima Mission, <http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/missioncalifornia/a/purisima_hist.htm>, accessed March 4, 2008.
La Purísima Mission State Historic Park, <http://www.lapurisimamission.org/>, accessed March 3, 2008.
The California Mission Site, Ed, The Civic Group, <http://www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/lapurisima.html>, accessed March 3, 2008.
FOR FURTHER READING:
La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
La Purísima Mission SHP
Wikipedia: Mission La Purísima Concepción
A Virtual Tour of the California Missions
California Missions: A Virtual Tour
California Missions Study Association
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln
Photo from the Library of Congress
Alexander Gardner, 1821-1882, Photographer
I couldn't let today go by without remembering our sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln.
In his own words:
I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families--second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks.... My father ... removed from Kentucky to ... Indiana, in my eighth year.... It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up.... Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher ... but that was all.
More about Abraham Lincoln:
