yesterday's tennessee
John W. Small was the second son of Andrew Jackson Small and his wife, Polly (Seago) Small. He was born 9/7/1841, in Henderson County, Tennessee, and died 8/10/1887, in Carroll County, Tennessee. He is buried at Hare Cemetery, Lexington, Tennessee, alongside his father. He was baptized 6/9/1867, at Christian Chapel, by a Bro. Johnson. He enlisted in the infantry for service in the Confederate Army at Henderson, Tennessee, under Capt. John as commander. He soon became a Corporal and was captured at the battle of Island Number 10, Tennessee, and was taken to Camp Douglass in Chicago, Illinois, as a prisoner of war. After taking "the oath" there, he was sent to Vicksburg, Mississippi, to be exchanged. Returning to his home, he purchased a tract of land, built a house, married and reared a large family. After all his children were born, he traded his farm for one in the adjoining County of Carroll, where he continued to reside until his death. This farm is situated twenty miles west of the Tennessee River, five miles east of the town of Clarksburg, and near what was later the railroad town of Yuma, with Huntingdon as the county seat.
John W. Small first married Nancy Jane Wood. She was born 1/19/1844, and died 4/22/1869. They had three children as seen on the preceding pages. [Not available.]
John W. Small second married Sarah Lovell, the daughter of William and Margaret __idings Lovell, who were pioneers in Henderson County, Tennessee, having immigrated from Virginia in the early days of Tennessee statehood. This family of the Lovells was known far and wide as one of teachers and educators. They were descendents of the Lovells who immigrated from England about the close of the Revolution, and of the noted English family that name in England and of whom history records as being among the greatest and most able people in that European country, one of whom was the eminent statesman, Lord Lovell.
After Sarah's death, John W. Small married a third time to Jennie Ross, a school teacher who had come into the community from the state of Mississippi. She cared for the small children left by Sarah, and she was kind and good to them. She survived her husband continued the responsibility of rearing the children until they became old enough to care for themselves, and all left home and immigrated to Texas. She followed them to Texas and lived with them until her death. She is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas. She had no children of her own.
For those of us who are descendants of John Alexander and Elizabeth Henrietta (Betty) (Lovell) Roberts:
We are related to John W. Small through his first wife, Nancy Jane Wood, as she was a sister to Eliza Ann (Wood) (Mrs. William Roy) Roberts, who was the mother of John Alexander Roberts.
We are related to John W. Small through his second wife, Sarah Lovell, as she was daughter of William Lovell, who was a brother to Patsy Lovell, who was the mother of _. W. (Ky) Lovell, who was the father of Elizabeth Henrietta (Betty) (Lovell) (Mrs. John Alexander) Roberts.
Children of John W. Small and Sarah (Lovell) Small were:
(1) Margaret Ann - Born 8/21/1870; died 8/6/1886; Buried at Lovell Cemetery, Tennessee.
(2) Ada Gree.. - Born 9/27/1873; died 12/1/1924; Buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas. She moved to Texas with her brothers, went to Fort Worth, became a nurse, and never married. She was named by the Mayor of Fort Worth to be a member of the Censure Board of the then new industry, moving pictures. She was a member of the Magnolia Ave. Christian Church, and was secretary for years of Chapter 681, Order of Eastern Star.
(3) Alfred Franklin - Born 12/17/1874; died 1/3/1943. Buried at Weatherford, Texas. Married Augusta Roberts and they had three girls: Marjorie, Lafreda, and Emma Jo. He moved to Texas as a young boy, began working on a farm and cattle ranches and saved his earnings to enter school. He attended Fronabarger College at Springtown, Texas, and later Texas State Teachers College at Denton, where he graduated with a certificate to teach. He taught for several years but later entered the U.S. Postal Service as a railway postal clerk. Later, he resigned and entered business for himself. On vacation once, he located a place to build a new town. He went into business with B. F. Harding, built a store house, secured a post office of which he was the first postmaster, and today it is the thriving town of Brownfield, Texas. He then rode his bicycle 2000 miles to find a new homestead, but shipped his bicycle home and rode a train back home. For many years he was a real estate dealer, a member of the church of Christ. His wife, Augusta Roberts Small of Weatherford, Texas, was a schoolteacher and they married 1/30/1916. 3 children:
(4) Luther Viewing - Born 2/7/1877; died 4/20/1936, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Buried at Mt. Olivet, Fort Worth, Texas. Married Laura E. Tribble 1/10/1907; she born 1/21/1885; died 1/17/1967.
He went to Texas at an early age, worked on farms and ranches, and later became a carpenter in Fort Worth during the building boom when two packing houses, Swift and Armour, came to Fort Worth. Then he became circulating manager of the Fort Worth Record newspaper. At the beginning of World War I, he entered business for himself in Fort Worth operating a confectionery store on lower Main St. Later he became circulating manager of the Milwaukee Sentinel and moved his family to that city in Wisconsin. He was a member of the baptist church and Modern Woodsmen of America. - 4 children
(5) Hugh Lawson - Born 5/29/1878; died 3/16/1955. Married Elizabeth Ruth Barrett 10/22/1903. She was born 3/25/1883; died 6/16/1966. - 3 children.
He moved to Texas in 1894, age 16 years; worked on farms and ranches and saved his money, to Azle College, whose President was his uncle, Gladden Lovell, and for two years and then went back to Yuma College, Tenn. for two years, and got a teaching certificate from Southern Normal University, Huntingdon, Tenn. He taught school at Normal University for awhile, then bought a ranch in West Texas, went to Frederick, Okla. and homesteaded. There he met his wife-to-be and married her, moving back to Fort Worth, Texas. He entered the business world and then became a traveling salesman; studied law at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and became a lawyer. He organized the State Wide Highway Assn., School for delinquent girls, Juvenile Court, was chairman of parks. He became a Justice of the Peace and then County Judge.
(6) Homer E. - Born 7/25/1879; died 9/4/1886; buried Clarksburg, Tennessee
(7) Martin Albert - Born 2/17/1881; died 9/15/1951; buried Laurel Land, Fort Worth, Texas. Married Ella Foster in Fort Worth 6/3/1910. She was a graduate nurse, born 10/25/1889 in Fayetteville, Arkansas and was the daughter of a methodist minister, and whose family were pioneers of that city. She died 4/14/1973. - 2 children
Martin attended Yuma College, Tenn. and Azle College, Azle, Texas. He taught school in Tenn. and was principal of the Clarksburg school, then came to Fort Worth and became Register Clerk in the Post Office, transferred to City Letter Carrier and remained there for 30 years before retiring.
(8) Priestly Jefferson - Born 12/16/1882; died 10/16/1948; buried Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Fort Worth, Texas. Married Fannie Lenderman at Lexington, Tenn., 10/19/1905. She was born in Mississippi 10/31/1887. - 6 children
He graduated from Yuma College and Scott's Hill College in Tenn., with post graduate courses at Southern Normal University at Huntingdon, Tenn. Moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and entered the post office as a letter carrier, during which time he studied law at night and became a lawyer. Later he was elected Judge of Tarrant County; then became Attorney for the U.S. Veteran's Bureau in Houston, Texas. His family were methodists and he was a Master Mason and member of the Fort Worth and Texas Bar Assn.
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