I was born in East Tennessee near the Tennessee River in the third district of James County, Feb. 3, 1874. I remember the little log cabin with a door on each side, a small square window on the North end and a porch on the east side, the old well at the foot of the hill--large and round without any rockwall or frame. The little smoke house so near the porch and the road that ran just back of the house. The colored men would often frighten me as they passed by singing.
When I was about two years old my little brother, John, died and his little pale face is the first thing I remember.
Father built us a new framed house in 1877. We lived here four years, one sister was born and died. My twin brothers, Haney and Joe were born and two years later Maude was born. At this time Father sold his farm with the intention of going to Texas, but we children all took whooping cough and sore eyes; so he declined the idea and bought two farms in the southern part of Meigs County and a small country store. He lost money in the store. Mother's health began to fail and for a long time in the autumn of 1884 she was very low; they thought she had consumption, but the doctor advised her to go to Chattanooga where she could get fresh beer. She went and stayed a month. I missed her so much as Pa, Ellen, Martha and Dan were going to Arithmetic school. She returned much improved.
The next year Pa sold the farm, and we moved to Birchwood. I went to school to Prof. John R. Lowery and did some very good work--I got to long division in Arithmetic. Caria was born here. The following year we moved to the Island into another log house but soon built another house. My twin brothers, Arthur and Oscar were born in 1888 and May two years later in May and in July my niece Dora who lived with our family from her infancy.
Dan went to Carson Newman college in Jan. 1893 and stayed till May. He began teaching in July. I went to Marcellous G(r)oss at Birchwood the same year and did some good school work. Then in the spring I boarded at Mr. Banks' and went two or three months to Miss Edith Townsend who was an excellent teacher. Dan went to Mossy Creek again in Jan and stayed till May again then in the fall he went to Winchester and stayed till Christmas. I did not go to school quite a month this fall as we had a very poor teacher who couldn't teach my Arithmetic or Algebra either. I never went to school for over a year then Ellen, Julia & Ida Chambers, Haney, Joe, Maude and I batched and went to a grammar school at Birchwood to Prof. Rutherford. In the spring I attended the regular term then in the summer I attended the Teacher's normal took the examination and got a good grade certificate and in the Autumn I taught the home school at $30.00 a month. Had a fine school and did some hard work.
In the spring of 1892 I met Mr. J.D. Whiteside with whom I formed an intimate friendship. For Christmas '92, he gave me Meridth's Lucile which I read several times. In 1895 he gave me a nice ring. The next year we began to drift apart and now are merely friends, In 1901 he married. In January 1895 Dan and I went to Lebanon, Ohio to Holbrook Normal, the school was at its best. We met a great many people, had a very pleasant time and received a great deal of enthusiasm. Came home in May, I was so anxious to get home it was my first five months away from home. We attended the State Peabody Normal at Chattanooga in June and attended the Epworth League Convention. Took my first trip to Lookout Mountain in company with Dan and Julia Chambers. I spent August, September and part of November at Brittsville with Ellen who married Mr. J.C. Gross in November 1894. In November 1895 her older child, Nola, was born.
I spent Thanksgiving with Dan & Cousin Dock Conner in Atlanta visiting the Cotton States International Exposition. I felt like the fall was lost because I didn't teach. Dan taught at Tyners at $50.00 a month. On May 4, 1895, my little brother Arthur died of pneumonia. I missed him so much especially in school as I taught the home school again and attended the Normal in Chattanooga in the summer.
I taught the home school in 1897 and Dan taught at Tyner again. He had to quit school in March or April on account of bad health, he would have graduated in June.
I spent Thanksgiving in Nashville with Dan, Martha and Cousin Alf visiting the centennial.
In December we moved away from the Island to the Caldwell farm about four miles North of Chattanooga. I enjoyed fixing up the house and working in the yard. All were pleased with our new home. In February we had more trouble in our home. Martha had fever. Uncle Bill Conner died too. In April or May Julia and Ida Chambers came out to spend the summer. Ida was very sick and on June 6, she died. Julia stayed with us till fall then went to town and learned the Millinery's trade. Dan taught at Chicamauga. I helped him some. The year was practically lost to me. I began a correspondence with Mr. H.K. Banks. I had my eyes tested and began wearing glasses.
I was attending the summer Normal at Hill City in June 1899 when Martha got very sick and I stopped. She died June 8 and was buried in Hixson. She had just been married since January 11. She had married John Plumlee.
Dan taught at Chicamauga again. I helped him a few weeks then in the spring I went to school at Duckard. Had a very pleasant roommate, Miss Daisy Odum of Alexandria, Tenn. Met a few people of the town -- didn’t like the town at all and the school was not much better.