The Civil War Around My Cook & King Families

Long, E. B., Barbara Long, and Bruce Catton. 1971. The Civil War Day by Day : An Almanac, 1861-1865. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.


I wanted to gain a better understanding of what my Cook & King families experienced in the region where they lived during the Civil War. They resided in the southern part of Rutherford County and northern Bedford County, Tennessee. I made a list of key locations and notable events from those areas using Long's Civil War Day by Day. The first part of 1863 appears to have been a particularly difficult time for them. I plan to do this exercise for a few other families and regions.

Eagleville

1863 Mar 2 skirmish

1863 Mar 31 skirmish

1863 Apr 16 skirmish

1863 May 3 Fed scouts

1863 Dec 7  skirmish

Eagleville Pike

1863 Jun 10  Federal scout

Rover
1863 Feb 19 skirmish
1863 Mar 13 skirmish

1863 Mar 15 skirmish

1863 May 5 skirmish

1863 Jun 23 skirmish

1863 Jun 28 skirmish

Shelbyville

1862 Mar 25 Fed Recon to 

1863 Oct 7 Sim's Farm

1864 Nov 28 Calvary units skirmished

Shelbyville Pike

1863 Jan 5 skirmish

1863 Feb 20 skirmish

1863 Apr 23 skirmish

1863 Jun 4 Confederate operation

1863 Jun 6 skirmish

Shelbyville Road
1862 Apr 24 skirmish

Unionville

1863 Jan 31 skirmish

1863 Mar 4 fighting

1863 Jun 23 skirmish

Versailles
1863  Fed Recon to Jan 13 Mar 9

Error in Announcement of Lodge Name Change

On motion of W C Cook Black Vale(sic) Lodge No. 413 was changed to Versailles Lodge No. 413

Please note that the lodge was the Rockvale Lodge, not Black Vale.

Source:

"Masonic Jurisprudence," Nashville Union and American(Nashville, TN) 15 Nov 1871 p 4 col 3; Library of Congress (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033699/1871-11-15/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 1 Feb 2025.)

J K Cook--Road Work Book Entry 1874-1875 -- Bedford Co. TN

Below are my transcriptions from the Bedford County Tennessee Road Work Book that concern J K Cook.  I believe he was overseer for the period from Oct 1874-1875 at which time N B King was appointed to take his place. These entries are part of the Cook Family timeline which will be an upcoming blog post.   It is nice to see the properties mentioned.  

Oct 6 1874

This day the court is pleased to appoint J.K Cook over

seer of the Road leading from Dogwood Grove Church Road
in W C Taylors West boundary line to Versials  & Nicholas
Mill Road at Joseph Hayne Southwest corner and
that he have the following hands J K Cooks Widow

Lambs dowry T W Davis N F Neal Joseph Haynes
Rebecca King that lies in 10th Dist and that he
work the same as a second class Road.

Oct 6 1875
This day J K Cook overseer of the road leading from Dogwood

Grove Church Road in Taylor's W Line to Versailes & Nicolus Mill Road 

at Joseph Haynes SW Corner returned into court his order which 

was by the court accepted and it is ordered by the court that 

N B King be appointed in his ____ and stead and that he have 

the following bounds and hands. All the hand on the widow 

Lambs dower, J K Cooks hands T W Davis N F Niel Joseph Haynes, 

Rebecca Kings that live in the 10th Dist & W H Lambs and that he w

ork the same as a second class road.

Sources:  

Bedford County, Tennessee, County Court Clerk's Office, Road Minutes and Overseers Books," 1873-1886, 1889-1891, 1910, image, IGN 8659616, image 47 of 490, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-D3C6-HZ4M?i=46&cat=247682 : accessed 16 April 2024), citing Road Books, Vol. 1A, 1873-1883 pg 36, Tuesday, 6 October 1874, J K Cook appointed Overseer.

Bedford County, Tennessee, County Court Clerk's Office, Road Minutes and Overseers Books," 1873-1886, 1889-1891, 1910, image, IGN 8659616, image 72 of 490, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-63C6-HHXT?i=71&cat=247682 : accessed 16 April 2024), citing Road Books, Vol. 1A, 1873-1883 pg 86, Tuesday, 6 October 1875, J K Cook Overseer to N B King.

Land Sale in Versailles(TN)--1819

Transcribed from an advertisement announcing land for sale in Versailles, Tennessee.  (see source below transcription)

The Town of Versailles.

The undersigned, Trustees, having laid off. 
and agreed to sell
Fifty Half Acre Lots,
In the Above named Town,
will proceed, on the
First Thursday in March next,

On a credit of twelve months, to sell the said
Lots on the premises

Versailles is situate in Williamson

County. adjacent to the place where
the county-lines of Williamson, Rutherford
and Bedford counties unite.--This place, has
heretofore been known by the name of Ray's
Horse Mill. The public road leading from
Florence Through Columbia to Murfreesboro'
passes through Versailles, as also the
roads from Pulaski to Jefferson from Win-
chester to Franklin, and from Nashville to
Shelbyville, etc etc--Versailles is situ-
ate 33 miles from Columbia, 28 miles from
Franklin, 38 miles from Nashville, 18 miles
from Shelbyville, 15 miles from the Fishing
Ford on Duck River, and 14 from Murfrees-
bourough.

The neighborhood of Versailles taken
as a whole, is happy in its local situation. The
surrounding country produces, not only the
comforts, but the luxuries of life, in the great-
est and most plentiful abundance. This
district seems to possess a peculiar excel-
lence for the culture of cotton and tobacco,
which are its two principal exportable com-
modities. The land is equal to any in the
famed Alabama Territory, and
Could nature's bounty satisfy the breast,
The sons of New Versailles were surely blest.
The "planter's toil" will be as well repaid
by cultivating the soil of this neighborhood
as in any part of the western county. We
forbear, however to expatiate further upon
the advantages of Versailles and its
neighborhood, which all those wishing to sa-
tisfy themselves of, can ascertain by attend-
ing at the day of sale.

It is known that the counties of Ruther-
ford, Williamson, Maury and Bedford, pos-
sess more territory than their constitutional
limits, and if a new county should hereafter
be laid, Versailles will without doubt,
become the seat of justice for the new coun-
ty. With a view to the happening of this
very probable event, the town has been laid
off with a large public square, for the erec-
tion of public buildings, and lots will also be
reserved for the use of an academy, church,
etc. which are given by way of donation by
the proprietors.

The town is watered by several excellent
spring, which never fail in the driest sea-
sons; and in fact, in every other respect,
presents a most handsome opening for the
farmer, the merchant, the speculator and
mechanic.

Trustees:
Francis Jackson
Azariah Kimbro
A B Potts
J.O.K Wood

January 25--54-2w.

Source:  “The Town of Versailles” The Clarion and Tennessee State Gazette, 26 Jan 1819, p. 4, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Dec 2021).

Jacob Crick entry--Williamson Co TN Road Book Vol. 2

Transcription:

Ordered that Jacob Crick oversee the clearing out and keeping in repair the road of the second class of which Noah Putman was late overseer beginning at the county line north east of Maj Abraham Byers and crossing the ridge where the old road crosses on until in sight of John Woods thence to the left of his plantation so as to strike the Columbia road north of David Lambs, thence with said road to the town of Versailles, thence north with the main street through said town thence a straight course to the forks of the roads between Thomas Lamb and Thomas Hendrix Senior, thence with the present road through Merriman Landrum's land thence with the general direction of said road to the county line near the Methodist meeting house and that the hands within the bounds of Captain John Webb's Militia Company so as not to interfere with the hands working on the roads Franklin or Columbia road work thence under his direction

Notes:  from surrounding entries the date appears to be Fall of 1834.

Source:

"Road books, 1834-1872"Williamson County Tennessee; browsable images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-D3CD-G9TK?i=112&cat=234742 : accessed 19 February 2021), Vol. 2, pg. 192, Jacob Crick entry[bottom of page]; imaged by Tennessee State library and Archives (Nashville, TN) 1966. 

W. B. King 1850 Federal Census Non-Population Agriculture Schedule Rutherford Co TN Versailles Dist

Originally posted by me Jan 11, 2017 but accidentally deleted while trying to use the blogger app from my cellphone....proof that I am indeed human 😆

W. B. King 1850 Federal Census Non-Population Agriculture Schedule Rutherford Co TN Versailles Dist

Agriculture Schedule Entry for William Benton King my 2nd Great Grandfather.

1850 US Fed Census Non-Population Agriculture Schedule
Rutherford Co TN Versailles Dist Nov 13th 1850 page 87 and 88
W.B. King
2 acres of improved land
72 of unimproved land
$200 cash value of Farm
$10 Value of farming implement and machinary
2 Horses
1 milch cows
1 working oxen
15 swine
$108 Value of Livestock
250 Bushels of Indian CornW
2 Bushels of Peas and Beans
10 Bushels of Irish Potatoes
50 lbs of Butter
$16 value of animals slaughtered