Greeneville Visit, April 12-13, 2015
(John
Clinard, April 15, 2015)
You Can Never Go Home… but you can go back for a visit.
This would be about our 50th visit to Greeneville in the last 50
years, and none has been finer. This was
an occasion to remember because of the company that we (John and Lil Austin
Clinard) enjoyed in our group. There was Tom Morgan, our friend and relative of
Gen. John Hunt Morgan, Carolyn Rosen, a Tellico Village friend and companion of
Tom, and Richard Lyon Austin, Lil’s first cousin who has become my history
partner. The reason/excuse for the visit was to explore Greeneville, its
history, and the particular history of John Hunt Morgan and his family with a
focus on his death in Greeneville. Confederate Gen. Morgan was killed there in
1864 during the Civil War. He had spent his last night at the Dickson-Williams
Mansion, corner of Church and Irish Streets, one block up the hill from the
Episcopal and Cumberland Presbyterian (CP) Churches. Gen. Morgan was connected to the Williams
family of Greeneville.
Now all the
irony and complexity of our own personal histories in Greeneville begins to
kick in. Here are just a few starter facts:
John, Lil
and Richard grew up in Greeneville attending the schools and churches we would
revisit on this trip. All three of us eventually left Greeneville, returning
many-many times since our HS graduations of the period 1964 (John), 1965 (Lil)
to 1967 (Richard). Lil and I were HS sweethearts, in a romance interrupted by
her family’s moving to FLA before her HS Junior year. Our love was not to be
denied as we recombined at UT in Knoxville in 1966 and married in Greeneville
in 1968 at Lil’s Church with my father officiating.
My father,
Turner Clinard, was Minister of the Greeneville CP Church for 13 years
(1952-1965).
Lil’s and
Richard’s fathers, brothers Frank and Tom Austin, were important business men
in Greeneville, working with another brother Robert and with their father Clyde
Bernard Austin in the family tobacco business, Austin Leaf Tobacco Company.
John and
Richard studied history in Greeneville High School under Richard Harrison (Dick)
Doughty, the man who would later be personally responsible for the restoration
of the Dickson-Williams Mansion. Dick Doughty was an historian, writer, teacher,
and antique collector, and along with his brother and sisters (Bill, Nancy and
Kit) Dick was a member and patron of the CP Church. He sang in the choir with my
mother Dot Clinard. Often Lil’s great aunt Maime Bitner would play the fine old
pipe organ during the CP services while Dot and Dick sang. I also sang along as
best I could. Lil attended the First Presbyterian Church just across the street
and up ½-block from the CP Church, both Churches on Main Street.
Cousin Richard
Austin lived across the street from Lil Austin on N. Main. I lived around the
corner in the CP Church manse on Montford Ave.
All of us had siblings, and we all knew each other quite well. Next door
to Richard: on one side was the home of grandfather Clyde B. Austin; on the
other side was the home of Richard Harrison Doughty and his three siblings.
Only one of the four, Kit Doughty Hickerson, ever married.
Cousin Richard
Austin was a member of the Episcopal Church for many years. Richard also worked
at the Austin Tobacco Company for many years, and he was a history teacher at
Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport for many more years. I don’t need to
give our actual ages, but we are no longer spring chicks, and most of the
individuals we will talk about here have passed… many buried in Greeneville. On
our 1st afternoon in Greeneville we visited three cemeteries: Andrew
Johnson National where Lil’s dad is buried; Shiloh in Tusculum where my dad is
buried; and Oak Grove where Lil’s mom and Dick’s mom and dad are buried.
But many
ironies remain that must be explained. When Turner Clinard was Minister at the
CP Church, the family of Beverly Randolph Williams and wife Frances Lyle with
sons Beverly Lyle and William Dickson Williams joined the CP Church and became
quite active supporters and members. Beverly Randolph Williams was the
great-grandson of Dr. Alexander Williams and wife Catherine Dickson. Though the
fact was not known to me until recently, Catherine Dickson’s father, William
Dickson, built the Dickson-Williams Mansion for her as an 1822 wedding present. Small world… you bet!
Son William
Dickson Williams (Dick Williams) played HS basketball with me. Dick was a
football star athlete who would attend UT in Knoxville graduating one year
after me and in the same class as Lil. Dick Williams and I would become members
of the same fraternity (Sigma Chi); and it was my honor as Consul of Sigma Chi
to initiate Dick. Beverly Lyle Williams, Dick’s older brother, transferred from
Clemson to UTK when Dick became a UT football scholarship player. Dick Williams
and his wife Susan Richardson now live in Knoxville in Gettysvue Golf &
Polo Club where Lil and I were members for about 10 years. Susan Williams was a
TVA Board Member and past President of the East TN History Society. Beverly Lyle married Wilhelmina Clemmer,
daughter of our Greeneville HS Principal. Beverly worked in the dairy industry outside
TN for many years before retiring to Chucky in Greene Co. Now Beverly and Wilhelmina are genealogists
and history gurus and tour guides for “Main Street Greeneville”. Guess
what? They both lead tours of downtown
Greeneville with specific attention to the Dickson-Williams Mansion. It makes
good sense to me.
But another
great irony that I have yet to mention is that my Tellico Village golf buddy,
Tom Morgan, who spent most of his working years in CA announced to me one day a
while ago that he was related to Gen. John Hunt Morgan. “Really?” I said.
“Really!” he said. This of course set up the necessity of a Greeneville visit
with housing at the General Morgan Inn (formerly the Brumley Hotel) a fine
hotel and restaurant just down the hill from the Dickson-Williams Mansion where
Gen. Morgan was to spend his last night alive in 1864 and the Inn’s being across
the street from the First Presbyterian Church where Lil and I were married in
1968. It was an obvious trip from Tellico Village for the four of us, Tom and
Carolyn, and Lil and John.
Only when I,
also a “genealogists”, started to do a little homework before the trip did I
realize that Tom Morgan was indeed related to Gen. Morgan. Only after a discovery
telephone conversation with friend Dick Williams did I learn that Beverly and Wilhelmina
Williams were Greeneville tour guides and our obvious choice for help. Gen.
Morgan was closely acquainted with the Williams family. I needed to discover
just how this was. Beverly would know.
Richard
Harrison Doughty, the man who taught us history, who attended the CP Church
under my father, and who was instrumental in restoring the Dickson-Williams Mansion
had also written a book about Greeneville, 100 year Portrait (1775-1875). Funny
that Lil & I could find neither of our two copies of Doughty’s book in
order to do our homework, and we had to quickly purchase yet a 3rd
copy on the internet. There were many
accounts of Gen. Morgan’s death, and no two agreed. When we finally received and read Doughty’s
book we discovered he had more than three accounts of his own. He took each cum grano salis (with a grain of salt) finishing his Morgan story
with words of wisdom that the reader would have to decide for him/herself. My
favorite account was that Lucy Rumbough Williams, wife of Joseph A. Williams,
another child of Dr. Alexander Williams, and the great-granduncle of Beverly
Lyle Williams our tour guide to be, was the betrayer of Gen. Morgan. Lucy had
connections to the North, and did not care for Morgan. And, not to be eclipsed,
Dick Austin came up with an account that involved a woman jilted by Gen. Morgan
who then used Capt. Robert Carter, Lil’s and Dick Austin’s 2nd
great-grandfather, who lived on the Rogersville Road near Greeneville, to alert
Gen. Gilliam, leader of the Federal troops in Bull’s Gap, 18 miles away, that
Morgan lay almost unprotected at the Dickson-Williams Mansion in Greeneville.
There was treachery at hand, no matter which account was to be believed.
Morgan, a CSA General and hero of earlier battles, would be a wonderful prize
for the Northern troops, no matter if captured or killed. Certainly all
accounts end with his death just yards down the hill in the front yard of the
Dickson-Williams Mansion. The day was September 4, 1864. The place of his death
was just out back of today’s General Morgan Inn where we five visitors to
Greeneville (John, Lil, Tom, Carolyn and Dick) were comfortably enjoying the
accommodations of the Inn and the wonderful food of the Brumley Restaurant. We
refused to allow Morgan’s murder/demise to be a downer to our wonderful visit
to Greeneville.
When we
visit the General Morgan Inn and Brumley Restaurant we always run into a few
people that we know well. The first person we saw there for Sunday brunch was
Sam Miller, Greeneville businessman, my fraternity brother and older brother of
Dan Miller who was in our wedding. For lunch on Monday we ran into Gregg Jones,
Publisher of the Greeneville Sun and very good friend of Dick Austin.
But, onward
to our two Monday tours, the 1st being the morning City Walking Tour
for the five visitors. It was very
difficult for Dick Austin and me to hold our tongues during this walk through
familiar times and familiar territory. Lil, too, knew way too much to stay
totally silent. In addition, while walking through Greeneville we kept running
into old acquaintances and friends. All this probably worked against tour guide
Beverly Lyle’s intended storyline based on facts and history. The three of us,
Dick, Lil and I, wanted to share personal experiences, and so we did. The walk
took us to the Doughty-Stevens Furniture Store, the CP (Canon Ball) Church, the
Big Springs (Richland Creek), Roby School (“We are very proud of You”),
Greeneville Town Hall, Old Harmony Cemetery of the Presbyterian Church, Andrew Johnson’s
Tailor Shop, Town Jail, Town Courthouse where there are monuments to both the
Northern and the Confederate Soldiers, early Post Office, law offices of Main
Street, the Capital Theater, old stores of Main and Depot, and back to the
General Morgan Inn. On the walk we encountered both Bill Hickerson, banker, nephew
of Dick Doughty and my fraternity brother, and Kidwell King, Greeneville lawyer
and my fraternity brother… plus others. It is a small town and literally
impossible to remain unseen or anonymous. I’m sure that Tom Morgan and Carolyn
Rosen have much to add… but I don’t have room here since I’m verbose like Dick Doughty.
Now to the afternoon tour of the
Mansion with both Beverly and Wilhelmina as guides. What a gorgeous restored
home! It is a tribute to Richard
Harrison Doughty as well as to all those who gave/give money, furniture, time
and support. It makes Greeneville a proud town. There is too much for me to
cover. I’m simply happy to have been included in the tour. All five of us found
it fascinating. What a great job by both Beverly and Wilhelmina. Greeneville is
certainly full of history; and the Dickson-Williams Mansion may be the centroid
of that history.
It is sad
that Gen. Morgan had to die there in 1864, but he was a soldier, and he died as
a soldier. It’s interesting to note that
John Hunt Morgan’s final resting place, Lexington KY, was his home and that of his
grandfather and Lexington founder, John Wesley Hunt.
Again, I
wish to thank Beverly and Wilhelmina for their help and hospitality. I also
want to thank Dick Austin for contributing so much information from his vast
stores of Greeneville history.
In closing I
wish to quote Dick Doughty: “Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good
story”. Greeneville TN is full of good
stories.
