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This is a note written to Grandma's
nephew, West Crowson prior to writing the "Sketch of our Fore Fathers"
below.
Mr. West Crowson, I have been
impressed to write you a history of the Crowson Family, the first settlers in
the Cove thinking you would like to have one. Not many of the young generation
knows much about them and when this valley was first settled. I remember so many
things your Grand Father Crowson told me and I have been trying to write a
history of it and I thought you would like to have one. I can remember things
that I heard in my young days better than what has been told me in the last few
years. I suppose all old people are that way.
West, you may have wrote one out
yourself. If you have, you can put both together as I realize I am getting old
and can't write much longer. Hope you can read this. With love and best wishes
to all.
Your Aunt Martha Crowson
Original Writing by
Grandma (Click here for the original written by
Martha Louisa King Crowson, at age 81, my great grand mother. I typed it for
easier reading, HB)
Sketch of our Fore Fathers
May 15, 1942
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Martha Louisa King Crowson, 1954 |
Near the year 1792, two men by the name of Aaron Crowson and Percifield
came to Wears Cove to look them out a home and enter land no white folks were in. The
cove was inhabited by Indians.
They got after Crowson and Percifield, ran them out and killed Percifield.
Crowson was on a good horse and out ran them and got away. He rode on to Walden
Creek at the Andes place, there was a fort there. He got men to come back and
buried Percifield on the farm they entered and lived on until he died and was
buried at the same place where Percifield was. Part of the farm is in the
Crowson Family yet. In a short while, Crowson came back, cut timber, hued logs
and built himself a home at the age of eighteen years old.
I don’t know where he came from when he came here., but it seems to me like it
was North
Carolina or Virginia one, not sure. His wife was a Barnes. They reared a large
family, seven sons. Richard was the youngest. He lived on the farm his father
entered. Three daughters, Betey Crowson married a Burns, Hulda Crowson married a
Amerine. Sallie Crowson married a Barns. She went to Mississippi. |
Aaron Crowson was a tall broad shouldered man and good natured and loved
children and would always take time to stay and talk to them along the road and
was a great lover of horses. Richard Crowson married Nancy Mattox. Her father
was William Mattox, her mother was a Williams. She was raised on the farm that
was known as the Red Jim Lawson Farm. They raised six children, three sons and
three daughters, Aaron, Mary, Joseph, West, Sarah and Carrie. Mary married Jeff
Wear. Aaron married Susan Trotter Nichols. Joseph married Laura Randles. West
(Richard West Jr.) married Martha Louisa King, Sarah married Bruce McMahan and
Carrie married John Yett. Their mother was a good wife, good mother and a good
Christian lady and was good to the poor. They went to Tuckaleechee Cove once a
year to the campground near Townsend and spent weeks at camp meetings, had
wonderful meetings.
Near the year 1840, Richard Crowson furnished the material to build a church
house in the valley and man by the name of Reuban Hatcher built it mostly by
himself, the first church house that was built in the valley and Aaron Crowson
built the first dwelling house in the valley. The Crowsons were good hearted
people but like most of families made mistakes but quick to repent. They were
all Methodist people and believed in heartfelt religion.
In the year 1887 I think it was, the people in the valley built another
Methodist Church House. Richard gave over one hundred dollars on it. Jo and West
Crowson gave the ceiling to seal it with, and Aaron gave a lot too, don’t know just
what. One thing I do know that he was a good Christian man and was always ready
to help and do good anywhere. He married Susan Trotter Nichols and is still
alive and is ninety years old. They raised two sons, West and Joseph.
West married Polly Headrick. They have three children, Pearl, Carrie and Walter.
Joe is gone, left one son, Loy Crowson.
Richard West Crowson Jr. married Martha King. They raised two sons, William and
Earl. Each one had six children. Will married Myrtle Tarwater and Earl married
Addie Emert. Both (Myrtle and Addie) mothers were Mattox and sisters. Earl has
five daughters and one son, Emert Earl Crowson. Will has three sons and three
daughters. This is written by their Will and Earl’s mother at the age of 81
years.
P.S. Just I forgot to put this in the sketch, that the sons of Aaron Crowson
left this state except Richard. He stayed on the farm all his life and took care
of his parents.
Martha Crowson
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