Friday Photo - It's All Good

Photo by Patrick Jones. Art by Peter Tunney, Wynwood Walls exhibition.

The image above is from the Peter Tunney exhibition at Wynwood Walls from my Miami layover back in June. For previous photos from this street art walk, see Part 1 and Part 2.

I took over 100 photos on this day, and turned some of the best shots into a 11x14 book made on Shutterfly. I poured through about 400 different street art photos from my travels. Not all made the book, but I am pretty pleased with the final product.

Young John at the Convention

Regular readers of the blog will recognize the name of John A. Thornhill, the nephew of my 4th-great-grandmother Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. While doing research on the new British Library Flickr stream, I stumbled onto a reference mentioning John Thornhill.

First, some background information. In early 1861, Tennessee was split on whether to secede from the Union. East Tennessee voted overwhelmingly to remain with the United States, while Western and Middle Tennessee opted to join with the Confederacy. While these debates were raging, a group of Union leaders called for a convention and urged every county in East Tennessee to appoint delegates to discuss the political future of the state. A first convention was held from 30-31 May in Knoxville, followed by a second convention in Greeneville, Greene County, Tennessee on 17 June 1861.

Source: McClung Digital Collection, Knox County Library

The events surrounding the convention are documented in Oliver Perry Temple's 1899 book, East Tennessee and the Civil War (see electronic version on Archive.org) and in the official proceedings available from the Knox County Library. Temple was a key organizer of the convention, as it was planned at his law office in Knoxville. After a statewide referendum for secession passed on 8 June 1861, the Unionists of East Tennessee called for a reconvening of the East Tennessee Convention in Greeneville. 285 delegates attended this convention. Among the delegates was 20 year old John Thornhill.

Source: McClung Digital Collection, page 15.

The end product of the Convention was a Declaration of Grievances, which stated that "We prefer to remain attached to the government of our fathers. The Constitution of the United States has done us no wrong. The Congress of the United States has passed no law to oppress us...We believe there is no cause for rebellion or secession on the part of the people of Tennessee."

Many of the Convention attendees supported forming a new state of East Tennessee, although this was not part of the declaration from the 4-day meeting. Temple's book describes how many Unionists were in favor of following the path of West Virginia to ask Congress to support a state of East Tennessee. Unfortunately East Tennessee was surrounded by Confederate states, so it was not able to receive quick support from any of the free states of the Union.

It is fascinating to see Thornhill was among the delegates to this convention, just before the outbreak of fighting in Tennessee for the Civil War, and it puts a little different perspective on his later service in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry.

Who else is in the picture

This photo was on the Findagrave entry for my great-grandmother, Alma Maude Oyler Jones. According to the caption, Alma is in the middle, with her hands clasped (above a man in a tie). The photo is not dated, but I recognize my Uncle Bob (my Gumpy's brother, Robert Paul Jones) in the first row with his chin resting on his palm, and my Gumpy as the youngest in the front row, next to the man in the tie. I am guessing this photo is from the mid-to-late 1930s.

Source: Findagrave entry for Alma Oyler Jones.

I do not know who these other people are, or where it was taken, perhaps from Thorntown, Boone County, Indiana. I think I recognize my great-grandfather Edgar in the top-left, above Uncle Bob. It would be great to know more about the others in the photo.

A look ahead

The National Archives in St. Louis replied quickly yesterday to my inquiry on the Civil War pension file of Pleasant Morgan, confirming that it was not lost in the 1973 fire and they do have the file. The helpful archivist in St. Louis is in process of making a copy, once they receive my payment. The file is around 200 pages. I am hoping this file will help unravel the mystery of at least one of the parents for Mary Alice Cain Read and Harl Cain. Either way, I should have a much better sense of Pleasant Morgan after reading this file.

Civil War Pension index card for Pleasant Morgan, via Ancestry.

It may be a few weeks (or longer) before I receive the SS-5 application for Harl Cain. The pension file should provide plenty of blog content once it arrives.

On the waters of Long Creek

In 1824, Thomas Cannon acquired a 25 acre tract of land on the north side of the French Broad River, along the waters of Long Creek in Jefferson County, Tennessee. This entry is found in the North Carolina and Tennessee, Early Land Records, 1753-1931 on Ancestry.

This land grant was made years after an earlier pre-statehood land grant from 13 February 1791 in Greene County, North Carolina on Sinking Fork, Long Creek. This land later became part of Jefferson County, Tennessee. Further evidence of Thomas Cannon's early arrival in the land that became Tennessee.

Looking again at the North Carolina and Tennessee Land Records, there were two earlier land grants that pre-dated the 1791 entry. Thomas received 100 acres on Sinking Creek on 20 September 1787, followed by another 100 acres on 10 February 1791.