P. W. NORMAN was born June 20, 1818,
and spent his boyhood days on a farm, receiving a common school education.
He began life as a farmer, and was married in 1840 to Miss T. E. Webb,
daughter of Isaac Webb, of Rutherford County, and six children have blessed
their union: Elizabeth A., Catharine J., Sarah G., Amanda R. and James
L., and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Norman died in 1874, and Mr.
Norman took for his second wife Mrs. Fannie E. (Smith) Webb. Her
father, Morgan Smith, died at his home near Shelbyville, October 4, 1875.
He was a Democrat. Mr. Norman's last marriage occurred November 2,
1884. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South,
and he belongs to the Masonic fraternity. His father, Henry Norman,
was born in the "Palmetto State," and came to Tennessee with his father
when he was but nine years of age. He was married when quite young
to Elizabeth Aubery, and by her became the father of seven children, only
two of whom are now living. Mrs. Norman died in 1850, and her husband
took for his second wife Mrs. Sallie White, in 1851. She died in
1854, and he then married, in 1857, Mrs. Becky Caldwell. Mr. Norman
died in 1867.
W. C. ORR and family reside in the
Eighth Civil District of Bedford County, Tenn., six miles north of Shelbyville,
their home being located on the Middletown road. The family consists
of the father, above named, born February 14, 1829, and four children:
William M., born November 6, 1854; David F., born June 6, 1859; Mary A.,
born March 18, 1862, and Minnie J., born August 3, 1866. There are
two vacancies in the family, caused by the death of the mother, Temperance
Orr (nee Miller), born in August, 1830, and died May 14, 1876, and John
Fain, the eldest child, who died in infancy. W. C. Orr is of Scotch-Irish
descent, and is a son of John and Penelope (Morgan) Orr, who were early
settlers of Bedford County, being emigrants from the Carolinas. Mr.
Orr is a farmer, and served as magistrate of his district from 1870 to
1876. His wife was a daughter of Nathaniel Miller, of Rutherford
County, and married our subject in 1854. She was a member of the
Primitive Baptist Church. Mr. Orr obtained a fair education in the
common branches, and became an adept in penmanship, which he taught a few
years. In 1878 he began the study of medicine under Drs. Evans &
Fite, of Shelbyville, and the same year attended lectures in the medical
department of the Vanderbilt University, of Nashville, Tenn., and read
and practiced at home until the fall of 1881, when he attended his second
course in the same institution and took his degree at the close of the
spring term of 1882. Returning home he located with his father, where
he has since practiced his chosen profession. D. F. Orr, son of W.
C. Orr, received a common school education, and attended the Shelbyville
Normal and High School for three years, and graduated in 1879. He
afterward taught in the various public schools of Bedford and Rutherford
Counties, and in the fall of 1884 attended his first course of lectures
in the Vanderbilt University. He returned home and taught school
eight months, and then returned to college and graduated at the close of
the session in 1886. Mary A. Orr also received a good education,
having attended the Shelbyville Normal and High School, the Soule Female
College at Murfreesboro and the Winchester Normal College. For several
years she has been teaching in Bedford and Rutherford Counties. Minnie
J. Orr attended school two years at the Winchester Normal, and is now teaching
her first school.
ISAIAH PARKER, farmer and stock
raiser, was born June 5, 1830. He is the son of Joseph and Fana (Howard)
Parker. The father was a native of South Carolina, born in 1805.
In 1819 he immigrated to Tennessee and settled in Lincoln County, where
he remained until 1828. From there he went to Bedford County and
bought land in the Twenty-second District. He was a farmer and stock
raiser, and at his death, which occurred in 1885, he was worth a large
amount of property, owning a large number of slaves before the war.
He was a member of the Primitive Baptist Church. The mother was born
in Virginia August 12, 1812, and died August 12, 1859. The family
is of English-Irish descent. Our subject was born in Lincoln County,
received a limited education, and was married to Miss Mary Razier, a native
of this county. To them were born eight children: Charles G., B., A. F.,
Edward, Joseph, Lizzie, Dora and Willie. Mr. Parker is one of the
substantial farmers of the county, owning about 1,200 acres of fine land.
He is a firm Democrat and a leading citizen. From 1854 to 1859 he
was postmaster in Lincoln County. He was also colonel of the militia
in 1858, and was justice of the peace about the same time.
GEORGE W. PARSONS was born
in 1821 in the State of Tennessee. His father, G. W. Parsons, was
born in Virginia in 1788 and came to Tennessee in 1807, and here married
our subject's mother, Margaret Fisher, in 1809. They became the parents
of thirteen children -- four daughters and nine sons. The father
was a farmer and millwright by trade, and served in the war of 1812.
He died in 1842 and the mother in 1854. Our subject began farming
for himself at the age of twenty years, and in 1843 purchased part of his
present farm, which he has increased to 247 acres. In 1857 he was
elected justice of the peace of his district and held the office until
1870. In 1882 he was again elected, and has held the office up to
the present time. He has been a director of the Shelbyville &
Unionville Pike for the past twelve years, and is a stockholder in the
same. He is well known throughout the county and has been a member
of the Lutheran Church since 1849. He belongs to the Masonic lodge,
No. 315, and in politics is an old Whig-Democrat. He was married
in 1843 to Elizabeth Allison, who was born in Tennessee in 1825 and is
the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (White) Allison. To them were
born these children: Mary F., born in 1844; Anna L., born in 1846; Michael
F., born in 1850; William J., born in 1848 and died in 1866; Volney S.,
born in 1852; Sarah E., born in 1854; Cynthia J. born in 1856; John C.,
born in 1860; Safrone A., born in 1862; George N., born in 1865, and Bunie
C. born in 1868.
JOHN W. PARSONS is a son of George
W. and Margaret (Fisher) Parsons (see G. W. Parsons for father's sketch),
and was born in Bedford County, Tenn., January 3, 1824, and has spent the
greater part of his life on a farm. At the age of twenty-two he left
home and began the battle of life for himself, and by his energy and perseverance
accumulated considerable property. In 1846 he located on his present
farm of 343 acres, and erected a neat residence. He lost considerable
property in the late war, but did not participate in that struggle.
October 6, 1846, he married Ruth C. Allison, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth
(White) Allison. She was born August 12, 1818, and bore her husband
the following children: George A., born in 1848; Robert, born in 1850;
William C. born in 1853; Sarah J., born in 1854; Mary E., born in 1856
and died in 1873: Newton H., born in 1858. June 20, 1881, Mrs. Parsons
died, and Mr. Parsons then led to Hymen's altar Catharine Sanders, daughter
of Alexander and Jane (Robinson) Sanders, who were born in Kentucky and
Tennessee, respectively. Mrs. Parsons was born August 10, 1838 and
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Mr. Parsons
is a stanch supporter of Democracy.
GRANVILLE C. PEARSON, farmer, was
born in Rutherford County, Tenn., July 20, 1831, son of Hiram and Matilda
B. (Wilson) Pearson, and of English descent. The father was born
in Pittsylvania County, Va., April 9, 1797, and in the year 1819 he wedded
Matilda Wilson, who was born in Sumner County, Tenn., May 12, 1802.
The father died November 29, 1876, and the mother February 14, 1877.
To this worthy couple were born ten children, our subject being the sixth.
The Pearson family was among the early settlers of Tennessee, the father
of our subject having settled in Rutherford County in 1818. Our subject
received a fair education in the common schools, and at the breaking out
of the late war he enlisted in the Confederate Army, Fourth Tennessee Cavalry,
under Col. Starnes. He took an active part in the battles of Chickamauga,
Knoxville, Resaca and other actions. He was with Gen. Forrest when
he captured the large Federal forces under command of Gen. Straight, and
was a member of Jefferson Davis escort from Raleigh, N. C. to Washington,
Ga. He has now in his possession eighteen Mexican silver dollars
of the coinage of 1861, which were paid to him by the order of President
Davis for services in the army. These he prized very highly as relics
of that memorable struggle. Our subject has a fine farm of 110 acres,
on which he lived, surrounded with the general comforts of life.
He devotes the principal part of his time and attention to raising fine
stock - horses, cattle and mules. The father of our subject was among
the most enterprising stock raisers of his locality, owning oat one time
500 acres of land, but lost heavily in the war.
THOMAS B. PHILPOTT, son of Charles
T. and Rebecca (Hix) Philpott, was born in Bedford County, December 7,
1847. His father was a native of Virginia, immigrating to this State
with his father when quite young, and settled in Bedford County.
He was a saddler by occupation, and worked at his trade forty-five years
in this county. He is now living at the advanced age of eighty-four
years, and is the father of ten children: William, John H., Sarah (deceased)
Joshua A. (deceased), Demarcus (deceased), Elisha C. (deceased), Nancy
A., Charles N. (deceased), James and Thomas B. Our subject grew to
manhood on the farm, and was educated in the common schools. In 1864
he was married to Miss McFarland, and nine children blessed this union:
Rebecca E., Charles N., Edward L., Nancy A. James, Jacob, Ernest, Minnie
and William, all living. Our subject has all his life followed agricultural
pursuits and has been quite successful. He now owns 360 acres of
finely improved land in the Twenty-third District, and is a leading man
of the county.
M. A. PICKLE, a native of Bedford
County, Tenn., was born April 11, 1859, son of P. Murry and Mary Ann Frances
(Atkisson) Pickle. (For further particulars of parents see sketch
of M. P. Pickle.) Our subject worked on the farm with his father
and received a rather limited education. At the age of nineteen he
entered the high school at Palmetto, Tenn., and continued there two years.
He then engaged in farming in connection with school-teaching, working
on the farm in the spring and teaching in the fall. This he continued
for about four years, after which he engaged in the merchandise business
at Bedford with very flattering prospects. January 5, 1881,
he wedded Ella Dryden, of this county, and to this union was born one child
-- William Franklin. Our subject is a good citizen and an honorable man.
He is a member of the United Brethren Church, and Mrs. Pickle a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church North. In politics he is a Republican,
but strictly speaking he is not a party man.
M. P. PICKLE was born August
24, 1838, in Farmington, Marshall Co., Tenn. His father, Maj. Pickle,
a native of Bedford County, was born in 1813, and was a successful farmer.
He died in March, 1862, in this county. Our subject's mother, Catherine
Pickle, was born in Williamson County in 1813, and is still living at the
advanced age of seventy-three. Our subject remained with his parents
on the farm until he was twenty years of age. He then engaged in
farming for himself. In 1869 he engaged in the merchandise business
in this county, which he continued for about six years. He then moved
his business to Rich Creek, Marshall County, where he sold goods for about
two years, after which he sold his interest and again returned to agricultural
pursuits, together with stock raising. Since 1884 he has been engaged
in the lumber business, shipping cedar lumber exclusively. July 29,
1859, he was married to Mary Ann Frances Atkisson, of this county,
who was burn April 23, 1837. This union resulted in the birth of
nine children, two of whom, Andrew and Murry F., are dead. The names
of the seven living are, respectively, Major A., James M., George W., Sarah
E., Henry J., Annie C. and Minerva P. Our subject's educational advantages
were not of the best, consequently he received but a district school education.
Owing to this he has always felt a deep interest in all enterprises pertaining
to the education of the rising, generation. He and wife are members
of the Missionary Baptist Church, of which he was ordained deacon about
1868. He has always been a peaceful, quiet man, and has never been
summoned before the court for any misdemeanor whatever. He is a Republican
in politics.