LEWIS FRANKLIN CHUMLEY was born in 1806 in Amelia County, Virginia (It has never been proven that Lewis’ middle name was Franklin. Only found on Marriage license and told by family) [1]. He died in 1880 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He was buried in Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County, Tennessee (Ely Cemetery on King Bend Road next to grandchild Fannie Chumley, child of James Franklin Chumley and Sarah B Chumley.). He married MARY ELIZABETH “MAE” FREEMAN (daughter of Peter Freeman, Jr and Elizabeth “Betsey” Truelove) in 1830 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. She was born on 14 Aug 1810 in North Carolina. She died on 08 Oct 1886 in Condray, Dent County, Missouri.
Lewis initially lived on the property of his father Robert who lived in Tiprell, Tennessee. As mentioned in Robert and Betsy’s chapter, the land was in close vicinity to Colonial Daniel Huff’s Plantation. In our research, family stories were told how Lewis was a great fiddle player. He had a red one and a black one, and it is said that he played the fiddle at the Huff Plantation on special occasions. We can’t be sure of the relationship between the two, but Lewis did name one of his sons, Daniel Huff Chumley.
On February 12, 1879, Lewis and Mary sold their land, 114 acres, to their son Daniel Huff Chumley for $300. [2] Transcribed deed: This indenture made and entered into this the 12 day of February AD 1879 by and between Louis Chumley and Mary Chumley his wife of the County of Claiborne and State of Tennessee of the first part and Daniel Chumley of the same state and county of the second part witness that for and in consideration for or by the sum of three hundred dollars to us in hand paid on the 13 day of January 1869 by the said Daniel Chumley of the second part we have this day bargained and sold and do hereby transfer and convey unto the said Daniel Chumley his heirs and assigns forever in fee simple a certain tract or parcel of land containing by estimation one hundred and fourteen acres lying on the head waters of Jordan Branch in the 4th Civil District of Claiborne County in the State aforesaid and bounded as follows. Beginning at the Spanish oak near where a white oak and Black Oak the original corner stood thence S 20 W 54 poles to a white Oak west of Willis Granthams house the nce S 45 W 60 poles to a white oak thence N 50 W 89 poles to a double chestnut thence N 40 E 100 poles to Patterson’s line thence S 68 E 35 poles to a fallen black oak Patterson’s corner thence N 22 E 112 poles to a fallen Black Oak thence 368 E 80 poles to a stake thence S 22 W 30 poles to a cliff or Bluff on Powels river hill thence S 48 W 127 poles to the Beginning to have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land to the said Daniel Chumley his heirs and assigns forever in fee simple and we do covenant with the said Daniel Chumley that we are lawfully signed and of said land that we have a good right to convey it and the sums in consideration and we in further convent that we will forever warrant and defend the titles of said land to the said Daniel Chumley his heirs and assign against the lawful claims of all persons whomever in testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the day and date above written. (Attest Wm. H. Condray (Lewis x his mark Chumley seal (George W. Henrger? (Mary X her mark Chumley seal) This filed in my office in Tazewell February the 2 1880 and registered on the same day. B. F. Campbell Register.
Lewis died in 1880 at the age of 74 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He was buried in Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County, Tennessee (Ely Cemetery on King Bend Road next to grandchild Fannie Chumley, child of James Franklin Chumley (Lewis’ grandson) and Sarah B Chumley).
Lewis lived his entire life in Claiborne County, Tennessee. However, all his children save 1 migrated to Missouri between 1860 and 1900, at different times. The 1840 [3] census is the last time we found all his children living in Claiborne County, Tennessee. His daughters Elizabeth Jane and Mildred Aggie “Mollie” Chumley moved their families to Dent County, Missouri sometime before 1860. Lewis’ sons, John Marshall and Robert “Bob” and daughter, Sarah Ann “Sally” did not arrive in Missouri with their families until later; some time before 1880. John and Robert both were in Rockcastle, Kentucky for a short time before coming to Missouri.
The migration from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee to Dent County, Missouri would have been an arduous journey. The most likely route would have been West across Tennessee by horse and wagon, then boat passage in Memphis, Tennessee and traveling up the Mississippi to St. Louis, Missouri. However, they still had over 100 miles to travel on land to reach Dent County, Missouri. We have found no records to support this theory, but it is highly likely given other known migration movements and forms of transportation available at that time.
Lewis Franklin Chumley and Mary Elizabeth “Mae” Freeman had the following children:
- Elizabeth Jane “Liz” Chumley was born on 15 Jun 1831 in Claiborne County, TN. She died on 18 Jul 1888 in Condray, Dent County, Missouri. She married:
(a) Craig Jefferson Salyers on 05 Apr 1854 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. [4] He was born about 1832 in Harlan County, Kentucky. He died in battle in the Civil War on 12 Oct 1864 in Henry County, Kentucky.
(b) John Ellis Wright (son of George Wright and Sarah Humphrey) about 1861 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. He was born in Mar 1835 in Virginia. He died sometime after 1900 in Dent County, Missouri.
Family stories are often handed down and over the years the information can change, but my family related to me that Liz’s first husband, Craig Salyers, was an abusive man and that her father Lewis threatened to “give him a taste of his own medicine” on more than one occasion. Regardless of the story, records were found that showed Liz living at her parents’ home. No children or no surviving children in 1860 when Elizabeth is living with Lewis and Mary.
Liz met and married her second husband around 1861. John had 3 children from a previous marriage; Sara J., William, and Mahala. Liz and John had 6 children together. Before Liz and John were married, John purchased 41.05 acres in Crawford County, Missouri. The land was filed on 1 Sep 1856. [5]
John and Liz did not move to Missouri until around 1887. A series of deaths in their family happened around the time they moved to Missouri. The first to die was their youngest son Sterling who died at the age of 14 on 22 Mar 1887 in Salem, Dent County, Missouri. The second was their oldest son John W. Wright who died at the age of 25 on 06 Apr 1887 also in Salem, Dent County, Missouri. The next was Liz who passed away on 18 Jul 1888 at the age of 57. They had been married for 27 years. A little research of epidemics in Missouri around 1887 revealed a very horrible epidemic, The Black Cholera. We have no records of the cause of these deaths, but death from this epidemic cannot be ruled out.
According to the National Library of Medicine: Cholera mortality was great in the large cities. St. Louis lost 500 in 1832–35, Cincinnati 732, Detroit 322. In the 1849–51 outbreak, St. Louis lost 4,557, Cincinnati 5,969, and Detroit 700. In each outbreak, deaths totaled 5–10% of the population. Great as the losses were, the life of the larger cities went on, staggered for a while, but went on. Their business suffered but recovered. Boards of Health were activated but lapsed after a time. After John Snow (1849) reported that drinking water was responsible for cholera in a London outbreak (3) and the 1884 discovery of the bacillus by Koch (4), sanitation efforts slowly became more sincere and, eventually, more successful. Not until the early 20th Century did truly effective systems evolve. [6]
- Mildred Agie “Millie” Chumley was born on 15 Dec 1832 in Tazewell, Claiborne County, Tennessee. She died on 15 Oct 1905 in Cook Station, Crawford County, Missouri. She married Waitsel Nuley Lay on 09 Apr 1850 in Tazewell, Claiborne County, Tennessee. [7] He was born on 01 Mar 1829 in Burke County, North Carolina. He died on 11 May 1874 in Dent County, Missouri.
Waitsel was the oldest son of James N and Mary (Bryant) Lay who moved with his parents to Claiborne County, Tennessee from Burke County, North Carolina. About 1850, Millie and Waitsel moved to Dent County Missouri. The 1850 Census showed that their first 4 children were born in Tazewell, Claiborne County, Tennessee and they have 2 more children list as born in Texas, Dent County, Missouri. Millie and Waitsel had 12 children together and lived in Missouri their entire lives.
Waitsel Nuley Lay served with the Dent County, Missouri State Militia during the civil war. Mildred filed for a widow’s pension 18 Sep 18(91?) date unreadable, application #463393. On April 24, 1820, land was granted to Waitsel N. Lay, 40 acres in Crawford County, Missouri. The grant was signed by Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th United States President.
Millie and Waitsel’s youngest son, Fredrick “Fred” Monroe Lay married Lolas Belle Asher on 31 May 1896. They had 6 children together and they made their home in St. Louis, Missouri. Fred worked at Cox Pro Cleaning Company as a dry cleaner and his daughters Elsie and Pearl worked in department stores in St. Louis.
Millie and Waitsel’s grandson, J. Gilbert Lay wrote “Pioneer History of Benton Creek, Union Township, Crawford County, Missouri, West Branch-East Branch, published in 1969. Through contact with Crystal Sailer of Missouri Historical Society in Crawford County, MO, I received a transcribed copy of the publication, which included information related to many of Lewis and Mary’s descendants. The following transcription is related to Millie and Waitel’s farm and family. [9]
Pages 12-13: North and East of the Hubbel and Browne places was the old WAITSEL LAY farm. It was bought by Waitsel Lay in 1873 from James Clinton. Waitsel Lay, son of James and Mary (Bryant) Lay, had immigrated to what was later Dent and was then Crawford Counties of Missouri. He had married Mildred Chumley, a daughter of Louis and Mary (May) Freeman Chumley in Claiborne County, Tennessee. They had these children before leaving Tennessee: Charles H., William T., John M., Mary, Susan and Ollie. They moved back to Dent-Crawford County, Missouri, and these children: Emma, Susan, Margaret, James, Ed., and Fred M. Lay. Waitsel Lay died in 1874 – a year after his Benton Creek purchase. His land was left to his wife Mildred and his children: Charles, who married Missouri LaRue; William T., who married Mary Haley; John, who married Fredieka Eickhorst; Mary, who married Turk Dixon; Susan who married Owen Rhinhart; Emma, who married Isaac Cannon, Jr.; Margaret, who married Geo. P. Haley; L. James, who married Lena Browne; Ed, who married Mary Pleon, and Fred M., who married Lola Asher. The heirs sold out their parts of the farm and James and William Lay became owners of the farm. James moved into the west part and William into the east part. The west part and the old George Browne farms joined and became one farm. It is still together and is in the Lay Estate (1963). The west part, owned by William T. Lay, who married Mary Haley, daughter of Wm. and Louisa (Rundles) Haley had the following children: Thomas, who married Verdie Brown; Wm. Corbett, who married Docia Coppage, she was daughter of John Coppage. The Corbett and Docie children were Firman, Earl, John W. Louis, Ina, Verda M., Murrell, Carl and Nola Jean Lay; Russell, who married Josie Gunter; Myrtle, who married Anderson Asher, and Vergie, who married Charley Mash. Various families occupied the two or more houses built on this old Lay farm. On the west part, in a log cabin built under an oak tree was the dwelling place of Charles and Missouri Lay; Wm. and Mary Lay; Fred and Lola Lay; James and Lena Lay who bought the part. George, son of Martin Baker White, and Betty Annison White lived in this house for a while. He married Martha Bell, daughter of Enoch and Mary (Adams) Bell. On the East part of the old Lay farm two houses were built.
Thomas and Verda Lay lived in the house on the north part. Russell Lay, who married Josie Gunter, daughter of James and Martha (Plank) Gunter, lived on the south part in a house built above the spring. Their children were: Morris, Mildred, Marlin, Marvin, Patsy, and Billy M. Lay.
3. Sarah Ann “Sally” Chumley was born on 15 Feb 1834 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. She died on 24 Apr 1893 in Condray, Dent County, Missouri. She married Thomas Harold Condray (son of William Harold Condray, III and Sarah Elizabeth Welch) on 05 Nov 1855 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. [10] They had 11 children together; Louis Franklin “Frank Condray Sr., William Harold, John Bell, Elizabeth Jane “Eliza”, China Lovinda, Robert Edward Lee “Bob”, Susan P., Mary E., Sarah Adaline, Thomas Edward, and Rhoda Emma. He was born on 14 Mar 1832 in Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He died on 23 Sep 1896 in Condray, Dent County, Missouri. They were buried together in Horner Cemetery in Cook Station, Crawford County, Missouri. [11]
Around 1880, Sarah and Thomas traveled with 7 of their children to Missouri. Thomas and sons John and Robert listed on the 1880 census as working in iron mines. [12] In April 1893, a cyclone hit the town of Condray, Missouri. This was a large mining town, of which Thomas was the superintendent, and where his son worked. The damage was horrific, and we found several newspapers who reported on the damage and loss. Sarah was one of the casualties. She died of blood poisoning from flying glass from the cyclone and died 12 days after the disaster.
The following is a transcribed newspaper piece reporting the casualties and losses: [13] April 12. —A cyclone swept over Crawford and Dent counties last night, and besides doing great damage, killed many citizens. At Hawkins bank, William Asher and three men named Lay were killed. Miss Lay was blown away and has not been found. A small child was also blown away. W. A. Wilson was seriously hurt. Superintendent Condray of the mines and wife were badly injured. All the dwellings and a big store were blown down. At Jabwin’s post office four men were killed. On Dry creek the residence of A. M. Green was destroyed, and an old gentleman killed. Farmhouses and barns were destroyed throughout the county, and reports are coming in every hour of persons killed and damage done.
Thomas Harold Condray FAG memorial: Birth: Mar. 14, 1832 Cumberland Gap Claiborne County Tennessee, USA Death: Sep. 23, 1896 Condray, Dent County, MO. Served in the Confederate Army as a private in 15th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, C Occupation: Supt. of Hawkins Iron Band for Midland Blast Furnace Co. when it opened in 1880-he was a blacksmith & farmer Condrays to MO 1870, to Dent Co., 1876; found Condray, Norman Twp., Dent Co., in 1885 which was destroyed by tornado, 4/1893 wife: Sarah Ann Chumley married 05 Nov 1855, Claiborne, TN father: William H. Condray mother: Elizabeth Welch 2/d wife: Amanda Presley Burial: Horner Cemetery Dent County MO. [14]
From the Dent County Missouri Genealogy Trails Website: Thomas H. Condray, superintendent of Hawkins Iron Bank for Midland Blast Furnace Company since the bank opened in 1880, and who had previously been the company’s blacksmith at Salem, was born in Claiborne County, Tenn., four miles from Cumberland Gap, in 1833. William H. and Elizabeth (Welch) Condray, his parents, were natives of Tennessee, where they still live, the father eighty-three and the mother eighty-one years of age. William H. Condray is of French extraction, and his wife of Irish. He was a farmer by occupation. The grandfather of our subject, William Condray, was a native of North Carolina, a Revolutionary soldier, and died in Claiborne County, Tenn., at the age of one hundred and two. The maternal grandfather, Joseph Welch, was a native of Virginia, of Irish descent, and served in the War of 1812, with Jackson. He was a wheelwright by trade, and died in Claiborne County, Tenn. Thomas H. Condray was the second of three children, one son and two daughters, born to his parents. He received but little schooling, and his education was received mainly at home by the light of the pine-knot fire. When young he learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed for many years in connection with farming. He was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah A., daughter of Lewis Chumbley, of Claiborne County, Tenn., and eleven children, ten now living, were born to this union. Two sons are engineers at the Hawkins Iron Bank, and one son is foreman in one department in the bank. Mr. Condray lived in Claiborne County, Tenn., until 1870, when he came to Crawford County, Mo., and lived there three years engaged in farming and blacksmithing. He then went from there to Benton Creek Iron Bank, and in 1876 to Salem, where he was a blacksmith for the company by whom he is now employed. He has a farm of eighty-five acres in Norman Township, and the Condray Post-office at Hawkins Bank was established in 1885 and named after Mr. Condray. He is a Republican in politics, his first presidential vote being for Fillmore in 1856, and he and wife have been members of the Baptist Church for thirty years. He has served the company by whom he is employed faithfully and industriously since he has been under their employ. [Source: “History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, Pulaski, Phelps and Dent Counties, Missouri”, Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1889;] [16]
From the Dent County Missouri Genealogy Trails Website: Knob View Church was organized August 13, 1887, by Elders T.E. Carr, T. McGlashan and F.C. Richards. The first members were the Redwines, Ramseys, Taffs, Chumleys, Condrays, Talberts and Elizabeth Brown. Others were soon added, and their numbers reach twenty persons at present. They meet at Knob View Schoolhouse, in Norman Township, under the pastoral charge of Rev. F.C. Richards. [16]
- Daniel Huff “Dan” Chumley was born 12 May 1835 Claiborne County, Tennessee. He died on 22 May 1924 Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He married:
(a) Matlida Hale “Tildy” Bryant (daughter of Garrett Neal Bryant and Mary Frances Stanton) on 04 Mar 1855 [17] in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. She was born on 28 Feb 1837 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. She died on 01 Mar 1891 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee.
(b) Catherine “Cassie” Parrish on 16 Feb 1897 in Middlesboro, Bell County, Kentucky. She was born in Nov 1849 in Alabama. She died in 1910 Marietta, Georgia.
Family records and other Chumley Researchers found Daniel Huff Chumley deed of land in Claiborne County, Tennessee. [18]
This deed is particularly interesting because it shows the Chumleys’ history in Claiborne County, Tennessee, which began with Robert and Betsy down the generations to Daniel Huff Chumley and even further down to Current descendants still living in Claiborne County, Tennessee, along the Powell River mentioned in the above deed record. This makes me the 8th generation of Chumley’s living in the same area of Claiborne County, Tennessee since 1812 when Robert and Betsy settled here from Virginia.
Dan and Tildy had 9 children together.
1. James Franklin “Jim” Chumley, born 25 Mary 1856, married Sarah B. “Sally” Cline (daughter of Daniel C. and Elizabeth “Betty” (Posey) Cline) on February 19, 1880, in his hometown. [19] He died on December 30, 1916, in Plano, Texas, at the age of 60, and was buried there.
Jim and Sally had 12 children, all born in in 18 years. ‘s children were all born in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. They had 1 child, Fannie, who died in Tennessee. She was born in June of 1886 and died in October 1887. She is buried in Ely Cemetery in Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County, Tennessee. [21]
Jim and Sally and their other 11 children moved to Plano, Texas sometime around 1900. They were ranchers and the family prospered in Texas.
2. Their second son, Lewis Garrett Chumley, born 25 Jan 1859, married Annie Katherine Hammock (daughter of Isaac H. and Charity (Hopper) Hammock) on 28 Jun 1896 in Claiborne County, Tennessee [22] and they had 7 children together. He died on February 6, 1948, in Claiborne, Tennessee, at the age of 89, and was buried in his hometown.
Of their 7 children, Landon C. Haynes Chumley died at the age of 23 from complications of pneumonia. The family story is that Landon was getting his education in Nashville, Tennessee and that he traveled by horse. The family believes he contracted the pneumonia coming home from a trip from Nashville. He was buried on the family farm on Powell River.
The following photos we believe were taken on the day of Landon’s funeral. All except daughter Emmer were present for the funeral. We believe Emmer had just married Clint DeBusk and was probably away when Landon died.
Lewis and Annie’s sons worked many trades besides farming. Farming was hard work, but the family worked together to provide for their families, and they had everything they needed on the farms.
Timber was also a good means of making money. The timber was cut and then hauled by mules to the river, where it was tied together to make a raft. About six to eight men would then maneuver it along the twisting and winding Powell River south to Chattanooga, about 150 miles. The men would be situated stem to stern, using long poles in the water to keep the raft in the middle of the river and to maneuver around the sharp bends. Once they reached the mill in Chattanooga, they would sell their timber and make their way homeward. I have been told that they walked this long journey. The money from the timber was split between the men and the money would provide for their family for months.
showing how the logs were transported to Chattanooga.
Their 3rd child, William Patterson “Bee” Chumley, born 22 Apr 1863, married Frances Minerva “Nerv” Gibson on December 22, 1895, in Campbell, Tennessee. [24] They had seven children in 16 years. He died on January 8, 1935, in Claiborne, Tennessee, at the age of 71, and was buried there.
John Marshall Chumley, the fourth son of Daniel Huff and Matilda Bryant Chumley, was born 25 Sep 1865 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. The son of a farmer, “Marsh” as John was called, spent his childhood going to school and helping after school on the farm. But Marsh wasn’t destined to become a farmer. Like other young men of rural Claiborne County, he looked to the larger towns and cities around for employment. His earliest jobs are unknown to us.
In 1889 at the age of 24, Marsh’s career as an electrician in the utility industry began with a job as arc trimmer with the Middlesboro Light Company of Middlesboro, Kentucky. Marsh was a hard working, intelligent man and soon worked his way up to head lineman. He was offered a job with the Marietta Light & Power Company of Marietta, Georgia. Upon the completion of his job in Marietta, Marsh was offered a job with Mutual Light & Power Company of Montgomery, Alabama where he remained until 1898 when he joined the newly formed Edison Light & Power Company as Chief Engineer. Through several buyouts and mergers, Marsh ended up in 1923 with the Alabama Power Company still in the position of Chief Engineer. In 1935, Marsh received a write up in the company newsletter as the oldest “old timer” with 46 years in the utility business. At this time, he was Superintendent of the Montgomery steam plant, part of the Alabama Power Company.
Marsh was also known for his pride in the roses he raised. He liked to show them off whenever possible. In addition to his garden at home, he maintained a garden at the power plant and liked to give the ladies fresh cut flowers.
46 years in Utility Service
During the time period when he was working in Marietta, Georgia, Marsh met and married Adeline Walraven who was born and raised in Georgia. The young couple moved to Montgomery, Alabama and remained there the rest of their lives. Although they had no children of their own, they raised their neice, Adeline Lee Chumley, as their own. Adeline was the daughter of Marsh’s brother, Edward Kettron Chumley. It is not known why she was living with Marsh and Addie. We do know that in 1910, at the age of 3, Adeline had become a part of Marsh and Addie’s household. At this time her parents were in the midst of a divorce and living apart.
Family members remember Marsh for his many kindnesses and the times he looked after them. He was known to drive by and check to see what they needed, and he would assist when he could. Many times, he would drive by and check their coal bins. If it was empty, next day a truck would arrive with a load. Ed was the only brother living in Montgomery. Marsh had been instrumental in getting Ed a job with the Light and Traction Co. Although Ed moved around and changed jobs a lot, he spent most of the next 30 years in and around Montgomery.
In his lifetime, Marsh had made some wise investments and was able to leave a trust fund that provided some income for Adeline and also for his brother, Ed Chumley. The will states in Item V: “Many years ago when she was a little child, I adopted as my own the daughter of my brother, E.K. Chumley, who is now Mrs. Adeline Boyd, and assumed all the obligations of a parent to her, although the regular steps prescribed for an adoption were not complied with. For that reason, I have felt and continue to feel the obligations of a parent toward the said Mrs. Chumley Boyd and make for her the provisions set out in the foregoing…” The income from the trust was to be divided with 2/3 going to Adeline and 1/3 going to E.K. Chumley. At the time of their death, the remainder would be divided among their heirs. John Marshall Chumley’s story ended 11 Jul 1946 in Montgomery, AL. at age 81. (Written by Chumley Researcher Gail Chumley Ingram)
Dan and Tildy’s only daughter, Fannie B. Chumley, born 10 Mar 1868 and died at the age of 25 on 28 July 1893 and was buried in the Chumley Cemetery in Claiborne County, Tennessee. Fannie’s cause of death was ”measles that caused TB”. She never married.
Robert Dudley “Dud” Chumley was born on November 23, 1870, in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He married Nancy Minerva Partin on October 20, 1894, in Bell County, Kentucky. He died on February 8, 1944, in Bell County, Kentucky, at the age of 73, and was buried in Yeary Cemetery in Claiborne County Tennessee.
They had three children during their marriage; Ward, Flora, and Vada. Ward Chumley was a tall (6 foot) and thin man with an easy personality. He was in poor health from 1929 until death in 1956, due to burns in house fire. He enjoyed talking to friends and was good at telling funny stories. He was well respected in Middlesboro (hometown). He loved to hunt and as a young man spent a lot of time in the mountains around his home. He was a rifle marksman and tried to teach all of his children how to handle a gun. He was knowledgeable in natural herbs and wildlife and gathered ginseng, bloodroot, etc. He grew a large garden every year and constructed cold beds to raise plants – often selling plants or giving them to family and friends. He loved his family but was prone to worry too much. (Maybe because he was in poor health) Most of the time called his wife “Mommy” from the early years when the children were small. If he became nervous, or worried too much he enjoyed taking rides with his wife, Cora, who often drove them around. Once when driving his oldest daughter Frances and her children, he got UP TO 35 mph and laughed about speeding and slowed back down to his normal slower speed. He did not go to the Doctors and later chose to stay at home rather than go into a hospital. He died at his home with his wife and several daughters at his side at the age of 2 1/2 months short of his 57th birthday. (written by M. David Damron, grandson to Ward Chumley through his family memoirs)
Their daughter Flora died when she was only 2 years old. Their daughter Vada was a schoolteacher in Middlesboro, Kentucky. She never married.
Their 7th child, Henry Houston “Huse” Chumley was born on April 3, 1873, in Arthur, Tennessee. He married Rhoda Katherine Hopper on July 16, 1893, in Claiborne, Tennessee. They had ten children in 23 years. He died on June 1, 1953, in Addison, Texas, at the age of 80, and was buried in Plano, Texas.
Their 8th child, Daniel Graves Chumley was born on July 18, 1876, in Arthur, Tennessee. He married Mary Ann “Polly” Cheek in 1899 in his hometown. They had 9 children in 22 years. He died on October 28, 1926, in Kaufman, Texas, at the age of 50, and was buried in Colbert, Oklahoma.
The youngest of Daniel Huff and Matilda Hale Bryant’s nine children, Edward K. Chumley, was born on 18 Feb 1881 in Arthur, Claiborne County, Tennessee. Ed lost his mother when he was but a young boy, barely 10 years of age. His father would remarry again about 6 years later but meantime raising Ed was the task of his father and probably his older siblings. A handsome man in his youth, Ed was described on his WWI Draft card as medium height, medium build, grey eyes and brown hair. Grey eyes were used as a description more often than blue. The man I remember was Grandpa with blue eyes and white hair.
As a young man Ed had left the farmlands of his ancestors and began to pursue the occupation of electrician. Not much is known about those years before his marriage in 1902 in Robinson Springs, AL. to Nettie L. Smith, a marriage that would end before 1910 when Ed was living alone in a boarding house in Montgomery, AL. Ed and Nettie had 2 children, a son and a daughter. They divorced in 1911 in Montgomery.
At this point, according to Earl Kettron Chumley (Ed’s son), John Marshall Chumley, Ed’s brother, was in charge of a power plant on the Alabama River and was instrumental in getting Ed hired at the plant. It is thought that the two brothers didn’t get along there, and Ed eventually quit. Ed later went to work for the L & N Railroad as an Electrician. While working at the power plant Ed claimed to have rigged up some sort of electrical device to cook with and therefore claimed to have invented the electric stove.
Ed and Venetia’s first 5 children, all sons, were born in Montgomery. Their daughter, Evelyn, was born in Chisholm, AL. in 1922. The family made several moves between Alabama and Claiborne County, Tennessee. John Marshall owned a farm on the Powell River there where Ed and his family lived for a while. During this period in Tennessee, Ed worked at another power plant, possibly Norris Dam. Another son was born in Arthur, TN. in 1925. Their last child, a daughter, was born in Dadeville, AL in 1926. In 1930 they were in Montgomery, 1938 in Counce, TN. and 1939-1943 in Suit, N. C. During the years in Montgomery, Ed, Venetia and son Gip worked in the Allred & Sons printing company that Venetia’s father started and was later taken over by Paragon Press.
By the time Ed & Venetia had moved to N. C. with the younger children, Marshall, Gibson and Roy had married in Montgomery and started with their own families. The early 30’s, during and after the Great Depression, were hard times and good jobs were hard to find. Some of the family began to migrate north after hearing about jobs there. Their Aunt was in Ohio, Dan and Earl had moved to Ohio, Marshall S. and Roy were in Indiana. By 1945 all but Dan had settled in Indiana. Eventually Ed bought some farmland near the neighboring town of Elberfeld and built a house on it where he and Venetia (“Nish”) retired.
Edward Kettron Chumley was a very smart man with a restless spirit who tried many different things. He loved his family and the good times. He liked a good joke and liked teasing his grandchildren, especially with his missing finger. He also inherited some musical talent and played the trombone in the Dokie Band (DOKK) and played with the John Philips Sousa Band. Ed was also a Mason along with several of his sons.
When his health began to fail, his oldest son, Marshall Somerville, took his home to live with him and his wife Janie in Chesterton, Indiana, where they cared for him until his death (heart disease) 14 Nov 1964 in the hospital in Fort Wayne, IN. (written by Gail Chumley Ingram, granddaughter to Gip, with thanks to Terry Chumley for his assistance)
- Lewis and Mae’s daughter Mary was born in 1837 in Tennessee. She died Claiborne County, Tennessee (died young).
- John Marshall Chumley was born on 23 Aug 1840 in Cumberland Gap, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He died on 16 Sep 1927 in Cook Station, Crawford County, Missouri. He married Elizabeth Nancy “Eliza” Grantham (daughter of Willis Grantham and Keziah Stubblefield) on 14 Feb 1869 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. She was born on 03 Aug 1842 in Grainger County, Tennessee. She died on 14 May 1926 in Cook Station, Crawford County, Missouri.
John Marshall Chumley served as a teamster in the Union Army under General Burnsides, at the battle of Shiloh in 1862. The two-day conflict was at that point the bloodiest battle in American history, with more than 23,000 dead and wounded. After the war, John was granted 40 acres of land in Crawford County, Missouri.
7. Robert “Bob” Chumley was born on 22 Sep 1846 in Powell Valley, Claiborne County, Tennessee. He died on 20 Aug 1924 in Salem, Dent County, Missouri. He married Frances E. “Fanny” Jones on 17 Jan 1866 in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. She was born on 25 Dec 1851 in Kentucky. She died on 20 Aug 1925 in Salem, Dent County, Missouri.
Endnotes:
[1] My great-grandparents family bible listed his middle name at Franklin and a record of their marriage was found in the U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900. Details are as follows:
Name: Lewis Franklin Chumley Gender: Male
Birthplace: VA Birth Year: 1804
Spouse Name: Mary Mae Freeman Spouse Birthplace: NC
Spouse Birth Year: 1800 Marriage Year: 1830 Marriage State: TN
[2] Deed Record where Louis and Mary Chumley are selling 114 acres of their land to Daniel Chumley Residence Fact Note: 1840 Claiborne Co., Tennessee Census, page 231 (film page 32)
[3] Year: 1840; Census Place: Claiborne, Tennessee; Roll: 518; Page: 232; Image: 471; Family History Library Film: 0024542 – children: Daniel Huff, John Marshall, Mary, Sarah, Lewis, Mildred, Elizabeth. Living next door is Robert Chumley and family (Lewis’s father), John, Andrew, and Charles Ballard (Lewis’s brothers), and nearby is Brittain(brother).
[4] Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc,
- Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm. married by John Freeman Minister of the Gospel, Baptist Church.
[5] Ancestry.com. U.S., General Land Office Records, 1776-2015 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.
[6] The Black Cholera Comes to the Central Valley of America in the 19th Century – 1832, 1849, and Later https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2394684/
[7] Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm.
[8] Family photo shared by direct descendant, Dee Dee Walsh.
[9] Pioneer History of Benton Creek, Union Township, Crawford County, Missouri, West Branch, East Branch. Author: J. Gilbert Lay. Publisher: J.G. Lay, 1969. Length: 44 pages.
[10] Ancestry.com. Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm.
[11] Horner Cemetery. Findagrave.com memorial #31202166.
[12] Year: 1880; Census Place: Salem, Dent, Missouri; Roll: 685; Family History Film: 1254685; Page: 432C; Enumeration District: 65; Image: 0459. – enumerated Dist. No. 68, Thomas and sons John and Robert listed as working in iron mines, 9 children living in home. Neighbors: Griffin, Orr, Dickerson, McDonald.
[13] Los Angeles Herald, Volume XL, Number 2, 13 April 1893 SOATTIRID REPORTS. Ravages of the Cyclone In Northwestern Missouri.
[14] USA Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?] Created by: sharon Record added: Nov 07, 2008, Find A Grave Memorial# 31201104
[15] page shared by the Crawford County Genealogy Society.
[16] Biographies from Dent County Missouri Thomas H Condray. Dent County Missouri Genealogy Trails Website http://genealogytrails.com/mo/dent/bios_c.html
[17] Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Description – Year: 1838 Jun-1868 Sep: Marriages 2-3. Married by John Freeman, Minister of the Gospel.
[18] Claiborne County, TN Deed Book pages 60-62. Copy provided by Chumley Researcher William Griffin “Bill” Chumley.
[19] Claiborne County Marriage Records (1880/Book 5/ Page 49)
[20] Photo shared by Chumley Researcher Glenda Mounger. Jim’s photo was taken about 1856.
[21] Findagrave.com memorial # 21772186
[22] Marriage date recorded in family bible.
[23] Family historian Travis Chumley supports the family information. Travis is the great-grandson of James Roy “Jim” Chumley.
[24] Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Description – Year: 1895 Jan-1898 Nov: Marriages F-G
The Chumley Chumbley Research Project 
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