The Life and Legacy of Etta Mae Davis Hemp (1918–1998) Family histories are filled with beautiful milestones, hard work, and occasionally, deeply dramatic twists. The story of Etta Mae Davis Hemp, a lifelong resident of Mason, Tipton County, Tennessee, is no exception. A devoted churchwoman, mother, and grandmother, Etta Mae’s lineage connects her to early…
Author: ml4474
Hewitt, Avon R
The Short, Intertwined Life of Little Avon Hewitt: A Tipton County Story History has a way of reducing human lives to a series of cold dates, census columns, and names on a page. But behind every record is a real story—sometimes a heartbreakingly brief one. To look at the family tree of Avon R. Hewitt…
Bailey, (Infant)
INFANT BAILEY | While looking through old editions of The Covington Leader, one small notice in the February 8, 1917, newspaper caught my attention. It simply read: “The infant child of John Bailey, of Burlison, died Friday night and was buried at Smyrna on the following day.” Just one sentence. Yet behind those few words…
Alston, Minnie
What we often hear about from history textbooks includes large monuments and political changes. However, what makes history so interesting is the fact that ordinary people make up its essence. One of them is Minnie Alston who was a black woman born and brought up in Tipton County, Tennessee during the time when there were…
The Journal of Josiah Hinds
April 24, 1839 – July 10, 1863 Edited by Newton Haskin James A THESISSubmitted to the Faculty of the University of Mississippiin Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Master of Artsin the Department of History University, Mississippi August, 1939 Olden Times in Tennessee The Memphis & Arkansas Advocate Messrs. Editors: Having been born…
McPeak, George Lee
The Life and Times of George Lee McPeak (1874–1950) George Lee McPeak is remembered as the man who married my great-aunt, Callie Elizabeth Dodson. But he was much more than that. He was a farmer, a devoted husband and father, a man his neighbors trusted with public responsibilities, and someone whose life was forever changed…
South Whets Palates
Southern Food at Home, on the Road and in History SOUTH WHETS PALATES | You can almost taste the biscuits and smell the chicken frying when you read John Egerton’s now book, “Southern Food At Home, on the Road and in History,” published by Knopf ($22.95). You don’t just taste the beignets served in New…
Murderess Mama – September 30, 1882
Flipping through the September 30, 1882 issue of The Milan Exchange, I came across a brief notice from Covington that reads almost like a modern crime headline. It doesn’t take up much space on the page, but it carries a weight that’s hard to ignore. “Murderess Mama: At Covington, Tenn., September 25, Emily Wilson and…
Tipton County Road Bill 1903
TIPTON COCUNTY ROAD BILL 1903 | The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Tipton county farmers’ institute to consider and report on a road bill, which was submitted to the institute; met in Covington last week. The bill, as amended by the committee, provides for the appointment of two county road commissioners who,…
Brumley, Hiram Absolum “Hugh”
The Multi-Chaptered Life of Hiram Absolum “Hugh” Brumley To view an ancestor strictly through archival ink is to miss the cadence of their daily life. When we look at the paper trail left by Hiram Absolum Brumley—known to his neighbors, family, and records across West Tennessee simply as Hugh—we aren’t just looking at a list…