Long-Lost Civil War Diary Returns to Tennessee

In case you missed the news, here's our recent press release about an important addition to the Tennessee State Library and Archives...

The long-lost diary of a prominent Nashvillian has been returned to Tennessee by a California woman. Andrea Shearn, a retired science teacher, found the diary while helping her parents move into an assisted living facility.

Shearn found the diary in a wooden box on a closet shelf in Cincinnati, where her grandmother had evidently put it in 1963. Neither Shearn nor her parents realized it was there.

Examining the diary, Shearn learned that it had belonged to R.M. McGavock, a Confederate officer with beautiful handwriting. Under McGavock’s name was written: “Captured at Ft. Henry Stewart Co. Middle Tennessee Feb 6th 1862 by Capt. M Wemple Co H 4th Ill Vol Cav Presented to Ms. Lue Wemple.”

Andrea Shearn and State Librarian and Archivist Chuck Sherrill hold the long-lost Civil War diary of R.M. McGavock.

Delving into her own genealogy, Shearn discovered that Capt. Myndert Wemple of Illinois was her ancestor. He evidently found the diary after McGavock and his troops evacuated Fort Henry in a battle that was a disaster for the Confederates. Wemple’s descendants preserved the diary and handed it down through the family for the next 100 years, until it disappeared into that closet in Cincinnati.

Shearn transcribed the diary, becoming ever more interested in the writer and his experiences. She was surprised to learn that Randal McGavock was a Harvard-educated lawyer who was elected mayor of Nashville at the age of 32. He was a lieutenant colonel of the 10th Tennessee Regiment of the Confederate Army.

Shearn got in touch with State Librarian and Archivist Chuck Sherrill.

“This nice lady from California called and said, ‘I wonder if anyone in Tennessee would be interested in this diary,’" Sherrill recalls. "When she told me it was Randal McGavock’s diary, my first thought was to fly to California and get it before it disappeared again.”

Sherrill and others at the State Library and Archives had long been aware of Randal McGavock and his diaries, as eight volumes of his diary have been housed at there since 1960.

“We had this great set of diaries, but the volume from the beginning of the Civil War was missing,” he said.

Shearn eventually flew to Nashville to visit Two Rivers Mansion, Carnton and other sites associated with Randal McGavock and his family. She and her husband brought the diary with them and generously donated it to the archives.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett said: “We are extremely grateful to Andrea Shearn for returning this diary to Tennessee. I know that scholars and McGavock descendants will enjoy the opportunity to read it and fill in the blanks in this soldier’s history.”
 

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

TSLA's Tennessee Board of Pension Examiners Records

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is excited to share information about the Tennessee Board of Pension Examiners Records, also known as Record Group 3. This valuable resource from the board responsible for issuing and administering Tennessee’s Confederate pensions contains clippings, obituaries, death dates, payment records, and family connections you might not have known about, plus much more. For the whole story, we invite you to join Archivist Darla Brock as she introduces you to Record Group 3.

Learn more at tn.gov/tsla/history/state/recordgroups/findingaids/rg3.pdf


TSLA - Tennessee Board of Pension Examiners Records from Tennessee Department of State on Vimeo.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

TSLA and Ancestry join forces for the Tennessee Ancestry Library Event

The Tennessee State Library and Archives and Ancestry.com are teaming up for a big genealogy event in Nashville. Beginning Sept. 16th, special lectures and research assistance are scheduled each day at the Library & Archives (TSLA). On Saturday, Sept. 20th, a full day of presentations designed to help family historians trace their roots will be held at the Sheraton Hotel Downtown. The event, known as TALE, is titled Tennessee Ancestry Library Event.

The presentations will include information about using “old fashioned” research in libraries and archives, as well as focusing on on-line resources. Among the topics to be covered are research in court records, using Family Search software to store your findings, and using DNA testing in genealogy.

State Librarian and Archivist Chuck Sherrill says, “TSLA and Ancestry.com have a great partnership, and many Tennessee records are available free on Ancestry as a result. These events in September are designed to bring in people who mainly know genealogy as an online research experience. We want to help these folks know that the records online just scratch the surface. They can tell their family story much better by visiting the library and using original records that are not yet available online.”

One of the sessions on Saturday promises to be a special treat. Mark Lowe, a professional genealogist from Springfield, will tell the story of “The Tennessee girl who swallowed a snake: truth or fiction?” Lowe will explain how records from the archives helped reveal the facts behind a 19th-century Rutherford County tradition surrounding Thankful Taylor and the doctor who extracted a snake several feet long from her mouth.

Registration for the pre-conference events at TSLA can be completed online at http://bit.ly/TALE_preconferences. Registration for the Saturday conference at the Sheraton is online at http://bit.ly/TALE_tickets. For more information, contact the Library and Archives at (615) 741-2764.
 

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

The Lowdown from the High Court: A Workshop on Tennessee Supreme Court Records Available at the State Library and Archives

Among the vast amount of information available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), Tennessee Supreme Court records make up by far the largest single collection. With individual case files that sometimes include hundreds of pages and stretch over several generations, the entire collection takes up most of an entire floor of TSLA's building.

These records are packed full of valuable information for genealogists and other researchers. And during the next session of TSLA's free workshop series, State Librarian and Archivist Chuck Sherrill will provide tips on navigating through those files.

The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. August 23 in TSLA's building, which is located at 403 Seventh Avenue North, directly west of the State Capitol building in downtown Nashville.

"Every county in the state has sent cases to the Supreme Court on appeal," Mr. Sherrill said. "In some cases, the local records have been lost or destroyed. That means the Supreme Court records are sometimes the only ones still available. The cases cover every aspect of life in old Tennessee, ranging from land disputes to horse stealing, and from moonshining to murder."

Mr. Sherrill has 30 years of experience as a librarian, archivist and genealogist, and has written more than 20 books on various historical topics. He has served as state librarian and archivist since 2010.

Although the workshop is free, reservations are required due to limited seating in TSLA's auditorium. To make a reservation, call (615) 741-2764 or e-mail workshop.tsla@tn.gov Free parking is available in front, beside and behind the TSLA building.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State. 

Puryear Family Photograph Albums released on TeVA...

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the U.S.’s involvement in World War I, TSLA’s newest online collection, the Puryear Family Photograph Albums, commemorates two brothers from Gallatin, Tennessee, who served in the Army Air Service during and after World War I. Comprised of three photograph albums and several loose items and pictures, this collection offers a visual record of the early history and aircraft of the Army Air Service.

Lt. George W. Puryear next to a SPAD S.XIII fighter plane, France, 1918.
Puryear Family Photo Album, Tennessee State Library and Archives.

On July 26, 1918, as a fighter pilot with the 95th Aero Squadron, George W. Puryear shot down his first and only German plane during World War I. Unfortunately for him, he was also taken prisoner the same day. After being transferred to a number of different prisoner of war camps and making one unsuccessful escape attempt, he would take part in a mass escape attempt from a camp in Villingen, Germany, on October 6, 1918. Five days later, he would swim across the Rhine River to reach Switzerland, thus becoming the first American officer to successfully escape from a German prisoner of war camp during World War I.

George's older brother, Alfred I. Puryear, was a supply officer and was stationed in Paris where he was responsible for all of the manifests of supplies that were shipped to all the various Air Service units throughout France.

Lt. Alfred I. Puryear, Paris, France, 1918.
Puryear Family Photo Album, Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Both George and Alfred stayed in the Air Service after the war. George was assigned to the 9th Aero Squadron based at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, but he was killed in an airplane crash on October 20, 1919. In 1921, Alfred completed his flight training and qualified as an airship (dirigible) pilot. He would retire from the Air Service/Air Corps in 1933.

Their stories give us insight into both the history of the Army Air Service and of the development of aviation itself. In the days before the aircraft industry would be dominated by the likes of Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, and Boeing, and in the days before standardization and aerodynamics factored into aircraft design, the albums record the rich assortment of aircraft that were built and used during the early years of aviation.

For more detailed information about the Puryear Family Photograph Albums collection and about the lives of George and Alfred Puryear, read our press release, visit the TeVA site dedicated to the Puryear photo albums, and view the finding aid for this collection at: http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/manuscripts/findingaids/D-0011.pdf.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

State Library & Archives Puts Family Bible Records Online...

Visitors to the website of the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) can now access family Bible records previously available only to on-site patrons. A new database on the TSLA website allows researchers to browse these records in their entirety, and a search function will ultimately include all of the thousands of names written in these unique documents.

In recognition of this special occasion and as a homage to past and present, we wanted to recreate the scene as former State Librarian and Archivist Mrs. John Trotwood Moore viewed our collection of Family Bibles back in 1941. Many of the Bibles seen here are in foreign languages, including Spanish, Swedish, Polish, Danish, Hungarian, German, Dutch, Irish, French, Hebrew, Cherokee, and Old English, ranging in date of publication from 1538 to 1863.

In our recreation of this scene, current State Librarian and Archivist, Chuck Sherrill, poses for this picture with the same Family Bibles displayed by Mrs. John Trotwood Moore years earlier in a photographic tribute to the collection.

Read more about our new Family Bible Records website on our press release at http://tnsos.org/Press/story.php?item=759, and to see if TSLA holds a Bible record for your family, please visit the project online at http://tnsos.net/TSLA/Bibleproject/.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

TSLA celebrates our independence...

Independence Day offers us an opportunity to celebrate our nation's freedoms and recognize the important historical events that have shaped our nation since its founding.

On this Independence Day, we offer a photographic look back at previous events and Independence Day celebrations that took place on the 4th of July, with a special emphasis on images held in the collections of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Enjoy!

Defend Your Country
Words by John W. Bratton, music by Leo Edwards, copyright 1940
Rose Music Collection, TSLA

This patriotic song, published in the interest of national defense, was inspired by the famous United States Army poster, “Defend Your Country,” painted by Major Tom B. Woodburn, USA, noted artist, who collaborated on the song with the composers.

This image from the U.S. Army Signal Corps is entitled with the caption, "Soldiers of the Three hundred and twenty-fifth Infantry, Eighty-second Division, presenting arms while the band plays the Star-Spangled Banner. July 4 celebration."

The fall of Vicksburg marked a crucial turning point in the American Civil War, as Confederate General John C. Pemberton's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863, opened up the Mississippi River again for the Union. As a result of the surrender on this date, Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4th of July for 81 years.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives has a wealth of material related to this battle digitized in our Looking Back at the Civil War in Tennessee Collection, including this wonderful tintype of the Ammons Brothers, Benjamin and Raiford, who served in Company L, 1st Tenn., CSA, until the unit's surrender at Vicksburg.

Jefferson City, Tennessee. Hattie Massengill and Mattie Vesser pose for pictures in crepe paper dress for a Fourth of July celebration in Jefferson City, Tennessee in 1904. They won a prize for their costumes.
Looking Back at Tennessee Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives.

This street scene Lenoir City, Tennessee shows a childrens' Fourth of July parade in 1924. They are in costume and are carrying signs. One says "Patriotic through all the year" and the others name the months.
Looking Back at Tennessee Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.