Jones Cove: its history, our genealogy, old photos....

Shug Baxter and Swift Jenkins' sons

2013-04-08T12:15:00.000-04:00

Facebook has a wonderful asset called Vintage Photos of Sevier County, TN and if you have been avoiding Facebook, well, it's worth the hassle of using Facebook, just to see the pictures of yesteryear from all over Sevier County.

Recently, this picture was on the site. Linda Baker Jenkins who I believe is from Roy or Larry Jenkins ("Swift" Jenkins's sons) family put it on there. The date is March 1968 and for those who know the Cove, it was taken at the base of the Williams' Cemetery hill near the driveway.

Pictures of New Salem School and Rocky Flats School

2013-03-24T09:42:00.003-04:00

With a tip of the hat to Vintage Photos of Sevier County, TN - a great Facebook page to see lots of old pictures of Sevier County, I present these two pictures for you.

The Rocky Flats School in the late 1800's. I don't know who any of these people are.

New Salem School in Jones Cove in the early 1900's. Verna has this picture and I believe Uncle Walk (Walker Williams) was the teacher who's picture has been cut off in this photo. I'll get a copy and replace this one when I can.

The Baby House

2013-03-24T07:03:00.002-04:00

George Ray and Verna Rolen built his little house - the Baby House - sometime during the 1920's.

Edna's Porch

2013-03-24T06:43:00.000-04:00

Edna Williams, my great-aunt who I knew as "Aunt Ed", lived on a beautiful piece of land where Dunn's Creek and Yellow Britches come together. Here are a few pictures from her home which fortunately is still in the family.

The house has tremendous family history. Built by Walker Williams in the early 199's and used by Edna to raise her family.

Once upon a time, before air conditioning and television, people built and used porches as extensions of their homes. A generous porch was a place to relax and visit with neighbors and friends. Today it is rare to see anyone even with a porch, much less using one. Aunt Ed had a great porch.

The porch swing on Aunt Edna's porch has provided many a place to relax and enjoy Edna or Kenneth's company when they stopped by. Kenneth was Edna's son who passed away only recently. He is indeed missed by all who knew him.

Updated now, just inside this kitchen door once was a wood cookstove that baked the most wonderful biscuits and other tasty foods. Screen doors serve many purposes besides keeping pesky bugs out, they also let the delicious smells of cooking foods out. If you have you ever smelled cornbread baking in a wood fired oven you won't forget it.

Looking off the creek bank onto Dunn's Creek you have to notice the giant cedar tree growing right at the edge of the bank, stabilizing it with its roots. There is a deep spot to cool of just below this tree.

Now it's purpose is something else; it serves as a shed but once this little building was essential. Everyone had one and they were everywhere. Now most are gone. It's these bits of history still around that remind us of our heritage, our history... of times now long gone but not forgotten.

Enjoying the View

2009-10-11T15:12:00.002-04:00

A few years ago, I was fortunate to get to go on a hike with Bobby Farrell and Sam Huff on a beautiful spring day.

Rocky Flats Field

2009-10-08T17:57:00.002-04:00

This field in the Rocky Flats is, or once was, owned by Cleophas Sutton. Dunn's Creek's crystal clear mountain flow runs through this property (by the treeline past the field). One side of the Sutton land is full of hemlock trees providing a shady cover for the creek and this side is beautiful pasture that reflects the season's colors.

The Remains of Another Day, Another Time

2009-10-07T20:28:00.005-04:00

Not many of the older places remain

This long abandoned Rocky Flats house belonged to Gladys Harrell who has now passed on. Many of the empty old homes are gone; some were torn down, some, like the Rolen log cabin used to film "The Dollmaker" movie, were victims of arson, and some houses were abandoned and ignored until they rotted and fell in on themselves. This house has remained. Even though the house has been empty as long as I can remember it being there, the house's tin roof looks to be in amazingly good shape rust-wise.

New Salem Baptist Church

2009-10-07T19:07:00.003-04:00

New Salem calls everyone to come worship with its bell. The rich sound resonates all through the Cove every Sunday and Wednesday. Generations have enjoyed the sound of the church's bell.

New Salem is a Jones Cove landmark.

Shultz Grove Church

2009-10-07T19:05:00.000-04:00

Williams Cemetery

2009-10-07T14:41:00.007-04:00

These two views from Williams Cemetery are among the most beautiful anywhere and they reflect the peacefulness found on this hilltop that holds the bodies of so many of our beloved family members.

The flag proudly flies above some of the older gravestones.

Sallie and Carroll Williams

Nan's 100th Birthday

2008-08-01T13:46:00.003-04:00

Verna Mae Williams Rolen was the oldest of all her brothers and sisters when she died. And probably the healthiest of all them, throughout her whole life. She died at 102 years of age in 2006.

She had some beautiful cakes, homemade for her 100th birthday by Tim Baxter's mother-in-law (forgive my memory lapse). These cakes were among the best crafted, most beautiful and delicious cakes I've ever seen or sampled.

Bobby and Verna, son and mother, were a good pair together.

Nan and Linda Baxter are pictured here. Our Nan had many who loved her; even the spouses of her descendants just naturally considered her "theirs" and were loved as if they were her's. She was one-in-a-million. We were lucky to have her... for all those precious years.

Revolutionary War Grants

2008-05-13T21:50:00.002-04:00

I don't remember where I caught this piece of information but I find it interesting. My grandmother told me one of her great- or great-great-grandfathers owned 5000 acres, more or less, of land. That was all I remember about the conversation. The following may help gather insight about just where that 5000 acres came from.

Continental soldiers (or their heirs) qualified for acreage as follow:
privates 640 acres;
noncommissioned officers 1,000 acres;
subaltern 2,560 acres;
captain 3,840 acres;
major 4,800 acres;
lieutenant colonel 5,640;
lieutenant colonel commandant 7,200 acres;
colonel 7,200 acres;
brigadier 12,000 acres;
chaplain 7,200 acres;
surgeon 4,800 acres;
and surgeon's mate 2,560 acres.

In 1783 an act reduced the amount of land according to length of service and allowed privates 225 acres for two years’ service or 274 acres for three years’ service. Pruitt, A.B. Glasgow Land Fraud Papers 1783-1800: North Carolina Revolutionary War Bounty Land in Tennessee (Albert Bruce Pruitt: n.p., 1988).

The History of Jones Cove by Sam Huff

2008-04-20T19:14:00.012-04:00

Dunn's Creek at Pearl Valley Road

permission given by Sam Huff, 2008

Jones Cove was settled in the late 1780’s by Anglo-Saxon people
migrating west across the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains.
Early settlers from Virginia discovered a passageway
across English Mountain into the Jones Cove valley.
It’s believed the Jones family came from Berkley County, Virginia.
Stephen Jones was killed by Indians
and is buried near New Salem Baptist Church.
Some of the early settlers were
McMahans, Jones, Larges, Huffs, Williams, Howards, Rolens....
Slaves were owned by the large landowners.

Jones Cove had its own post office,
but it was discontinued when rural delivery was established in 1907.
Those serving as postmasters were Samuel Rolen,
Frank Templin, Robert McMahan, Joseph Huff and Carroll Williams.

New Salem Baptist Church, with 51 members, was organized in 1845 in an old log school house. There were some black members.
A new building was dedicated in May, 1914.
On April 19, 1922, New Salem Baptist Church
was destroyed by a violent storm,
but was soon rebuilt.

Jones Cove School has had three locations:

The first was a log house near Dave Rolen’s home.
The second school was built on the Carroll Williams farm and consisted of the consolidation of Jones Cove, Feedwell (located on the Henry Williams farm) and Stinnett Hill (located on the Stinnett farm), making a new three room school.
The third was a block building at the present site, which was later replaced by the present building.

Much progress has been made and
Jones Cove is now a fast growing community.

Rocky Top

2008-04-14T08:18:00.001-04:00

Here it is. Click here to hear "Rocky Top" and don't forget to sing along!!

Homeplaces: Carroll & Sallie Williams

2008-04-02T08:13:00.002-04:00

Carroll, Sallie, baby Verna

2008-04-01T11:06:00.000-04:00

Carroll, Sallie, baby Verna
Originally uploaded by rolenrock2

This is a really big portrait. The original was hand-colored with pastels and is still in good shape. It was digitized in 2006 to copy for other family members.

Williams Family Portrait 1903

2008-04-01T11:03:00.000-04:00

Williams Family Portrait 1903
Originally uploaded by rolenrock2

The family outside their home.

Henry Town Road

2008-03-20T17:27:00.003-04:00

antique dolls

2008-03-20T17:19:00.003-04:00

the baptizin' hole on Sunday afternoon

2008-03-20T17:13:00.004-04:00

Fred McMahan, "Pinky" Rolen and Verlin "Shug" Baxter are among those being baptized by New Salem pastor, Melvin Carr. So many of us were baptized here in Dunn's Creek in front of Jane Huff's house that the whole Cove knew where the "baptizin' hole" was. I, too, was baptized in the "baptizin' hole."

Arlie Williams

2008-03-20T17:10:00.005-04:00

Arlie retired from the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta.
He died in 1972 or 1973 from prostate cancer.
Arlie never married and had no children of his own. I remember him being very kind, gentle and generous.
I'd like to know more details about him, his life.... What did he do at the prison? When did he go to work there? How did he get the job? The who, what, where, when, hows of his life....

Arlie and Verna

2008-03-20T17:07:00.003-04:00

Arlie Williams and Verna Mae Williams Rolen need no introduction to anyone whoever met either one of them. This picture captures them very well.

2008-03-20T17:03:00.002-04:00

Bobby Farrell

2008-03-20T17:01:00.002-04:00

Kenneth Williams with Dolly

2008-03-20T16:56:00.003-04:00

Dolly Parton is one of Sevier County's favorite daughters and must be included in any Sevier County mention....

Kenneth worked at Dollywood for quite a few years.