Transcribed by Timothy R. Meador, Jr.
*
CAL’S COLUMN *
Since our
article in November on the Womack family, we have discovered the following
account of B. R. Womack, D. D., published in 1881 by William Cathcart:
B. R. Womack, D. D., was born Dec. 23, 1846. His parents were Abner C. Womack and Isabella Blackburn Patton. His birthplace was near Bellefonte, Jackson Co., Alabama. In early life he was a great reader of all sorts of books, and specially of the New Testament. The Savior found him and revealed his love in his heart, after which he was baptized in 1865 at Kyle’s Spring, Jackson Co., Alabama, where service was sustained by an arm of Friendship Baptist Church. Soon after, he began to pray and speak in public, when a revival descended from the throne of heavenly grace and scores of his irreligious friends were converted to God, and a church was organized at Kyle’s Springs, which he named Bethel.
Determined to secure an education, of which he had a very exalted opinion, and to the acquisition of which he was greatly encouraged by the words in Webster’s old spelling book, “Assiduous study will accomplish anything within human power,” he entered Union University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1868, where he remained four years, delivering the valedictory in 1872. He declined a professorship in Latin which was offered to him. He entered the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the same year, and remained in it three sessions, and graduated in all the schools except one. He then entered the theological seminary at Chicago, and graduated as a post-graduate in 1875-76, giving his whole time to ecclesiastical history and philosophy. This last period of study, he regarded as the most profitable of his life.
He accepted the pastorate of the Broad Street Church of Augusta, Georgia, where he labored eighteen months. In October, 1877, he took charge of the First Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee; but, through failing health; resigned in December 1879, and became editor of the Baptist Reflector of Nashville, Tenn. In connection with the Rev. J. D. Cheves. The paper at the time was in a very low condition, but it speedily received new life, and became a power in Tennessee.
Mr. Womack early in this year yielded to the urgent request of the Baptists of Arkansas Evangel with Rev. J. B. Searcy, as Associate Editor, Southeastern Arkansas, the paper succeeding admirably. He had recently received the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Dr. Womack is endowed with a fine intellect, superior attainments, superior attainments, great piety, and enduring perseverance. If his life is spared, he will perform effective service for the Savior and for the Baptist denomination.
Now we do not know what the connection, if any, is between this man’s family and that of the Womack family to which Mrs. Bowman is related.
The first Womack of whom I find any record in Smith County, Tenn. after the formation of the county in 1799 was Catherine Womack, as the name was given in the Smith County Census of 1820. She appears to have been a widow of more than 45 years of age. She had in her family one male under 10, one from 10 to 16; and two females, one from 10 to 16 years old and the other herself, we are quite sure.
James Womack was the head of another Womack family in Smith Co., Tennessee in 1820. In his family were the following: Two males under 10, one from 16 to 18, three from 18 to 26, and one over 45, James Womack, we are sure. Females were: Two under 10, one from 10 to 16; and one from 16 to 26. He was in very good circumstances, owning three slaves in 1820. This is the record of the Womack family as given in the Smith County Census for 1820.
In the census of the same county, ten years later, we find the following: Alfred Warnock or Womack, one male 30-40, one female under five, and one from 15 to 20, supposed to have been his wife. Judging from his neighbors, we would think Alfred Womack or Warnock reside in 1830 not far from Carthage. His near neighbors were: Harbard Carpenter, David Douglass, Talton M. Cains, Boaz Ford, and Henry Hallum.
In the census of 1840 the following is given: Alfred Womack is given with the following members of his family: One male 40 to 50, two females under five, two from 5 to 10, and one form 30 to 40 years of age. This conforms pretty well to the record for Alfred Womack by adding ten years to the 1830 record, except for those born into the family between 1830 and 1840. So we would judge that the name is Alfred Wommack, spelled as here given. This is some reason to believe that in 1840 Wommack lived in the Forks of the River, not far from the present Elmwood.
In 1840, we find James Wommack, listed as having: Two males under five, two from five to ten, and one from 30 to 40, no doubt James himself. Females were: One, under five, and one from 30 to 40, his wife, we feel sure. Judging from the list of his neighbors, John Dickens, John Whitehead, George Gillihan, and Washington Meachum, we would judge that James Wommack lived in 1840 in the vicinity of the present Elmwood.
In the Smith County census for 1850, the name of Joel D. Wommack appears, born in 1831, and making his home with Charles Blair and wife, Sarah Blair. Mary Campbell, native of Pa., then 100 years old, also lived with Mr. and Mrs. Blair. Indications are that this Wommack lived in the vicinity of the present Elmwood in Smith County.
Jesse C. Wommack lived in 1850 in Smith County. He was born in 1823. His wife was Martha Wommack, born in Tennessee in 1828. They had no children in 1850. James Wommack, born in Tenn. In 1837 is listed in the same section of Smith County in 1850. His wife, Mary, was 37 years old. Their children were listed as follows: Wm. 17; John, 15; James, 13; and Louisa J. was 3. All the children are listed as having been born in Tennessee. This is the entire membership of the Wommack family listed in Smith Co., Tenn. in 1850.
In 1870, we find the following members of the same family listed: James Womack, same as the James Womack, noted in the preceding paragraph, and his age is given as twenty years more than in the census of 1850. We are quite sure that he is the same man. His children, however, do not correspond so far as ages go. Joseph is not even mentioned in 1850, but he is listed in 1870 as being 38 years of age. His son Wm. H. Womack, is listed in 1870 as being 26 years old, and is supposed to be the same as the Wm. Wommack listed in 1850 as being 17 years old. Eliza J. Womack is listed next to the family of James in 1870. She was then 23 years of age. We are quite sure that the Louisa J. Wommack of 1850, then 3 years old, was the same as Eliza J. Womack in 1870, then 23 years old. There is one other member of the family of James Womack in the year 1870, James, aged three. We have no way of knowing whose son he was. This family lived in 1870 at Chestnut Mound, not far from Elmwood. This appears to have been the only Womack family in Smith Co., Tenn. in 1870.
The variations may have been due to a different period in the census year and to giving in of different spellings or of calling one by one name at one census and 20 years later by another, just as Eliza J. was 20 years earlier listed as Louisa J. Wommack.
I find that Isaac Warmack was married to Nancy Lonas on Jan.4, 1823 in Knox County, Tennessee. On June 17, 1824, Granville Wammack was married to Rachel Cropp. Mansfield Massey was the surety on Wommack’s bond. On January 24, 1807, in Wilson County, Tenn., Polly Warmack became the wife of John Smith. Wm. Warmack was surety on the bond. On March 1, 1808, in the same county Elenor Warmack became the wife of Bennajah Gray, with John Roach as surety. On Dec. 31, same year and same county, Jenny Warmack became the wife of James Crator with Rich Dishell as surety.
On Sept. 12, 1812, in Wilson County, Tenn., Richard Warmack married Agey Smith, with John Smith as bondsman. On Sept. 23, 1817, in the same county, Lucy Warmack became the wife of William F. Jones, with George H. Bullard as surety. On Oct. 4, 1818, in Wilson Co., Tenn., Elijah Warmack was surety on the bond of Philip Shores who married Jane Creighton.
Wm. Amzy Wamack was born July 5, 1833, died June 4, 1896, buried in Poplar Hill Cemetery east of Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee.
Rome T. Warmack was born February 8, 1859, died May 6, 1919; and is buried in the Harding lot in Spring Hill Cemetery, near Nashville. E. R. Warmack was born in 1857, and died in 1914. By the side of his grave in Thompson Cemetery, ten miles south of Lebanon, Tenn. is the grave of Mary L. Warmack born in 1858 and died in 1922. It is presumed that they were man and wife.
We presume the names Wommack, Womack, Wammack, Wamak and Warmeck are originally the same, hence we give these names and where the holders of such names lived and etc.
In the City Cemetery at Nashville are buried two infants, W. W. McBride, born in 1860, died in 1861; and C. P. McBride born in 1863 and died in 1864. It is presumed that they were the children of the same parents. On Dec. 17, 1818, Andrew Kitts married Nancy McBride in the same county. On Dec. 4, 1821, Israel Peterson married Jane McBride. In the same county on Jan. 10, 1824, Auterson (?) Dunlap married Betsy McBride.
Thomas McBride came to Missouri from Barren County, Ky. In 1813. (Rogers, p. 160; Hoffman MS says 1816); stopped briefly in St. Louis County, then established his home in Howard County, on the Missouri River near the middle of the state. This became the center of Christian church activity. Salt Creek church was organized in 1816 (Millennial Harbinger, 1837; the Hoffman sketch, p. 258 say 1817, with 8 charter members) with thirteen charter members, near Franklin, a city which boomed in size and value but was washed away by the river before 1830. McBride dedicated its building in 1817, and the organization still exists. Other churches claimed by one or another source as having been organized by the Christians on or before 1821, the year of statehood, included: Dover, Lafayette County (Peters, p. 38, says 1833; Haley, p. 199f says much before 1836); Antioch, of Calloway County (Peters, p. 36 says October 1828; Haley p. 128, before Dover of Randolph County); Fulton of Calloway County (Peters pp. 36, 45, says 1832 and 1833; Haley, p. 525 says 1833); Red Top, of Boone County (Millennial Harginger says 1820; Peters, pp. 35, 45, 188, gives 1820 and 1822; Haley, p. 138, says Oct. 5, 1822; the congregation celebrated its centennial in 1922); Bear Creek of Boone County (Peters, p. 45, says 1821; Haley, p. 138, June 6, 1824); Richland of Howard County (Peters, p. 45, 1816; Halley, p. 181, has no opinion. From book called, “The Disciples of Christ.”
In Smith
Co., Tenn. in 1850 lived Jesse McBride and Charlotte McBride. Both were born in
Tenn., Jesse in 1812 and Charlotte in 1823.
It is supposed that they were man and wife. One other McBride family
lived in Smith Co., Tenn. in the year 1850; Pleasant C. McBride, born in Tenn.
in 1825; his wife, Nancy, born in Tenn. in 1830; Nathan McBride, aged four
years; and Jesse McBride, aged eleven months.
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This
Article Appeared In The Times
But
Was Not Actually In Cal’s Column
Virgil
White, who has recently moved to Lafayette, from Route one, Lafayette, brought
to the Times office on Wednesday of this week, a gourd whose history is known
back to Bedford County, Virginia, where it was grown. A date cut on the gourd while it was growing appears to be 1723,
although this can not be definitely established. It has the letters, “J. W.” cut into the “bowl” or “container” of
the gourd. It was brought to Middle Fork of Goose Creek by John White about 100
years ago. It has been used for a century or more for holding tobacco seed,
some few inches of the small end of the long handle having been cut off to
provide an opening for the entrance of the tobacco seed. The present handle is 16 inches long and the
“bowl” is six inches in diameter.
John White, who brought the gourd to the county more than 100 years ago, married Miss Betsy Fuqua, a relative of all the Fuquas in this and surrounding counties. Their children were: Keith White, commonly called Caleb, married a Pursley, by who he had one son, the late Elmer White; William White, Wilson White, married Finettie Morgan, who was perhaps a distant relative of the editor, one of whose great-great-great-grandmothers was Judy Morgan, born about 1725 in Virginia; Daily White, Alice White, married Bob Bennett; Angie White, married Hewt Carr; and Julia White, married Abner White, her first cousin, once removed.
He have the name, we think somewhere among our old records, of the father of John White; but we are now short of time and will have to pass this by for the present. We hope to add a lot to the record above given.