Our Tennessee Pioneers
| This is a
letter dated March 27, 1860 written by Abram Mason at age 82. the original
is in the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville, Tennessee. In it
he mentions Robert Thompson, an ancestor of many Tennessee Pegrams, and tells about
life during the settlement of what is now, Nashville. Nashville is very close to the
area where Daniel Pegram and Lucy Milam settled shortly after 1800. We are posting
this to show the conditions that Daniel Pegram and wife Lucy Milam, as well as Edward
Pegram's descendants would have encountered on their arrival in middle
Tennessee. This copy is taken with permission from the book by Dorothy
Pegram Roland, Some Pegrams of Middle Tennessee.
"Dear Nephews, after my complements to you all and my thanks to you for the book you sent me, I will proceed to give you such things as I can recollect about the early settlements in middle Tennessee. I was born in the state of Delawar kent County in the year 1778. Father moved to Virginia when I was young and settled in Monongolia County on Monongahala river, stade there till I was about 12 years of age when he and eighteen of his neighbors of 1796 built a large keel bottom bote. We did not start till may we then started down the monogahala river, it was very troblsom times in the Ohio on setlments from Pitburg down to the mouth of Ohio on the north side of the river except 2 forts had one where secenatti now stands and Louvill it was very dangre travling on the Ohio into tennes, the indins was taken boats often on the river-got badly deleted in 1791 lost 900 brave men. we saw the indians crossing the river before we were redy for battle the women and children was placed in the bottom of the boats and beds place around them, wernt to sure where they were, a gun or two was fired and they turned and took to the cain and we saw once more, we got to the fals of the Ohio in June and the river had got (up) but could not git the boat over the fals. We stad in fort the rest of the summer then tried to get her over in the river took another rise and was lost one to each family and started down the Ohio ther was not a settlement on other side of river to the mouth of cumberland and none on it till we got to Clarksville forty miles below Nashvil if the Indians had met with us we could have been all killed or taken, we killed some buffaloes and some elk and other game, our powder give out before we got up the river and we got on suferen being longer on the way than we expected, we landed about the last of October three miles below Nashvile Father bought a small track of land in Davidson County on richland Crick about three miles west of Nashvil in the neighborhood of old general Robersons, we heard the guns when the indians wounded the general and his son Jonathan closets by where he lived, we heard the guns which kild a boy up the same crick at Johnson's fort where John bosley now lives the indians was killin and stealing horses all around us, they kild a fine young man at Johnathan Robersons, they shot him in the evening, I went ther that night and sat up with them he died about midnight, the neabours raised a party and followed them and overtook them at Tennessee where they had maid their winters hunt, killd and took nearly all of them. I got back helen's scalp and hat, burnt their skins with oil. I was going to school when they come with the prisoners with the scalps upon long chains carring them like this was in the spring of 1794 the indians was still troblesom we forted up at Philip Bates fort only a half mile so we could go home in the day and work and back at night. Father went to mill in order to lay in our meal for sumer as there was but one mill on the south side of cumberland river, we went to the fort as usl and look out for father to com to the fort that night, but he went in with his meal and fed and hobled his horse thinking to go back the next day and laid down buy himself with out any gun to defend himself mother was uneasy his no coming to the fort, we started earley next morning and when within two hundred yards of the caben heard father calling his horse, I was walking in front carring a gun, mother and nine children behind. A little brother lookou one side in a thick bunch of privi, seed my tin cup-run in and picked up a little tin bucket and a pare of old mocasuns we carred them up to wher he was, he said my horse is gone, we looked wher they had caut him, father went to the fort and got the boys and followed them som distance but could not over take them, they had been lying in ambush for us and had they not got the horse we could have been all kild or taken. We was forted at the same fort when the indians come out and attacted buchan's fort, I saw the solders start from Nashville when they start for nickajack battles, in 1795 peace was made the country settled up fast and we had better times, father sold out in davidson 1798 and bought land in Williamson county on mill crick and there in 1800 I married a wife Margaret Currey, the daughter of Ezekil and Elizabeth Currey and sister of Robert Currey of Nashville and lived there and in Rutherford until 1831 sold out and moved to West Tennessee, bought land in Madison county near a little town cald Masons Grove. We raised 9 children lived to see them all grown and married and living near us-in 1811 the indians killed a woman on duck river. We belonged to a volunteer rifle company. Robert cannon was our capton, one of my brothers first lutenant and another ensign. I ordly, sergent and we all turned out, that is our company to go after them. We-there was 4 brothers of us wear commanded by general tom Washinton said to been kinsman of old general washington, there was several hundred of us on horseback we went but did nothing, then in 1812 we all volunteered under general Jackson we turned out and for twelve months if no suner discharged, we wasmuster in december 1812, we laid in camp below Nashville watin for the bots-each company had a boat, we laid the mouth of Harper and stayed by own to ice in the Ohio, capton Cannon put it on me to stear the boat as I was a good warter man having doed great deal-it was a very cold winter and I took the plursy and had like to have died, we got to Natenes about the firse of February, then marched and about five miles and camped at________was cold camp Jackson we staid there til about the first of Aprill then started off for home come threw the choctaw and chickasaw nations, got to Clumby about the 20 of April and there we was discharged, but the next fall we was cal for to out against Creek indians, we all went again. Captan Cannon had gon out with a party after the indians & the command fell on my brother Joseph, and you all have heard we recud the indians at I had a brother in law wounded here, we all receved our pay for a year service. I will now give you a list of some of the old pinenears that was living hear when I came to midl tennessee, there was old General Robertson and his boys old Mr. Shute and his boys, old Mr Bosley and boys, old Mr. Melugn and his boys, old Mr. Childers and his boys, Robert Tomson, Frank Gogg and ezekel Enman and Hugh Lise and Isaac Johnson, and Mr. Judg McNeary, William Cash, wm. Thomas, Levi Hand, old Mister Pilars and his boys, old Mr Davis and his boys, John Cosley, and so on. Nashville was a pore looking place when I first saw it there was but five shingled roof houses in the place-there was a little log cort house and little log jail and a whippen post and a little blend horse mill. Old Capt. Rains built another of the at his house and fater that he bilt a water mill on Browns Creek and we began to better, and now John if you all esxcuse this bad writing and spelling and you can find anything in thats of account make use of it, if not throw it all away as usles trash as what I have rote is from memry of thing that past 70 years learning, so I conclude my scrible, wishing you well for time and a eternity, yours as ever most efecente uncle til deth John, Henry, Currey, B.B., Abram Mason Abram Mason & friends is all well and His oldest daughter was mareied a fue weeks ago to Dr. -- of Masons Grove. I am 82 year and well except the rumatism in my soldres, hoping these lines will find you all well A. Mason |