Captain James Tatum
| Captain James Tatum was a Revolutionary War Soldier, born about 1755, and is believed to be the son of George Tatum of Brunswick County, Virginia. He moved to Rowan County, North Carolina in the late 1700's and in 1802 he moved to Ashe County, North Carolina, living in the cabin to the right. The cabin itself was built about 1775 and was occupied by five (5) generations of the Tatum family until it was donated by Thomas Tatum, the great, great grandson of James Tatum, to the Southern Appalachian Historical Association and moved to Boone, North Carolina. A sword reportedly owned by James Tatum and used during the Revoltionary War and pewter used by the Tatum family are preserved in the college library in Boone, North Carolina. Also found in the walls of the cabin when it was dismantled were papers containing family records. More pictures and a description of the cabin are available. |
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James Tatum
Born:
about 1755
probably Brunswick County, Virginia
Death: about 1830
Marriage: about 1779
Spouse:
Amey Sharpe
Born: about 1761
Death: 6 July 1853
Parents: George and Lucretia Tatum
CHILDREN
Born:
10 January 1780
Virginia
Marriage: Squire Wilcoxen
Death:
about 1865
Resided: Indiana and
Illinois
Born:
17 March 1782 Virginia
Marriage: ? Grimes
Resided: North Carolina
Born:
26 November 1786 Rowan
County, NC
Death:
20 September 1865
Marriage: Delphia Jennings
Born:
18 February 1789 Rowan
County, NC
Death:
19 September 1868 Buckhart
Township, Fulton County, Illinois
Marriage: 1 August 1830
Canton Township, Fulton County, Illinois
Spouse:
Lydia Dollar
Born: 4 July 1805 Laurens County, SC
Death: 2 November 1872 Fulton County,
Illinois
Resided: Texas,
Indiana, and Illinois
Born:
6 February
1791 Rowan County, NC
Death:
2 February 1887
Hayes, Ellis County, Kansas
Marriage: 10 February 1814
Spouse:
Rebecca Elizabeth Chambers
Resided: Texas,
Indiana, Illinois and Kansas
Born:
17 March 1792 Rowan
County, NC
Death:
after 1860
Knox County, Illinois
Marriage:
Landrine Eggers
Resided: Indiana
and Illinois
Born:
10 April 1794
Marriage:
14 Jan ??
Rowan County, North Carolina
Spouse:
John Nowell
Born:
6 August
1796 Rowan County, NC
Death:
10 September 1889
Marriage: 28 October
1819
Spouse: Sarah
Pearson
Born:
6 February
1799 Rowan County, NC
Death:
Indiana
Spouse:
William Milton Eggers
Born:
15 October 1802 Ashe County,
North Carolina
Marriage: Sarah
Bethlace Sheriff
Death:
Gilmer County, Georgia
COURT RECORDS
Rowan County, North Carolina Deed Book 12, Page
620
15 April 1792
James Tatum bought from John Rowland, both of Rowan County, a parcel
of land beginning on Ishmel Elhaney's line, along John Langfords and John Hendrick's lines
containing 118 acres for 60 pounds.
Proved September 1792 by Robert Dial
From "A Concise History of Fork Baptist Church"
(Davie County)
James Tatum was a delegate to the Yadkin Association in 1800
ASHE COUNTY
Book A, page 435 16 December 1802
Roland Judd to James Tatum, both of Ashe County, Begin at a white oak on the south side of the north fork of New River.........crossing the river to a stake then down the meanders of the river to a black cherry tree.....100 acres.
January 1804 filed August 1804 7 December 1804
Elizabeth Blackburn to James Tatum, both of Ashe County, 100 acres lying on the New River, beginning at a chestnut near a branch, north 100 poles crossing the south fork of New River beginning at a fork in....
Book O, page 32 State to James Tatum Number 709
On the south fork of the New River, beginning at a locust in his old line east to a chestnut William Morrisses line....west to a stake in his old line. Entered 11 November 1806 35 acres
Book D, page 291 4 September 1810
Lewis Sheppard to James Tatum, both of Ashe County, on both sides of the south fork of New River. one line is below the mouth of Mill Creek. 200 acres
Will Ashe County, North Carolina 5 December 1822
$1.00 each to Sarah Wilcoxson, Elizabeth Grimes, Patsey Noel, Mathew
Tatum, James Tatum, Tabitha Eggers and Polly Eggers. To George Tatum $10.00 and to
Buckner and Joseph Tatum all the rest of his estate, except one bed and furniture, one cow
and calf to his wife (Amy Tatum) during her life time, after her death it was to go to
Buckner.
Proven August Term 1828
THE TATUM CABIN
This description of the Tatum Cabin compliments of Carolyn Joy
The Tatum Cabin, restored by the Southern Appalachian Historical Society on the grounds of HORN IN THE WEST in Boone, N.C. dates from about 1775. Five generations of the Tatum family of Watauga County lived in the cabin, originally located near Todd at what was known as the Elk Crossroads.
The Tatum interest in the North Carolina mountains preceded their settling here permanently. Britisher William Tatum settled in this area when it was one of the Lost Provinces, belonging to no state. He was eager for the area to be under the jurisdiction of one of the colonies and wrote to North Carolina, making such a request. William returned to England before this happened, though, and went on to Spain where he became involved in politics.
The first Tatum to live in Watauga was Captain James Tatum. He was a descendant of settlers who came from England to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1620. Putting all of his possessions in two dug-out canoes, James and his family left Jamestown in the 1760’s and followed the river south until he found level land and lots of game. He thought he was still in Virginia but was, in fact, ten miles northeast of Boone on the New River. He lived there several years before he knew he had left Virginia.
James came to Watauga sometime between 1760 and 1765. Notes he left on the Revolutionary War indicate that he came ten years before it was fought; the Tatums were definitely in the cabin in 1785. Records left by James indicated that they rented the land from the Indians for ten years, at the end of which time they bought it. James recorded, "A Cherokee Chief came to the cabin and got pay. We had no sooner done this than we heard of the unhappy news of the United States and Britain." James fought in the Revolutionary War. An old deed for part of the land still exists. This deed is particularly interesting because of two features: the dates on the deed are written in Roman numerals and the round seal is beeswax melted in a black string, the string worked up into the paper.
All of James Tatum’s family—ten children—lived in the cabin until grown. They made their living farming, hunting, and fishing. James lived there until he died. His will reveals that he left the property to Buckner Tatum. His will also states that he left to Buckner his "best pewter plates," showing the British Crown on the back.
Four of Buckner Tatum’s children were born in the cabin before he moved to Northwest Georgia, selling the property to Elijah Tatum. Elijah started living in the cabin in 1830, five of his children living there until they were married. One of the papers left in the cabin is a pardon granted Elijah for his part in the Civil War. The document was signed by President Andrew Johnson and the Secretary of State
John Tatum occupied the cabin in 1890, continuing to live off the land as his ancestors had done. The cabin was abandoned as a home in 1935. In 1958 the late L. T. Tatum, son of John Tatum, gave the cabin to the Southern Appalachian Historical Society, and it was moved to HORN IN THE WEST grounds.
The modest-sized log cabin typifies the living conditions of the early settlers. One outstanding feature of the cabin is the gun slots. Pieces of logs were set in loose for easy removal, enabling the occupants to shoot from inside. The sleeping loft was reached by climbing pegs driven in logs in the wall. Pots from limestone rock were found about one mile away from the cabin, possible indicating an Indian camp nearby on the river. Furnishings left in the cabin include grease lamps, a long-handled waffle iron for cooking over the fire, a foot warmer to put a hot rock in, a bed warmer to put hot coals in to move over the bed to warm it, cord beds put together with ropes, a cradle with one rocker longer than the other so Ma could rock the baby while working, dishes of English ironstone, a flax coverlet, handmade wool blankets, spinning wheels, a long-handled fork for broiling dried meat, and a long-handled ladle for straining cracklings out of grease.
These authentic furnishing left by James and Buckner Tatum were given to the Southern Appalachian Historical Society after the death of Mr. L. T. Tatum. Some of the furnishings are on display in the cabin during HORN IN THE WEST season. Others will be displayed in the Appalachian Room of the ASU Library and in the Continuing Education Center on the ASU campus.
Note: This story is written in part as related by Mr. L. T. Tatum in June, 1972, the interview being one of his last on the historic cabin.
(From Sketches of Early Watauga, sketches by Peggy Polson, stories by Betty McFarland, sponsored by Boone Branch, American Association of University Women, 1973, printed by Minor’s Printing & Duplicating, Boone, North Carolina.)
This letter was from the Southern Appalachian Historical Association Inc., P. O. Box 295, Boone, NC 28607, June 19, 1998.