John PROPES

Eigenschaften

Ereignisse

Eltern

Ehepartner und Kinder

Notizen zu dieser Person

John Propes is also known as Johann Jacob Propst with same birth and death dates.
Winfield Propst's house, Pendleton Co, WV
--> This notes are collected from different SmartMatches!
Some says he died in Jackson County, Kentucky; some other says he died in Jackson County, Tennesee? what is right???
123

I have no proof that John's parents are George Propst, & Barbara Swadley. But I have done enough research to conclude that John had a first marriage I believe to Margaret Naile in 1795, and to that
union was born Daniel Propes in 1796. John second marriage was to Elizabeth Dovel 5-20-1800.
The only time that there is a year of age given for John, is in the 1850 census when he is listed as eighty (80) years old. It is not known as to when John, died or is buried. It is known that John,was living with his daughter Sarah, in Jackson County, TN. at the time of the 1850 census. There are no other records of John after the 1850 census. Notes from Lester W. Propes 2-25-2002



Transcribed by Melody Carter



June 9, 1949



* CALÙuS COLUMN *


Another unusual character of the Pleasant Shade section was George Boston, born in 1793 and lived to be nearly a hundred years old. He was of what was known as ÙSBlack DutchÙT descent. His fatherwas Christian Boston, who settled on Towtown Branch in the very early days of Smith County or perhaps even before the county was organized in 1799. George BostonÙus motherÙus name is unknown. He hadtwo sisters of whom we have brief record, one of these being our own great grandmother, Kate, of whom mention has already been made in the Column. The other was Ann, who married a Nash. George BostonÙus first wife is said to have been a Propes; his second, a Parkhurst. By these two women he had a large family of children, many of whose descendants still live in the Russell Hill, Pleasant Shade,and Red Boiling Springs sections. Several of the children were married into the Jenkins family, which is quite numerous in Macon, Smith, and Jackson Counties.



Although uncultured and unlettered, George Boston is said to have had a fine mind and a very keen intellect. He operated a grist mill on the stream above Pleasant Shade, where he lived and whichis called the Boston Branch for him. Signs of the old mill race are still to be seen in a few places. Gasoline and electric motors were unheard of in his day and time, and about the only power available was water power. Steam power was unknown until Boston was past the prime of his life. In his day and time, it was customary to go far up a stream, build a dam across the creek and then divertthe waters to a ditch or race around the hill side, thus getting most of the natural fall of the stream at one place; that is, at the mill. This water then was turned on to the top of a large wheel ofwood, 20 to 40 feet across, with buckets to catch the water as it fell. When the buckets on one side had partially filled, the wheel began to turn slowly. Of course, all of the water was ÙSlostÙT atthe bottom of the wheel. From the shaft of the big wheel, ÙSpowerÙT was taken for turning the millstones, which generally were not large. The capacity of most of these mills was small, perhaps onlyafew bushels a day. But when there was a ÙSgood head of water,ÙT these mills were operated day and night, with a hopper big enough to carry enough corn to furnish the mill for an all-night run. We donot know the capacity of the Boston mill, but we do know of its location and we have seen the old race, traces of which may be seen till this day. A man with a mill in those early days was ÙSlookedupto,ÙT for he was assured plenty of corn for his own use, plenty to make liquor if he so desired, and many of them had such a desire.



The first mill of which we have any record on PeytonÙus Creek was located about two miles below Pleasant Shade, near the home of Herbert Sloan. The County Court had to grant a prospective millerthe right to place a dam across the creek. About 1802, Joel Dyer appeared before the Court and asked for permission to build a dam across PeytonÙus Creek for the purpose of obtaining power for a mill.Where there was large stream running the entire year, it was unnecessary to build a race, but a high dam in the creek gave sufficient fall to the water for the needed power and this is believed to have been the case with the Dyer Mill, for we have never been able to locate any trace of a mill race. A man named Saunders was granted the right to build a dam across DixonÙus Creek in the vicinity ofDixon Springs not long after DyerÙus application was made. Records of these events of the long ago can be found at Carthage in the office of the County Court Clerk.



Going back to George Boston, we note that the Civil War had cast a gloom over the entire country and that soldiers, guerrillas and others were to be found on the roads, in the forests, and even in homes. George Boston was no exception and he found himself the object of efforts to force him from his home. At a time when his home was being forcibly entered by armed men, he went upstairs, giving specific instructions to his family to be certain to let themselves be known if they climbed the stairs. A man named Brockett, a relative of the family, forgetting BostonÙus instructions and goingup the stairs to tell him that those who had sought Mr. Boston had left, his head had gotten about on a level with the second story floor, Boston, not recognizing him and supposing him to be the enemy, struck Brockett with a heavy corn knife, splitting his skull and killing him. Only two or three hundred yards down the creek from the old Boston home where this tragedy took place, another Civil War episode with fatal results took place. Perhaps we have already given the details of the event, but will repeat them for those who did not read them some months ago. Union soldiers and a band of guerrillas perhaps under Buck Smith met near the juncture of the Boston Branch with the Sanderson Branch, which is about a half mile from the Boston home. In this skirmish, the soldiers were put to rout, fleeing on horseback and pursued by the guerrillas. About half way between the Boston home and the place of skirmish, there was then a large, flat rock in the road. On this rock two of the horsesridden by the fleeing Union soldiers fell, pinning a foot for each rider beneath the fallen horse. Overtaken in a matter of moments by the pursuing guerrillas, the two youthful soldiers found themselves in imminent danger of death, for the guerrillas seldom showed much mercy. One of the boys with his hands over his head, asked for mercy, but was shot in cold blood and died there on the rock. The other, with tremendous presence of mind, having seen the fate of his buddy, bit his tongue until the blood flowed from his mouth. At the same time, he moaned and groaned as if his chest were crushed. One of the guerrillas said: ÙSThere is no need to shoot a dead man. He will be gone in a few minutes.ÙT So they left the dead youth and his buddy with the blood pouring from his mouth. Shortlyafterward, some member of the family of Uncle Tommie Sanderson who lived a short distance east of the place where the soldiers lay, came by and found one soldier dead and the other apparently in bad condition. Taking the injured youth to the Sanderson home, this good Samaritan summoned old Dr. Stone who soon found that the youth was not seriously hurt and that he would soon be able to return to his command. He informed the Sanderson family about the boyÙus condition and asked them not to give away the boyÙus secret. This was done and in a few days, with his bitten tongue healed, the soldierleft and was heard of no more.



The dead soldier was said to have been a son of the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky at that time, but we do not have his name. The body was laid to rest in the Sanderson Cemetery and years later, was removed and taken back to the soil of his native Kentucky.



But we would like to go back in our account of the mills of the long ago. We recall having heard of a small mill on the head of Defeated Creek which had a capacity of only about a bushel of mealper hour. The owner and operator of this mill and we might give his name, but it is not necessary, had several daughters. One of the girls made this remark about her fatherÙus mill: ÙSI reckon pap has the smartest little mill in the world. Just as soon as it gets through with one grain of corn, it jumps right on another.ÙT This remark has come down through the years and shows something of theÙSspeedÙT of the grist mills of the long ago.



From our boyhood days down to adult life, we heard of a sack of corn called a ÙSturn.ÙT We had no idea in the world as to what it meant for a long time, but eventually learned that it was so called from the custom of each mill patron to have to wait ÙSfor his turnÙT in getting his corn ground into meal. So by and by a sack of corn or even wheat was called a ÙSturn.ÙT



Those old ÙSovershotÙT mills of the long ago now are virtually a thing of the past. There are two in this county that still operate, one of them being on a branch of Long Hungry Creek and the other being in the vicinity of Underwood in the north side of this county. The meal made by these old mills was usually very fine, being ground slowly and without the heat generated by the fast-movingburrs of today.



Another mill in the Pleasant Shade section was on Big PeytonÙus Creek near the old Parkhurst home. the old mill race here is still to be seen in places. The stones used in building a dam acrossthe creek are still to be seen, as can the rocks used here and there to hold the earth for the mill race. For many years, the old Parkhurst mill did a big volume of business, for that day and time, but it is only a memory and all those connected with it have gone ÙSthe way of all the earth.ÙT



Still another mill in the Pleasant Shade section was known as SandersonÙus Mill, located about 100 yards above the present home of Hugh Hackett. This was of the same kind as the Boston and Parkhurst mills, obtaining its power from the damming of the creek. The turning aside of the water from their natural course, keeping them coming around the hillside and finally getting most of their fallat one place on the water wheel. The old mill race at SandersonÙus is still visible. Many years ago, one of our relatives, a Miss Gregory, married, I believe, a Sanderson. Anyway, later as she waspassing along this old millrace, she accidentally dropped her baby into the stream and the child came near to drowning before her mother could recover her infant. We seldom pass along the road, whichruns within a few feet of the old mill race, without thinking of this episode of about 1825.



A short distance above the old mill site the Sanderson family established its first home in Middle Tennessee. This was prior to 1811, the old home being built near a large, fine spring, which was the custom in that day and time when there were few wells and when a good spring would often determine the location of a home. The family lived in this pioneer house near the spring that had flowedboldly and unfailingly for perhaps centuries ceased to flow. Instead of digging a well, the family built another house at a spring down the valley a few hundred yards. This account was given the writer in 1917 by the late Joe Sanderson, who was a descendant of the original Sanderson family, and who was himself a man with one of the finest minds we have ever contacted. Uncle Joe was a plain man,living his life in a simple way and yet possessed of mind capable of grappling with the greatest of mental problems.



These old water mills served their time in a very acceptable manner, but we are moving too swiftly now to wait on the slow-moving water to furnish us our power in our rural communities. Moreover, the streams now do not have perhaps one fourth as much water as they once carried. In the summer time, some of the creeks that used to support water mills are virtually dry and hardly a trickle ofwater runs along the stream bed for weeks at a time.

Jacob and his son John J. were noted powder-makers in their day, and the product was considered of superior quality.

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Titel	Die Familien Schmiers und ihre Verwandten
Beschreibung	um 2009 veröffentlichte ich die erste Version meines Vorfahrenbaumes in GEDBAS. Heute 2014 kann man diese als überholt bezeichen und ersetzen durch die neue Version von 2014. Diese Datenbank enthällt möglichst alle Vorkommen von Schmiers weltweit in zwei großen Familiensträngen, die beide aus Westfalen stammen. Zusätzlich, wenn alles klappte, auch einige Streufunde, die noch nicht zugeordnet werden konnten. Mein Zweig stammt aus dem Kreis Steinfurt, ist in Westfalen ausgestorben und lebt als "sächsischer Zweig" weiter. Der andere große Strang stammt aus der Umgebung Cappenberg und hat zahlreiche Nachkommen in USA und Deutschland. In den vergangenen Jahren ist meine Forschung deutlich vorangeschritten. Beim Export hakte ich an "lebende Personen ausschließen". Hoffentlich vergaß ich bei keiner Person mit unbekanntem Todesdatum das Häkchen bei 'verstorben' zu setzen... Ich würde mich über Fragen zu diesen Familienbäumen freuen.
Hochgeladen	2014-06-22 14:40:17.0
Einsender	Ronald Schmiers
E-Mail	ronald_schmiers@web.de
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