Person:William Heatherly (5)

Heatherly book, pg 13: "William was born in the Southwest Territory two years before Tennessee was a state and must have journed with them down the Powell or by horseback from upper East Tennessee."

Heatherly book, pg 14: "Carter County, Tennessee records: Hetherly, William to Catherine Jackson married June 6, 1816. William and Catherine's Family Bible omits Catherine's maiden name; however, the date of marriage is the same as the published Carter County record. . . "William and Catherine Jackson Heatherly with his parents, John and Nancy Wilson Heatherly, left Carter County, Tennessee, about 1820 for Campbell County, Tennessee. Several other families, including a younger brother of John, Hugh Heatherly (born between 1770-1780) came with them.

"Sistler's "List of Early East Tennessee Taxpayers": William and John Heatherly are both listed as taxpayers in 1823 in Campbell County, Tennessee. The 1830 Campbell County, Tennessee Census Record for William Heatherly checks by years with William and Catherine's children's ages. (from Family Bible Ledger)"

Heatherly book, pg 15: "William, Sr. and Catherine Heatherly were Baptist. They would travel for miles on horseback to attend church services. Reference were made in booklets of the Campbell County Baptist Association of early attendance of the Heatherlys in early pioneer churches near Davis Creek in Powell Valley and along the Powell River. They may have canoed at times to church. One person stated several years ago that they had gone from their home at Craig Ford to Old Indian Creek with son, Alexander, and daughter, Mary.

William's home sold to T.V.A. in the 1930's by a grandson, Harrison H. Heatherly, was built of native logs and stone before the Civil War. It sheltered at least five generations of Heatherlys and Heatherly slaves. Their grandchildren have told us that Aunt Emma and Uncle Tom lived with Catherine Heatherly after William's death until her youngest son returned home from service as a Corporal with the Union Army."

From webmaster: this sounds a bit strange to me as this family were slave owners. Not only owners but page 15 says: "A grandson of William and Catherine told us that William, Sr., and sons Andrew, John and George W. bought and sold over five-hundred salves before the Civil War. We understand that he traveled to Charleston, S.C. and New Orleans to make purchases. We have tried to find records of sales, but have not been successful." But a grandson fought on the Union side???

Page 15 continues: "William Heatherly, Sr. died July 16, 1863. (William Heatherly Family Bible) He was carried by Black Heatherlys to Powell River Church Cemetery or Cedar Creek Bridge Cemetery for burial. TVA records list his death date as 1869, the date recorded on his old monument at Powell River. When he was reinterred with Catherine at Baker Forge Memorial, his grandson, a Heatherly Family Historian and Genealogist purchased a double white monument with his date of death corrected."

During the civil war, while William was gone, he left Catherine in the care of blacks. After the civil war, the family blacks took Heatherly as their last name.

1. ↑ Tom Housley, directorth addtheAT aol addthedot com, Ancestors of Thomas L. Housley familytreemaker.genealogy.c.
2.   Stephens, Nadine H. Heatherlys and related families: our Norris Lake area ancestry; Cannon, Childress, Craig, Hicks, Jackson, Reynolds, Spangler, Wilson, and others. (Jacksboro, Tennessee: Action Printing, 1988)
   pgs 7, 13, 15.