Tennessee Books

Women poets in Appalachia have been pretty much overshadowed by their male counterparts--Fred Chappell, Robert Morgan, Charles Wright, for example. But tucked away in their coves and hollows, some women have been writing poetry that is the equal of those celebrated male poets and have been doing so for quite a while. This collection begins to give these women their due. Although I could have wished for more poems to go along with the essays, I am happy to have this introductory edition, because I hope it will spur more interest in women poets in Appalachia. It is a fine companion volume to Joyce Dyer's wonderful BLOODROOT, a collection of essays by Appalachian women writers.
Who could doubt that poets like Kathryn Stripling Byer, Maggie Anderson, George Ella Lyon, and Lynn Powell are as deserving of notice and praise as their male counterparts? The essays on Byer and Powell are especially well done. The authors, Anne Richman and John Lang, are excellent critics and their observations illuminate the work of two writers who have themselves illuminated their place in the southern Appalachians.
Felicia Mitchell has done poetry lovers a huge favor by gathering together the voices in this book. The authors of the essays are, as she says, "open-minded critics whose balanced analyses help to shed light not only on Appalachian women's poetry but also on a segment of contemporary poetry that is far richer than some people yet know--but will, if this book does its job."
Let's hope that it does. Move over Jorie Graham, Louise Gluck, Ellen Voigt, and others "up there" in your literary hotbeds. These mountain women are writing poetry that spins its language in ways more engaging than most of what shows up in the pages of THE NEW YORKER or the Norton Series of Poets. Give them a listen. You'll like what you hear.

His most "frightening moment" on the trail is a great read and had me laughing out loud. All of his guidebooks are excellent, but I believe this is the best. It contains a nice history of the trail, a good biography of MacKaye, and excellent topographic maps.

This is one of the best cookbooks I have ever purchased. 'Hill Country Cooking and Memoirs' is filled with delicious recipies and amusing and touching stories. Mrs. Ledford has included thorough and easy to follow instructions on everything from baking delectable cookies to suprise instructions involving a pig. This book would be great for novice cooks as well as experienced chefs. I highly recommend this book.

I had been waiting for a financial chance to buy this book since it came off the presses and finally, thanks to Amazon.com allowing others to sell on this site, I found it from a wonderful woman whom lived in the area of Sevier County, Tennessee. Had she not lived there for a brief amount of time, had she not been allowed to sell it "used" I would never had been able to afford this book.

If you want to know about Sevier County, Tennessee where many of our ancestors either settled or traveled thru pre 1800 on thru to the late 1800's from PA, NJ, NY, VA, OH, NC and SC this is the book for you. I love it and I can't put it down! Look soon as I'll surely resell the book if only so I can afford to buy another book that aides with my desire to research my family roots.

Hats off to the publishers, "Smoky Mountain Historical Society". Job Well Done!

I first found this book at my local library, and checked it out for the maximum renewal times just to absorb all the great details of the Cumberland Plateau. Now after buying my own copy I am wearing it out! The depth that Russ goes into and the wonderful insights into not only history, but hiking, camping, canoeing, and other outdoor activites make this book a must for any outdoor adventurer. The information he provided in this revised/updated version was very helpful in planning one of many vacations I will take in the Cumberland Plateau area in the future! Highly recommended!

This book was a gift to me by my cousin, Margaret Maney on October 5, 1991. I found that not only my husband's family can be traced back to Carter County as one of the first permanent white settlers of Tennessee, but I can also. "About the time that William Been settled in the valley, probably a little earlier or a little later, Julius Dugger (my ancester)settled where the town of Butler is now located." The book is full of historical information and photographs. It has been a great resource for searching my geneology. Maybe you can find someone you are related to, also.

Abraham Caruthers and the History of Cumberland University Law School

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Princeton, Kentucky established Cumberland College in 1826. In 1842, with few students and inadequate funding, church leaders decided to move the school to Tennessee. They chose Lebanon, Tennessee (near Nashville) after the town offered them a new $10,000 building. The name was changed to Cumberland University, and the curricula eventually included engineering, theology, arts, law, and business.

The law school opened in October 1847 as the first school of law in the Old Southwest. Professor Abraham Caruthers was joined by brother Robert L. Caruthers, State Supreme Court Justice Nathan Green Sr., his son Nathan Green Jr., and Bromfield Ridley. By 1859 Cumberland, Harvard, and Virginia were the three largest law schools in the country. The first graduate was Payne Prim, who became chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

The department attracted students from southern and western states. In 1858, with 188 students, it claimed the largest enrollment in the nation. Harvard was second with 146. By 1893 over 1,400 lawyers had earned degrees at Cumberland, including several U.S. senators and representatives, state governors, judges in state and federal courts, and state legislators in the southern and western states.

Abraham Caruthers established a new model for legal education. He assailed the old method of lectures, as well as the reading of court cases in law offices. He believed the law was a science, best taught from textbooks by Socratic questioning under the direction of an experienced jurist, with additional experience in Moot court. His text, "The History of a Law Suit" was first printed in 1852.

Abraham's brother Robert Looney Caruthers was elected governor of Tennessee in 1862. Because of the occupation of the Tennessee by federal forces he never assumed the duties of that office. At the end of the Civil War he became a professor of law at Cumberland and served in that capacity until his death in 1882. He is buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Lebanon, Tennessee.

In the post-Civil War era, Nathan Green Jr., and Andrew B. Martin served as the principal teachers until their deaths in 1919 and 1920. Other faculty members included W. R. Chambers, Sam Gilreath, Frank Fancher, and Arthur Weeks. In 1871 Cumberland University took the revolutionary step of instituting a one-year law course. The Bachelor of Laws degree was awarded after two semesters of study, examination, Moot court, and debate. Students were taught one subject at a time for the entire three-hour class period. Cumberland University followed this very successful method until 1938-39, when the school returned to a two-year course. Women were admitted in 1901. The school received full accreditation in 1947.

In the foyer of Caruthers Hall, the "Law Barn," class pictures attest to the quality of the Cumberland education. Among the graduates are governors, senators, state and U.S. Supreme Court justices (Horace Lurton and Howell Jackson), and a secretary of state, Nobel Peace laureate Cordell Hull.

In 1961 the law school was removed to Birmingham, Alabama, under the aegis of Samford University.

This book is an excellent history of the area around Scotts Hill, Tennessee. It contains genealogical information on many of the local families. The second printing of this book is currently under way and will be delivered by Christmas. Please order directly from Marian Johnson at P. O. Box 234, Scotts Hill, TN 38374. The price is $52 plus $5 for shipping and handling for delivery within the United States.

When it comes to telling the story of the Civil War through old diaries, this book ranks on the top. Flavel C. Barber, 3rd Tennessee Infantry, kept a diary through his entire service with the Confederate Army - beginning with Fort Donelson and going through the Atlanta Campaign where he was killed. The diaries, edited by Robert Ferell, are invaluable in helping Civil War scholars piece together bits of history from the past. The diarist, Flavel C. Barber, was a school teacher prior to enlisting in the Confederate Army. Perhaps, that gave Barber an edge to his style of writing and his accuracy in writing. The diaries are well written and almost poetic in spots. I consider this book to be one of the finest books available regarding Civil War history.

Robert Drake's remembrances of the Drake family is a touching, humane celebration of depth in family and relationships. Drake's sensibilities carry the reader to the core of family connections which currently appear to be changing, if not lost. The reader cannot but experience some sense of grief in bearing with Drake on his jouney into the past, but it is a grief that opens one to more of what it is to be genuinely human and alive to the spirit of true family life. Drake has been generous in his gift to the reader.