The Southern Democrat, 26 Jan 1899 An Historic Safe. During the year 1852, or 1853, there was a partnership engaged in the mercantile business right where the city of Oneonta now stands known as W.B. Deaver & Son. W.B. Deaver was the father of Thomas B. Deaver the present honored county treasurer, and the son of the firm was John A. Deaver who was killed at Missionary Ridge during the late war. [John A. Deaver was a 1st Lieutenant of Company B of the 28th Alabama Infantry] He was the father of Jim Deaver and Mrs. C.C. Shelton who now live near Brooksville in this county. During the year 1853 Deaver & Son bought a very large iron safe which was used in their store at this place. The same safe now stands in the store of J.R. Wooten in Oneonta, Ala., after having been on the move for more than 35 years. These words are found upon the safe, "Silas C. Herring & Co., New York 1852. Shipped to W.B. Deaver & Son, Chepultepec, Ala. care of Railroad Agent Savannah, Ga. Gathern & Elliott Rome, Ga. and O.P. Hill, of Gadsden, Ala." From Gadsden to this place the safe although weighing over 4,000 pounds was brought to this place then known as Chepultepec. During the war when the firm of Deaver & Son quit business here and went to Blountsville the safe was moved to that place and after the death of W.B. Deaver in 1865, Thomas B. Deaver as his administrator sold the safe with other property and it was bought by George W. Montgomery and was kept by him until his death in 1891. After the death of Mr. Montgomery the safe was set apart as exempt property to Mrs. Mattie Montgomery, the widow of Geo. W. Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery then sold the safe to John Henry Arnold who was a merchant at Blountsville up to the time of his death in 1894. Before Mr. Arnold died he exchanged or swapped the safe to Jackson L. Montgomery of Blountsville who was then Postmaster at that place. Mr. J.L. Montgomery sold the safe to J.R. Wooten who was at the time a merchant in the town of Blountsville, Ala. and when Mr. Wooten moved to this place in September 1898, he brought the safe with him and now has it in his store within two hundred yards of where it first did duty for Deaver & Son, after having been on the move for so long a time. [Anyone know if the safe is still in Oneonta?]