The following is an article that I wrote for the Courier about a year ago at this time of year. If your family lived at Cerro Gordo, you might find their name on the books John White kept from 1830 to 1845. In a few weeks, I have an article that I hope will be published in the Courier concerning The Pitts brothers and in particular, John Hardy Pitts who operated the store from about 1900 until 1955. If any of these are your relatives below, let me know and we will try to figure out where they lived if that is of interest. Happy New Year, David _________________ "The Store" At Cerro Gordo B. G. Brazelton in his "History of Hardin County" written in 1885, tells us that the first retail business was established in Hardin County when L. H. Broyles opened a store in a log house at James Hardin's place. His first sale was that of two wool hats for a buck each to Miss Nellie Thacker for her two boys, William and Shepherd Thacker. Broyles remained at this location for a year or so then moved to Hardinsville after the county seat was moved there in 1822. James Hardin continued to operate a ferry until his untimely death in 1826, after which his immediate family moved to Western Kentucky. About 1830 John White, probably from Bertie County NC, and Elisha Bryant purchased several acres of land which included the land where the present 94 years old, 90 by 100 feet brick building now stands at Cerro Gordo Landing. John and Elisha were in business there for about 11 years. Elisha Bryant died in May of 1841. John white continued to operate the store until he died in 1845. A record of an Inventory and Sale of his estate gives us a glimpse of what people would buy from a frontier store in 1845 and at the same time gives many of the names of the citizens who lived in our community and a few form elsewhere. An inventory of the items to be sold at the estate sale of John White included 115 separate items with some items having as many as 120 units to as few as 1. Some unusual items were: 16 bottles paregoric; 8 vials laudanum; 1 scythe & cradle; 8 chamber pots; 120 gallons of whiskey; 1 spinning wheel; 18 pair shoes; 6 bear knives, the list goes on and includes guns, flints, caps, powder and shot and about anything you would need to survive on the frontier. Most people who where at the sale bought 1, 2 or perhaps 3 items. Those who bought the most appeared to be other merchants trying to get a good deal. Some of these merchants appear to have been: James Irwin - 17 items; P. S. Hawkins - 10; Margaret S. White - 56 (widow of John White); George Johnson - 20 (Administrator of John White's Estate); Alexander Russell - 21; and James S. Nichols - 9 items. My kinfolks who were purchasers were: Green H. Polk (the brother of my g/g/grandmother, Eliza Polk Cagle); Milton Whitlow (my g/g/grandfather) and his brother, Paschal Whitlow. Following are a list of individuals that were doing business with John White on a routine bases. The first group had signed notes and promised to pay, while the second group had open accounts. These individuals should be a very good representative of the people who live in the north part of Hardin County as of 30th April 1845. John White was carrying a note on the following individuals: Archibald Pool; Thomas White; Harvey White; J. W. Ellis; Edly Shannon; D. H. Wade; Isaiah Brown; Redick White; E. Y. Hindly; Jonathan Courtney; Ebenezer Thompson; Peter White; Henry Tilley; G. W. Carter; Ezekiel Conley; William Winchester; Granville Alexander; James A. Bell; Jacob Reynolds; Thomas Caldwell; Woodson Wells; Abraham Branch; Berry Holland; Silas Oates; Joseph McMahan; John K. Orr; S. P. Bowls; Jesse Turner (my g/g/grandfather); Thomas S. Spencer; Joseph Howard; J. Y. Nichols; P. B. Hawkins; S. Brown; Joseph McMullin; William Williams; Phillip Harris; Williams Wells; Shepard Thacker; William Winchester; W. W. Mosley; John Turner; James McLin; Martin, H. Stephens; J. F. Garner; J. B. Hargrove; A. S. Brown; D. B. Beasley; A. Nesbitt; Samuel Smith; George Johnson; Thos White; Thos Thacker; William Wells; David Smith; John Cagle (my g/g/grandfather); E. T. Rousey; Joseph Damien; D. B. Beasley; Josiah Alexander; Thomas Holland; Thomas Layton; John McConnell; Wayne Hopkins; Garner Wade; James F. McCall; Isaac Wells; Needham Wells; S. B. Hargrove; Novel White; William West; Thomas White; Rix Randolph; Jacob Bost; Garrard Stephens; James S. Nichols; and James Barnett. John White, Book Accounts: Elijah Alexander; Dicey White; Joseph Wilson; A. Russell; Priscilla Layton; James A. Nichols; S. B. Hargrove; ?ama Hooker; Thomas Crotts;Samuel Newman; William Clark; Thos. L. Woodriver; R. R. Russell; Rix Randolph;W. McCurray; John D. Wells; Rob Russell; Jefferson Nichols; Fanny Gil; Leroy Blache; J. W. Findley; David Finch; Thomas Layton; Daniel McCall; Michel Kincannon; Wm. White; Granville Whitlow; Wm. Russell; Thos White; John Cagle (my g/g/grandfather); Garred Shelly; Elijah Kelly; Elizabeth Lee; Taylor Alexander; John Slaughter; Hugh McCall; A. Hutchens; H. G. Garner; L. Thacker; Thomas Holland; Redick White Sr.; Arch Pool; John Lane; Mary McConnell; James Went; Ephraim Churchwell; T. Joyce; D. H. Wade; Rebecca Wade, (my g/g/g/grandmother); Holt White; Thomas Martin; John Polk; Josiah Gattan; P. G. Nichols; Joseph Danville; Andrew Brown; T. G. Lee; U. L. Lee; Norbert Lee; William Wells; Williamson Wells; John McConnell; Charley Holland; Tom Hanes; Ezekiel Alexander(my g/g/g/grandfather); W. S. Alexander; Thos F. Pool; Marion Clifton; Widow Barry; Joseph McMullin; William Love and G.H. Polk. I have made an attempt to learn what happened to the store at Cerro Gordo Landing after the death of John White. We know from reading A. A. Watson's "Bits and Pieces of Hardin County History" that John was buried on top of the hill behind Hardy Pitts' garden. But who bought the store? On the 7th of April 1845, Margaret White (the widow) and George Johnson were appointed by the court as the administrators of the estate of John White. That is the source of the names listed just above. On the 7th of December 1846, George Johnson was appointed as the guardian of Marshall White; James D. White; Henry A. White; Isaac N, White; John White; Martha A. White; Emily C. White; Margaret A. White and George M. Dallas White, minor heirs of John White. The daughters became wards of their husbands as they were married: Martha to B. F. Guinn in 1855; Margaret to G. H. G. Penn in 1860 and Emily to J. S. Perry also in 1860. About 1846-48, James H. Filgo married the widow of John White. The 1850 census of Hardin Co., TN shows that family as follows: James H. Filgo, 28 NC; Margaret S. (White), 40 TN; Mary F. Filgo, 1 TN; Henry A. White, 19 TN; Martha A. White, 12 TN; Isaac W. White, 16 TN; Emily White. 9 TN; George M. D. White, 6 TN. Marshall White, age 22, a boatman was living in the household of Felix G. Lee of the 12th C. D., while James D. White, age 20, was living in the household of Lewis B. Parrish in the 4th C. D. In 1860, Margaret, age 18 is living with her husband, G. H. G. Penn, 23, a lawyer in Decatur County, while Martha, age 22, is living with husband, B. F. Guinn, a salesman in the 2nd C. D. James Filgo was the original owner of part of the old Cagle Home-Place where my parents were living when I was born 1940. He likely built the old board and batten house located on that tract where I spent the first three years of my life. The land of John White appears to have been parceled out. I am not sure how the land was sold, but apparently the John White Estate was divided into 8 parcels and the widow had a dower interest as well. C. S. Broyles obtained Margaret White Filgo's tract on 10 January 1851. Henry A. White also sold to C. S. Broyles; John White to Isaac White; James D. White and Frank Guinn, (B. F. Guinn, husband of Martha White) to Thomas D. Shelby . William H. Cherry later sold two tracts to R. D. Deford referred to as the Isaac White Tract and the Emily White Tract. All or most of this John White Land, that part which included Cerro Gordo Landing, appears to have been purchased by Conway Sevier Broyles who already owned about 1500 hundred acres nearby know as the Hardin Bottom and was formerly James Hardin property. Although I don't have the specifics, C. S. Broyles appears to have owned a mill, blacksmith and carpenter shop a gin and a store at Cerro Gordo Landing soon after John White died. The 1850 census lists C. S. Broyles as a merchant. Beginning about 1876, Risden D. Deford and some of his family began to buy the property that had originally belonged to John White and Elisha Bryant. They bought most of the property from Conway Sevier Broyles, and some from William H. Cherry. The Defords, who already had a mill and other businesses at Olive Hill, were expanding their operations. However, on the 19th day of September of 1882, Risden D. Deford sold out at Cerro Gordo to E. B. Harbour for $5000, what amounted to 284.6 acres of land including mill and machinery, blacksmith and carpenter tools, storehouse-fixtures and furniture including safe, desk, and store showcase. E. B. Harbour who was married to Martha Frances Pitts of Hardin Creek, did quiet well in the mercantile business. He soon expanded his business to include operations in Paducah Kentucky requiring additional manpower to manages his properties. Harbour brought his nephews into the business- John Hardy, John Abrham, Barney Brownlow and Elijah Franklin Pitts. The business at Cerro Gordo became known as Harbour-Pitts Company. Business was so good as to outgrow the two-story white frame store building that sat in what is now Hardy Pitts' driveway immediately across Clifton Road from the existing brick store building. A new building was needed. I am guessing, about 1910 construction begin toward that goal. A brick kiln was set up on the top of the ridge east of the store, thus the bricks for the proposed building were made on site. By 1911, a new 90 by 100 feet two story brick building came out of the ground, having brick walls reported to be 5 or 6 layers thick. The new building was completed in 1912. The next year, Elisha B. Harbour sold his interest to his nephews. By deed recorded on the 8th of July 1913, Harbour transferred his holdings at Cerro Gordo to Harbour-Pitts Company which amounted to about 400 acres including Cerro Gordo Landing and other property. The Pitts Brothers continued to do well and eventually bought additional land at Cerro Gordo that once had belonged to C. S. Broyles and Amos Hardin. However, I think due in part to illness in the family, Harbour-Pitts Company sold their Cerro Gordo holdings to The Cerro Gordo Mercantile Company owned by E. P. Churchwell and son, this transaction being recorded on the 10th of February 1920 in Deed Book UU-565 in the Hardin County Courthouse. About two years later on the 16th of January 1922, this process was reversed, and The Cerro Gordo Mercantile Company deeded the property back to Harbour-Pitts Company. The "Store" remained with the Pitts family until it closed a few years ago. When I was growing up in the 40's and early 50's Pitts' Store was the place to go when you needed anything from groceries, hardware, seed, feed, dry goods, shoes, clothing, dishes, pots & pans, guns and ammunition, horse collars, wagons, and a little before my time, coffins. I remember as a youngster sneaking to the basement to see the two or three old coffins down there. One was reported to have been too short or too narrow and had been returned. It's still there. I got new shoes about once a year. Brogans--boy did they hurt my feet. It took forever to break in those new shoes, but after a mud hole or two and letting them settle to my feet, I guess it wasn't so bad. Those shoes never did feel just right until they were almost worn out. I'm sure you've been there. Then you had to begin the process again. I couldn't wait until spring to go barefooted. The Store survived as long as it did, in part, because of travel limitations. A 10 mile round trip was an all day affair driving mules and a wagon. The depression and the 2nd War did not help this problem as transportation was severely limited. However, the upside for everyone involved was that you could buy just about anything you needed at the store, also borrow money and mortgage your property if need be. The old Store that ceased operation about the turn of this century was a Wal-Mart, Lowes, a Bank and a Post Office all rolled into one and was located out in the center of our community. We didn't know we had it so good. David Cagle December 2006