Edgar, Thanks for the history lesson. Very interesting. I knew of Cravens Mill, but did not know that it was the same as Martins Mill. I have a question. Where exactly was Martins Mill etc.? I note you said it was modern day Lutts. A topo map I have shows the place located on the road about half way form Houston to what I call Lutts today. I guess that would be considered Lutts community????? Another small point. I think Hamburg was about the upper end of the Tennessee River traffic in extreme dry weather. I guess Carrollsville was established before Hamburg was thought of ? I spent most of yesterday at Carrollsville. I am going to lay out some river lots at the old town site. Last thing. I have obtained a copy of the civil war diary of Dr. John Van Hoose of the "Hardin County Yankee Hunters" and later the First Confederate cavalry. There is not a great amount of information in the diary except that he gave the location of the unit almost every day for about a year leading up to the battle of Chickamauga. I am surprised that they crisscrossed Wayne and Hardin counties several times and spent a lot of their time in this area when I thought they were in Middle & East Tennessee. I don't think that Bert Hays was with the unit at the time, but that does give an explanation why he might be here. I intend to eventually publish the diary in the "Hardin County Historian." David ----- Original Message ----- From: Edgar D. Byler, III <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 8:41 AM Subject: Re: [TNWAYNE] Cravens Mills > Clay, > > I'm also sending this to the list as I think it would help a lot of people. > > Cravens Mills was in the same location as what was later called Martin's > Mills. > > The original name of the area, actually a post village, was Liddensville. It > was established by Benjamin Lidden as a post office and mill in 1829. > > Avery Craven became the owner of the mills and in the 1840's a new post > office was created under the name Cravens Mills. William J. Strayhorn, Jr. > of Maury Co., TN bought out the mills in 1854, but the name continued as > Cravens Mills until the mills were bought by Edwin B. Martin shortly before > the Civil war. However, the area was still known as Cravens Mills until > later when the post office was re-established after the war (1875) with > Edwin B. Martin as the postmaster. > > There is an interesting story about the burning of the Cravens (Martins) > Mills in 1863 during the Civil War. A union unit under the command of Capt. > Carmichael was sent from Clifton to destroy the mills and to round up > Confederates in the area. A Confederate group, under the command of Capt. W. > B. "Bert" Hayes reportedly was sent to protect the mills. When the two > groups met, a small battle (skirmish) ensued and Hayes lost the day, > retreating back to Hardin County. Carmichael set the mills ablaze and also > burned all the surrounding fields of corn and wheat. > > It is said that Hayes' sent a scout ahead to warn the people of the area > that Union forces were approaching intent on burning the mills. People from > the Houston area to what would later be called Lutts rushed to the mills and > loaded up all the flour and meal that could salvage. Several women filled > their aprons with flour. One story I heard reported that a woman (Catherine > Banks) and her children all ran as fast as they could to the warehouse by > the mill and filled up whatever container they had with all the flour and > corn meal the could carry. > > The mills were rebuilt by Edwin B. Martin following the war. The mills both > prior to the war and afterwards consisted of a flour mill, corn mill, cotton > gin, and sawmill. It is reported there was also a spinning mill and power > loom in operation there prior to the war, but I have no proof of that. > > I don't know if it existed prior to the war, but afterwards the village of > Martins Mills was actually laid out in streets and lots. > > None of that remains today. Even the last vestiges of the dams has been > removed by the Department of Conservation in their efforts to "improve" > Weatherford Creek. > > Benjamin Lidden left Wayne County shortly after 1830 moving to Mississippi. > I have not been able to locate Avery Craven after 1850. > > A detailed article on the Edwin B. Martin family and the mills was published > in the "Historian" several years ago. > > It is also important to note that Liddensville/Cravens Mills/Martins Mills > was located on an extremely important road - The Carrollville - Florence > Road. This road was established in 1820 and was the primary transportation > route between Florence, Alabama and Carrollville, Tennessee between 1820 and > 1836. The route was important because boats could not ascend or descend the > Tennessee river between Carrollville (Clifton) and Florence during dry > weather. Most business houses in Florence transported their goods to and > fro overland between Florence and Carrollville during dry weather. The route > of the Carrollville - Florence Road ran from Carrollville almost along the > route of TN 114 south, crossing the ridge between Hardin and Indian creeks > at the head of the Beckham Hollow. From the Beckham Hollow is followed the > course of Weatherford Creek through Martins Mills, present-day Lutts, all > the way up the creek to the ridge at Cypress Inn. At Cypress Inn, it crossed > Big Cypress Creek on one of the major bridges in the county prior to the > civil war (this bridge was burned in 1863 by Federal forces) and continued > south to Florence basically along the route of AL 157 today. > > The firm of Simpson Brothers of Florence AL (Hugh and James Simpson) had a > large warehouse in Carrollville as early as 1824, and James Irving of > Florence also had either an office or a warehouse in Carrollville in the > 1830's. > > Edgar > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Clay Daniels" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:44 AM > Subject: [TNWAYNE] Cravens Mills > > > > Where is, or was, Cravens Mills? > > > > I've got a pretty good map, and I do find Martins Mills north of Lutts on > > Weatherford Creek, but I can't seem to locate Cravens Mills. I have been > led > > to believe Cravens Mills is near Lutts, but do not find it on the map. Any > > suggestions? > > > > Clay Daniels > > > > > > ==== TNWAYNE Mailing List ==== > > Visit the Wayne County, Tennessee Genealogy and History Page at > > http://www.netease.net/wayne > > > > > > > > > > ==== TNWAYNE Mailing List ==== > Visit the Wayne County, Tennessee Genealogy and History Page at > http://www.netease.net/wayne > >

David, I believe you read the following and thought it meant Martin's Mills and Lutts were the same when actually it's saying the road went through Martin's Mills and the place that later became Lutts. "From the Beckham Hollow is followed the course of Weatherford Creek through Martin's Mills, present-day Lutts, all the way up the creek to the ridge at Cypress Inn." Martin's Mills is located between Houston and Lutts. Jerry W. Murphy [email protected] Jerry's Homepage: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jwmurphy/ Rootsweb List Administrator: ALFRANKL-L, TNHARDIN-L, TNWASHIN-L, TNWAYNE-L BRATTON-L, CAVENDER-L, COCHRAN-L, HAFLEY-L, PATTERSON-L, SOWERBY-L Wayne County, Tennessee Co-County Coordinator: http://www.netease.net/wayne Wayne County Computer Club: http://www.netease.net/waccc ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Cagle" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 2:18 PM Subject: Re: [TNWAYNE] Cravens Mills > Edgar, > Thanks for the history lesson. Very interesting. I knew of Cravens Mill, > but did not know that it was the same as Martins Mill. I have a question. > Where exactly was Martins Mill etc.? I note you said it was modern day > Lutts. A topo map I have shows the place located on the road about half > way form Houston to what I call Lutts today. I guess that would be > considered Lutts community????? > > Another small point. I think Hamburg was about the upper end of the > Tennessee River traffic in extreme dry weather. I guess Carrollsville was > established before Hamburg was thought of ? I spent most of yesterday at > Carrollsville. I am going to lay out some river lots at the old town site. > > Last thing. I have obtained a copy of the civil war diary of Dr. John Van > Hoose of the "Hardin County Yankee Hunters" and later the First Confederate > cavalry. > There is not a great amount of information in the diary except that he gave > the location of the unit almost every day for about a year leading up to the > battle of Chickamauga. I am surprised that they crisscrossed Wayne and > Hardin counties several times and spent a lot of their time in this area > when I thought they were in Middle & East Tennessee. I don't think that > Bert Hays was with the unit at the time, but that does give an explanation > why he might be here. > I intend to eventually publish the diary in the "Hardin County Historian." > David > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Edgar D. Byler, III <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 8:41 AM > Subject: Re: [TNWAYNE] Cravens Mills > > > > Clay, > > > > I'm also sending this to the list as I think it would help a lot of > people. > > > > Cravens Mills was in the same location as what was later called Martin's > > Mills. > > > > The original name of the area, actually a post village, was Liddensville. > It > > was established by Benjamin Lidden as a post office and mill in 1829. > > > > Avery Craven became the owner of the mills and in the 1840's a new post > > office was created under the name Cravens Mills. William J. Strayhorn, > Jr. > > of Maury Co., TN bought out the mills in 1854, but the name continued as > > Cravens Mills until the mills were bought by Edwin B. Martin shortly > before > > the Civil war. However, the area was still known as Cravens Mills until > > later when the post office was re-established after the war (1875) with > > Edwin B. Martin as the postmaster. > > > > There is an interesting story about the burning of the Cravens (Martins) > > Mills in 1863 during the Civil War. A union unit under the command of > Capt. > > Carmichael was sent from Clifton to destroy the mills and to round up > > Confederates in the area. A Confederate group, under the command of Capt. > W. > > B. "Bert" Hayes reportedly was sent to protect the mills. When the two > > groups met, a small battle (skirmish) ensued and Hayes lost the day, > > retreating back to Hardin County. Carmichael set the mills ablaze and also > > burned all the surrounding fields of corn and wheat. > > > > It is said that Hayes' sent a scout ahead to warn the people of the area > > that Union forces were approaching intent on burning the mills. People > from > > the Houston area to what would later be called Lutts rushed to the mills > and > > loaded up all the flour and meal that could salvage. Several women filled > > their aprons with flour. One story I heard reported that a woman > (Catherine > > Banks) and her children all ran as fast as they could to the warehouse by > > the mill and filled up whatever container they had with all the flour and > > corn meal the could carry. > > > > The mills were rebuilt by Edwin B. Martin following the war. The mills > both > > prior to the war and afterwards consisted of a flour mill, corn mill, > cotton > > gin, and sawmill. It is reported there was also a spinning mill and power > > loom in operation there prior to the war, but I have no proof of that. > > > > I don't know if it existed prior to the war, but afterwards the village of > > Martins Mills was actually laid out in streets and lots. > > > > None of that remains today. Even the last vestiges of the dams has been > > removed by the Department of Conservation in their efforts to "improve" > > Weatherford Creek. > > > > Benjamin Lidden left Wayne County shortly after 1830 moving to > Mississippi. > > I have not been able to locate Avery Craven after 1850. > > > > A detailed article on the Edwin B. Martin family and the mills was > published > > in the "Historian" several years ago. > > > > It is also important to note that Liddensville/Cravens Mills/Martins Mills > > was located on an extremely important road - The Carrollville - Florence > > Road. This road was established in 1820 and was the primary > transportation > > route between Florence, Alabama and Carrollville, Tennessee between 1820 > and > > 1836. The route was important because boats could not ascend or descend > the > > Tennessee river between Carrollville (Clifton) and Florence during dry > > weather. Most business houses in Florence transported their goods to and > > fro overland between Florence and Carrollville during dry weather. The > route > > of the Carrollville - Florence Road ran from Carrollville almost along the > > route of TN 114 south, crossing the ridge between Hardin and Indian creeks > > at the head of the Beckham Hollow. From the Beckham Hollow is followed the > > course of Weatherford Creek through Martins Mills, present-day Lutts, all > > the way up the creek to the ridge at Cypress Inn. At Cypress Inn, it > crossed > > Big Cypress Creek on one of the major bridges in the county prior to the > > civil war (this bridge was burned in 1863 by Federal forces) and continued > > south to Florence basically along the route of AL 157 today. > > > > The firm of Simpson Brothers of Florence AL (Hugh and James Simpson) had a > > large warehouse in Carrollville as early as 1824, and James Irving of > > Florence also had either an office or a warehouse in Carrollville in the > > 1830's. > > > > Edgar > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Clay Daniels" <[email protected]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:44 AM > > Subject: [TNWAYNE] Cravens Mills > > > > > > > Where is, or was, Cravens Mills? > > > > > > I've got a pretty good map, and I do find Martins Mills north of Lutts > on > > > Weatherford Creek, but I can't seem to locate Cravens Mills. I have been > > led > > > to believe Cravens Mills is near Lutts, but do not find it on the map. > Any > > > suggestions? > > > > > > Clay Daniels > > > > > > > > > ==== TNWAYNE Mailing List ==== > > > Visit the Wayne County, Tennessee Genealogy and History Page at > > > http://www.netease.net/wayne > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== TNWAYNE Mailing List ==== > > Visit the Wayne County, Tennessee Genealogy and History Page at > > http://www.netease.net/wayne > > > > > > > > > ==== TNWAYNE Mailing List ==== > Visit the Wayne County, Tennessee Genealogy and History Page at > http://www.netease.net/wayne > >