Thank you Frances and Bobby for your recollections. My G-grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Kersey (B. F. or Frank) He married Martha Vaughn 1867 in Belfast. She is daughter of James W. and Elizabeth (Wall) Vaughn (also from Belfast). Julia Frances B. Roberts wrote: > Bobby, you did a very good job of describing Belfast it probably was > not that different from the other communities around there in those days > we just did not get that far from home. The building of hwy 431 was > something I remember very vividly > They were able to put a hard surface on it to where the current Highway > Garage is now just northwest of Belfast and ran out of funds and it was > those hard crushed stone from there you could really create a plumb of > white dust behind your car. > > I attempted to scan an aerial photo of Belfast that was on the cover of > Marshall County Historical Quarterly and was told because it belonged to > them I could not, for any one interested it is Vol. II #3 Fall of 1971 > features Belfast. It says the first settler in the community was > Nathaniel Dryden in 1807--and the first neighbor was Thompson Cannon. > Others listed were John and Robert Orr, James Coffey, Francis H. Woods, > James Leiper, Thomas Cummings, James Lowery, John Endsley, Samuel Ramsey > and William Williams who operated the first store at the foot of round > hill in 1808--It also says the name Belfast was given the community by > Settlers who were of Scotch-Irish descent. > > The school building which just burned a few years ago had 2 grades to a > room when I went there from 1933-to 1945-- > There was one graduating class after mine in 1946 and then that was all > of the high school and they had a grammar school for several years after > that. > > I think the train made a round trip from Columbia, Tn to Dechard Tn. and > it was used a lot in the 20 and 30. My mother who lived in South Berlin > Tn. (other side of the county) rode the train daily to high school in > Lewisburg to give you an idea how important the train was to the daily > life. You could ride from Belfast to points south and then back in the > same day and if you went North you would have to stay over night. I > would appreciate any correction to that statement if I am wrong. > > Julia what is the name of your relative you are wanting to know about > serving in the civil war. Almost ever family around there had some one > in the civil war and most were confederate soldiers. > Frances Beard Roberts