AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN WISE RILEY
by Dr. William Augustus Evans circa 1935
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My name Is John Wise Riley. I live two miles east of Athens. My mother's maiden name was Laura Wise. She was a descendant of John Wise. The first Wise came to Monroe County in 1817. They came from Bedford County Tennessee. My father was born in Lawrence County, South Carolina. He came to Monroe County in 1857. The Wise's came down here on horseback. They came by the first road north of Trace Road which went by Cotton Gin.

In coming down here he lost an ox. They were driving them in a herd and it got lost. There was a hill named for him called Bull Mountain. There was also a 27 mile creek now called Bull Mountain Creek named by him.

Wise cut logs to build a house. He didn't finish it because the indians said the logs had been out on their side of Gaines Trace. in the party of 1817 there were three Wise families, Two or three Gideons, Bookers, and Weavers and Thames who settled at the ferry.

Isaac Mayfield moved to Cotton Gin in 1819 or 1820 and put up a trading store. Tom Elkin came from Tennessee in 1820 and settled at the road to Hamilton at the forks of the road; one road went to Athens and one to Hamilton. They used to call these the Martin Bluff and Hamilton road.

The Elkins settled in 1820. They ran a tavern and a store. Tribble owns the present location. William G. Elkin was born there.

The Wise's came from Tennessee. Squire Wise was my grandfather. He was the Justice of the Peace from 1838 to 1863. Peg leg wise was a cousin to him. They lived around the meeting house. Peg Leg wise was a noted man. He was born one legged. He lived to be 60 years old. This was Peg Leg number one.

The people who came with my father from South Carolina were the Murffs and the Jones, Dan Taylor and Jeff Cooper's people. His brother was the Governor of South Carolina. The Pucketts came with the Taylors.

Most of the people that came joined the New Prospect Church. It was first called the South Carolina Church because of these people were from there that joined the Church. There were three cemeteries: the Jones, Prospect, and Sartors. All these families came from South Carolina

The man who built the court house at Hamilton was called Walpole. Silas Kendrick was the sheriff after the Civil War in 1865 and was a Walpole descendent. Tyrone's grandmother was a Walpole. Bob Woods was descended from him.

Lemon Bailey Armstrong built Athens' Courthouse (no 2). There was never a spring there but they gave Moon $100 to clean the square and build a well. The spring in Quincy was east of Quincy about a quarter of a mile. Before they built a town they always picked out a spring. They made brandy at the spring for Harry Terrle. Beull made it. The Carter's also made it but the Crenshaws didn't.

The Sartor family came in 1846 the year of the big freeze. in that country we had a freeze in May and had to plant everything over again. They came from Union County, South Carolina in,1845. With them came two doctor Sartor amd General Sartor and the Coleman family. They settled at Hamilton. Dr. Dan Sartor practiced there. Jim Sartor went near Morman Springs. The general was in the military but didn't go to any wars. He died after John was grown. He farmed where Dan Taylor lives now. Billy Taylor was Dan's father.

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Dan Taylor bought the place from his father. The General Sartor place Is now called the Dan Taylor place. Smith built the house on the other Sartor place. Asbury Butler lived there and the Crenshaws bought it from Terrel. Lucien Moore built the house on the Hamilton road that goes to Athens at the Cross road east of Lackey. Mrs. Barton lives there now. They used to call that place the Sartor cross roads because Dan Sartor lived there. Stephen Harmon built a house on the Tucker place. The house is still there. My father.used to live three miles from there. Stephen Harmon gave three acres of land for a church about six miles due south of Greenwood Stephen Harmon has several descendants; a grandaughter at Smithville; a grandson who is a doctor. The old man, Andrew Crosby, married a Porter. Her mother was a Harmon; her son was Stephen Harmon Crosby.

Dillingham lived below Mormon Springs. He had a grey horse named Dan who was an excellent horse. He killed Dillingham's son; he ran over a cow and broke the boy's neck. Neely was a horseman and he had a mare named Moll. His Moll beat Dillingham's Dan. Dan could run 1/2 mile and Moll, 1/4. Neely started a fight because he beat Dan.

Fowlkes was the first Treasurer of the county. Stephen Cocke came from Lowndes County. N.B. Buckingham's daughter married Moore. Stephen Buckingham lived where Lawrence Smith lives now in Aberdeen. His father lived where the Coca Cola plant is no(w) located; it was owned by Sterling H. Buckingham. Landon Carter lived south of the Buckinghams. His grandson Landon Moore lives near Quincy. Two of them live at the Lann place. His daughter runs the lunch car in town, and his son drives for a truck company. Landon lived behind the Lambeth place.

Lafayette Willis had a dog named Crockett. Willis thought it was the best dog in the county. His father's name was Austin Willis, Augustus changed his name to Austin. Landon Carter was an officer of the county; I think he was a tax collector. He came from Tennessee with the Buckinghams. The other Carters had a big family who came to Whiskey Bill Carter's place. Jessee had three sons. They were Tommy Carter and Billy Carter and Hardy Carter; each one had a large family. Carter, was one legged; he lost his leg in the war of 1812. Colonel Easter was in the War of 1812. Gideon's great, great, granddaughter was buried in the Sauter Cemetery. She was a neice to General Taylor. This was the first cemetery in this part of the country. This baby was the first person to be buried there. My James Taylor lives at this place. It used to be deserted but it Is under cultivation now. Carter and my father were buried there.

Isaac Mayfield came the next year after my father in 1819. Colonel Mayfield came to Grandfather Wise's. My Grandfather was a Tucker. Tillman Mayfield Tucker was governor and the son of the first Tucker whose wife was a Mayfield. The Burdines lives above Hatley.

General Gholson practiced law at Athens. He was a large farmer. He married a Ragsdale. They had camp ground meetings. They were religious and political. Dr. Martin ownes the old place. Dr. Broyles built the Broyles home. When he built it he said that neither the Lord the devil, or man could tear It down. It is still standing. It Is near Hamilton. It Is two stories high.

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A house called the Parker Alexander house was built in 1836; It was built by Roberts. Alexander lived south of Hamilton; Roberts lived north of Hamilton. Mrs. Broyles was a Moore; they lived below Aberdeen with her and were wealthy. Broyles got mad at Moore and would not speak. Moore was a Colonel in the war. Troup got hold of some land from Alexander. He owned land from the forks of the road, south.

Johnny Crump came here from South Carolina. His daughter married a Knowles. Crumps started a cemetery. Crump was buried there. He came after the Wise's. Murrell robbed Crump. There are lots of legends about the way be was robbed.

Knowles was a nephew of Abel Stanton. Stanton came from Rhode Island. Knowles first worked for Stanton. Dr. Watkins' wife was a Knowles. Williamson owned a lot of land. Watkins and Knowles were in business. He owned three sections of Land east of Amory. Howell owned a big place there. There are -no Williamson's in the county now. Dillworth and McCullen are distant relations to him. One lives in Jackson.

Jerome Lann built the Mill Creek Dam. The Lann and Malone Creek flowed to Mill Creek. It never overflowed' because there was a big mill dam below Quincy. This was Gray's mill.

Parchman had another mill three miles below the Howell Mills. Coleman Sartor built the Sarters Mill. The mountain laurel was next to the Sarterts Mill. This is the only mountain laurel in the state. I do not know when It blooms. The Lanns own this place now. I do not know how the laurel happened to be there. The old man Sarter came about the time John Crosby died. "Lush" Morgan was Judge Morgan's father. "Lush" died in Colorado. He was a Colonel. After this he went out west and became a sheriff. Other Morgans were killed in the Civil War. Clebe a and Curb were Killed.The Hills used to have a store in. Athens.

The Knights lived where Dr. Dabbs lives now. He lived and died there. The Knights sold out after that and left the children at Quincy. Green Hill ran the largest store in Athens. Dr. Broyles lived with the Terrals. The store was on the east side of the road. It has been torn down; there is no store there now. The Durretts live at the old Terrell place. There Is no Episcopal Church there. Miss Oliver was very much of a church woman. She married Dr. Eckfords father and was the mother of his children. There was not enough white people in Quincy to have a school. Mrs. Terrell moved there; she had three or four children, the Boyd's had five; they took Dr. Broyles house and made a school. This was the first school in Quincy. Dr. Broyles went to Quincy Chapel which was the Methodist Church Building.

Depriest had a large family. Granny Depriest came with the daughters and grandsons when they came to this county. They settled where old man Lay lives. My grandfather Wise and his brother bought her out and she moved to Gatman. All the Bakers are descended from the Dunlaps, Parchmans, and three or four sons. Baker married one of the children, and Malone, the other. Malone lived west of Quincy.

Old Lady Depriest died at 106 years of age. She was Mary Crosby. She came from Illinois. She was buried at the Blair Cemetery, but her grave is not marked. Senator Sullivan lived below Morman Springs. He worked a trick to get into the Senate. He was, the Senator for Lowndes and Monroe County. He got the government to appropriate money to clean out the Buttahatchie River; he took negroes and filled it up. They had

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a law suit at Aberdeen about It. The Sullivans didn't have a title to the land and they took it away from them. He claimed he bought 640 acres of swamp land and the other people had the deed to the land. He didn't have a good deed.

The Marchbanks were rich. They lived by the Sullivans. They owned all the land from the Sullivans to Mormon Springs. The Wests came from South Carolina. One lives near Mormon Springs now. He came from Beeks place, and is still living. He was raised below me. Mlarchbanks came with the Bankheads. They settled above the Sullivans. The Senator was raised above Buttahatchie. The younger one lived above the railroad and Hollis lived here too.

There were several large farms around there. The Bankheads, Sullivans and the Blairs had large farms. The Blairs lived south of Greenwood Springs. Cockerhams lived on the west side of Buttahatchle river. Three or four of them owned stores. Grubb Springs may have gotten its name from a man named Grubbs. Grubbs lived among the indians before the white people were supposed to have been here. There were the Chickasaws, some Choctaws and a few Cherokees and Creeks. .

The Durretts came from Louisiana. He was called Parson Durrett He had a sawmill at Quincy. He moved to Prairie and died there. He has a brother at Amory. They came during the late 30's and 40's. Several negroes were hanged for killing Blanchard but not in Athens. Riggs was the first man hanged at Athens (for killing Hunt in Aberdeen.)

John Beeks came from South Carolina and settled at the Beek Cemetery. He picked out his home; he later died there. He owned a big track of land. He came from Lawrence County, South Carolina. He came before my father did. All the Beeks are descended from him who are buried in the cemetery.

There were three families of Joneses. Charlie and Cebe Jones ,were cousins, but Tom Jones was not kin to either of them. The five Armstrong brothers all practiced medicine. One settled ,at the Lemon place, one at Athens, one a mile south of Athens an one on the road to Hamilton, one was killed at Fort Donalson, and I don't know what happened to the other one. Armstrong cut Cabe with a knife. Cabe didn't have any children. The only one living now is Dan. He had six boys and four girls. Cabe married a Beeks. Addison married a Mitchell first, and the only relations in the county Is a grandson, He lives at Hamilton. All the others went to Arkansas except one.

The Howell family came in 1820. He had 18 children. he lived where Walter Howell lives. Horace Howell Is the oldest grandson, he lived near the cemetery. Some went to Texas, some to Prentiss County The old man lived to be 81 years old; they came from South Carolina., The only Baptist church is in the fork of the road at Athens; there was none before this one was built. Mount Heburn Church Is in the Beeks neighborhood. The burial ground was the Howell Cemetery. Morgan lived there on the north side of the road. McKinney's have a blacksmith shop there. Napoleon Tubb started It. Walter Smith was in partnership with him in the gin. His wife works at a Millener shop. He was a senator. They built Athens where it is instead of at Bolivar because of the location; they tried to get it in the center of the county.

The Prewetts were bosses then. They lived at Bolivar and tried to rule It. The Howells and Morgans were strong. They ganged upon them Prewetts and made them put Athens near them. John Loughridge lives at the Alabama line on the east side of Sipsey Creek; he Is not related to the Loughridge at Hamilton. The first one's name was Jake. I do not know where the Pickles and Rays came from, but they

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lived east of Sipsey near the Alabama line. The Higgins and Lanns lived on the west side of Sipsey near Splunge. This place was called Lannsdale. Reuben Davis, in 1821, said the first man that he knew in Mississippi was Higgins; the first preacher was Cocke, but we think he meant to say Cook. The McKinneys and Lanns came from South Carolina. The Lanns had an inn at Splunge where the stage stopped. Reuben Davis stayed there at the inn. One side of the road was the stables and on the other side, the inn. Lann had three brothers. The old man Lann had to go to the Revolutionary war. He had a partner who was an Irishman, Kitchen, who he made promise to look after his family since he was not married. Lann was killed and Kitchen came back and married the widow Lann. They and her three sons moved to Splunge. Lann's mother was a Sullivan. Captain Lann moved to Buttahatchie.

The Crenshaws came from South Carolina. There were three Crenshaws. They all lived near Greenwood Springs. Dave, the old man, Willis, and Tom lived there. I do not know where Bobby Woods came from. He was Andy's father. Andy's mother was Jim Tyrone's wife. Jim Tyrone's father married a woman and it made the children and Mrs. Woods mad. Jim's father died in Arkansas.

Tyrone had two mills. One was near Greenwood Springs. Bolivar was above Athens about a mile and a half from Athens across Tadpole Creek. The Prewetts lived here. The first Prewett was Lemuel. Mrs. James Asbury Bailey lived there. Prewett owned the land. The house which is there now has the chimney that was built for the first one. There was a race track at Bolivar; Kirkpatrick had it rented. Miss Kate Ward had a lot of money and sued him for $3O,OOO and lost it all. He took the money and bought property with it. He sold It to Carbury for $2200. Parchman settled north of Quincy. The gas well land used to belong to Parchmans; Parchman sold it to Carter and found oil on it. Carter owns it now. Parchman came from Tennessee. They were horse racers and gamblers. They were tough people and fought a lot. Parchman married a Dillingham. They got drunk and got in a fight and Dillimgham was killed.

Captain Lann married two daughters of N.L. Morgan. He, came to Athens in 1840. Clark came to the Bullock place. Morgan had no family but owned some negroes. Clark died and Morgan got the negroes and land. Morgan lived where Ben McKinney later lives. There was a Methodist Church,at Athens, which was in the forks of the road, and they had camp meetings there. There were other camp meeting grounds too.

I remember Moon's Branch at the Athens Camp grounds and the spring is still there; the shed has been torn down. The place is now under cultivation. Bishop Paine preached there. He preached on the Prodigal Son in 1873 or 1874 at Athens Camp Ground. He preached there about 50 years. This was a famous place for political speakings. The first time Jefferson Davis was to speak at Athens Camp in 1850, he did not make it. He got sick with neuralga of the face. He had feverblisters on his eyes. This caused him to go blind in one eye. He wrote to Stephen Cooke and sald that he couldn't come because he was sick. Baker Word was nominated for sheriff in 1880 at the Camp Grounds. He was running against Dredd Sykes. Greenwood had a store. Thomas' wife was named Lydia. One of his daughters married B.M. Terrell; one married Ligon. The old man was called W.A. Posey, he was raised over there and went to Texas later. He came to Cokes. He said his father made him take the dogs to the spring and used the yellow mud to cure the mange. The indians called it "healing springs," or Achumkma Keli."

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The first old Posey woman there was over here came from Ireland. Old Doctor Ford came from Virginia. He owned land north Quincy, and after that he sold it and went to Hamilton. He sold it to Dr. Broyles. Ford Butler at Amory is descended from this Ford. They called Dr.Broyles Dr. "Briles." He was a bachelor and lived with the Terrells. He was buried at Quincy. He had a brother called Jake who lived where Byron Wilson's garage is between here and Amory on the Aberdeen-Amory road.