"Expect the unexpected"

First, I want to thank the reader for the comment, at least someone read my ramblings.


I believe the CBS reality series “Big Brother” has the slogan, “expect the unexpected”. Based on my experience in researching my family tree, the same could be said about genealogy. I remember a number of years ago going to a library in Carroll County, Tennessee, hoping to learn more about my Mother’s family. This was my first trip outside my home county and I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, I felt a bit intimidated, imagining others being there, armed with much more experience than I had, them knowing exactly where to look and me being oh so obvious that I was still wet behind the ears, a novice, a rookie. However, the librarian was extremely helpful, no one else was there and almost immediately I felt comfortable. Now, I think of how silly I was and how silly this sounds, but for me feeling totally inferior to someone is not a good feeling. I have seen too many poke fun and worse at others because they felt superior, even when that superiority was more imagined than fact. And not that I had anticipated someone actually commenting on my inexperience, I just didn’t want to appear to be as lost as I surely was.

My trip was a “bust”! I found nothing of Mama’s family, primarily due to my inexperience and not knowing where to look; however, the librarian made a comment I’ve remembered all of these years. She could see I wasn’t finding anything and told me, “if all of our relatives were criminals, they would be much easier to find”. An odd way to look at it, but she made a good point. Court records, even then, gave much more information than what one could learn of a farmer planting his crops.


Less than two weeks later, I stumbled onto a snippet in a book, addressing a murder trail in Benton County, Tennessee in 1845. Suddenly the Carroll County librarian's words had a whole new meaning. This murder trial involved my family and no, I didn’t have a family member murdered, my family were the murderers! Wow murderers!!
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The following was taken from "A History of Benton County to 1900", by Johnathan K.T. SMITH; pages 38-39:


One of the most tragic murders ever committed in the county was brought before the Circuit Court of Benton County in January 1845.


On the jury of inquest at that time were: Alfred Brewer, John C. Cherry, Green Flowers, Willie ARNOLD, William A. Hudson, Uriah Phifer, Nicholas Brewer, John Phifer, Thomas W. Pully, John L. Melton, Thomas Jones, and John Garrett. They found Joshua and Harriett YATES guilty of manslaughter and recommended that both be incarcerated in the state pentitentiary for 2 years.


From the Circuit Court records, it would appear that Joshua and Harriett YATES, "not having the fear of God before their eyes, but being moved and seduced by the devil, on 23 December 1844, attacked and killed James H. Cleghorn, with a fifty cent knife, inflicting a mortal wound on his left breast, five inches deep and three inches wide. The murderous intent of this deed seems manifest."


In the original bill of indictment, Elisha (Lige) YATES, widower, and his children: Joshua, Charlotte, Harriett, Adaline, Johannah and Salitha YATES were said to have been all guilty of this crime. However, after the testimonies of witnesses were heard and evaluated, it became evident that only the two YATES, heretofore named were really guilty of inflicting the mortal wound.


The case was to be heard fully the following autumn; at one time feeling was so high that it was necessary to take several of the YATES family to the Huntingdon jail for their safety. The principals of the deed were placed on bond, which was absconded and the murderers disappear from the scene (Elisha YATES had died in the meantime), leaving the afterwards curious, wondering what really happened.


Poor Cleghorn (how had he aroused such murderous sentiment?) lies still in his lonely grave, three-fourths of a mile west of the Camden-Lexington road, near Crossroads.
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At the time, my wife was working in the Benton County Circuit Court Clerks office, the office was open only a half day on Saturdays, so we spent the following Saturday afternoon going through court records investigating this trial. Elisha or Elijah Yates died 13 February 1845, while incarcerated in the Carroll County, Tennessee jail. This family’s relationship to James Harvey Cleghorn is not known, but it has been suggested he was possibly a brother to Elisha/Elijah Yates deceased wife. I can neither prove, nor disprove this theory; however, I suspect Elisha/Elijah Yates married Charlotte Casey, 15 July 1819, in Williamson County, TN. If my suspicion is true, the brother-in-law theory seems unlikely.


I have found the following on J. Harvey Cleghorn. He married Mary Hall in Benton County, TN, 7 September, 1840 and had a daughter, Mary Catherine, born 17 January 1845, nearly a month after his death. Mary Catherine Cleghorn married Thomas J. Redick, 12 March 1868 and had a son , William Monroe Redick.


The above article by Mr. Smith is a brief synopsis of the crime. The following was taken from the actual court records -
Adaline and Selitha Yates
Found not guilty Jan Term of court 1845
Jurors:
John Garrott, A W Brown, Will ARNOLD, Thomas W Pulley, John Phifer, Uriah Phifer, Thomas Jones, Nicholas Brown, Jr, J L Melton, John S Cherry, Green Flowers, W A Hudson.
Benton CO TN Sept 1845 Court Term


Adeline Yates was in jail in Carroll CO TN 12-27-1844 to 1-12-1845
Carroll CO reimbursed 18 days at 37 1//2 cents for each day $ 6.75
2 turn keys at 50 cents each 1.00 Total: 7.75


There were other records, but I have used these as an illustration of things one can find when researching their family’s roots. Mary Adeline Yates, was my 2nd great-grandmother, a daughter-in-law of George Bell. One other thing of note, the knife used to take the life of James Harvey Cleghorn, was said to cost fifty cents. Land records for this period of time, in Benton County, TN, indicate an acre of land was valued at 12 ½ cents. I wonder, was this an expensive knife considering it had the same value as 4 acres of land?


I will end this for now, hope it made sense. Sometimes I have a tendency to stray from my intended message. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my ramblings! As always, comments are welcomed and even encouraged.


Have a great day!