DICKSON, TENNESSEE

Nelson ADAMS Homestead

A Narrative told by: Michael Smith

As a young adult, maybe mid twenties, I was in the Nelson ADAMS' log house. The property at that time was owned by my Uncle Charles Smith.

It was a "two" story log home. As you entered the front door, there was one large room with the fireplace on the left wall (the creek sidewall). From the left rear corner of the room, stairs went up across the face of the fireplace to the second floor, which was also one large room. There were still char marks by the front door from the explosion of the oil lamp which caused Martha (MATHIS) ADAMS' death.

Charles & Lou (ELDRIDGE) SMITH (my paternal grandparents) bought the ADAMS homeplace from D. W. & Sally (ADAMS) HUDSON who got it from Nelson's estate & Capt.. Bill ADAMS (the Exec.) after Nelson's death. My father, Joseph Lewis SMITH, was born in that log house 2 Jun 1912.

He told stories about waking up on the second floor of the old log home with snow on his quilts that had drifted in through the cracks in the logs. He also told about watching through the cracks in the floor, chickens running around under the house. There is a large mulberry tree growing right by the chimney, which is contributing to its downfall.

Another story concerns Martha (MATHIS) ADAMS. During the Civil War, a group of "Bushwhackers" rode up to the old homeplace and demanded she cook up all her food for them. She didn't have much choice.

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