Teachers in Russell County, Lebanon District, 1877-1883

Here is the listing of teachers for Lebanon from 1877-1883. There were approximately 1,000 students each year.

Lebanon District		1877	1878	1879	1880	1881	1882	1883
	Boyd, E. A.						x
	Browning, Nannie (Miss)						x	x
	Buckles, C. R.			x	x	x
	Buckles, C. W.						x
	Buckles, W. N. (Rev.)	x	x
	Carpenter, Melvin G.					x		x
	Counts, L. B.				x	x
	Cumbo, A. H.	x
	Dickenson, Charles C.	x	x
	Ferguson, A. A.					x	x	x
	Fields, D. C.					x	x	x
	Fields, Hugh D.				x		x
	Fletcher, Thomas D.					x	x	x
	Frazier, Rev. George A.				x
	Fuller, Samuel P.						x
	Gibson, John T.			x	x	x	x	x
	Gillespie, Wm L.						x	x
	Hargis, Thomas J.				x
	Hendricks, W. N.	x	x
	Horne, Prof. Henry E.					x	x
	House, Kate (Miss)							x
	Musick, E. F. (Rev.)			x	x		x
	Pruner, W. H.		x
	Singleton, Peter B.					x
	Smith, Floyd						x	x
	Smith, Henry C.			x	x
	Sullivin, Samuel P.			x	x		x	x
	Thompson, S. H.					x	x
	Trent, Fannie					x	x
	Voorhees, Charles	x
	Walker, L.	x	x
	Wall, L. A. (Dr.)	x
	Walthall, T. D.							x
	Wright, P. R.							x
	Wyatt, Samuel H.			x	x

Samuel R. Lyttle to John W. Martin, 1860

Sentinal Prarie Polk Co, Mo, March 1st/60

John W. Martin,

Dear cousin,

Yours of the 5th of Dec. came to hand in due time, and was read with pleasure & interest. I was truly glad to hear from the land of my nativity and to learn that those who are near to me, both by the times of affinity and consangunity were in the enjoyment of good health, and that they had hearts and minds to fully appreciate the same with all other blessings that are bestowed upon us by beneficent Heaven. I am truly thankful to our great Creator and kind Preserver that I am able to say that we are all in the enjoyment of good health, notwithstanding  disease and death have been abroad in our land and cut down our much beloved and respected cousin Nathaniel M. Martin. He died the 12th of Dec., with consumption, he cam to this country about 15 months before he died, taught school six months in the lower end of the county; about the first of July he went to Arkansas and stayed until the first of Sep. He then returned to Mo. again after his trunk stayed with us a few days and then returned to Arkansas to teach this winter but against he arrived there he found himself unable to teach, he hired a man to bring him back to Mo. intending to spend the winter with me and his brothers in law in Pulaski but was unable to reach either.

He got to the neighborhood where he had taught school and was not able to get any further. He lingered about 2 months was only confined to his bed 2 weeks. I was with him frequently during his sickness and the last week I was with him 4 days but was absent when died. He was perfectly resigned to his fate, he said he had a desire to live but nothing to fear in death, he was universally love[d] and respected by all who knew him.

Cousin Elisha and Emily arrived at my house a week after his death, they stayed with us three weeks and then returned to Pulaski where their sons in law live. They take the death of Nathaniel very hard, Emily was almost prostrate.

George is with us this winter teaching school for us he is getting 30$ per month and is well liked as a teacher and well qualified for the business. Cousin Elisha likes the west very well, but Cousin Emily is very much dissatisfied but I hope as her troubles wear off she will become better satisfied. I am very well pleased with the country. I have much better health than I had in Tenn. Health is generally very good here. The west is a pretty good country, land is cheap to what it is in that country. Timber is scarce in places, but along the creeks and rivers timber is fine. Water is very good but at certain seasons of the year it is rather scarce. This is a fine grass country and well adapted to raising stock. The land is much easier cultivated here than it is there, and produces much better. Society is very good for a new country, will compare with the older states. A good school system and a large public fund, but it is unnecesaary that I should particularise or hold out inducements to you as you expect to live and die an old bachelor and will have no use for a fine farm in the far west.

Winter is gone and spring has come a gain and if the weather remains as it is a few days the earth will be clothed with a green carpet decorated with flowers of various hues.

We have had a very cold open winter, very hard on wheat, all late sowed wheat is finally killed, what I have sowed looks promising.

I must come to a close as it is getting late, you must write soon. George F. Martin sends his love and respects to you. Give my love to all my friends and relations, tell Andrew Martin that I will write to him shortly. Give my love to Aunt Peggy and all the family and accept the same yourself. Your Cousin most truly,

Samuel R. Lyttle

Alexander M. Lee Tries to Get a Substitute

In 1862, Alexander M. Lee and his mother Chloe Lee borrowed money from William C. Jackson with the intention of hiring substitutes for A. M. and his brother Tivis P. Lee. Unfortunately, the man they found, William Patterson, did not end up serving as a substitute. In fact, it appears that Patterson hid out for two years before finally being conscripted and serving in the 48th Virginia Infantry.

Eventually Alexander M. Lee and his brother Tivis enlisted in the 48th Virginia Infantry where Tivis was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5th, 1864. Alexander was wounded and eventually transferred from the Infantry to the 10th Kentucky Cavalry. The reason for the transfer was his wound and the fact that he weighed 230 pounds and was not able to keep up on the march.

In 1889 a rather tedious Chancery Case was begun which revolved around the debt of money owed by Alexander M. Lee to William C. Jackson, who subsequently sold the note of debt to Charles Gose.

Excerpts from the Case below discuss the attempted substitution by William Patterson, and some back and forth between Charles Gose and S. H. Banner on who served in the army.


From Chancery Court case 1889-052

The deposition of Ruil Ritenbery taken on the 18th day of October 1888, at Killgoer in Boyd County Kentucky.

I was working for William C. Jackson when the money in controversey was borrowed by A. M. Lee from Wm C. Jackson about July or August 1862...It was what we called Confederate money that was issued under the so called Confederate States. My recollection is that the amount of money borrowed was seven hundred or seven hundred and fifty dollars....I know that A. M. Lee borrowed the money to hire substitutes for him self and Tivis Lee, his brother. William Patterson, just after A. M. Lee got the money...went off with A. M. Lee, but in fifteen or twenty days was back and did not go in the army as a substitute for A. M. Lee.

Testimony of S. H. Banner

QUESTION: Do you know whether or not A. M. Lee & his mother Chloe Osborn hired substitutes for himself & one for Tivis P Lee to take their parts in the Army in 1862?

ANSWER: I suppose they did. Mr Lee told me they did it was always my understanding. I know of them taking substitutes off to the army & then returning. A. M. Lee & Tivis P. Lee did not return. A. M. Lee returned after he was wounded & Tivis P. Lee never returned, he was killed.

QUESTION: You say there was a war about that time?

ANSWER: Yes sir there was.

QUESTION: Was Hop Gose in it?

ANSWER: Yes sir I suppose he was.

QUESTION: Was Jim Jack [Dickenson] in it.

ANSWER: yes sir I reckon he was

QUESTION: Was Beil[?] Fields?

ANSWER: I do not know except what I hear say. He says he was in it.

QUESTION: Did any body get shot?

ANSWER: Yes sir I reckon they did.

QUESTION: Was Geo. Washington there?

ANSWER: I do not know.

QUESTION: Was Geo. C. Gose in the Army?

ANSWER: He was.

QUESTION: Did he get shot?

ANSWER: No sir I think not.

QUESTION: Was A. M. Lee in the army?

ANSWER: He was. He was in a pretty hot place, they did some pretty heavy fighting.

QUESTION: Was Tivis P. Lee in the army?

ANSWER: He was and was killed & his remains were brought back here after the war.

QUESTION: Was Fletcher Lee in the army?

ANSWER: He was.

QUESTION: Was he shot?

ANSWER: If he ever was I never heard of it.

QUESTION: Was Wm E Lee in the army?

ANSWER: He was, I do not think he was wounded.

Eventually Alexander M. Lee lost the case and was order to pay the debt owed to Charles Gose.

World War I Letters of Russell County, February 15, 1918

The following World War I letter appeared in the February 15, 1918 issue of the Lebanon News.

"Somewhere in France,
January 6, 1918
Mr. E. R. Combs,
Lebanon, Va.

Dear Uncle:

I have your letter of December 5. I was very glad to hear from you. It takes a month to get a letter over here, but they read just as well as if they had been written yesterday.

When does Stuart's company go into training? I suppose they will go to Ft. Monroe.

I imagine you have had your hands full this court. I wish I was near enough to help you out some but you see how it is. Of course you had the usual December Term docket.

We appreciate everything you are doing for us there thru Red Cross and Y. M. C. A., and feel that all the people are making a great sacrifice. We are in the war and the only thing to be done is to lick the Huns good and proper, and come home.

I would like to be there now, but we have a good sized job to be done yet. When we do it we will come home alright.

We can't write much about our experience, but we had a fine trip coming over, and after we got here had a nice little ride on a box car. The weather was cold and nice for a ride of that kind. I can't tell you how long we were on the aforesaid box car but I had enough of it. Since that time we have had a nice little hike - heavy marching order, and it snowed most of the way. I can't tell you how far we hiked either. My bed room, most of the time since we have been in France, has been a nice, warm barn; however, I'm not kicking at present.

I hear the conscripts are having a very hard time. Some of the boys heard from one of the 'critters' and he wrote that the steam pipes had bursted and he had to sleep in his clothes for two nights, and they hadn't any butter for two days. You don't know how sorry I am for them.

Wood is very scarce here and coal isn't much good, however, our steam pipes (!) are perfectly good! I just naturally love hard tacks, bacon, etc.!

I am doing stenographic work, as usual, and my work isn't so very heavy - about two hours per day. I don't mind that much, but am on duty all the time.

I have received several copies of the Lebanon News and we get Roanoke, Lynchburg, and other papers from the States. The New York Herald, Chicago Tribune and Daily Mail are printed here in France and we can buy them for 15 centines (3c) per copy. they are side issues of papers printed in the U. S.

I didn't know there could be so much difference between two countries. There is so much difference in the machinery, and the buildings are all masonary and the houses and barns of the poorer classes are built adjoining. All they have to do when they want to feed is to open the door and they are in the barn.

I have seen a good deal of American farm machinery over here. Instead of hitching their horses side by side they hitch them on in front of the other. I have seen as high as 5 horses hitched in this way. When they hitch up 4 they put one between the shaves then two and the other in front of the two. I have seen two horses and an ox (cow) hitched to the same plow. Looks funny to me.

I guess about half of this will be thrown out, but I haven't told many secrets.

Give my love to all the family and to all my friends, and write soon.

Your nephew,
E. F. HARGIS
Hg. Det. 117th T. H. and M. P.
American Forces"