by Sandra Nipper Ratledge
~ built ca. 1835 in McMinn County, TN ~
I have a picture of the log cabin that Ephraim built. The cabin was still there in 1987 when we went exploring our roots. It was only a one room log cabin, not a two-story and much later used for a calf shed. I wanted to cry, but I understand that a storm damaged it in the 90s and the family, distant relatives, who owned the property tore it down. My first cousin, three times removed on the McCosh side, who lives in Monroe County, that I met and knew about for the first time took me to this site of the old place in 1985. She still lives near there in Sweetwater. The McCosh home place was near.
According to p. 249 of The History of Sweetwater Valley by W. B. Lenoir, Ephraim M. Manis came to Monroe CO, TN about 1819 from Hawkins CO, TN and then moved to McMinn CO, TN about 1834. Census records support this information from his son James Harvey Manis as given to Mr. Lenoir. Therefore, this cabin probably dates all the way back to the mid 1830s!
A recent newspaper article deplored the fact that log cabins have almost completely disappeared from the Tennessee landscape. It is indeed a shame that descendants may never know the location of old home places, much less the appearance of cabins built by pioneer settlers. Frequently, I receive email telling me that an old home place has fallen down or burned. Only this week I received an email saying that an old chimney marking a home site was torn down because someone wanted the bricks.
Public Domain, but please include this site in your sources
Homespun
Graphics
by
Sandra Ratledge
All you kinfolks, put some mail in that old box!
