The following excerpts were taken from: "JAMES COUNTY: A LOST COUNTY OF TENNESSEE" A Project of Old James County Chapter, East Tennessee Historical Society; Polly W. Donnelly, Editor.
BIRCHWOOD
Birchwood, located in the northwestern section of James County, just south of the Meigs County line, was the most northern community of the county. Early settlers coming to this area probably found the location attractive because of the prevalence of good springs. Before being given the name Birchwood, the little community was known at different times as Dixon Spring, Kimbrough Spring, Hutcheson Spring, Lane Spring, and Gross Spring. The name Birchwood came from a birch tree which old timers say grew near a spring that was behind the present Foster's Store. When the first post office was established, September 12, 1854, the name was spelled as two words-Birch Wood, but it was later changed to Birchwood...
...The Jacob Gross family came to Birchwood from Sevierville, Tennessee. Two Roark brothers, James and John, moved there from Claiborne County, Tennessee, in 1833. Many of the present Roark families, as well as other Birchwood families are descendants of these hardy pioneers...
...Little is known about Birchwood during the war years; however, four Baker brothers were fortunate in being among those who survived the explosion of the Sultana, a ship on the Mississippi, which was returning prisoners of war to their homes after the fighting ceased. Another local soldier, George Gross, was killed in that accident which is said to have taken the lives of more than a thousand soldiers...
...Some people tried their hand at the mercantile trade; a few stores carried only groceries, but general stores were more common. Most of the storekeepers extended credit to their customers and also dealt in barter as a form of trade. A list of merchants compiled by Henry Starnes, Jr., dating from 1861 to 1921, gave the first storekeeper as Robert A. Dixon in 1861, followed by D. G. Samples, Wm. L. Hutcheson, J. J. Browder, Henry Starnes, J. H. Coker, H. D. Martin, G. W. Campbell, John Clingan, Judge Jethro Munger, W. Alex McCallie, Wrinkle and Kerr, W. R. Haney, Frank McDonald, M. M. Ziegler, Sam and Charlie Leonard, S. J. Conner and Bangor McClanahnn, and Zeigler, White and Weire, who were in business before 1900. During the early 1900's other stores or merchants were: Starnes Bros.; C. A. Lane; J. H. Starnes and Co.; Roark; Gross Co.; DeFriese Bros. and Weire; DeFriese Bros. and Taliaferro; DeFriese Bros.; C. E. Downy; H. E. White and Co.; and McCallie, Bischoff and Bare...
...The Birchwood Baptist Church was the first Baptist church to be organized and built in James County following the county's organization in 1871. It is also the only original Baptist Church still standing in the Old James County area. The church was organized on the fourth Saturday of September, 1873, by twenty-four members of the Salem Baptist Church. The Rev. George Luther was the organizing minister with the following charter members: Jacob and Elizabeth Baker, James Cameron, Sr., James Cameron, Jr., George Campbell, Jack, Margaret and James Conner, William and Mary Curton, Lena Dickson, the Rev. John Gass, Hose Gross, Mace and Tishia Gross, Burton Holman, Duke Kimbrough, Bee and Sarah Lane, T. J. Leonard, John B. and Nancy Roark, and Catherine Smith...
...The adjoining historic cemetery {Birchwood Methodist Church}bears names of many pioneers in the area: Bower, Brown, Curton, DeFriese, Dixon, Gamble, Gross, Harris, Hutcheson, Knox, Lane, Martin, McClanahan, McCallie, Munger, Olinger, Pierce, Potter, Tipton, and Witt...
...In 1913 a large tabernacle, erected west of the cemetery, was used as a community center in which Rev. Pounders conducted revivals. A brass band performance also attracted attention in the late 1910's. Around 1915 four-note singing, held at the behest of Ed Clingan, was described as the "best ever heard" by Bill Dickson, whose father, James A. (Nellie), was leader. Thomas Gross was another well-known four-note singer at the tabernacle...
...Mr. Rutherford maintained the school until his death in 1915 assisted by Mrs. Rutherford, J. C. Parks, Andy J. Gross, Frank Gross, J. W. Rodgers, J. D. Bare, J. M. Bare, F. N. Sanders, Miss Lola Conner, and Miss Cindy Guinn. The extent to which students of the school became successful teachers, preachers, lawyers, and doctors was unusual...
The school's alumni organized the Rutherford Memorial Association in 1924 in appreciation of Rutherford's outstanding contributions to the community. A large monument was erected on the grounds in his memory, and the association continued to meet annually until September 1977 except for one or two years during World War II. The last meeting was held in the old schoolhouse which has been used by the Limestone Lodge No. 176 F. & A. M. since November 15, 1915.
After Mr. Rutherford's death, James County constructed a two-room building which was the first school in the community built with public funds. The first principal was Benjamin H. Gross assisted by Miss Annie Holman, both having previously attended the Rutherford School. They were followed by K. K. Newport as principal. James County later added more rooms to the original building before its demise in 1919 Gross, a World War I veteran wounded in action, later studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. His devoted teaching career was primarily in the Birchwood area; his son, Dr. Benjamin H. Gross, Jr., a Guerry Professor at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, followed in his father's footsteps...
...His brother, James Roark, had married Jerusha Blythe, daughter of William and Nancy Blythe, who was a daughter of the Cherokee Chief Richard Fields. James and Jerusha also moved across the river and settled above Joseph, on what later became known as the Samples farm south of Birchwood. John Roark married Margaret Gross and settled above James near the Tennessee River, west of what later became Birchwood...
...Some of the earliest settlers-the Hixsons, McCallies, Johnsons, Grosses, Webbs, Haneys, Friddells, Gambles, McCormicks, Richeys, Smiths, Killians, and Campbells-came before the Indians were removed, either because some member of their family had married into the Cherokee Tribe or were artisans. In 1827 there were 127 white men in Hamilton County married to Cherokee women and 68 white women married to Indian men...
...Some teachers at the Salem Academy were: Jimmy Heaton; Bill Swafford; Jennie Stivers; Rindy Knox; A. M. Bare; Bartley Logan; T. J. Campbell; Frank Slover; Thomas Conner; Mariah Conner; Dan Roark; Capt. W. W. Lillard, a Confederate soldier; Mat Igou; David Campbell, Anne Ingram; Simmie Lovell; Ben Gross; and Tom Smith...
...The earliest teachers in the two-room Friendship School were John P. and Harriet Moon who taught an eight-month school in 1890. Some of the teachers during the early years were: Claude Bell and his wife; Columbus C. "Lum" Haven and his sons, Howard and Herschel; Ed Gross; Will Smith; F. J. Hoge; James Holman; John Lane; Mary Cate Eldridge; J. D. Campbell; H. Barton Logan; Thomas Poindexter; and Bertie Coppinger who rode horseback from Birchwood to Friendship. In 1889 when Ruben McKenzie lived at Blue Springs and taught at Friendship, little Daisy Lee Norman (daughter of W. C.) rode behind him on his horse to attend the school. Ethel Tallant was the principal of the new school in 1911 and Herschel Haven was her assistant. As principal she received a salary of about $50 per month and boarded with the James McNeeley family. In 1912-13 Lola and Beatrice Conner taught with Della Dugger, substitute teacher for Bea. Frank Roark taught in 1914-15 with Blanche Randolph of Birchwood as his assistant and the next year, 1915-16, -with Bessie Baker, who had previously been at New Union and Howardville Schools. During the year, 1916-17, Amy Glenn and a Miss Davis taught followed by A. E. Brown and a Miss Taylor. The teachers for 1917-18 were Elizabeth Kinser and Ruth Jordan who boarded with the W. H. Michaels family while school was held in the church. During this year the influenza epidemic caused Elizabeth Kinser and several children to miss a number of school days. Often the children walked several miles to the school or rode horseback. About 1912 Tom Roberts brought his children from Blue Springs to Friendship in a "spring" wagon. John DeFriese's older sons drove a two-seated hack in which the younger DeFriese children and the neighbors' children rode...
...In a state of financial ruin after the war, Col. Luttrell attempted to save his father's estate but lost even his portion to creditors. He was forced to sell his own holdings from 1866 to 1871, the year James County was created. His land was sold to the following: Catherine E. Hunter, W. C. Hutcheson, and Noah R. Smith at Georgetown; Mace Gross near Birchwood (formerly known as the Carson Place); and Joseph Monger and Caldonia Eldridge in the Tenth District. Some of the land comprised part of present-day Georgetown...
JAMES COUNTY POSTMASTERS
NORMAN'S STORE Established in James County Dec. 2, 1878 Jacob Gross May 10, 1902
WORLD WAR I VETERANS
1917-1918
This list of veterans has been furnished by the Office of Adjutant General, State of Tennessee. It was taken from Hamilton and Meigs Counties and may not be conclusive. (Georgetown at that time was in Meigs County.)
ARMY
NAME..................RANK..........HOMETOWN
Gross, Benjamin H.....CPL...........Birchwood Gross, Grover C.......PVT...........Birchwood
MARRIAGE RECORDS
#35 Harrison Gross and Lillie Prince
Bondsman: Tom Lee May 1, 1915
Married: May 2, 1915 W. S. Motley
#76 Robert A. Deaton and Cara Gross
Bondsman: Burk Bettis January 3, 1916
Married: January 3, 1916 L. H. Sylar, M.G.
EXCERPTS FROM THE DIARY OF W. A. McCALLIE
January 1, 1887 to June 30, 1887
Mon. Mar 7...Bay McClanahan moved to Graysville...Tues. Mar. 8...Mr. Clingan died at 3 o clock this morning. Sun. Mar. 13...Mrs. Dr. Lee moved to Bradley Co. last Friday Miss Lorinda (Rindy) Knox moved to Meigs to teach school Rev. Andy Campbell (Cumberland Presbyterian preacher) preached at the M E Church at 11 o'clock Rev. R. T. Howard preached at the Baptist Church in the evening...Mon. Mar. 14...Pleasant Spring weather I Bought J.J.M.'s (Judge Jethro Munger's) stock of goods in Birchwood been invoicing today...Wed. 16...Clever Baker Bought Six shares in the James Pendergrass farm for $1800.00...Fri. Mar. 18...began moving my stock of goods to Mungers house Trade good...Tues. Mar. 29...The boat blowed at 1 o'clock went to the river had to wait till day light before she came it was awful cold a hard freeze ice an inch thick got to Chattanooga about two o'clock this evening I am at the Hamilton House tonight...Thurs. Mar. 31...Mr. Pleas Grosses wife was burried in Birchwood while I was in Chatt....
