“BLACK JACK” JESSE NUNLEY: Warrior of the Hidden Cherokee

“BLACK JACK” JESSE NUNLEY: Warrior of the Hidden Cherokee[1]

KEY WORDS –

Cherokee, Chickamauga, Chickamaka

FAMILIES –

Nunley, Hobbs, Stoner, Northcutt, Smartt, Miller, Wilson, & White

PLACE NAMES –

Nunley Mountain; Nunley Caverns; Nunley Cove; Northcutt Cove; Stoner Mountain; Grundy County; Warren County; Beersheba Springs; McMinnville, Tennessee; Bailey, Texas; Haslam, Texas; Logansport, Louisiana; and Deadwood, Texas; Stanley, Louisiana.

The newspaper in McMinnville, TN. called him “Black Jack” Nunley in their reports of his skirmishes with agents of the U.S. Government (more commonly known as Revenuers).  While the stories were always politically correct, the tone suggested that the editor (and possibly the readers) enjoyed the exploits of “Black Jack” and applauded his successes in frustrating the federal tax collectors.

According to their personal perspectives, the people of Warren and Grundy Counties considered Jesse Claiborne Nunley an “Outlaw Injun” or an heroic warrior in a 100 year war between his people and the US government.  However, Jesse’s “war” with the “Revenuers” was more an economic than an historic enterprise.  The Nunleys of Nunley Mountain and Nunley Cove, and their close relatives -- the Stoners (Stoner Mountain), Northcutts (Northcutt Cove), Hobbs, Smartts, Millers, Whites, and Wilsons – planted and maintained extensive apple orchards on the slops of the mountains of Grundy and Warren Counties in Eastern Central Tennessee.  But, in the closing decades of the 19th Century, (as in the preceding century), there was no practical means of transporting their apples to available markets.  However, as their ancestors had learned, wagons of apples can be reduced to barrels of apple cider, and barrels of apple cider can be distilled into jugs of “Apple Jack Brandy.”  Unlike apples, brandy had a long “shelf-life,” was easily transported to distant markets, and always brought a good price.

As his nickname indicated, “Black Jack” Nunley was expert at “jacking”[2] (distilling applejack brandy from apple cider).  Jesse employed both freeze distillation (jacking) and evaporation distillation in creating fine applejack brandy.[3]  By the year of 1889, Jesse’s relatives had been producing and selling applejack brandy for at least three generations.   It remained their principle “cash” crop, and they had no intentions of sharing their meager profits with their traditional enemy, the United State government.  It also seems that Jesse could, when the crops warranted, transmute corn into white lightening.  However, applejack was his principle product.

In Oct.,1898 (the date of Jesse’s final shoot-out) his family had lived in the isolated Tennessee mountains and valleys for almost a hundred years.  They were among the earliest settlers, and gave their names to the principle landmarks -- mountains, valleys (coves), and cave systems.  Only 50 years earlier (1838), Jesse’s parents and grandparents had successfully hidden here while their relatives were rounded up by government agents, held in a concentration camp at nearby Cleveland, TN, and force-marched to Oklahoma on the trek that came to be called the “Trail of Tears.”  The lands, homes, and even the personal belongings of their departed relatives were given to white settlers by lottery.  “Orphan” Cherokee children, left by their captured parents, were adopted by their Cherokee relatives, and hidden in the hills and caves.   

The Nunleys and their racially mixed allied Cherokee families had practiced survival duplicity since the American Revolution.  To avoid confiscation of their land and deportation to "reservations," the "Indian-looking" family members were kept hidden, while those who could pass as European whites conducted business and held title to the family lands.  The extensive Nunley cave system accessible from Nunley Mountain and Nunley Cove provided protective shelter when enemies searched the hills.  From the late 18th Century until the middle 20th Century personal, economic, and social survival required that these families deny, disguise, and hide their Cherokee and Native American heritage.  The related families stayed close, intermarrying and supporting each other in difficult times.

 While Jesse had been a wild youth, with a string of escapades and close calls, his marriage to Laura Ann Hobbs in May of 1884, and the births of their first four children -- Lucy (1885), James “Jim” Lafayette (1886), Ada Ann (1888), and William “Will” Henry (1889) -- had introduced new responsibilities and restraint.  But Jesse (at age 37) remained a prime target of Revenuers, eager to avenge past defeats.  The story of the final encounter has been handed down through their descendants.  It seems that the Revenuers cornered Jesse and some of his brothers and cousins.  A shoot-out ensued, as Jesse and his crew held off the law officers while members of the group slipped away into the hollows.  One of Jesse’s brothers or nephews (possibly Jonah James, born 1858) was crippled (according to our story by a club foot).  Jesse had always taken special care to protect this brother, and when a shot from one of the Revenuers hit him, an enraged Jesse took aim and shot the officer. 

As the story has been passed down, no one knows the fate of either of the victims (crippled brother or federal agent).  Whether they lived or died, one thing was certain – Jesse Nunley couldn’t stay in Tennessee.  According to tradition, Jesse and Laura and the four babies were boarded on a train that very night, with tickets for Bonham, Texas.   Like so many Cherokee warriors before him, Jesse won his battle with the US government, but was forced to cede his land and resettle in the west.

Located in Northeast Texas just south of the Oklahoma border, Bonham was chosen as their destination because of family ties.  Laura’s widowed Mother, Evelina Hobbs Hobbs (she was born or adopted a Hobbs and married a Hobbs), her younger brother Dock, and two sisters, Sue and Edith had moved to Bailey, near Bonham to join Cherokee relatives who had settled there in the aftermath of the Civil War.  On that long train ride, Jesse and Laura retraced the travels of their Cherokee kin, crossing the mountains, and entering the Great Plains.  When their train arrived in Bonham, the wide-open spaces greeted them; the Big Sky stretched from horizon to horizon.  The Texas relatives had sent letters back to Tennessee extoling the virtues of flat-land farming, telling tales of cotton fields with six-foot high plants, and corn “as high as an elephant’s eye.”  But on arrival, all Jesse saw was a flat, dry, brown-grey land without mountains or even trees.  According to the legend, he was inconsolable.  He bought a jug of white lightening, and sat beneath the only tree he could find, and got rip-roaring drunk.

Jesse and Laura remained in Baily for one or two years.  Their son Charles “Charlie” was born there in 1891.  There are two differing stories of why Jesse and Laura and the children left Bailey and settled in the Deadwood community near Logansport, LA.  The first explanation is that they fled Bailey because of the long arm of the law.  Inquiries in Tennessee apparently directed attention toward Texas and the kinfolks in Bailey.  Jesse and Laura sought a new home where the law would have difficulty finding Jesse.  Deadwood, located on the border of Louisiana and Texas, allowed residents to move easily from one state jurisdiction to another.

The second story is simply that Jesse hated the open plains of North Texas.  He worked long enough to buy train fare to start the long journey back east to Tennessee.  Reserving enough money to get started in a new location, he bought train tickets for his little brood.  They got as far as Logansport, Louisiana (on the Sabine River, just across the Texas border).  North of Logansport, Jesse found a sharecropping opportunity.  While Deadwood was short of mountains, there were plenty of trees, and rich farmland.  Jesse made a crop that year, and when fall came the couple had a new baby, Luther, (born in Nov. 1894 on the Texas side of the border).  Jesse and Laura decided to wait another year before continuing the trip back to Tennessee.  As each year passed, and each new baby was born, their roots reached deeper into the soil of the Texas/Louisiana borderlands.  Cordie Ann was born in Jan., 1898 in Louisiana; Johah was born in May 1901 in Texas; Mary was born in 1902 in Louisiana; and Johnny was born in May, 1904 in Texas.

Mary died as an infant, and Johnny was a sickly child who lived less than 5 years.  Both children were buried in the Cemetery at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Oak Grove (now Stanley, LA.).   Jesse and Laura had two more daughters, born after Johnny’s death.  Britt Annie “Shug” was born in 1910 and Minnie Ola in 1911 (both in Louisiana where the family had finally settled).  By then the older children had begun to marry, and establish their own families.  When Laura died in 1922, the dreams of returning to Tennessee were long forgotten.   Laura was buried beside the babies.

The widowed Jesse lived with his two youngest daughters, Britt Annie and Minnie Ola.  Several of the older children and their families lived nearby.  The Nunley families were highly respected, church-going people.  They were steady members of local Baptist and Pentecostal Churches.   

Jesse survived Laura by 7 years, dying in Aug., 1929 of injuries suffered in a car accident.  On a Saturday, Jesse, as was the custom among farmers, came into Logansport to visit and shop.  Finishing early, he decided to visit his daughter Britt Annie and see his youngest grandchild, Billy Ray Freeman.  He found a friend on his way to Haslam (across the Sabine River), and jumped onto the running board.  When he approached his destination, Jesse misjudged, and jumped off the running board before the car stopped.  He took a bad fall that led to his death.  

The stories of young Jesse’s alcohol-producing enterprises were closely held within the family.   The legend of the shoot-out and escape from Tennessee was passed by whispers within the family, lest scandal blight the family’s reputation.  The family was so successful in suppressing the stories that I truly do not know if Jesse ever practiced his knowledge of distillation in Louisiana or Texas.  I have never heard any rumors suggesting that he was a bootlegger, or that he drank.  His children, mostly teetotalers and all deceased, would be scandalized to know that I have publicly shared this story. 

The only potential traces of his past are buried in the stories of Jesse’s birthday celebrations.  Jesse was born on the 4^th of July, and thus given a perfect opportunity for big birthday bashes.  Every year, on the 4^th, the Nunley family hosted a big community party with barbeque, watermelons, and some say “strong liquor” of exceedingly high quality (secretly shared by the men).  The 4^th of July birthday tradition (minus the “strong liquor”) has been kept alive by Jesse and Laura’s descendants, unto the 5^th and 6^th generations.  This year, on July 4, 2013, they will celebrate the 160th anniversary of “Black Jack” Jesse Claiborne Nunley’s birth.

Jesse and Laura had 12 children and approximately 60 grandchildren.  At this time, it is estimated that their descendants, who now include six generations, exceed 400.  Among their descendants are a dozen preachers of at least four denominations – Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, and Assembly of God.  They also include many talented musicians.  While these descendants know that Jesse and Laura had Cherokee ancestry, the extent and implications of their Cherokee bloodlines have only recently been revealed.

The story of Jesse and Laura’s Cherokee Ancestry and of the HIDDEN CHEROKEES is told in the following blog.

---

[1] I’m telling this story as I know it, in sincere hopes that others with additional information will contribute, so a more accurate version can be created. The secrets were so closely kept for so long, by so many that the truth is difficult to discern.

[2] There were two methods for distilling applejack brandy from apple cider – the traditional evaporation method, and freeze distillation, commonly called “Jacking.”  In freeze distillation, the cider is allowed to “freeze.”  The less alcoholic water freezes at higher temperatures than concentrated alcohol.  When the frozen “water” is removed from the liquid cider, the residual is more highly concentrated. 

[3] There is currently only one legal producer of applejack brandy in the U.S.  However, applejack brandy was the favorite drink of colonial America, and remained popular through the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th Centuries.  

RICHARD WHARTON'S HISTORY OF THE JOAQUIN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH -- 121 YEARS

RICHARD WHARTON'S HISTORY OF THE JOAQUIN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH -- 121 YEARS

JOAQUIN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH – 
The History of Our Church 1876-1997

One Hundred and Twenty One Years of Methodism in Joaquin
By

Richard Wharton

            The Joaquin Methodist Church has had a continuous history since 1876, although it has not always been located at it’s present site.  This makes it the oldest church in Joaquin.

            The beginning of Methodism in our area was the organization of the Brookland Church.  It was located near the northeast corner of the Brookland Cemetery.  The land for the church was donated by the Brooks family.  The lumber for this church was contributed by Aunt Mary Brooks.

            At that time, the area was so thinly populated that the little church had difficulty making a go, both financially and in numbers.  The official board of the church decided to relocate nearer a center of population.  So the church building was moved to the southeast part of the county near the forks of a road.  One fork led to Shelbyville, the other to East Hamilton.  The church was called Harmony Methodist Church.

            In 1884, the church was moved back to the old Brookland site due to an increase in the population of that area.  That same year, the railroad was built from Shreveport to Houston, and a depot was established in what is now the town of Joaquin.  It was obvious that Joaquin was to be the new population center.

            In 1885, the official board purchased a plot in front of the present church building.  A church building was erected.  A row of cedars was planted along the walk leading to the entrance.  Some of the charter members of this church were:  Mr. and Mrs. Bob Crawford, Mr. and Mrs. Dick Brook, Mr. and Mrs. Cat Roger, Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Wade, and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Henry.  One of the first social events to take place in the church was the wedding of Dr. W. A. Ramsey and Miss Clara Short in 1885

            Because of a large increase in membership, the board decided to build a new building in 1904.  A site was purchased on the north side of the road.  This is the site where the present church now stands.  The road, which now runs in front of the church, was, at that time, the main road to Logansport.

            This new church was quite an improvement.  It ha two fronts, a peaked roof over one entrance and a steeple over the other.  The steeple housed the new church bell.  This bell rang out the good news of the Armistice at the end of World War I.  The historic bell is now mounted on a stand beside the Church.

            The 1904 building was weakened by a windstorm in 1921.  In that year, the second building on this site was erected.  In January, 1922, the Rev. John E. Green of Houston held the housewarming revival.  In spite of the weather, the house was filled each night and crowds overflowed into the aisles and along the walls.  Every available space, including the choir was filled.  The building was heated by wood heaters, and was quite comfortable.  Often though, the sermon would be interrupted by parishioners stoking the fire.  The pastor at that time was R. C Goens.

            The present church is the fourth in Joaquin, and the third on this site.  It was erected in 1951, and dedicated in 1961.  Methodist discipline requires that a church be totally free of debt before it can be dedicated.  This is not to be confused with consecration, which must be done before a worship service is held in the church. 

            The Joaquin Methodist Church became a full-time church in 1945.  Prior to that time, preaching was held every other Sunday.  The same system was in effect in the Joaquin Baptist Church.  As a result, the preaching dates were staggered so that there would be a service at one of the churches each Sunday.  There used to be a road on the north side of the railroad track from the depot to the Baptist Church.  After Sunday School, there would be a line of people going from one church to the other for preaching.

            When first organized, the Joaquin Methodist Church was known as, “The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.”  The original Methodist Church in America split over the question of slavery  In 1939, the three main branches of the Methodist Church throughout the United States united into, “The Methodist Church.”  This organization continued until 1962 when a union was formed with the Church of the Brethren and the Evangelical Church (two branches of Methodism which had remained separate due to language barriers).  The Brethren Church originally spoke German, and the Evangelical Church spoke Dutch.  The new organization was called the “United Methodist Church.”

            When a church has served a community for over 100 years, it becomes impossible to list all of its achievements.  A few of these however, should be recorded because of their importance to the larger community.

            First, each year the women of the Church hold a bazaar, offering to the public craft works, baked goods, and other useful articles.  The income from this bazaar is used for community and church projects not covered by the church budget.

            Second, in 1979, the church started, on a very small scale, a project which was intended to help needy travelers who came through Joaquin.  This meant supplying gas, food, and on occasion, lodging.  Gradually this work developed into an established, year-round program called “Christian Services.”  Eventually other churches in the community joined in this effort.  Gayle Samford has served as chairperson since its beginning.  She now has a yearly budget of about $3,000.  A good portion of this money is contributed by those who attend the annual community Thanksgiving Service held in the local high school auditorium.  The program is presented by the combined workers of the local churches.

            Just before Christmas, baskets of food, toys, school supplies, and other useful gifts are made up to be distributed to the needy of the community.  Workers from other churches join the workers at UMC to prepare and deliver these baskets.  In 1996, 54 baskets were distributed.

            The program still helps those in need who pass through our community.  In addition, throughout the year this program helps families with their utilities and children with clothes and school supplies.  It also pays for prescription medicines.  This work has helped the needy, and served as a catalyst to draw the local churches together.

            Third, the Joaquin Church joins the Paxton UMC each year for an Easter Sunrise Service.  This too has grown into a community-wide effort.  Judge and Mrs. Floyd Watson, members of the Paxton UMC, allow the Easter Worshipers to use their large gazebo and their home for this occasion.    

            Fourth, each month on the third Thursday, the Joaquin UMC has a birthday party at the Pine Grove Nursing Home (located near Center, TX, about 14 miles away).  The party honors the residents who celebrate their birthdays that month.  Those with birthdays are presented with a bag of assorted gifts, and everyone is served refreshments.  After a worship service of devotions, hymn singing, and prayer, the party closes by singing one stanza of “Bless Be the Tie that Binds.”

            Last year, when the church became aware that the Pine Grove Nursing Home did not have a public address system, it purchased one and presented it to the home.  Since there are many in the home who are hearing impaired, this system makes it possible for them to enjoy all the programs of the home.

            Finally, the Church is currently engaged in raising money to support a Church Scholarship Fund to aid deserving students in financing higher education.

            We know that God has guided us through these One Hundred and Twenty-one years, and we look forward to his continued guidance in years to come.

Written and Updated by

Richard Wharton

April 27, 1997

SEE ALSO -- https://communicatinglife2.blogspot.com/2018/05/first-united-methodist-church-of.html

AN OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FRISCO

AN OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FRISCO –

Dear Friends in Christ:

My heart has broken as I see the suffering of the members of Primera Iglesia Bautista De Frisco.  I have been moved to share some of their words and thoughts with you.   The following statements are from three Hispanic Christians who shared their testimony.  One is a grandfather who has been part of PIB for 25 years.   He worked with the men of FBC as they labored together to build the sanctuary and remodel and landscape the Church.  The second is a young mother who found a church home at PIB where she could raise her children in the love of Christ.  The last is a child who has never known any other church.

“Sometimes I am so angry I cannot pray.  I know Christ says I must forgive, but it is so hard.  I see the members of FBC on the street and in the stores, and I wonder to myself, “Does HE know what HE is doing to us?  Does SHE care that we are driven from our Church Home? I see the men who worked side-by-side with us to build our sanctuary.  I see women who used to work with us on missions.  I want to ask them, ‘What happened?  What did we do to deserve this?   What CRIME have we committed against you that you should treat us this way?  What SIN have we committed against God that we should be punished so.? Are we less than dogs to you that we are treated in this way?  You have locked us out of our Church; you have taken all the things we bought and made for teaching, for worship, for preparing and serving meals, even our mowers and tools for caring for the grounds.  Not only have you taken all we loved, you have done all this with contempt and without remorse. You have taken our Church – the Church we built together – and given it to strangers.  Their songs and praises fill the sacred space we built with our sweat and gifts.  I know we must forgive you, but it is so very hard, when you do not even seem to know or care.”

“When I was younger we had only the drafty old farm house.  We all had to give our tithes to raise the $500 a month to pay the mortgage.  Some months we were short, and we would have a fund-raiser to make extra.  There were fewer than 10 families, and most of us made only about $1,000 a month; and we all tithed to keep our church going.  I remember the day we dedicated the sanctuary, and the day we opened the parking lot.  Now most of the shrubs we planted to landscape our grounds are dead – no one from FBC has watered or cared for them.  I drive by and see the sign in the strange Korean characters, and my heart breaks. I bruised my thumb stacking the bricks for that sign.  I know and love every wall and floor – I built them.  I cry inside every time I drive down that street.  I long to go into my Church and praise God; I long to kneel at our altar and take communion, but I cannot.  I realize that I will never do these simple things again, and part of me dies inside.  I wonder if the Christians who worship there now know how I feel?  I wonder if the people of FBC know how we suffer?”

“I used to go to the church playground almost everyday.  Now, even in the summer, I cannot play there.  My Mother says that the First Baptist Church has taken our Church from us. One Sunday we went to the Church and found it locked.  We could not go inside so we worshiped in the parking lot.   Now, on Sundays we go to people’s homes and pray and sing.  At first that was fun, but we miss our Sunday School classrooms and having dinners at the church.  Mostly, I missed Vacation Bible School.  We always had lots of children – not just our members – but others, and we all had fun.  This Christmas was worst of all.  We always have a pageant with the Christ Child and the animals in the stable; and we sing Christmas songs and open gifts.  We couldn’t have Christmas in our Church this year, and I cried.  Now, on Sunday, I see strangers coming and going at our Church, and other children playing on the playground. We used to read about Christians in Muslim countries who are persecuted for their faith.  I didn’t understand the word ‘persecuted.’  Now I do!  My Mother cannot tell me why they have taken our Church.  Can you?”

“If I could speak to the people of First Baptist Church, I would say – ‘Who are you that you have the power to take everything from us?  Who are we that we are powerless to protect what is rightfully ours?  What kind of justice; what kind of country allows one people to treat another with contempt and without pity?  We wait and pray that God will defend us; that God will answer our prayers.’  I would say to the Christians at First Baptist Church, ‘Ask God if what you have done is right?  Ask God if it is HIS will that you should drive us from our Church and take all that we gave to Him?’”

UPDATE

Since I wrote this blog, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Frisco (with the help of a friend from FBC) has found a temporary meeting place in a little building located at 8120 Sunnyvale Circle in Frisco.  They have invited friends to join their Worship Service this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and to stay for a Fellowship Lunch.  I hope that some of those reading this will join us in supporting this little Hispanic congregation, and demonstrating that Christian love reaches across barriers of culture and language.

THE TEST OF TIME -- THE TEST OF TRUTH

THE TEST OF TIME --- THE TEST OF TRUTH

It is often said that The best test of Truth is Time.  Lies will be revealed with the passage of time.  Last Spring, three of the pastors of First Baptist Church Frisco (FBC) met with concerned members of their congregation.  The subject of the meeting was the closing of the Primera Iglesia Bautista De Frisco by First Baptist Church.  Several assertions were made by the pastors at this meeting.  The passage of time now allows us to test the veracity of their statements.

Let’s consider the Pastors’ statements:

1.     STATEMENT #1:  The reason for the lock-out is to protect the congregation of Primera Iglesia Bautista (PIB) from a minister (Rev. Ruiz) whose character flaws make him unfit to pastor a Baptist Congregation.  

a.     In the subsequent months, the PIB Congregation agreed to fire Rev. Ruiz, if FBC would return their Church. 

b.     Having achieved their professed goal, did FBC restore the church to the Hispanic congregation?  NO

2.     STATEMENT #2: There is no desire to destroy or abolish Primera Iglesia Bautista.  FBC’s actions are not racist, and not motivated by prejudice or cultural insensitivity.  FBC loves the people of PIB, and only wishes to protect their faith.

a.     FBC has not attempted to work with or even communicate with the board, officers, or members of PIB to resolve the conflict.   Until PIB hired a lawyer, there was no communication between the PIB membership and the FBC leadership.

b.     In a spirit of love and protection, the pastors of FBC appropriated all of the furnishings and equipment in the PIB Church building.  What they wanted to use, they kept in the church, and everything else they threw into a trailer and dumped in a storage facility.  Then they notified the pastor of PIB that he could pick up anything he wanted from the discard heap. 

a.     Finally, in their desire to protect and love the people of PIB, FBC leased the PIB church building (equipped with PIB belongings) to a Korean congregation.  This is Christian love and protection?

3.     STATEMENT #3: FBC is not motivated by financial gain to destroy PIB in order to secure the PIB property.

a.     PIB hired a lawyer to negotiate a settlement with FBC, and agreed to all of FBC’s demands in order to recover their church.  They agreed to fire Rev. Ruiz.  They agreed to accept outside supervision in their selection of a pastor and in the management of their church.  Did all of this move FBC to return the church to the Hispanic congregation?  NO

b.     Is there anything PIB could do to persuade FBC to return their church?  Apparently not.

c.      Is FBC prepared to invest large sums to employ lawyers to fight all attempts by PIB to regain their church and property?  YES

d.     Does this indicate that FBC intends to keep possession of the PIB Church and property no matter what PIB does?  YES!

e.     Does FBC desperately need the millions to be gained from the sale of the PIB Church property?  YES!

LET THE READERS JUDGE THE TRUTH FOR THEMSELVES!!!

UPDATE

Since the publication of this blog, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Frisco has secured a temporary home in a prefabricated building.  They are meeting there for the first time this Sunday, Jan. 6, at 10:30.  After services there will be a fellowship lunch.  Any Christians wishing to support this little Hispanic congregation in their time of need should consider attending.  In this way we can demonstrate that Christian Love is not bound by culture or language.