Bozo the Clown (Success In Nashville)

On September 30, 1950, WSM-TV (now WSMV), channel 4, became the first TV station to sign on the air in Nashville, Tennessee. WSIX (now WKRN), channel 8 (now channel 2), signed on three years later, on November 29, 1953. WLAC-TV (now WTVF), channel 5, signed on nine months later, on August 6, 1954.

"Three Nashville Stations On Our TV!"

...and that wasn't a bad thing because we learned a lot about Nashville, the Life and Casualty Insurance Company, Frosty Morn' Ham, Elm Hill Bill, Martha White Flour, Ernest P. Worley and Purity Milk, Goo Goo's, Purnell's Old Folk's Country Sausage and that Colonial Bread was GOOD!

We tuned in to WSM to see if George Goldtrap would miss flipping that chalk into his pocket and to see what bizarre sports jacket Charlie MacAlexander would be wearing. We witnessed greatness when Nashville's "Mr. Television," Jud Collins read the news. One of my favorite shows was "Creature Feature," which turned film editor Russ McGowan into a cult celebrity as Sir Cecil Creape, host of late night horror movie flicks.

On WLAC, there was "Dialing for Dollars," "The Big Show," "The Late, Late Show" and Bob Lobertini! WSIX had the famous disc jockey Hugh Cherry, a close friend of Hank Williams, and legendary sportscaster Paul "Holy Smokes" Eells. Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak did the weather on Channel 4 and worked on scripts for Creature Feature, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey read the news on Channel 5, but when it was all said and done, one of the most poplar shows on Nashville TV back in the day did not include any of the popular TV personalities. That honor belonged to Bozo the Clown!

"Nashville's Version Of a National TV Icon"

Most folks might not have realized that Bozo the Clown was a franchised character. TV stations ordered the costume, hired local talent to play Bozo and then put together their own production. Another show that had previously used this model successfully was Romper Room. During the Nashville run of Bozo the Clown, from 1956 into the late 70's, there were four different Bozo the Clowns.

When WSM, channel 4, decided to start airing Bozo the Clown in 1956, the station hired local puppeteer, Tom Tichenor, the very first Bozo the Clown in Nashville. In the beginning, he was paid $5 for every 15-minute show.

Dick Brackett
When Tichenor accepted a Broadway show opportunity in 1959, WSM prop man, Dick Brackett, became Bozo the Clown #2. During his stint as Bozo the Clown, the show changed from black and white to color and moved to a larger studio to accommodate a bigger live audience of children. The shows were broadcast live and were spontaneous or "ad-libbed." The kids were the stars of the show. During one segment, Brackett said a little girl tugged at his arm and asked, "Bozo, is there a man inside you?" The show was so popular, no fewer than 18 sponsors were crowded into an hour-long show. Cartoons were the primary feature of the show, with the ideal quota being one cartoon during every fifteen minute segment. Cartoons such as Casper the Friendly Ghost and other Paramount cartoons were dropped in wherever possible.

"The War of Bozo's"

When WSM's contract with the Bozo the Clown franchise came up for renewal in 1966, competing TV station WSIX decided Bozo the Clown was their ticket to attract the after-school audience, and it worked. In what was jokingly dubbed "The War of Bozo's" by the local press, WSIX outbid WSM three to one for the rights to the show. WSIX announcer Joe Holcombe won the role of Bozo the Clown #3 after several hundred people auditioned. He turned it into the game-show format that I remember and the show went big-time, with as many as 150 kids in the studio for a single epidode. Back at WSM, Brackets altered the costume a bit, changed the clown's name to Captain Countdown and WSM began a new children's program with nearly the same format with the exception being that WSM used Warner Brothers cartoons. The show ran from 1966 to 1969 when Brackett left television to pursue other interests. Meanwhile, Bozo the Clown on WSIX quickly rose to number one in its time slot and at one point, kids in the audience were booked more than two years in advance. Holcombe played Bozo the Clown for a few years. When he left the role, he was replaced by Bozo the Clown #4, WSIX newsman Jim Kent, who portrayed Bozo the Clown for a few years until Holcombe returned. "Kent was nervous as Bozo the Clown," Holcombe said. "He smoked cigarettes while in costume. Bozo the Clown wasn't for everybody."

"A Clown Star is Born"

Just how did the Bozo the Clown get its start? In 1946, creator Alan W. Livingston and Capitol Records introduced Bozo the Clown to the world via a children’s record entitled "Bozo at the Circus." The album, which featured an illustrative read-along book set (the first of its kind), lasted for an astounding 200 weeks on Billboard’s ‘Best Selling Children’s Records’ chart, and a clown star was born.

Pinto Colvig portrayed the character on this and subsequent Bozo read-along records. The albums were very popular and the character became a mascot for the record company and was later nicknamed "Bozo the Capitol Clown." Many non-Bozo Capitol children's records had a "Bozo Approved" label on the jacket. In 1948, Capitol and Livingston began setting up royalty arrangements with manufacturers and television stations for use of the Bozo character.

The first version of the TV show, "Bozo’s Circus," appeared on KTTV in Los Angeles in 1949 and starred Colvig. He wore white face makeup, a red nose, tufts of red hair and a blue one-piece suit on this live half-hour circus show. This version of the show aired until 1950. Capitol Records’ new TV head Elmo Williams produced 13 half-hour Bozo episodes which starred Syd Saylor as Bozo and Alan Livingston as the ringmaster.

In 1956, Larry Harmon, one of several actors hired by Livingston and Capitol Records to portray Bozo at promotional appearances, formed a business partnership and bought the licensing rights (excluding the record-readers) to the character, which by this time had generated record sales in excess of $20 million.

"Bozo, The World’s Most Famous Clown"

Harmon renamed the character "Bozo, The World’s Most Famous Clown." He adopted the idea of a daily half-hour show with a live Bozo, a studio audience of children, and five-minute cartoons, packaged and franchised to different markets across the US. He also modified the voice, laugh and costume. He then worked with a wig stylist to get the wing-tipped bright orange style and look of the hair that had previously appeared in Capitol's Bozo comic books.

The wigs for Bozo were originally manufactured through the Hollywood firm Emil Corsillo Inc. The headpiece was made from yak hair, which was adhered to a canvas base with a starched burlap interior foundation. The hair was first styled, formed, then sprayed with a heavy coat of lacquer to keep its form. The canvas top would slide over the actor's forehead. With the exception of the Bozo wigs for WGN-TV Chicago, the eyebrows were permanently painted on the headpiece.

In 1959 the idea took hold, and Harmon soon had 100 Bozos across America with additional clowns in Germany, France and Japan. The new Bozos had to learn such phrases as “What are you doodly-do-doing?” and “Wowie kazowee!” By the mid 1960’s, Bozo was grossing over $150 million in merchandise worldwide.

Although Bozo the Clown might still occasionally show up, the character's broad popularity peaked in the United States in the 1960s as a result of the widespread TV franchising. The most successful Bozo in the franchise aired on WGN in Chicago from 1960 until 2001. Harmon claimed that more than 200 actors have portrayed the clown. The most famous is former Today Show weatherman, Willard Scott.

After his stint as Bozo the Clown, WSIX's Joe Holcombe said occasionally someone would recognize him and ask, "Didn't you used to be Bozo?" "I still am inside," he would reply. "There's a little Bozo in all of us."

Larry Harmon

"So Long Lance Russell (You Just Wait Till Lawler Hears About This!)"

Professional wrestling's greatest announcer ever has died. Lance Russell, one of wrestling most treasured voices died Tuesday morning (Oct. 3rd) at the age of 91, after complications from a fall. He was hospitalized after breaking his hip in a fall on Friday, which was the second time he had fallen last week. Friday was also the day that Russell's daughter lost her battle with cancer.

There is a special place in my heart for the radio and TV sports announcers I grew up with. From ABC's Wide World of Sports to roller derby and everything in between, sports was always a big part of my life. At my house, we watched on TV whatever sport was 'in season,' especially on Saturday's. For me, there was no better way to spend Saturday than with Lance Russell.

Jerry "The King" Lawler may have ruled the wrestling circuit based in Memphis, but Lance Russell WAS wrestling. Legendary doesn't even begin to describe their impact. What they were able to accomplish, I am proud to say, definitely had a big effect in me growing up.

Russell was a television program director when he put wrestling in its Saturday morning time slot in Memphis where it had great success and he was also the ring announcer. It was my favorite program to watch on Saturday. Russell, who announced matches in the Memphis region from 1959 to 1997, for the NWA Mid-America and the Continental Wrestling Associations, was best known for his relaxed announcing style, as well as the much-used phrases, "By golly" and "Son of a gun." His co-host for more than two decades was Dave Brown, a college student and disc jockey, and later, TV meteorologist.

While he was definitely a star, Lance Russell never found himself in the position of being a bigger than the wrestlers he worked with. That list runs long: Lou Thesz, Jackie Fargo, Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Hart and Randy Savage, to name a few. Russell would get up from his chair to conduct interviews, walking around to the front of the desk. It was common to see one or more of the heel wrestlers demolish the set or even run roughhouse over Russell. These interviews were often the highlight of the Saturday morning television broadcast.

Russell also literally rang a bell to begin matches, in addition to pounding it loudly in futile attempts to halt out-of-control melees in the ring. He used the mic to chastise and exhort wrestlers during their match. He often encouraged other wrestlers to run in from the locker room and offer assistance. His famous one-liners were "Don't start with that smart stuff" and "Will you guys just stop and get out of here?" or this one: "You just wait until Lawler finds out about this!"

Lance Russell and Dave Brown have been described by wrestling insiders and fans as the greatest television announcing team in the history of wrestling. After Russell's death, his long-time partner tweeted, "My lifetime friend, Lance Russell died early this morning. I cannot express how sad I am. He was responsible for my TV career success."

By golly Dave, I think you're right!

On a personal note, from someone who has followed pro wrestling his whole life, especially those great days of yore when wrestling in this region was as great as you could find anywhere, I suppose that if God said it had to be this way, it is only appropriate that we said goodbye to Dale "TNT" Mann and Lance Russell in the same year. They were my heroes. Sad.

"Faith Unfeigned (A Tribute to Joseph Denton)

"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" - 1 Timothy 1:5

Joseph Crouch Denton died 130 years ago this year. He was the fourth pastor of Clear Fork Baptist Church in Albany, Kentucky, serving 32 years and 11 months, from October 1854 to his death on September 29, 1887.

The son of the first pastor, Isaac Denton, Joseph was born on May 5, 1811. He got saved and joined the church on December 22, 1838, was chosen as a Deacon on March 26, 1842, appointed Church Trustee on June 22, 1844 and preached his first sermon on June 22, 1850. He was ordained into the ministry on October 24, 1853.

In his obituary recorded in the Church minutes, clerk John Hopkins wrote, "The silent boatman has dipped his oars into the dark river and stealthily moored his vessel to earthly shore for a few moments and removed one of our beloved and trusted sentinels from his high place in Zion."

It was noted that the combined pastorates of Isaac and Joseph Denton of almost eighty years was attended with great blessings. Many revivals succeeded and the Church exercised a large influence. Through the Denton's, the Church received its lessons in principles of doctrines of Christ and rose to clossal proportions, exhibiting the teachings of both its pastors, especially Joseph Denton, not only in his labors in the ministry, but in his every day walk of life.

His obituary states that he "shone with intarnished luster in deeds of mercy and unselfishness among his neighbors and brethren and in his family. His feelings were as tender as a babe, yet he stood with the firmness of a granite cliff when bible principles were at issue. He planted himself only on the truth with breast bare to the storm, and amidst the tempest rose higher and shined still brighter, possessing charity and broad liberality for all."

In confusion of the Civil War, when strong men trembled with fear and all men's hearts failed them, Joseph Denton exhibited the same unfailing confidence, the same calmness, the same encouragement to all, as in time of profound peace, faithful to gently reprove the faults of a friend or to apologize for an enemy. His sweet temper possessed a magnetism to attract the attention of the disinfected and gave to him almost a resistless influence in reconciling differences between brethren or neighbors.

Joseph was a man of faith unfeigned, living a life of prayer, from hence he drew his greatest strength and influence. Clerk John Hopkins wrote, "In prayer, he seemed to obtain a neatness to the Throne, seldom given to man, then he seemed to breathe the atmosphere of Heaven and his heart to glow with a warmness of love that encircled the entire number of fallen men. In the pulpit he possessed a native elegance that entitled him to be called a "Sweet Tongued Denton." His theme was the cross of Christ, the cleansing blood of Jesus. With these, he sought to win sinners to the Saviour's love and which seldom left the hearts of his hearers unmoved."

The church record states that for a number of years, Joseph Denton was afflicted, but bore his sufferings with Christian fortitude, patiently waiting for the Redeemer to call him home. Almost at death's door, he prayed, "May the Lord bless and save you all is my prayer, amen."

Joseph Denton died without a struggle on the 29th day of September, 1887, aged 76 years, four months and 24 days. His body was buried near his parents at the Clear Fork Burying Ground, within a few steps of the church house, where he had held membership for almost 49 years, to, as the record states, "await the Resurrection morn."

There were 414 additions to the Clear Fork Baptist Church during Joseph Denton's pastorate.

Joseph Crouch Denton"May His Example Be Followed
By Those He Left"

Jim McDaniels Shined At WKU

Jim McDaniels, one of the finest players to ever represent the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, died Wednesday evening in Bowling Green. He was 69.

Big Mac, a 7-foot center from nearby Scottsville, was a legendary and iconic figure in the annals of Western Kentucky basketball. His time at WKU ranks as the most successful period in the program’s rich history.

He set WKU school records with 2,238 career points (now tied with Courtney Lee) and 1,118 careerrebounds.

The Hilltoppers went a combined 62-19 during McDaniels’ time with the program under head coach John Oldham, advancing to the NCAA Tournament in each of his last two years, including a run to a third-place finish in the Final Four in 1971.

Before he arrived at WKU, McDaniels averaged nearly 40 points per game as a senior at Allen County High School and was named Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 1967.

There is a great article at WKU Herald about the 1970-71 season, undoubtedly the best ever for the WKU program, that featured Jim McDaniels. Written and published in 2014 by Elliot Pratt, it is entitled, "Standing Alone: WKU's 1971 Final Four Team Remains in a League of its Own." I highly recommend that everyone who remembers that team read it. Below is information contained in the article.

During that 1970-71 campaign, Western Kentucky basketball – behind the first all-black starting five of Jim McDaniels of Scottsville, Clarence Glover of Caverna, Jim Rose of Hazard, Rex Bailey of Glasgow and Jerry Dunn of Glasgow – would go on to have the most memorable season in Hilltopper athletic history.

Three years before that season, Jim McDaniels turned from the most sought-after player in the country to recruiter.

McDaniels, Clarence Glover, Jerome Perry and Jim Rose were high school seniors preparing to play in the Kentucky All-Star game at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The four sat in a room together at the Brown Hotel talking about where they wanted to attend college.

Jim Rose was going from his hometown of Hazard to Houston, Clarence Glover was going from Horse Cave to Florida State.

When the conversation was McDaniels’ turn to take, he put his recruiting hat on.

“I said ‘guys, it would be great if we could all come together and play together, because I think we can probably win a national championship and definitely make it to the Final Four,” McDaniels said.

McDaniels reached out his hand in the center of the group, inviting them to join him at Western.

Rose said he’d love to play with “Big Jim”, placing his hand on top of McDaniels’. Perry put his hand in, too.

The only one they were waiting on now was Glover.

“It wasn’t something that was premeditated,” McDaniels said. “Everybody put their hand in and finally it got to Glover, and he was the only one who didn’t put his hand in. We kept our hands out there for five minutes. He goes, ‘man, you guys are too much, you guys are crazy’. He puts his hand in and it was great.

“I get goose bumps talking about it now.”

The Toppers just ended the 1970-71 regular season at 20-5. Jim McDaniels had scored 29 points in the finale against Austin Peay to make him the highest scoring player in Western history.

Their first opponent in the NCAA Tournament was Jacksonville.

Clarence Glover still doesn’t know what made him want to do what is now known as the famous shoestring play, but it worked and that’s all that mattered to Western.

Western was tied at 74 with Jacksonville after being down 44-30 at halftime. The Dolphins called a timeout with eight seconds left and Ernie Fleming inbounded the pass and double-dribbled.

While Jacksonville players ran to console Fleming, Western players rushed to the ball to get a play inbounds because the Toppers had no timeouts.

All except for Glover ran to the ball. Glover casually walked down the opposite side of the court and set himself up right underneath the basket, knelt on one knee and aligned himself directly behind the defender guarding the inbounds pass from Gary Sundmacker.

Glover pretended to be tying his shoestring, writing the script for a play that would go down in Western athletic folklore.

Jim Richards recalls the play through his own reenactment on the court of Diddle Arena.

“I said, ‘Gary, Clarence is wide open!’, and he said, ‘Where? I don’t see him’, I said ‘He’s down on one knee pretending to tie his shoe,’” Richard recollected. “He said, ‘Oh, I see him, I see him’.

“He got the ball and he threw it right up near the basket. The rest is history. Glover scored and Western advanced to the first ever meeting between the Toppers and the Kentucky Wildcats.

John Oldham remembers putting a letter up on the bulletin board in the team’s locker room that said McDaniels and Rose “weren’t either smart enough or good enough to play.”

“That was such a big deal to these kids in my mind,” Jim Richards said. “They never said it to me, but full well knowing that they were African American athletes and knowing they were not recruited in essence by the University of Kentucky. They may say they recruited (McDaniels), but they really didn’t recruit him.

McDaniels scored 35 points and Glover had 17 rebounds as Western defeated Kentucky 107-83, the most amount of points the Wildcats allowed all year.

Kentucky and Western wouldn’t meet again until 1986 in the NCAA Tournament.

Against Big Ten champion Ohio State, Western battled from 18 points down to win in overtime 81-78, setting up a date with Villanova in the Final Four in Houston.

At halftime in the locker room, McDaniels said, “I looked around at everyone and said ‘I don’t know about you, but I don’t want this thing to end’. Glover said, "We looked at each other and everybody put their hand in there again and – oh, man, they knew when Big Jim, the captain, puts his hand in there what that means."

Western had every chance to defeat Villanova and advance to the national championship game. Jerry Dunn missed a one-and-one free throw with four seconds left to send the game into overtime, it was then when Glover’s miscue took over.

Whereas Glover was the hero against Jacksonville and scoring the last five points against Ohio State, his miscues helped cost the Toppers that chance.

McDaniels found him wide open under the basket for an easy layup for the chance to clinch victory.

Except, he missed.

McDaniels fouled out in the second overtime and the heart of Western checked out of the game.

A disheartened Topper club sat in the locker room after the game dejected only to hear Coach Oldham announce his retirement following the season’s end.

By McDaniels’ account: “He said, ‘I’m going out with you guys. I’m going to retire at the end of the game tomorrow’. Coach says let’s all go out a winner. We played that game like it was a championship game.

In the consolation game against Kansas, Dunn redeemed himself with the free throw shots to secure a win and a third-place finish in the NCAA Tournament.

It should be noted that the NCAA later voided Western Kentucky's participation in the tournament, accusing McDaniels of signing with an agent while still in college. Still, all of the glory of that 1970-71 season cannot go ignored. You can't erase how successful the program was during his time at WKU.

After his college career ended, McDaniels played professionally in both the NBA and ABA from 1971-78, playing with the Carolina Cougars, Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers, Kentucky Colonels and the Buffalo Braves, as well as one season in Italy.

He continued to live in Bowling Green and remained around the Hilltopper program through the years.

Like Father, Like Son...In The Civil War

The Civil War tore many families apart, pitting brother against brother or father against son, as each rallied to the flag of the cause that captured his heart. My family certainly fits into that category. Perhaps you read the recent story I wrote about the four Speck brothers who fought for the Confederacy. One of them was my 3rd great grandfather. This story is about his wife's uncle and three son's, who fought for the Union.

When the Civil War came to Tennessee, David Hill Walker and three of his sons, Stephen, John and George, decided to join the Union Army, enlisting in the same 2nd Tennessee Mounted Cavalry on June 19, 1862 at Cumberland Gap. They were mustered in for a three year enlistment under the command of Colonel Daniel M. Ray. The unit was composed primarily of Southern loyalists from the East Tennessee counties. The Walkers lived in Campbell County. Before that, the family lived in Washington County, Virginia. David rose to the rank of Sergeant in Company D, while his son's remained privates throughout their term of service.

The 2nd Tennessee Mounted Cavalry particpated in the Battle of Stones River at Murfreesboro, which was fought from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863, the Tullahoma (or Middle Tennessee) Campaign from June 24 to July 3, 1863 and the Battle of Chickamauga, from September 18–20, 1863.

Following the Battle of Chickamauga, some 1,500 Union troops from the 3rd Brigade, 4th Cavalry Division and the 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry moved in and occupied Rogersville, Tennessee, the second-oldest town in Tennessee, and the surrounding area, and began filling warehouses full of winter provisions, attempting to establish a Federal foothold in East Tennessee for future operations. About twice that number of Confederates, made up of Jones' Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Brigade and the 8th Virginia Cavalry, surprised the federal forces on the morning of November 6, 1863 and recaptured the town, along with all of the supplies in the warehouses. The Confederates held the town for the remainder of the war.

Out of 893 soldiers from the 2nd Tennessee who participated in the battle, only five were killed, but 608, including David Walker and all three of his sons, were captured. While the commisoned officers were housed at Libby Prison at Richmond, Virginia, the enlisted men were incarcerated at nearby Belle Island Prison. Those who survived Belle Island were transferred to Andersonville Prison in Macon County, Georgia, when it opened in February of 1864. David Hill Walker and his sons were either paroled or exchanged as the war came to an end.

David and his son, George, are both buried in Pikeville, Tennessee. George died in 1889 and David Hill died in 1892. Stephen died in 1913 and is buried at nearby Crossville. John died in 1910 and is buried at Vera Cruz, Missouri.

The Notorious Meddler During August 2017

(The Notorious Meddler August 2017 Stats)
Most-Read Stories
* Long Live The Goat Man
* 70's Slang Words/Phrases
* Ode To A Mule
* Arthur Robinson Frogge: Pioneer of the Valley of the Three Forks O' The Wolf
* Victor: The Sousa Sessions

Audience
United States 2,910
Ukraine 543
Russia 398
Spain 94
Singapore 81
Romania 58
Germany 53
Brazil 49
India 49
Sweden 48

Pageviews during August 5,072
Pageviews all- time history 256,919

Alexander Devin: Pioneer Preacher, Master Builder of Baptist Churches in South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana

William Devin was born in Dublin, Ireland and came to America around 1745. He and his wife, Sarah, settled along Banister River in what is now Pittsylvania County, Virginia, near present-day Danville and Martinsville. Their son, Alexander, my 6th great-grandfather in my grandmother Dimple Means Speck's line, was born there on March 22, 1769.

Alexander was a Baptist preacher who was raised in South Carolina, preaching the gospel up and down the Pee Dee River (the original river in Stephen Foster's song, "Old Folks at Home.") It is written that he was a strong doctrinal preacher, a man of fine talents who exerted a strong influence on society. The "History of the South Carolina Baptist," by Leath Townsend, states that Devin helped John Hightower and Joseph Logan organize several churches there in the early to mid 1790's before migrating west to Kentucky in 1798.

According to J. H. Spencer's "History of Kentucky Baptists, Vol. 1," The Kentucky Legislature had passed an act in 1795, by which a preemption right to two hundred acres of land was secured to each settler in the Green River country. This induced a large influx of immigrants from the southeast to settle in that region. Most of the early settlers along the southern border of the State were from the Carolinas. A settlement by people from these states was made on the waters of Drake's Creek, in what are now Allen and Warren counties, as early as 1795. Among these, according to Spencer, were "a number of Baptists, including Hightower, Devin and Logan."

They organized Union Church near the West Fork of Drake's Creek in Warren County. Today, Old Union Missionary Baptist Church is considered to be the oldest, continuous congregation in Warren County, having been constituted in 1795.

Sulphur Springs Church was founded by the three preachers around 1797 or 1798. It was the first church of any denomination in Allen County.

They constituted Bethlehem Church (originally called Upper Difficult Church) in 1801. Logan was the first pastor, Hightower the second and Devin the third. Today, it is the oldest existing church in Allen County. These three ministers worked both together and separately throughout the region. There is a record of Devin and Hightower dedicating The Baptist Church of Jesus Christ in Smith County, Tennessee in 1802.

In his book, Spencer referred to Hightower, Logan and Devin as “the master builders” of Baptist churches who often taking turns serving the pulpit in churches they helped constitute.

(Alexander Devin House, 412 West State Street, Princeton, Indiana) )
Devin moved his family to the Indiana Territory in the spring of 1808. He was one of the first Baptist preachers in Southwestern Indiana. He bought the first lot sold in Princeton. Alexander and his son, Joseph, operated a pork packing and shipping business. They had large packing houses and ran an extensive business for many years, loading pork in flatboats and sending them down the river to New Orleans.

Alexander was one of three Gibson County, Indiana men who were delegates to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1816. The other two were David Robb and James Smith. In all, forty-three delegates from 13 counties across the southern part of the state met in Corydon (the original state capital) to vote whether or not Indiana should be declared a state. The vote passed 34-8 and Indiana became the 19th state on December 11th of that year. During Indiana's bicentennial celebration in 2016, all 43 delegates were honored. Devin’s stone at Warnock Cemetery was re-set before the ceremony took place.

After moving to the Indiana territory, Devin continued organizing churches. He collected the first churches of the Wabash Association, which was formed from five churches in 1809. He also organized Providence Church in 1822 and Harvey's Creek Church in 1823.

Alexander and his wife, Susan Nowlin, whom he married in 1793, had thirteen children. Alexander died on January 3, 1827 and is buried at Warnock Cemetery in Gibson County, along with his wife and most of their children.

Victor: The Sousa Sessions

Victor Talking Machine Company
"Sessions with the Sousa Band"
Dec. 21, 1917
from my 78 rpm collection"

These recordings of the Sousa Band are among the very few on which Sousa himself is known to have conducted. The recording sessions took place at the Camden, NJ Auditorim. Two takes were recorded of each song and only the second take of each song was released.

"The United States Field Artillery March"
(Written by Sousa)
Matrix #: B21227710, 78 rpm
released as Victor 18430 (A)
Listen Here

"Liberty Loan"
(Written by Sousa)
Matrix #: B2127510, 78 rpm
released as: Victor 18430 (B)
Listen Here

Eclipse 2017: The Glory of God

The ancient Chinese believed an eclipse was a fire-eating dragon that swallowed the sun. Medieval European Viking sailors attributed the celestial event to sky wandering wolves catching up with the burning orb.

We know that the sun is a dependable friend that gives light and life. Likewise, the one who made the sun is also a dependable friend who gives light and life. Today's eclipse is a reminder that "the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork," which is to say the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalms 19:1).

In his online article published on August 20, 2017 entitled, "Are Solar Eclipses Proof of God?", Eric Metaxas of Fox News writes, "the man who wrote (Psalms 19:1) didn’t have a telescope or a Brittanica, but he saw something many today still do not see. He saw a God behind it all. It may be true that seeing a Grand Designer behind these breath-taking events requires what we call a leap of faith; but it may also be true that seeing mere coincidence behind them requires an even greater leap of faith. In my mind, much greater. Today, you may be the judge."

Seeing that the sun is a dependable friend that gives light and life, an eclipse could be viewed as a disruption of the natural order, but the eclipse will eventually end and God will continue to reign!

Arthur Robinson Frogge: Pioneer of the Valley of the Three Forks o' the Wolf

My 5th great-grandfather, Arthur Robinson Frogge, was born to William and Mary Mitchell Frogg on April 13, 1776, almost three months before the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress.

Arthur was of Scottish descent and was named after his uncle Arthur Frogg (c1744 – 1771) who was reportedly killed in a duel in Virginia. His middle name was in homage of his brother-in-law and business partner, David Robinson. According to his widow’s pension, Arthur Frogg was 6 ft. tall, slender, fair-completed, blue eyes and had black hair. President James Madison was Arthur's second cousin. Madison’s mother and Arthur’s grandmother were sisters.

In August of 1795, at the age of 19, Arthur enlisted as a private in the 14th Regiment of the Virginia Infantry. He served three years, taking part in several expeditions against the Creek Indians, before he was honorably discharged at Ft. Williams in Georgia in August of 1798.

Arthur married Jane Thompson Richardson on Jan. 31, 1799 in Wytheville, VA. The next month, his brother, Strother, married Jane’s sister. In 1802, after witnessing a mass exodus by many of their family and friends to Kentucky and Tennessee, the Frogg brothers moved their families to an area on Wolf River near Stockton's Valley, which later became known as Albany, Kentucky. The area where Arthur and his family settled was originally thought to be in Kentucky but would later become Pall Mall, Tennessee. It was there that Arthur purchased 200 acres near the Horsehoe Bend of Wolf River.

Sgt Alvin C. York wrote in is diary, “Above the spring in the rock-facing of the cliff is a large cave. Here Coonrod Pile spread a bed of leaves and made his home. The campfire was kept burning and its smoke was seen by other hunters, and Pearson Miller, Arthur Frogg, John Riley and Moses Poor came to Coonrod in the valley, and they too made their homes there, and Pall Mall was founded and descendants of these men are today eighty percent of the residents in the "Valley of the Three Forks o' the Wolf.”

The United States declared War on England in June of 1812 and Arthur and his brothers, William and Strother, enlisted to protect the frontier settlements from Tecumseh. Due to his previous experience as a soldier, Arthur served as a Lieutenant in the KY Mounted Infantry, 3rd Company; 7th Regiment for the Thames Campaign. He was mustered in at Newport, KY, enroute to Urbana, Ohio, 120 miles north of Cincinnati.

On Nov. 4, 1813, while marching around Lake Erie, Arthur fractured his ankle. He had served 84 days as Lieutenant. His paymaster reimbursed him two rations per day totaling 168, less ten of which were provided. He was reimbursed $31.60 sustenance during his term.

After the injury, Arthur came back home, where it is said he presided over the first ever county court. He also became road commissioner of Overton County, TN in 1815.

Tennessee and Kentucky compromised on a boundary dispute and on Feb. 4, 1820, the land where Arthur lived was now referred to as Overton County, TN instead of Cumberland County, KY. Fentress County, TN was created three years later from parts of Overton and Morgan counties, but Arthur remained in Overton County as the area along Wolf River would not be annexed into Fentress County until later.

In 1832, Arthur became Fentress County Road Commissioner and in 1835, he was appointed commissioner of Tennessee’s first railroad.

After the opening of the Illinois Territory, Arthur and his sons purchased 5,000 acres of land in Union County, Illinois in 1839. According to his widow’s pension papers, Arthur moved his family to Tippecanoe, Indiana where Jane died on Aug. 17, 1839. Following her death, Arthur returned home to Pall Mall and on April 18, 1841 he married his second wife, Louvisa Smith.

He applied for his military pension in 1844 and after a two year review, began receiving $8.50 per month on Jan. 1, 1846.

Arthur Robinson Frogge died on May 13, 1855 at the age of 78. He is buried at Wolf River Cemetery in Fentress Co, Tennessee.

The Hunt For Freedom

Two decades before Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, Polly Berry, an African-American woman who had been enslaved as a child in Wayne County, Kentucky, became a free woman, thanks to the help of two former residents of Stockton's Valley, who were also members of Clear Fork Baptist Church.

Polly Berry, aka Polly Crockett and Polly Wash, was an African-American woman who was reportedly born to a slave in a Beatty family in Wayne County, Kentucky around 1803, and who later became enslaved to a one-armed man named Joseph Crockett, the uncle of frontiersman, Davy Crockett, who migrated from Fredericks County, Virginia to Wayne County, where he operated a sawmill. In the winter of 1818, when Polly was 14 years old, Crockett sold his property and moved his family, including Polly, to Illinois, seemingly with the intent of moving on to Missouri when weather allowed.

Illinois was a “free state” meaning that if a slave owner moved there, he forfeited his legal rights to own his slaves, but Crockett ignored this fact. His decision to winter there, with wife, belongings and stock, would become key to Polly's hunt for freedom, along with the fact that he hired her out to neighbors in the free state before allowing his son, William, to take her to the slave-state Missouri months later and sell her.

At Missouri, Polly was sold to Major Taylor Berry of St. Louis and became Polly Berry. It was there that she married another slave and two daughters were born: Nancy and Lucy. When Major Berry died there was a provision in his will saying that after his wife, Fanny, died the slaves would be freed.

Fanny married Missouri State Supreme Court Justices Robert Wash and when she died a few years later, Wash not only did not free his wife’s slaves as he was supposed to, he also sold Polly’s husband to a plantation owner in the South. Soon after, though, Major Berry's daughter's were able to reclaim Polly and her daughters from Wash.

Polly Berry escaped in 1839 after being sold to lumberman Joseph Magehan, but she was captured in Chicago and returned to get new owner. It was then that she resolved to protect her now 12-year-old daughter, Lucy Ann. Her daughter, Nancy, had managed to escape from slavery on the Underground Railroad. (She went on to marry a prosperous farmer in Toronto, Canada and had several children).

Polly filed a freedom suit in the St. Louis Circuit Court on October 3, 1839, on the basis that, when younger, she had been illegally held as a slave in Illinois (Polly Wash v. Joseph M. Magehan). A Missouri state law in 1824 stated that persons held in wrongful servitude could sue for freedom if they had evidence of wrongful enslavement. Most of the persons using this law to obtain freedom were enslaved Africans who based their wrongful enslavement cases on residence in a free state or territory. Since their cases were all brought for the same reason, collectively, they became known as "freedom suits." The judicial practice was termed, "once free, always free."

In 1800, Samuel Wood, his wife, Naomi, his mother, Sarah, and most of his brothers, migrated from East Tennessee to Stockton's Valley, Kentucky, which later became Albany. Samuel and his brother, William, helped organize Clear Fork Baptist Church. William served as clerk until his death in 1850 and Samuel was the first appointed deacon, serving until 1816. A road builder by trade, in 1813, he oversaw the building of the (old) Burkesville Road from Robert Davis’ to the county line. After the War of 1812 and an 1815 peace treaty with Northwest Indian tribes, rumors were rife of the rich soil in the Illinois Territory, causing Samuel, Naomi and others, including Joseph Crockett, to move there. Samuel and Naomi chose to settle near the Mississippi River at Troy.

The Wood's had been acquainted with young Polly and Joseph Crockett while living at Stockton's Valley and both gave key depositions on her behalf in April of 1840. Samuel referred to Polly as "the young Negro girl." Naomi went much further, saying she had known Polly "almost ever since she was born" and "frequently saw Polly's mother carrying the child about" and that Crockett would hire her out "even though she was sometimes a little sick." Naomi also stated that "when Polly was seven or eight years of age or thereabouts, she was sold by her original owners, the Beatty's of Wayne County, Kentucky, to Joseph Crockett, a one-armed man." She said, "I know the plaintiff (Polly) well. I have not seen the plaintiff since she was here with Crockett until something like a fortnight ago when she came to my house. She said that she had come to hunt us and after talking some time about the Beatty's and Crockett's and other neighbors and things I asked Pol where she had been all this time and why she had come here. She said she had come to see if they could say how long she had stayed here and said she had an idea of endeavoring to get her freedom. I then stated to her that I recollected such facts as I have stated and I told her I was willing to testify to such facts as I know here as at St. Louis."

Berry successfully proved that she had been enslaved in the free state of Illinois before being sold to a slave trader in Missouri and on June 6, 1843 an all-white jury in St. Louis declared her a free woman. Five years later, on February 7, 1844, the same court declared freedom for her now 14-year-old daughter, Lucy Ann, because she was born to a woman who was proven in court to be free based on having been held illegally in Illinois.

You can read about Polly Berry's life in her daughter's memoir, "From the Darkness Cometh the Light," or "Struggles for Freedom," the only first-person account of a freedom suit, published in 1891 under her married name, Lucy Delaney.

It's not clear when Polly Berry died but after the court cases, she lived with Lucy Ann the rest of her days. Lucy Ann died sometime after 1891.

Samuel and Naomi Wood and others organized Canteen Creek Baptist Church in the Jarvis Township of Madison County, Illinois on June 21,1817 and Samuel was called to preach. He died on May 20, 1850. Naomi reportedly died two years later. They are buried at Canteen Creek Church Cemetery, also known as Wood Cemetery.