Near Rugby in Morgan County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Early Rugby’s Appalachian Neighbors
Independent and Self-Reliant
Photographed By Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
1. Early Rugby’s Appalachian Neighbors Marker
Inscription.
Early Rugby’s Appalachian Neighbors. Independent and Self-Reliant.
Living Off The Land. Area mountain folk like the Massengales farmed and used the natural resources of the forest to build their log cabins and outbuildings. They produced virtually all of the goods they needed throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. What they couldn’t raise, hunt, gather or make would require a rare journey to the outside world for salt and other essentials like crockery. In the Rugby area prior to 1880, this meant traveling some fifteen miles by ox or horse-drawn wagon to Jamestown in Fentress County on the Old Jacksboro Road, described as a “dim mountain trail”. Probably the first, and possible most important, positive impact of the new Rugby Colony for these Appalachian families was the need for only a short walk or ride to the Commissary and other Rugby shops for their “store-bought” goods., Mountain folk produced a wide variety of food products for the families, including meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables. They raised cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry for meat and other purposes. Cattle provided milk, cheese, butter, hides used to make leather goods. Poultry provided eggs and feathers. Sheep wool was used to make clothing, and beef or sheep tallow and pork lard yielded candles and lye soap. Like other area families, the Massengales used fleece from their sheep to spin and weave wool for clothing and coverlets, as Elizabeth’s and Dicie Fletcher’s pictures show. In 1880, according to an agricultural census, the Massengales reported 180 pounds of butter and 100 pounds of honey. Those quantities and the 200 apple trees listed suggest that butter, honey, and apples were being sold to coal miners who were beginning to settle in nearby Glen Mary and to the earliest Rugby colonists, a few of whom began arriving in late 1878., The 1880 census, year-round activities lists and the chart shown here help us visualize the constant work it took to wrest a living from this Cumberland Plateau land. The return was an independent, owe-no-man lifestyle especially prized by English-Scots-Irish immigrants and their descendants throughout the 17th to early 20th centuries in Appalachia., [Captions]: Aunt Dicie Fletcher was Rugby’s most accomplished spinner and weaver; an example of the dozens of weaving patterns she used is above., An 1880 graphic from Harper’s Weekly shows a somewhat romanticized view of Rugby colonists at the Tompkins homeplace that also predated the colony., An unidentified family at their log home in or near Rugby. It’s possible they are Massengale relatives.,
Massengale Family 1880 Agricultural Census Record. Nineteenth century census records included agricultural reporting that reveals much information about the Massengales’ farming activities and lifestyle., Census Farm Value and Output Report Value $1,000 for property Value $1,000 for property 17 acres tilled 3 permanent structures 433 acres woodland / forest $10 farming implements / machinery $280 livestock 4 milk cows 2 calves dropped 1 horse 11 lambs dropped 31 sheep and 31 fleeces 50 swine 27 poultry 250 lbs. butter made on farm in 1879 300 eggs produced in 1879, Crops: 15 bushels buckwheat 150 bushels Indian corn 7 bushels rye 1 acre in sorghum 40 gallons molasses in 1879 25 bushels potatoes 5 acres in apple trees – 200 trees 100 lbs. honey 8 lbs. beeswax Wood cut in 1879 – 60 cords, Typical Year-Round Activities The Massengales and other Appalachian families had to work long hours in every kind of weather to provide for their needs and wants. Usually, every man was his own farmer, blacksmith, gunsmith, carpenter, cobbler, miller and tinker. Another family member or neighbor might serve as his very occasional barber and dentist, and the maker of a rude wooden coffin when he or a family member died., Every wife and other probably worked even longer hours than ”her man”, usually handling all the gardening, cooking and clean-up, stock feeding and milking, spinning and weaving, soap making, wood and water carrying, gathering of wild plants and nuts for cooking, dyeing and medicinal use – usually in addition to having a new baby to raise every year or two., Compare this partial list of how the Massengale family and their Appalachian neighbors spent much of their time each year to how the average America family lives today., Farm Work Feeding, breeding, doctoring farm animals Dealing with free-range stock Sheep Shearing Hog killing Egg gathering Milking Beekeeping Plowing, planting and weeding Orchard tending Shucking corn and harvesting grains Taking corn and grains to mill for grinding Cleaning stables, coops and outhouse Fence post, shingle and trough making Tool making and blacksmithing, In and Around the Cabin Firewood splitting and kindling gathering Cooking, indoors and out Spinning, weaving, making and mending clothes Cleaning, sweeping and laundering clothing Churning butter Rendering lard and tallow Gathering, storing and drying fruits ad vegetables Gathering and utilizing wild herbs, nuts and dyestuffs Carry water Making feather ticks and pillows Caring for children and grandchildren Fruit fermenting for beverages, including the making of distilled spirits (moonshine) for personal use and perhaps for sale.
Living Off The Land
Area mountain folk like the Massengales farmed and used the natural resources of the forest to build their log cabins and outbuildings. They produced virtually all of the goods they needed throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. What they couldn’t raise, hunt, gather or make would require a rare journey to the outside world for salt and other essentials like crockery. In the Rugby area prior to 1880, this meant traveling some fifteen miles by ox or horse-drawn wagon to Jamestown in Fentress County on the Old Jacksboro Road, described as a “dim mountain trail”. Probably the first, and possible most important, positive impact of the new Rugby Colony for these Appalachian families was the need for only a short walk or ride to the Commissary and other Rugby shops for their “store-bought” goods.
Mountain folk produced a wide variety of food products for the families, including meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables. They raised cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry for meat and other purposes. Cattle provided milk, cheese, butter, hides used to make leather goods. Poultry provided eggs and feathers. Sheep wool was used to make clothing, and beef or sheep tallow and pork lard yielded candles and lye soap. Like other area families, the Massengales used fleece from their sheep to spin and weave
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wool for clothing and coverlets, as Elizabeth’s and Dicie Fletcher’s pictures show. In 1880, according to an agricultural census, the Massengales reported 180 pounds of butter and 100 pounds of honey. Those quantities and the 200 apple trees listed suggest that butter, honey, and apples were being sold to coal miners who were beginning to settle in nearby Glen Mary and to the earliest Rugby colonists, a few of whom began arriving in late 1878.
The 1880 census, year-round activities lists and the chart shown here help us visualize the constant work it took to wrest a living from this Cumberland Plateau land. The return was an independent, owe-no-man lifestyle especially prized by English-Scots-Irish immigrants and their descendants throughout the 17th to early 20th centuries in Appalachia.
[Captions]: Aunt Dicie Fletcher was Rugby’s most accomplished spinner and weaver; an example of the dozens of weaving patterns she used is above.
An 1880 graphic from Harper’s Weekly shows a somewhat romanticized view of Rugby colonists at the Tompkins homeplace that also predated the colony.
An unidentified family at their log home in or near Rugby. It’s possible they are Massengale relatives.
Massengale Family 1880 Agricultural Census Record
Nineteenth century census records included agricultural reporting
Photographed By Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
2. Early Rugby’s Appalachian Neighbors Marker
Marker is on the left.
that reveals much information about the Massengales’ farming activities and lifestyle.
Census Farm Value and Output Report
Value $1,000 for property
Value $1,000 for property
17 acres tilled
3 permanent structures
433 acres woodland / forest
$10 farming implements / machinery
$280 livestock
4 milk cows
2 calves dropped
1 horse
11 lambs dropped
31 sheep & 31 fleeces
50 swine
27 poultry
250 lbs. butter made on farm in 1879
300 eggs produced in 1879
Crops:
15 bushels buckwheat
150 bushels Indian corn
7 bushels rye
1 acre in sorghum
40 gallons molasses in 1879
25 bushels potatoes
5 acres in apple trees – 200 trees
100 lbs. honey
8 lbs. beeswax
Wood cut in 1879 – 60 cords
Typical Year-Round Activities
The Massengales and other Appalachian families had to work long hours in every kind of weather to provide for their needs and wants. Usually, every man was his own farmer, blacksmith, gunsmith, carpenter, cobbler, miller and tinker. Another family member or neighbor might serve as his very occasional barber and dentist, and the maker of a rude wooden coffin when he or a family member died.
Every wife and other probably worked even longer hours than ”her man”,
Photographed By Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
3. Massengale Homeplace Site
usually handling all the gardening, cooking and clean-up, stock feeding and milking, spinning and weaving, soap making, wood and water carrying, gathering of wild plants and nuts for cooking, dyeing and medicinal use – usually in addition to having a new baby to raise every year or two.
Compare this partial list of how the Massengale family and their Appalachian neighbors spent much of their time each year to how the average America family lives today.
Farm Work
Feeding, breeding, doctoring farm animals
Dealing with free-range stock
Sheep Shearing
Hog killing
Egg gathering
Milking
Beekeeping
Plowing, planting & weeding
Orchard tending
Shucking corn & harvesting grains
Taking corn and grains to mill for grinding
Cleaning stables, coops and outhouse
Fence post, shingle and trough making
Tool making and blacksmithing
In and Around the Cabin
Firewood splitting and kindling gathering
Cooking, indoors & out
Spinning, weaving, making & mending clothes
Cleaning, sweeping and laundering clothing
Churning butter
Rendering lard and tallow
Gathering, storing and drying fruits ad vegetables
Gathering and utilizing wild herbs, nuts and dyestuffs
Carry water
Making feather ticks and pillows
Caring for children
Photographed By Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
4. Map to Massengale Homeplace Kiosk
and grandchildren
Fruit fermenting for beverages, including the making of distilled spirits (moonshine) for personal use and perhaps for sale.
Erected by Historic Rugby.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 36° 21.38′ N, 84° 42.128′ W. Marker is near Rugby, Tennessee, in Morgan County. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rugby TN 37733, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed By Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
5. Massengale Homeplace Family Spring
Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 87 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 6, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
