History of Murfreesboro, (Rutherford County) Tennessee United States of America

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Biographies:

Mary Noailles Murfree, author, was born at Murfreesboro, Tenn., Jan. 24, 1850; daughter of William Law and Fanny Priscilla (Dickson) Murfree; granddaughter of William Hardy and Elizabeth Mary (Maney) Murfree, and great granddaughter of Col. Hardy Murfree , an officer in the Revolutionary army. She became lame in childhood, and thus debarred from active amusements, at an early age devoted herself to books, becoming a hard student, and later earnestly turned her attention to literary work. The family in 1856 removed to Nashville where she was chiefly educated, although she spent some time at school in Philadelphia. In 1872 they returned to Murfreesboro, and from there removed to St. Louis, Mo., in 1881, and back to Murfreesbero in 1890. She spent her summers in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, and devoted herself principally to the portrayal of human character as connected with life in the Tennessee mountains. Her first story, "The Dancin' Party at Harrison's Cove", appeared in the Atlantic Monthly over the signature "Charles Egbert Craddock." Other stories and novels followed, published also in book form, and she succeeded in concealing her identity until 1885. She is the author of: In the Tennessee Mountains, stories (1884); Where the Battle was Fought, a novel (1884); Down the Ravine (1885); The Prophet of the great Smoky Mountains (1885); In the Clouds (1886); The Story of Keedon Bluffs (1887); The Despot of Broomsedge Cove ( 1888 ); In the Stranger-People's Country (1891); His Vanished Star (1894); The Mystery of Witch-face Mountain and Other Stories (1895); The Phantom of the Foot-Bridge and Other Stories (1895); The Juggler (1897); The Young Mountaineers, short stories (1897); The Story of Old Fort Loudon (1899); The Bush-whackers and Other Stories (1899); The Champion (1902); A Spectre of Power (1902), and numerous contributions to leading magazines.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Will Allen Dromgoole, author, was born in Murfreesbero, Tenn., Oct. 26, 1860; daughter of John Easter and Rebecca Mildred (Blanch) Dromgeele; granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas and Mary Dromgoole and of Ezekiel and Mildred (Cook) Blanch of Virginia; and great-granddaughter of Edward Dromgoole of Sligo, Ireland, and his wife, an English woman. Her maternal grandfather was of Danish descent and her maternal grandmother was French. She was graduated from the Clarksville female academy, Tenn., in 1876. She was appointed assistant engrossing clerk of the Tennessee house of representatives in 1883, was elected engrossing clerk of the state senate, 1885; was re-elected in 1887; served an extra term, and was defeated for re-election in 1889. She taught school in Tennessee one year, and one year in Temple, Texas, and afterward devoted her time chiefly to literary work. She is the author of: Heart of Old Hickory (1891); The Farrier's Dog and His Fellow (1897); Further Adventures of the Fellow (1898); Valley Path (1898); Three Little Crackers (1898); Hero Chums (1898); Rare Old Chums (1898); A Boy's Battle (1898); Cuich, and Other Tales of Tennessee (1898); A Moonshiner's Son (1898); Harum-Scarum Joe {1899); and The Battle on Stone River (1899); besides many magazine articles.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Philip Doddridge McCulloch, representative, was born in Murfreesbero, Tenn., June 23, 1851; son of Dr. Philip Doddridge and Lucy Virginia (Burrus) McCulloch; grandson of Benjamin and Sarah Ann (Lytle) McCulloch and of Lafayette and Eliza (Ready) Burrus, of Rutherford county, Tenn., and a descendant of Alexander McCulloch, who emigrated from Scotland to the province of North Carolina sometime before the Revolutionary war and settled near the old town of Halifax. He was councillor of the province and an ardent Whig during the Revolutionary war. Philip D. McCulloch removed with his parents to Trenton, Tenn., in 1854, and attended Andrew college at that place. He was admitted to the bar in August, 1872, and engaged in the practice of his profession. He removed to Marianna, Ark., in February, 1874; was elected prosecuting attorney of the 1st judicial district of Arkansas in September, 1878, and was reelected for three successive terms. He was a Democratic presidential elector in 1888 and was a representative from Arkansas in the 53d-57th congresses, 1893-1903.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Houston Burrus, educator, was born near Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 1849; son of William C. Burrus, a wealthy planter, lawyer, and politician; his mother, Nancy, was a slave of mulatto and Indian extraction. On the death of Mr. Burrus in 1860, Nancy and her three surviving sons were divided with his other property among his heirs. President Lincoln's emancipation proclamation gave them freedom, and John with his mother and brothers settled in Nashville, Tenn. He entered the University as a student in 1867, and was graduated in 1875. He was engaged for two years as an instructor in Fisk university, but in 1879 he resigned to devote himself exclusively to his legal studies. He was admitted to the bar in January, 1881, and in September, 1883, became president of Alcorn agricultural and mechanical college at Rodney, Miss.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor