Nashville\'s Infancy.

Original Organization of the Town Government. 

Glances at the Veritable Minute Book of the First Municipal Legislature.

When the town of Nashville was incorporated, instead of a Council or Board of Aldermen, it had a \”Board of Commissioners.\” One of the oldest inhabitants of the city has in his possession a sear and yellow old manuscript, bound in coarse flax, which is the record of the proceedings of this Board from its organization several months.

On the first page of this curious old relic we read, that in pursuance of \”An act of the regulation of the town of Nashville,\” which passed the General Assembly Dec. 10, 1801, an election was held April 3, 1802, and Robert Searcy, W. P. Anderson, Robert C. Foster, Benjamin J. Bradford, Roger H. Sappington, Wm. Luntz and Thomas Rutherford were elected \”Commissioners for the Town.\” The next day the Board of Commissioners met at the house of Timothy Demonbreun, and after taking the oath proceeded to elect officers.

The result of the vote was that R. C. Foster was elected \”Intendant,\” B. J. Bradford Clerk and R. B. Sappington Treasurer. Henry Guthrie was appointed \”Town Surveyor,\” and authorized to employ chain carriers at $1 per day, in order to set about laying off the town. W. P. Anderson was charged with receiving lists of taxable property.

Messrs. Anderson, Searcy and Rutherford, having been appointed for the purpose, drew up and submitted on the 6th of April a series of rules for the government of the board. Among the simple but stern rules adopted was one requiring each member \”to take a seat during sessions, uncover his head and continue so while in the room.\”

A series of rules and regulations for the police was adopted at one of the early meetings of the Board. Among these we find some that have and air of antiquity about them. For instance, \”each inhabitant of the town, who had been liable to work on and keep in repair the streets under the laws of the State, was still liable to work on and keep in repair the streets under the laws of the State, was still liable to work, and contribute in opening and keeping in repair the streets under the direction and inspection of a supervisor to be appointed; and if at any time on three days previous, notice any of the said inhabitants should refuse or neglect to attend and work, as by this article directed, he or they so neglecting, should for every such offense, forfeit and pay the sum of fifty cents.\”

Another regulation was \”That no inhabitant of said town should permit to suffer any swine to run at large (of his own property) in town under the penalty of twenty-five cents per head for the first twenty-four hours, and fifty cents for the second; and if the swine should be found on the third day, should be taken and sold by the town sergeant to the highest bidder for cash, one-half for the use of the officer and the other for the town.\”

Thus early was the grunting rooster declared a nuisance, and proceedings had for its abatement. Marshall Pittman can thus have some idea of the antiquity of the work in which he engaged last spring, and he may well feel complacent if he finally completes a job of such long standing.

Among the first steps taken by the Board of Commissioners was the adoption of a resolution April 24, 1802, to establish a market house. Work was immediately begun, and a markethouse erected within a few months.

The recorded proceedings of the Board, while they have strong primitive peculiarities, indicate remarkable intensity of purpose and vigor of action.

Nashville Union Dispatch
8/14/1874

Nashville\'s Infancy.

Original Organization of the Town Government. 

Glances at the Veritable Minute Book of the First Municipal Legislature.

When the town of Nashville was incorporated, instead of a Council or Board of Aldermen, it had a \”Board of Commissioners.\” One of the oldest inhabitants of the city has in his possession a sear and yellow old manuscript, bound in coarse flax, which is the record of the proceedings of this Board from its organization several months.

On the first page of this curious old relic we read, that in pursuance of \”An act of the regulation of the town of Nashville,\” which passed the General Assembly Dec. 10, 1801, an election was held April 3, 1802, and Robert Searcy, W. P. Anderson, Robert C. Foster, Benjamin J. Bradford, Roger H. Sappington, Wm. Luntz and Thomas Rutherford were elected \”Commissioners for the Town.\” The next day the Board of Commissioners met at the house of Timothy Demonbreun, and after taking the oath proceeded to elect officers.

The result of the vote was that R. C. Foster was elected \”Intendant,\” B. J. Bradford Clerk and R. B. Sappington Treasurer. Henry Guthrie was appointed \”Town Surveyor,\” and authorized to employ chain carriers at $1 per day, in order to set about laying off the town. W. P. Anderson was charged with receiving lists of taxable property.

Messrs. Anderson, Searcy and Rutherford, having been appointed for the purpose, drew up and submitted on the 6th of April a series of rules for the government of the board. Among the simple but stern rules adopted was one requiring each member \”to take a seat during sessions, uncover his head and continue so while in the room.\”

A series of rules and regulations for the police was adopted at one of the early meetings of the Board. Among these we find some that have and air of antiquity about them. For instance, \”each inhabitant of the town, who had been liable to work on and keep in repair the streets under the laws of the State, was still liable to work on and keep in repair the streets under the laws of the State, was still liable to work, and contribute in opening and keeping in repair the streets under the direction and inspection of a supervisor to be appointed; and if at any time on three days previous, notice any of the said inhabitants should refuse or neglect to attend and work, as by this article directed, he or they so neglecting, should for every such offense, forfeit and pay the sum of fifty cents.\”

Another regulation was \”That no inhabitant of said town should permit to suffer any swine to run at large (of his own property) in town under the penalty of twenty-five cents per head for the first twenty-four hours, and fifty cents for the second; and if the swine should be found on the third day, should be taken and sold by the town sergeant to the highest bidder for cash, one-half for the use of the officer and the other for the town.\”

Thus early was the grunting rooster declared a nuisance, and proceedings had for its abatement. Marshall Pittman can thus have some idea of the antiquity of the work in which he engaged last spring, and he may well feel complacent if he finally completes a job of such long standing.

Among the first steps taken by the Board of Commissioners was the adoption of a resolution April 24, 1802, to establish a market house. Work was immediately begun, and a markethouse erected within a few months.

The recorded proceedings of the Board, while they have strong primitive peculiarities, indicate remarkable intensity of purpose and vigor of action.

Nashville Union Dispatch
8/14/1874

EAST NASHVILLE LANDMARK

EAST NASHVILLE LANDMARK HISTORIC LOG HOUSE

THE TENNESSEAN, EVENING EDITION, AUGUST 8, 1928 

A century-old log house, one of the landmarks of early East Nashville, was destroyed last night by fire starting at 9:30 o’clock from an unknown source.  The house at the end of Rosebank avenue was originally owned by the Vaughn family, and later by the Cornelius, Scheffer and Wilkes families and at the time of its destruction was owned by George L. Hicks, vice-president of the Dixie Life & Accident Insurance Company.

The house had passed into Mr. Hicks’ hands but a few weeks ago.  Its value was estimated at $14,000, with only about one-third of this amount covered by insurance.  Only a few rugs had been moved into it by Mr. Hicks and these, with a range were the only articles destroyed.

Built of Logs.

Built of huge logs and covered by hand-hewn weather boarding, the house was a combination of old handwork and modern construction.  It had recently been modernized by Mr. Wilks and had previously been improved by W. R. Cornelius.

Member of the Vaughn and Brown families lived in the house during its first 40 years.  It was among the first built in that section of East Nashville, then an open country, and remained throughout its 100 years of existence a center of the community.

The late W. R. Cornelius bought the house in 1862.  In it he lived until near the end of the century.  Throughout the days of the Civil War the family watched the coming and going of Federal and Confederate troops from the estate surrounding the house.  The elder Mr, Cornelius sold the house to the Rosebank Nursery Company and his son, W. R. Cornelius rebought it in 1903.  Five years later he sold it to Frank Wilk, who retained the lovely house until recently.

Two stories in height, the house had nine large rooms, typical of early Southern architecture.  Many expressions of regret have been made over its passing as it was regarded as one of the finest old mansions in East Nashville.

The house was located in the highlighted area of the plat.  By 1908 William R. Cornelius had divided his father\’s East Nashville farm into lots and sold the lots on which the old log house stood to Henry Shafer.  Shafer soon died and the house passed to his daughter Mrs. Frank [Katherine] Wilk.  Frank Wilk sold the house to Mr. Hicks in 1928 a few weeks before it burned.  The house was located near the present intersection of Rosebank and Eastland Avenues.

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William R. Cornelius

by Debie Oeser Cox

July 2011

Originally published in The Nashville Retrospect, August 2011

William R. Cornelius was born in Union County, PA on December 23, 1824.  William started working for William Armstrong of Lewisburg, PA in 1842 to learn the cabinet making business.  Mr. Armstrong, as was often the case for cabinet makers, was also in the undertaking business.  While studying the art of cabinet making, Cornelius was also initiated into the business of undertaking and burial. 

In 1847, he arrived in Nashville and began to work with cabinet maker, James W. McCombs.  According to the 1850 manufacturing U. S. census for Tennessee, Cornelius and McCombs owned one of the largest furniture making businesses in the state of Tennessee, employing 16 men.  Cornelius continued in the furniture and undertaking business until the outbreak of the     U. S. Civil War.  At that point he sold his furniture business and took up undertaking full time.  He contracted with the Confederate army to bury the Confederate dead in and around Nashville.  When the Confederates departed the area and the Federals arrived, Cornelius contracted with Captain Gillam, to provide undertaking services for the United States.  Eventually he had establishments in Nashville, Murfreesboro and Chattanooga in Tennessee, as well as several locations in Alabama and Georgia.  Cornelius claimed that during the war, he buried, and shipped home, the remains of over 33,000 soldiers and civilian employees. 

In 1850 William Cornelius married Martha Dorris daughter of Samuel F. and Susannah Dorris of Davidosn County, Tennessee.  They were parents of at least six children, Benjamin, Sally, William Jr., George, Samuella, and Mattie.  In 1864 Cornelius purchased land and a log home from Michael Vaughn in the area that is now in East Nashville, along Rosebank Avenue near the Cumberland River.  The Vaughn family had owned the land for more than 50 years and are believed to have built the log house.  Cornelius improved the house, likely enlarging it and made it his home.  After the war he left the undertaking business and retired to his home and took up farming.  By 1879, having enough of farming, Cornelius returned to the funeral business.  

 In the 1901 Nashville City Directory, his sons, B. F. and William, Jr. are listed along with William, Sr. under the firm of W. R. Cornelius, Undertaker.  Cornelius had by that time left his farm and moved to 413 Main Street in East Nashville, just across the river from downtown Nashville.   William R. Cornelius died on Feb. 19, 1910.