By Linda Stewart, 1 August 2018
I love history. When I start a new family project, the first thing I do is research the county they lived in. What crops were grown?. What type of industry was in the area? What was the population of the town? Were there any disasters or epidemics that occurred in the area that effected the family? I will spend days getting the feel for the land, so to speak, before I start researching the family themselves. This pre-research gives me a better understanding of what may have occurred in their lives.
One of the best sources to find this type of information is newspapers.com. It is a paid site, but well worth the cost. You can find all kinds of information. You may even locate a family historian from the past. Here is one such person …
A New Book – Edwin Paschall, J13,well known in Tennessee for forty years as a gentleman of great ability and intellectual culture, has prepared and will soon have in press a work on the early history of Tennessee, embracing the most interesting and thrilling events in the lives of the pioneers of the State. It will be a book of absorbing interest, not only to the generation now passing away, but to posterity. The work will be sold by subscription. Mr. Walter Paschall J131, is now in the city soliciting subscriptions, and we cheerfully commend him and the forthcoming work to the favor of the public. Nashville Union and American, (Nashville, TN) – Wednesday, December 16, 1868, Page 4.
Edwin Burford Paschall was my 3rd great uncle. He was a school teacher. He placed an ad in the newspaper on 29 December 1854, which appeared 12 January 1855. It reads School Notice – Edwin Paschall will open his School on the 1st of January, in a house owned by Mr. Digoons, on the Charlotte Turnpike, near the residence of Sterling R. Cockrell. The Tennessean, (Nashville, TN) – Friday, January 12, 1855, Page 4
I actually found Edwin Paschall’s book on Amazon, republished by Forgotten Books. I have ordered it and am looking forward to reading his work from 150 years ago. So write down your genealogy and your family stories. Make copies and give them to your family members. Who knows, maybe in the year 2168 one of your descendants will be reading your work.
Happy Hunting!
Edwin’s book caused a great stir in the Paschal genealogical society of the 1920-1930’s. An early genealogist, Edward Early Paschal, K536, (1865-1930)(EEP) made an effort to obtain a copy of the work, c1925. When he got it he was disappointed in that Edwin, had published the small book mainly for his school’s children!
Likewise, the book, “Ninety-four Years”, by Judge George Paschal, F24 (1812-1878) was obtained by EEP was a disappointment and contains a serious error but non-the less was a great addition to the Paschal family history. EEP intended to write a history but died before doing so.
Now, Linda Clark Stewart of Anahuac, Texas has written a monumental book on her ancestor, John T. Paschall, J12 (1797-1862). This is an example of what a genealogy should be. It has source documents, photos, and verified stories enough for anybody. A reference book to show how it should be done. Linda has agreed to take over my site as I retire from this labor to the, “old fishing creek”.