LETTERS
December 6, 2002 - Hey Cus:
Sorry to hear of your complications with your former ISP, but happy to learn that you have overcome the problem. I attach herewith a little stipend to assist you in defraying your expenses for the coming year. I hope that Joe and I aren't the only ones offering to assist.
Not much new in our part of the country. We have our first measurable snow of the season, and it has finally put a stop to my golfing passion. We try to play all through the winter, and sometimes have to travel into southern Ohio to find a place to play. I haven't experienced cabin fever yet, though, so we probably won't travel until after the first of the year.
All of our children, and grandchildren were together over the recent Thanksgiving holiday, and that is probably my favorite time. I am so proud of them all, and so fortunate to have them all grown up safe, and hard working, industrious folks. As they grow older, they (we) have all become such good friends. And, they are so helpful to and supportive of each other as well. In addition, I would never have believed that I would have such an un-abiding affection for the grandchildren, either. I guess that shows that I am getting long in the tooth, and counting my blessings.
Hope this finds you and yours in good health, and spirits, and looking forward to the up-coming holiday season. Take good care of yourself, and keep a good thought.
Warmest Personal Regards, Bruce L. Plemmons - Westland, Michigan
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Hi Warren, Haven't talked to you for a while. I have some new information on T. J. Plemons you may be interested in. This last summer I sent to the National Archives in Washington and found he had drawn a pension from the civil war. In the paper work they sent me was letter that may have been written by him. There was also an interesting paper in the packet written by the Adjutant General of him being captured in Athens, Alabama and was a prisoner of war from Sept 24.1864 until April 27.1865. When he was released and sent north toward Memphis on a steamship named the “Sultana”. This ship blew up north of Memphis but he survived this also. I am going through the papers and will try to compile all this info after the first of the year. I also bought a book on the sinking of the “Sultana” and found his name in the list of survivors; it was spelled “Plumons, T. J”. I will be leaving for Arizona on the 18th of December to visit my daughter and grandkids and will return after the first of the year. I hope to have the book completed by then.
I was also looking at the last copy of Branches and saw where you had been
talking to a Ronnie. Could you give me his E-mail address he may also be
interested in what I have.
Jack Brumlow
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Hey Jack, Great to hear from you again. I hope that things have been going well with you. Ronnie's address is mailto:RONNIE0967@aol.com Thanks for the info and I will look forward to seeing the other. Incidentally, I still have some of the info that you sent to me before. Would you like me to return it? I have been meaning to take it up to Sweetwater and showing it to David Hall, who is another descendant of Thomas Jacob. He is the one that had the copy of T.J.'s discharge.
The "Discovery Channel" had an interesting feature about the "Sultana" but I never thought that any of our relatives would have been on it. It was going north from Memphis when it blew up, so T.J. was going away from East Tennessee. Maybe he was going north for another reason instead of going home at this time. Let me know what you find out. Thanks again – Warren
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Hi Warren: Boy, was this full of information. Thomas was conscripted into the Rebel Army. He escaped or deserted and joined the Union Army. He was captured near Athens, Alabama and made a P.O.W. at Cahab, Alabama. At the end of the war, he was sent to Vicksburg, Mississippi, for a trip to Ohio where he was to be released from the army. That is how he got on the Sultana. He was finally discharged from Nashville.
I have been going through this for about a week and came up with most of this Information. I have it all written out but need to type it up and will send you a copy when I return from Arizona next year. – Jack
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Email from GAIL PLEMONS of Jonesboro, GA.
I would like to apologize to all my e-mail friends and family. If you have sent me an e-mail in the last 5 months and I have not replied I am so sorry. This is only about the 3rd time I have had an opportunity to get on line since then.
It all began the first week of July when I was helping my brother assist a very dear Aunt who was having some problems. We moved her in with my Mother until she was able to sell her home and move into an assisted living home. This took about a month to get things settled.
The second week of July my daughter's husband fell and broke both of his legs. My daughter had finally been able to start working part time at home the first part of June. After he fell she had to go back to work full time. To keep from having to drive an hour to my house and then an hour to work, she and my 2yr. old granddaughter and her three dogs moved in with us. It has been very interesting around here. Her husband was finally released from a rehab. two weeks before Thanksgiving and then he came here to stay.
During this time my Mother-in-law in TN., SALLIE PLEMONS KERLEY was in and out of the hospital about three times. We were going to Chattanooga about every two weeks. She passed away the middle of November. (Sallie's obit appeared in the December issue of "Branches")
Just before this happened I went to the doctor and was told I had to have a hip replacement. I told the doctor I would like to wait a little while. I am so glad I did not have it done in June. God knew what was going to happen and he was looking out for me. My daughter and her family are still staying here most of the time. They are trying to gradually move back home, but Michelle is still having to work.
I guess now I will be having my surgery in January or February.
The doctor keeps trying to get me to go ahead and have it done, but I
just do not want to do it this close to the holidays.
Please don't forget me and keep me in your prayers. Gail
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Hey Joe: I have another riddle to solve: Marti (Marsha Ann) Plemons, of Murfreesboro, occasionally writes passages for a church newsletter, which is distributed in the West Tennessee, North Mississippi area. A lady, Dora E. Morris from Iuka, Mississippi, saw Marti's name and wrote a note to her which Marti then passed along to me. In the note, Mrs. Morris said the "Plemons" was her maiden name and that she rarely saw the name anywhere. She was just letting Marti know that there are other "Plemons" out there. I answered the note and sent along the last copy of "Branches". Today, I received the following from her.
"Warren,
A. H. Tiggs can tell you about the Plemons. His Mother is Dolly Plemons Tiggs. A. H. is, in Chattanooga or Shirley Holmes, in Winchester, Tennessee. Her Mother was a Plemons. Grandmother & Grandpa Plemons is buried at Winchester out in, I think, Gorskin (?). Shirley can tell you.
I have a sister living: Grace Plemons Phillips, 16 Gawthrop Lane, Clarksburg, West Virginia, 26301.
My brothers and sister: (Jack) Franklin Plemons, Jr. May 26, 1918 - May 30, 1962; (Bill) William E. Plemons April 28, 1920 - May 10, 1994; Mildred Plemons Hasting February 19,1921 - January 1, 1997;Grace Plemons Phillips October 20, 1924 -;Dora E. Plemons Morris February 15, 1927 -;Margaret Nell Plemons Bordenet September 21, 1934 - October 20, 1985.
My father is Franklin Plemons May 27, 1896 - March 1, 1968. I am sorry I can't give you more now. My Bible is at my Daughter's. Daddy and Aunt Louise are buried at Estell Springs, Tennessee. Albert is Daddy's uncle or great-uncle. Let me hear from you. Dora P. Morris"
Her address is P.O. Box 1142, Iuka, MS 38852
I suspect that she is more closely related to the Plemons families in Chattanooga, and may be more in your line. I have tried to cross trace any of the names that Dora mentions in Janet's research and haven't come up with anything yet.
Side note: I received the "Adavid" file from Claude Westerfield concerning the descendents of Jacob Witte Plemons. I am entering them into the computer now. So far, I have over 12,900 names family tree. Most of this is from Janet's book, although I have added my branch to it, which has been left out of her research. I sent it to her some time ago. Thereis quite a few in that crowd.
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January 23, 2003 Dear Mrs. Morris,
Thank you for your reply and for the very helpful information about your close family. When I first began to look for your relations in my records, I couldn’t fit the information that you gave me to names that I have. So I sent the information to a cousin in Indian Head, Maryland, who has been researching the family for many years and has a lot more facts than I have. His name is Joseph Plemons, and he is closely related to you, also.
Joe found that you are his fourth cousin, once removed. He was very excited to get the names and dates that you sent. He said that he knew of Franklin, but he didn’t have anything about his wife or family. He was delighted to get the names and dates of the sons and daughters of Franklin and Maggie.
Joe found that Franklin is the son of Peter Levi Plemons and Lula (and I don’t know her maiden name). And I have Peter’s sons and daughters listed as Clara, Franklin, Dollie & Lucille. I may have the name Lucille wrong. You mentioned that your Father and Louise were both buried at Estell Springs. Is this your Aunt? Please correct me on anything that you know that I have wrong.
Now that I know where you are in the family tree, I can trace your ancestry all the way back as far as anyone can go, to the family beginnings in Virginia and North Carolina. I have this information through the help of people like Joe and also Janet Webb, of Leicester, North Carolina. Janet has written a book on the family.
This is a hobby and I really enjoy meeting and writing to new Plemons and friends. I have found out a lot about my kin. I used to think that my brothers and sisters were about all that was left of the Plemons. I have since found that we have a lot of kin scattered all across the country. We have kin in about every state, but the main ones are North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. Most of the family stayed in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina for many years, and then moved west after the Civil War. Texas is full of Plemons’.
Well, Cousin Dora, I have about a hundred questions that I would like to ask now that I have met you. But I don’t want to make myself a bother. I am very interested in learning anything that I can about names and maiden names, birth and death dates, about your nieces and nephews, children and grandchildren. And I would be glad to answer any questions that you have for me. I am retired and I get a lot of enjoyment out of studying about our family history. For some reason, when I was small, we didn’t talk much about who we were related to or anything else about our family. So, that is the reason that I grew up thinking that there were not too many of us. Now I know better. And I have found that, no matter how they spell the name, I can usually find that they are related to me (whether they want to be or not).
And, by the way, I am your 4th cousin, once removed, also, the same relation to you as Joe. My wife is originally from Alabama, although she lived in Sweetwater, Tennessee, when we married. I have one son, Timothy, and two grandsons, Jake and Will. I have lived most of my life within a hundred miles of where I was born, in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Your cousin, Warren Plemons
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Warren, Lula Plemons was a Berryhill of Winchester, Tennessee. You have Lucille right. She married a Holmes. She and Dollie and my Father, Frank, I believe, are all buried at Estell Springs. Louise is Clara's daughter. Aunt Clara is buried in Winchester. Grandpa Levi and Grandmother Lula lived in Texas for some time. I would like to know all about our kin - good and bad. I would like to know the ones in the Civil War.
I would like to meet you in Winchester some time and take you to where the ones I know are buried. I have pictures of Levi, Lula, Frank, Clara, and Dolly. What was wrong, Mother didn't like the Plemons. She always said they thought they were better than others.
I was glad to know about the Plemons. I don't know if I told you - Forest died February 2, 1988. We have two children: Elizabeth Ann, born May 29, 1944, and Forest Willard Morris, Jr., born May 8, 1950. Both live here in Iuka, Mississippi.
Do we have any on skid road, in the pen, or anything like this?
I go hiking every year with about eight ladies. Last September 30, we went to Highland and stayed at Toad Hall. We went white water rafting on Nantahala and ate at a lot of good places; one night at Wolfgang Puck's Restaurant. We spent a lot but had a good time. Dora P. Morris
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Hello Dora, Yes, we have our share of thieves, drunks, and even murderers in the family. I guess if you search long enough, you will find about the same in all families. But, thank the Lord; we have a bigger number of preachers, lawmen, and good honest hard-working folks, who maybe can make up for the bad side. My own Grandfather, James Benjamin Plemons, was tried for murder in Kingston, Roane County, Tennessee, for lynching the man who had killed and robbed his son, Will, in Chattanooga. And, really, knowing the facts of the case and the times, I don't know but what I would have wanted to do the same. Grand-dad was never sent to prison for it. From the articles in the newspapers, it sounds like the court simply decided that the man who was lynched just needed killing. He was in jail at the time for killing another man.
William Bluford Plemons moved from Macon County, North Carolina, to Texas and became a judge. He owned quite a bit of land around the Amarillo area, and even donated part of it to the City of Amarillo. The town of Plemons, Texas, almost became the County Seat, but the town was part of an oil field area and eventually was all sold. However, it is still on the map today, just north of Amarillo.
Joseph Tomlinson Plemons was wounded in the Civil War and lost a leg at Funkstown, Maryland. He and his family later moved from Gilmer County, Georgia to Texas, where they lived and prospered. He has many descendants now living all over the state. I have received letters from some of his family who have worked with the Texas Rangers and other law enforcement agencies. They are a proud family. And, we have a lot of relatives who served in the War Between the States - on both sides.
I live nearer to Athens, Tennessee, but the mail service here comes from Riceville, so that has to be my mailing address. Athens is about mid-way between Knoxville and Chattanooga, on Highway 11.
I like to visit old Civil War battlefields and plan to come to Stones River this summer. I would love to meet you and visit the cemeteries where Levi and Lula are buried. Let's keep in touch and maybe we can make a day of it. I used to love going up into the mountains and just walking around. But I had bypass surgery a few years ago and that put a stop to all of that.
I am enclosing a
printing of the family tree from Peter Henry on down, as much as I have. I can go back further, but when I try to
print that much, it comes out the size of a bed sheet. But I hope that you can get an idea of how
little I know about the later generations.
For instance, I don't know who Clara married, so when I put Louise in,
the computer made her name Plemons. Check me out and let me know of anything
that you see wrong. Warren