BEDFORD COUNTY, TN - BIOGRAPHIES - Summary of the William Eakin's 
				  (1810-1849) Memoirs
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         Archives by: Jeanne M. Johnson	   jj@tampabay.rr.com
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Summary of the genealogical data in the "William Eakin's Memoirs," edited by
Harriet O. Owsley. The original document is in the Tennessee State Library &
Archives in Nashville, Tennessee, donated by grandson William Eakin Steger
through the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Tennessee.

William EAKIN was born in 1810 in the small village Muff in Londonberry,
Ireland. William's father's name was John EAKIN who was born at the Watter
Side Derry where he lived until he was 25 years of age when he moved to Muff.
John EAKIN married Jane RODGERS of Edinburgh, mother of William, when John was
30.  John and Jane had "a large and dutiful family of children, 5 sons & 5
daughters - John, Spencer, Alexander, William & Thos., Mary, Nancy, Sarah, &
Eliza, one other Daughter died when a child." In 1817, William's brother John
visited the United States and settled in Shelbyville, Tennessee [Bedford
County]. Brother Spencer followed in 1820 and settled in Shelbyville where he
formed a tannery business partnership with William.  Letters from John and
Spencer convinced the father to move the family in 1822 to a farm nine miles
south of Shelbyville. The entire family moved from Ireland except for
William's sister Nancy who was married and remained with her husband in
Londonberry. William's father died July 22, 1825 of Fever at age 64 years.
When William was 15 years old, his sister Sarah married this year to Benj.
STRICKLER, a wealthy merchant in Shelbyville. In 1829-30, the family business
expanded to dry goods. In 1832, Alexander was married to Miss DURY and moved
to Fayetteville, Tennessee. Thomas and William became partners. Spencer did
the purchasing. Spencer and Thomas went to Nashville, Tennessee [Davidson
County] in 1836 to open a wholesale house "Eakin & Bros." and retained the
family business of "J & W Eakin Co." in Shelbyville. Spencer died June 29,
1840 after returning ill of paralysis to his mother's house in Shelbyville.
MR. MCCLELLEND attended a family cash store in Shelbyville, married sister
Eliza, and then sold goods in Huntsville, Alabama.  Brother John moved to his
farm two miles from Shelbyville. That left William to take Spencer's place in
business in Nashville after Spencer's death and William moved there July 9th,
1840.  In the fall of 1841, he met Miss Felicia GRUNDY. They were married July
1842. Following the wedding, William's sister Eliza accompanied them on a trip
north and they returned September 1842. In August 1843, William bought a house
on Cedar Street in Nashville. His and Felicia's son Felix was born in 1843. In
1845, daughter Jane was born. In January 1846, William's mother died at
Shelbyville at aged 74 years. William's son Felix took sick and died June 16,
1846. William's brother Thomas went to Europe to buy goods for the family
business and returned at Boston July 9, 1846. 

Postscript added to William Eakin's Memoir: "William Eakin died at Mammoth
Cave, Kentucky, on August 8, 1849. His widow, Felicia Grundy Eakin, several
years later was married to Dr. Robert M. PORTER."

Contributor's note: I encourage researchers to obtain a copy of the memoirs in
its entirety. It is very interesting reading and reflects the lives of early
settlers in Tennessee. 

Contributed by Jeanne M. Johnson, October 2, 2001.