Blount County TN Archives News.....Miscellaneous Articles August 14, 1857
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Glenn Teffeteller glennt@icx.net August 19, 2005, 12:44 pm

THE EAST TENNESSEEAN August 14, 1857
August 14, 1857



Miles Darden---Some weeks ago we gave a few extracts in regard to the weight

and dimensions of this extraordinary man, and promising our readers, through

the courtesy of a friend in Henderson County, further items of interest. The

friend we referred to was Rev. John Brooks, whose veracity we believe has

never been questioned by anyone. He writes as follows: “Mr. Darden was born in

North Carolina in the year 1798 and departed this life, at his residence in

Henderson County, Tenn., on the 23rd day of January 1857--in the fifty-ninth

year of his age. He joined the Baptist Church in early life, and shortly after

emigrated to Tennessee, where he connected himself with what is called the

Christian Church, but had not been a member of any church for years past, but

was moral and fond of conversing on religious subjects. He was a kind and

obliging neighbor, and fond of company. About fifteen years ago he joined the

masons. He was married twice. His children are very large, but probably none

of them will ever be more than half the weight of their father. He was quite

active and lively, and labored until about 4 years ago, when he became so

fleshy that he was compelled to stay at home or be hauled about in a two horse

wagon. In 1849 he made a contract with a tailor to furnish him with a suit of

clothes for fifty dollars, the cloth was to cost five dollars per yard. Upon

measurement it took twelve yards of cloth. So the tailor lost ten dollars, and

the making. The tailor states that three men, each weighing over 200 lbs, put

the coat on, buttoned it up around them and walked across the square at

Lexington. In 1850, it took 13  1-2 yards of flax cloth, yard wide, to make

him a coat. It took 16 yards of cambric for his shroud, 24 yards of black

velvet to cover the sides and lid of his coffin, 125 feet of plank to make his

coffin. His coffin was 8 feet long; across the breast 32 inches, across the

head 18 inches, across the foot 15 inches. Its depth was 35 inches. He weighed

in 1845, 871 pounds. His height was 7 feet, six inches. His weight when he

died, as nearly as could be ascertained was a fraction over one thousand

pounds. West Tennessee Whig.



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