Franklin County TN Archives Biographies.....Rankin, Roosevelt April 4, 1911 - March 15, 1981 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Donald Hill hilldonl@bellsouth.net August 10, 2009, 8:54 pm Source: Personal research and memory Author: Donald Hill Roosevelt Rankin A. Genealogy Roosevelt (Rose) Rankin was an African American with roots in the 9th Civil District of Franklin County. According to census records, Douglas Rankin was Rose’s paternal grandfather, and Ellen ? was his paternal grandmother. Orlandus (Arlandess, Landess) Rankin was his father. Information on these relatives is from the following census data. 1880 – 13th Civil District, Tullahoma, Coffee Co., TN Dwelling Name Color Sex Age Relation-ship Marital Trade POB FPOB MPOB 124 Rankin, Douglas B M 36 M Minister of Gospel TN TN TN Ellen Mu F 27 Wife M Housekeeper TN TN TN Thadeus B M 3 Son S TN TN TN Alice B F 10/12 Dau S TN TN TN 1900 – 18th Civil District, Sewanee, Franklin Co., TN Dwelling Name Relation Race Sex DOB Age Marital Md yrs #children # alive POB FPOB MPOB Trade 166 Rankins, Douglas Head B M 4/1840 60 M 22 TN TN VA Preacher Minnie Wife B F 9/1874 25 M 22 9 7 TN TN TN Washing Alice Dau B F 7/1889 20 S TN TN TN House girl Arbie Dau B F 4/1883 17 S TN TN TN Nursing Fannie Dau B F 1/1887 13 S TN TN TN At school Orlandus Son B M 1/1890 10 S TN TN TN At school Carl Son B M 9/1892 7 S TN TN TN At school William Son B M 2/1897 3 S TN TN TN 1910 – 18th Civil District, Sewanee, Franklin Co., TN Dwelling Name Relation Sex Race Age Marital Md yrs # children # alive POB FPOB MPOB Trade 102 Rankins, Douglas Head M B 75 M1 25 TN TN TN Liverystable Ellen Wife F B 75 M1 25 10 7 TN TN TN Arlandus Son M B 17 S TN TN TN Carl Son M B 14 S TN TN TN Willie Son M B 11 S TN TN TN Hubert Grandson M B 10 S TN TN TN In regard to his mother, Marzie Kennerly, relevant census data are as follows: 1880 Civil District 9 – Franklin Co., TN Dwelling Name Color Sex Age Relation-ship Marital Trade POB FPOB MPOB 131 Rutledge, George B M 30 M Farmer TN TN TN Alsura B F 30 Wife M Housekeeper TN TN TN Lettia B F 1 Dau S TN TN TN Sarah B F 7 Dau S TN TN TN John B M 5 Son S TN TN TN Robert B M 4 Son S TN TN TN Frank B M 3 Son S TN TN TN Harris B M 1 Son S TN TN TN 1910 Civil District 9 – Franklin Co., TN Dwelling Name Relation Sex Race Age Marital Md yrs # children # alive POB FPOB MPOB Trade 14 Rutledge, Harris head m b 26 m1 7 TN TN TN Farmer Mollie wife f b 35 m2 7 1 1 AL AL AL None Kin..[Kennerly], Marzy step-dau f b 10 TN TN AL None Rutledge, Alsury head f b 60 wd 7 6 TN TN TN None 1920 Civil District 9 – Franklin Co., TN Dwelling Name Relation Sex Race Age Single or married Place of birth POB father POB mother Trade 141 Rutlege, Alzura Head F B 73 Wd TN TN TN Laundress 142 Rutlege, Harrison Head M B 48 M TN TN TN Laborer Mollie Wife F Mu 50 M AL AL AL Laundress Rankin, Rusavelt Step grandson M Mu 6 S TN TN TN None These homes were located at 35.3016N 85.9528W, in what is now called the “Alzurie field,” where five or more cabins were located. In this census, the Rutledges are listed near to the home of William and Sarah Hill, my grandparents. 1930 Civil District 19 – Franklin Co., TN Dwelling Name Relation Sex Race Age Single or married Place of birth POB father POB mother Trade 4 Rutlege, Harris Head M Neg 40 M TN TN TN Farmer Mollie Wife F Neg 43 M AL AL AL Rankin, Rosevelt Lodger M Neg 16 S TN TN TN Farm laborer This is in the community of Prairie Chapel, southwest of CD 9. These data show that Rose was the step-grandson of Harrison Rutledge. His maternal grandmother was Mollie, who was apparently briefly married to a Kennerly and gave birth to Marzie before marrying Harris Rutledge as her second marriage. In any case, Rose’s maternal grandfather is an unknown Kennerly. According to Franklin County records, Harrison Rutledge married Mollie Kennedy (Kennerly) on 2/8/1902 in Franklin County. As shown in the 1880 census, Harrison Rutledge is the son of George Rutledge and Alzura Duncan. Thus, Rose was the step-great-grandson of this couple. Apparently, Rose’s father, Orlandus, either died young or moved away. He has not been found in the 1920 or 1930 census records. There are concerns with the census data. 1. Harrison is listed also as Harris. 2. In 1930, Roosevelt is listed as a lodger, rather than a relative. 3. If Harrison was born in 1879, as indicated in the 1880 census, he would be 31 years old in 1910, 41 years old in 1920 and 51 years old in 1930. The listed dates are off by up to 11 years. 4. Marzie is listed as 10 years old in 1910. She should have been about 14 to give birth to Roosevelt in 1911. According to birth records, recorded by Nancy Taylor, Rose was born 4/4/1911 in Franklin County. His parents are listed as Landess Rankin and Mazie Kennerly, and his name is listed as Roosevelt Kennerly. The fact that he was given his mother’s surname may indicate that the couple was not married and/or that his father was no longer around. As shown above, by 1910, Rose was using the surname Rankin. B. His Life Roosevelt is likely to have been born in the home of his grandmother, Mollie, and to have become familiar with the area where George, Alzura, and Harrison Rutledge lived. He was certainly there in 1920, as shown in the 1920 census. Apparently, no other African American children were nearby. About that time, however, playmates were my uncle, Chester W. Hill (1903-1981), and Hubert P. Oliver (1912-2008). In 1930, Rose was listed as a “lodger” in the home of his grandmother and step-grandfather. At that time, they were in Civil District 19, which includes the African American community of Prairie Chapel. I have found no record of a marriage of Rose. In the early 1930s, Rose worked for Elmer (Ebb) Hill, who lived in the Wilder’s Chapel community, about 0.8 miles from the former home of Harrison and Mollie Rutledge. Ebb’s home was on a road that has, for the most part, disappeared. The GPS coordinates are about 35.2967°N 85.9601°W. While working there, clearing land and farming, Rose lived in Ebb’s smokehouse. It is said that Rose also engaged in making moonshine whiskey in a still located on Ebb’s land near the Blue Spring and the mouth of Yellow Branch. It was located at GPS 35.3013N 85.9575W, near a large tree on the east side of the branch, a few feet from property owned by Chester Hill’s father, William. It is also said that Ebb sold some of the whiskey for Rose. At various times, the sheriff came looking for illegal whiskey and searched for Rose. But Rose knew the area and had several hideouts, including holes dug under fallen trees and the old Joe Taylor cabin, located in the woods across the fence from where he had lived with his grandmother. The GPS coordinates are 35.3016N 85.9533W. The cabin was originally built for Joe Taylor, who apparently was hired to work on Will Oliver’s land. In the 1930s, Joe Taylor had departed, and Joe Carlton, who lived there for a while with his wife, Margaret Henley, had also died. The cabin was being used to store fodder when Rose entered it and dug underneath the fodder to make a small hiding area, which could be sealed by pulling fodder over the entrance. The sheriff never found him. It surely took some fortitude to spend nights alone in the woods, listening to the hoot owls and wildcats. On one occasion, Rose and Ebb, probably after sampling some of Rose’s product, got in a fight. Ebb hit Rose on the head with a stick, slicing his scalp and knocking him unconscious. Ebb, thinking that he had fatally wounded Rose, carried him up into his attic, where no one could see the injured man. In an attempt to help Rose recover, Ebb sewed up the wound in his head with a needle and thread. After a day or two, Rose woke up and looked in the mirror at his gashed head. He became angry because, to stitch up the injury, Ebb had used white thread. Soon thereafter, Rose moved to near Winchester. The animosity between him and Ebb dissipated with time. Rose often returned, well dressed and articulate, to visit with Ebb, Chester, and Hubert and to roam the woods where he had lived and worked. Ebb gave up drinking and became an active member of the Wilder’s Chapel Methodist Church. In the 1950s, he performed much of the work in constructing a new church building, made of concrete blocks, to replace a deteriorating frame building. The building still stands today. At the age of 70, Elmer died at home in May, 1971, and Rose, one month short of age 70, died in Winchester in March, 1981. Additional Comments: The census tables do not transcribe well. Corrections and additions to this document would be appreciated. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/franklin/bios/rankin51gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/tnfiles/ File size: 9.2 Kb