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by R. L. Murray (Author)
Less than five years after the creation of Cannon County, a Motion was passed in 1841 that the Poor House Institution be built in and for the residents of Cannon County.The first location was located on Sunny Slope Road near the intersection of Hollis Creek Road. The pauper cabins that once dotted the hillside are long gone, the unmarked cemetery and it's occupants still remain.The second location in Readyville, also shown as Braxton, was known as the County Farm. The river that once had been lined with small cabins in order to use it as their water source and refrigeration, is now a peaceful, vacant area that shows none of its former use. One lone building from the time remains as well as the unmarked cemetery, long forgotten by those who pass.Includes photographs of motion records, census records, death certificates and locations.'The Poor House & County Farm of Cannon County, Tennessee' lists over 650 names of those involved in both of these areas including some of the names of Commissioners, Committee members, Superintendents, Drivers, Coffin Makers, Prisoners, Orphans and Paupers.Through the records that have been located, it's estimated that over 300 pauper coffins were made that remain unnamed for the Poor House location, which does not include from 1841 to 1852 when no accounts were found and over 50 for the County Farm location, while over 360 names of orphans and paupers have been found. The majority of these names were never listed on census records but instead found in court motions where allowances were granted, guardians appointed and coffins were made.Although many names from this time will never be read or spoken again, R.L. Murray of the Cannon County Cemeteries Project has created this book in hopes of bestowing an honorable remembrance on all of those who passed and the struggles they endured.Dedicated To: All Souls that Suffer and Those Who Care for Them
