Hey, you found me....And Welcome

Thank you for visiting “Cabin by the Creek” The creek is “Teges Creek”. The land it sits on is part of the original track of land settled by Adoniram Allen, back in the early 1800’s. He set up a mill a couple of miles up river from the cabin. As an Allen descendant, I am proud of my heritage. That heritage includes my physical genealogy as well as the history and culture which make me, well, me.

The mountain culture has long taken a beating over the stereotypical accumulated “junk”. Pictures printed in magazines and scenes viewed on television make us look like we are just too lazy to clean up and throw away the junk. There are several reasons for the junk. One of the reasons is the self-sustaining tradition that has everything to do with our geography, history and culture. Nothing got thrown away. Clay County folks were recycling 200 years before recycling became cool. That tradition still exists in the form of crafts.

Back in the day, going to the store meant traveling 25 miles in a wagon. Purchasing “Brought on” items was limited. Only the most needed items that couldn’t be made at home were bought ready made. Most everything could be and was recycled into something needed. The artistry and craftsmanship was born from the individual pride worked into handmade items.

My grandfather’s whittled. They searched out perfect pieces of cedar. I never did know what that ‘perfect’ was, other than it was about 12 to 18 inches long and small enough in width to hold comfortably in one hand. Sometimes I think they competed as to who could cast the finest curled shavings. My grandmothers took the shavings stuffed them in cheese cloth, gauze, or lace packets, creating closet and drawer sachets. Cedar is a natural insect deterrent.

“Cabin by the Creek” is my way of preserving a bit of that culture and tradition in the 21st Century. Crafted items are recycled from something else; with materials I happen to have at hand. The items are meant to be used. No two are exactly alike. My skill level is limited and thus my crafted items are simple. My grandmother Allen made ‘Postage Stamp’ quilts with a needle and thread (not sewing machine). Each quilt piece was the size of a stamp. After the third one, she even said “No more.” She was in her 80’s, at the time.

Examples of the tradition continuing into this century include a set of dinner napkins I made. I needed a set of good ‘white’ napkins to go with my good dinnerware (purchased at Wal-mart). I had an old white bed skirt with lace edging that had been allocated to the linen drawer. I took the skirting and made 8 new dinner napkins complete with lace edging.

Better yet, I hope I’ve given you ideas on which to ponder, specifically to your family heritage and heirlooms.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Pioneer Heritage and Teges Creek


When The Patriot came out, it was just another Mel Gibson historical freedom movie. We had rallied for William Wallace in Braveheart and with The Patriot we were fighting for freedom once again.    Teges Creek history embodies the history of America.  Teges Creek is an authentic physical landscape representing American History from its colonists to the American Revolution and the pioneer settling of America.  Mel Gibson played a character.  Teges Adoniram Allen was a flesh and blood participant in the making of America. 
The heritage includes great-great-great grandparents, William and Susanna White and their son Resolved, who was about 5 years old, arriving at Plymouth on the Mayflower.  Resolved White, also a soldier in King Philip’s War of 1676, had a daughter named Anna.  Anna White married John Hayward. They had a daughter, Sarah Hayward.  Sarah married David Allen Sr., the son of Edward “the Edmond” Allen, who had immigrated to America from Scotland in 1636.  David  Sr. and Sarah had a  son, David Allen, Jr. who married Sarah Baker.  Capt. ‘Teges’  Adoniram Allen was a son of this union, born in 1734. (Kozee, 1957);  http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/History/pilgrim2.php;  http://awt.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gayfamilyfile&id=I074353&ti=5542;  & http://wiki.geni.com/index.php/Mayflower_-_White
As an adult,  Teges Adoniram and his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina before 1775.   In 1776, He joined the North Carolina militia.  He participated in the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.   In 1780, he joined the North Carolina militia under the command of Benjamin Cleveland.  Prior to or during the Battle of Kings Mountain, Teges Adoniram I was promoted to Captain and served with the South Carolina Partisan Rangers from 1780 to 1782.  (Clay County Genealogical and Historical Society, 1994); (Allen, 1991)
            The battle of Kings Mountain was fought on October 7, 1780.  In this battle both British and Patriots used rifles.  The British used the Ferguson Rifle, while the Patriots used Kentucky rifles. The Battle of Kings Mountain became the turning point of the Southern Campaign.  Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown within a year. (The Battle of Kings Mountain)
After the Revolution Teges Adoniram I returned to Wilkes County, North Carolina and operated the Allen mill and iron works until after 1790. He then moved to Augusta, Georgia where he managed an iron works. Records indicate that he moved back to North Carolina before coming to Clay County.  Clay County records show that Adoniram was a resident in 1807.  It is recorded that he served on the Grand Jury and applied for the permit to build and operate a grist mill on the South Fork of the Kentucky River below the Narrows.  (Clay County Historical Society – Records) & (Allen, 1991) http://jimsgenealogy.net/database/getperson.php?personID=I5395&tree=Family           
Upper and Lower Teges Creeks are named for Adoniram Allen.  There were once Teges School and Teges post office.  Modern improvements over the last hundred years led to the consolidation of both.   Teges post office is now part of the Oneida post office.  Teges school children now go to Oneida Elementary.  Adoniram was nicknamed "Tedious" because he was so particular.  The dialect, enunciations, generational references, including shortening 3 syllables to 2 syllables, eventually turned Tedious into Teges.  When researching old maps and deeds, especially those of the 1800’s, the sites are listed as “Tedious”.  (Clay County Historical Society – Records); http://jimsgenealogy.net/database/getperson.php?personID=I5395&tree=Family

Clay County Historian, Jess Wilson wrote:  “Captain Teges Adoniram D. Allen was a remarkable man. He was past seventy years when he migrated to Clay County, where he built his saw and grist mill, and his home. He began a new life when most people his age were no longer able to work.” Teges Adoniram Allen was a descendent of Mayflower colonists.  He was a peer of George Washington.  At 72 he brought millstones overland, by team and wagon.  (Clay County Genealogical and Historical Society, 1994) p. 7.
Adoniram Allen Mill-Inner workings, (1982.01).077
Adoniram Allen Mill (1982.01).076
Adoniram Allen Mill
http://www.kykinfolk.com/breathitt/buildings/buildings.html
“A U.S. Government issued grave stone marker for Rev. War Captain Adoniram Allen was received by Otha David Allen (a descendant of Captain Adoniram through his son William) on Nov. 12, 1987….This was the beginning of the Adoniram Allen Day Reunion. “ (Clay County Genealogical and Historical Society, 1994) p. 73.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/32773115
Teges Creek is home to a piece of American History.  Descended from the founders of Plymouth Colony, Adoniram Allen was an officer at the Battle of Kings Mountain.  He was a compatriot of George Washington.  Movies have been made depicting the “men” and “pioneers” of that time.  The documented history of that era fills buildings.  Clay County and Teges Creek can prosper by advocating that history.  The history is free.  It is already here.  The land is virtually the same as it was 200 years ago.  We simply need to preserve it.  
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