WNFM   Publications

WNFM member and Robertson House log donor, Peyton Cockrill Lewis, is the third-great-granddaughter of Nashville settler Ann Robertson Johnson Cockrill and a sixth-generation Nashvillian now living in Washington, D.C.  Her long-awaited historical novel tells the stirring saga of the widowed Ann Robertson Johnson and her three young daughters, who were among those on board Captain John Donelson’s boat Adventure –Lewis’s maternal third-great-grandmother Elizabeth Jennings Peyton also was with the Donelson flotilla – traveling by waterways from western North Carolina (present East Tennessee) to join Col. James Robertson’s overland party to settle on the bluffs of Cumberland River (present Nashville in Middle Tennessee).  A map showing both overland and water routes to the Cumberland bluffs is included in this 322-page, laminated soft-cover book. Book price is $14.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling.

To benefit WNFM, Peyton Lewis will donate $1.00 from each book sale to WNFM members, so be sure to mention your membership.  The book should be ordered directly from Channing Press, 3900 Georgetown Court NW, Washington, DC 20007.  If you have a question, contact Peyton Lewis by e-mail:   Peyton-Lewis.dc@att.net

To order any of the publications described below, please use the orderform  link below to fill out your order, then print the form and mail with your check to West Nashville Founders' Museum, Inc.,  Post Office Box 90207, Nashville, TN 37209. 

Scotch-Irish Origins of General James Robertson by Sarah Foster Kelley

This 130-page booklet is comprised of three chapters: 1) Tracing the Scottish Forefathers, 2) Religious Wars and the Stuart Dynasty, and 3) Destined from the Family Cradle.  Each chapter is thoroughly documented with end notes.  These chapters trace the founding of the country of Scotland, with its politics of Whigs and Tories and its state religion of Presbyterianism.  Included are the historical lineages of Scottish kings, the associated House of  Stuart and the Atholl earldom, the Donnachaidh Clan chiefs and their families, the origin of the name Robertson and its coat-of-arms, and the ancestry and early life of General James Robertson, upon whom the Scottish family background placed its mark.  Captivating intertwining of anecdotes involving twentieth-century Robertson descendants.  Green soft-cover, 5 1/2" by 8 1/2", 130 pages, end notes and index, published in 2000, $25.00

General James Robertson, The Founder of Nashville by Sarah Foster Kelley

This 80-page booklet (reprint of the original 1980 edition) is profusely footnoted and diligently indexed for its presentation of James Robertson's lineage and descendants.   A good deal of the early settlement history of East and Middle Tennessee also is included.  Gray soft-cover, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 80 pages, reprint of 1980 first edition, $25.00

West Nashville: Its People and Environs by Sarah Foster Kelley

This limited-edition 1987 collector's item presents the history of West Nashville in Davidson County, TN--this is "Robertson country," of course.   The large (7 1/2" x 10 1/2") hard-bound book is profusely illustrated with 176 black-and-white photos and several line drawings.  The 6 chapters cover a wealth of material on early families in Nashville, especially those allied with the Robertson and Cockrill lines, and the author obtained information from living family members. Chapter 1: "Pioneers Beyond Richland Creek" contains settlement patterns and some history on the Robertsons and Cockrills.  Chapter 2: "Charlotte Turnpike Plantations" contains historical sketches with photos, including Robertson plantations and the Cockrill home.  Chapter 3: "Harpeth Ridge Homes and Families" includes a genealogical discussion of early families who settled along the Harpeth Ridge in western Davidson County near the Harpeth River.   Chapter 4: "The New Town of West Nashville" discusses the founding of the separate town of West Nashville along Charlotte Pike and its founders.  Chapter 5: "Growth, Annexation and Progress of West Nashville."  Chapter 6: "West Nashville Neighborhoods."  This is must  reading for anyone interested in the history of Nashville and of Tennessee's settlement.  Hard-bound red leatherette with dust jacket, 443 pages, 176 photographs, indexed, bibliography, and footnotes.   SOLD OUT.

The Family of Ellen Mordant Davis,

Wife of Dr. Peyton Robertson ~ Nashville Physician  by Sarah Foster Kelley

Genealogy abounds in this historical sketch of the children of Harpeth River pioneer Frederick Davis, native of Pasquotank County, NC, and Revolutionary War soldier. He settled in present Williamson County, southwestern neighbor of Metro Davidson County, TN, where he built his home and remained to the end of his life.  His sons were John, James, Ammon, and Elisha Davis; his daughters were Ciddy, Elizabeth, and Nancy Davis.  John Davis was Ellen's father, and this early surveyor was a close friend of General James Robertson--both through early activities and through marriage.  Four of Robertson's children either married or had descendants who married members of the Davis family.   Offspring of Robertson's brother, Elijah, and his sister, Ann Johnson Cockrill, became members of this family.  Since Ellen Mordant Davis Robertson enjoyed longevity, the family history was compiled as it occurred. Contains a 9-gneration Davis genealogy, Robertson-Brown-Jennings Bible records, and newspaper clippings of death notices of family members.  Soft-cover booklet, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", end-notes, 124 pages, $25.00

 

Questions? Contact WNFM at   tnflagwaving.gif (8220 bytes)mailto:wnfoundersmuseum@bellsouth.net

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