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Future Generations |
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When Mary and her husband George Spears moved to Kentucky, they opened the first church in their area. It might have looked similar to the one at left, which is Wild Wood Church at Historic Collinsville. This structure also doubled as the School. The bell would have been used to call people to church, to school, or as an alert during an Indian attack. |
| Eventually smaller structures would give way to larger ones... |
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And some, like the one at left,
would have front and back porches and even a "dogtrot" - an open
area in the middle of the house, which would catch the breezes and
keep the house cool in the summer months. Kitchens would be built in
separate areas from the sleeping quarters. The author's great-grandmother was once asleep in her bedroom all alone on her farm when she heard someone in the dogtrot attempting to break into her house. She began yelling men's names at the top of her lungs followed by, "Git your shotgun! There's some low-down varmit tryin' to get into this house!" She heard the sound of running footsteps and the rest of the night all was quiet. The next day, she found out a one-armed man who lived on the next farm was robbed after the incident at her home. |
| Those of you who might have read p.m.terrell's books Kickback and Ricochet may recall the house that Aunt Jo lived in. This house is still standing at Sunnyside, Tennessee. It is on land handed down through the generations. It was once a two-room house but has been expanded to four rooms. The author remembers walking down the path to the outhouse; an inside bathroom was not constructed until the 1970's. Aunt Jo was named after p.m.terrell's mother, whom family and close friends always called "Jo". | |
| Check back as more pictures are posted of Neelys and Neelleys through the generations... | |
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Many thanks to JoAnn Weakley of
Historic Collinsville |
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