Tennessee Trek or Sevierville Sam Search

Tennessee Trek has begun and the Sevierville Sam Search is the objective. Leaving the Northern Plains in the thaw, Bummer and wife are off to research and explore Eastern Tennessee. The only down side of this adventure is leaving the youngest, four-legged, son at home, yellow Lab, Indiana. He won’t be happy, but he has a new friend, Oliver, to watch over and keep out of trouble. Close in age, they have similar pursuits, so all will be well. The gruesome twosome, will headquarter in Kodak, Tennessee, never been there, but geographically appears to be centrally located just north of Sevierville.

The “old guy” hasn’t had a good case of the fidgets since getting a draft notice in 1969. However, having the time and the inclination, the fidgets have taken over. The Tennessee hunt for blood kin, discovering tales and myths, truth and genuine Civil War veterans or something like them and the Smoky Mountain folk may always remain a mystery, but being able to absorb the ghosts of the story tellers of another life and getting a grasp of where and how they survived is an experience that has to be pursued. This is definitely a ramble, but the thrill and anticipation is creating a brain cloud for this “old bummer.”

Speaking of brain cloud, the “old guy” has spent the last several weeks, just reading and absorbing, Brooks, Kevin, Andy, Robert, Brett, Pat and other historian’s blogs. It would take many month’s of Sundays to comment rationally and intelligently in order, to participate in the dialogues. All this student can do is keep reading, studying and researching their, food for thought, so as to eventually contribute.

Rather than the hit or miss reading of several recommended books at one time and forgetting what happened where and who was on the flank and what front was on the right or left, Eastern Tennessee and the ramifications of the Civil War and its effects on the residents has been a focus. Tennessee is where it all started for Bummer and clan, at least on Father’s side. Sevierville seems to be a focal point, with Chattanooga, Sweetwater, Knoxville, Catlettsburg, Cosby and Gatlinburg, forming the perimeter. All the ridgelines, valleys and coves would take another lifetime, but will cover as much as possible. Many folks are cousins or if they aren’t, they ought to be, hoping that some will want to chat or possibly not.

Bummer’s wife is a data miner extraordinaire. While the “old guy” wanders sniffing the air, mesmerized by people and surroundings, the miner is absorbed in the minutiae of birth and death certificates, military enlistments and discharges, headstones and burial plots, land grants and map coordinates. A perfect research team, one does all the work and the other relishes in the results.

The “old Bummer” wants to wrap his mind around the tales of Sevierville Sam, his Smoky Sweetheart Sue, Sam’s smaller cousin, the Tennessee Twins, Isaac and Asa, the Mountain Mamas, Belle and Josie Mae, what happened to Smoky Mountain Michael, Knoxville Nate and to walk in the steps of Tennessee Tom and his trail of tears. So many more truths to discover and tales to tell, sometimes when you get there, you might not want to come back, the “old guy” will just have to take the chance.

Bummer