|
Mayors of Nashville Buried at City Cemetery
|
Dr. Felix Robertson 1818-1819. Died 10 July 1865
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE |
|
|
Thomas Crutcher 1819-1820. Died 8 March 1844
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE
|
 |
|
John Patton Erwin 1821-1822; 1834-1835.
Died 26 August 1857
John Patton Erwin
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1821-1822, 1834-1835
John Patton Erwin was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on January 8, 1795. He was the son of Andrew Erwin, a land speculator, and Jane Patton, who later settled in Bedford County, Tennessee. In 1815 John Patton Erwin married Frances (Fannie) Lanier Williams of Panther Creek, North Carolina. The Erwins were the parents of 10 children.
|
enlarge image |
|
Mrs. Erwin was from a prominent political family. Her brothers held important public service positions ... John was a U.S. Senator from Tennessee, Lewis was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina, and Thomas was Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
In 1817, Erwin was elected to the Nashville Board of Alderman and was admitted to the bar in 1820. In 1821, he became Mayor in the first of his two nonconsecutive terms. Additional civic service included being the Principal Clerk of the Tennessee House of Representatives as well as editor of the Nashville Whig.
In 1826, he was appointed United States Postmaster at Nashville by President John Quincy Adams. This necessitated his resignation as an employee of the General Assembly as well as from the newspaper. After serving as Postmaster, Erwin became Cashier at the Yeateman, Woods Bank. Beginning in 1830, he served as a Justice of the Peace for two terms, and in 1834 he was elected to a second term as Mayor.
In 1831, Mayor Erwin purchased the “Buena Vista” mansion as a family home, and he lived in this house for the remainder of his life. In1860, his widow sold the home to the Trustees of the Dominican Order of the Congregation of Saint Cecelia, and it is now the site of their Motherhouse.
In his last years, Mayor Erwin suffered from paralysis. He died on August 27, 1857 and is buried in the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Research compiled by Carter G. Baker, a member of the Nashville City Cemetery Association Board, whose wife is a collateral descendant of Mayor Erwin's wife.
Posted 05/11
|
|
| Robert Brownlee Currey 1822-1824.
Died 8 December 1848
|
|
|
| Wilkins F. Tannehill 1825-1827. Died 2 June 1858
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE |
|
|
Charles Clay Trabue 1839-1841. Died 24 November 1851
Charles Clay Trabue
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1839-1841
Charles Clay Trabue was born on August 27, 1798 in Woodford, Kentucky, the son of Edward Trabue and Jane Clay Trabue. At the age of 17, he became a Sergeant in a company of Kentucky riflemen, and joined General Andrew Jackson and his forces in Florida to fight against the Indians and Spanish insurgents. Trabue completed his military enlistment in 1818, having served as one of Jackson’s Lifeguards, a small elite group of selected soldiers who were assigned dangerous missions.
Following his military service, Trabue took a position with the Nashville branch of the United States Bank. On July 5, 1820 he married Agnes Green Woods of Nashville and they became the parents of nine children. |
After 2009 Restoration
enlarge image |
| Following their marriage, the Trabues moved to Missouri where they lived for 10 years. In 1824, Charles was elected and served one term in the Missouri House of Representatives. Upon returning to Nashville, he was elected to the Nashville Board of Alderman in 1836 and reelected in 1837.
An active member of First Baptist Church of Nashville, Trabue served as a Trustee of the church and was on the building committee for a new-house-of-worship which was built on Summer Street, now Fifth Avenue. Additionally, Trabue was instrumental in forming the first Tennessee Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
During his second term as Mayor, at the young age of 42, he was stricken with an illness described as “brain fever,” which left him incapacitated for over a decade. He died on November 24, 1851 and is buried in the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Note: The official website of the Secretary of State of the State of Missouri indicates that the spelling of Mayor Trabue was Trabeau when he served in the Missouri General Assembly.
Research completed by Lynn Maddox McDonald, a Public Service Management graduate student at Cumberland University.
Posted 05/11 |
|
| Samuel Van Dyke Stout 1841-1842. Died 8 August 1850
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE
Samuel Van Dyke Stout
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1841-1842
Samuel Van Dyke Stout was born April 18, 1786 in Red Stone Fort, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Abraham Stout and Jane Pettit Stout. He married Catherine Tannehill on October 12, 1813, at the home of her brother Wilkins Tannehill, who also served as a Mayor of the City of Nashville from 1825-1827. Samuel and Catherine had six children: Margaret Jane, Ira Abraham, Josiah W., Charles C., Samuel H., and Catherine. |
After 2008 Restoration
enlarge image |
| Sometime after his move to Nashville in 1811, Stout worked with his father as a silverplater and later established an extensive coach factory. In 1812, he built a large residence at the southeast corner of the public square fronting on First Avenue and running back to the bluff. His political career included service as a member of the Nashville Board of Alderman during the years of 1824-25, 1830-32, 1835-37, 1838-39, 1844, and 1846-50. Stout was a member of First Presbyterian Church and of the Masonic Order.
Mayor Stout died at his residence after a brief illness attributed to apoplexy on August 8, 1850, at the age of 64. The Reverend Doctor John Todd Edgar pastor of the First Presbyterian Church conducted the funeral service where Stout was remembered as a worthy and esteemed citizen of virtue. Stout is buried in the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Research completed by Lynn Maddox McDonald, a Public Service Management graduate student at Cumberland University.
Posted 05/11 |
|
Thomas B. Coleman 1842-1843. Died 5 December 1848
Replacement cedar head piece dedicated April 9, 2011
|
|
|
| Powhaten W. Maxey 1843-1845. Died 8 August 1876
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE
Powhatan Woolridge Maxey
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1843-1845
Powhatan Woolridge Maxey was born May 2, 1810 in Nashville, Tennessee, the 13th child in a family of 14 children. His parents were William and Margaret Maxey who lived at New Hope, which today is the Inglewood community in the eastern part of Nashville.
Maxey married Julia Hobbs on October 18, 1832. They had two sons and one daughter. Both sons died in the Civil War. At the age of 16, Maxey entered into a tinsmith’s apprenticeship with William H. Moore. He would become a successful tinsmith, known for his artisanship and business acumen. In 1840, Maxey entered into a business partnership, which lasted 15 years, with Newton McClure. In 1848, he purchased 640 acres near the current Riverside Drive and McGavock Pike and built a large home for his family. |
After 2009 Restoration
enlarge image |
| Known to be opinionated, Maxey became an Alderman in 1835 and was reelected six times. In 1843, he was elected as Mayor and reelected the following year. He later became a Justice of the Peace and a member of the County Court and would hold that position for almost 30 years. During the Civil War Maxey was an ardent Unionist. In 1865, President Andrew Johnson appointed him the Chief Pension Agent for Nashville, and he would serve in that position until 1869.
As Maxey became Mayor, a wealthy former Mayor, William Nichol, along with George W. Campbell, a former Envoy to Russia, United States Secretary of the Treasury, and U.S. Senator began acquiring land around the present-day Capitol Hill. Maxey used his political capital to arrange a buyout of the land acquired by Nichol and Campbell for $30,000. In turn, Maxey offered to donate the land to the Tennessee General Assembly provided the state capitol would be located on that property in Nashville.
Powhatan Woolridge Maxey died of heart disease on August 8, 1876 at the age of 66. Funeral services were conducted at Hobson Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church South by Reverend Doctor John B. McFerrin and Reverend Doctor Albert G. Kelly. Maxey is buried at the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Research completed by Thomas William (Toby) Compton, a Public Service Management graduate student at Cumberland University.
Posted 05/11 |
|
|
Alexander Allison 1847-1849.
Died 3 November 1862
|
|
|
| Williamson Hartley Horn 1853-1854. Died 8 March 1870
- Obituary listings CLICK HERE and HERE
Williamson Hartley Horn
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1853-1854
Williamson Hartley Horn was born on July 15, 1799 in Lynchburg, Virginia, the son of Frederick Horn and Clarisa Hartley Horn. The family moved to Nashville in 1809. Mr. Horn married Nancy F. Carpenter on February 2, 1817 in Nashville. The couple had six children: Caroline, Ed, Richard, Fletcher, Charles, and Nancy.
|
After 2008 Restoration
enlarge image |
| Horn was the proprietor of W. H. Horn and Son, a painting shop and provider of painters' materials. His shop was located at 15 South College Street, currently Third Avenue. His residence was located above his business.
Horn served on the Nashville Board of Alderman from 1845-46, 1852, 1856, 1859, and in 1860. He was elected Mayor in 1853. One of the more outstanding accomplishments during his service to the city was the introduction of the bill that resulted in the establishment of a system of free public schools in Nashville.
An active member of the Masonic organization, in 1826, Horn became a Master Mason in the Cumberland Lodge. Additionally he was a Knight Templar, a Knight of Malta, and Grand Treasurer of the Grand Chapter, Council and Commandery.
Horn died on March 10, 1870 from consumption. His funeral was held the following day at Christ Church, Episcopal, by the Reverend Doctor William J. Ellis, the Rector of the church. He is buried at the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Research completed by LaQuita V. Martin, a Public Service Management graduate student at Cumberland University.
Posted 05/11 |
|
William B. Shapard 1854-1854. Died 19 July 1870
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE |
|
|
Robert Bell Castleman 1854-1856. Died 29 July 1886
Robert Bell Castleman
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1854-1856
Robert Bell Castleman was born on December 9, 1808 in Nashville, Tennessee, to Andrew and Margaret Ewing Castleman. He was the eleventh of thirteen children.
His father, Andrew Castleman, served as Clerk of the Court in 1780, and in October 1783 he became the first Clerk of the Davidson County Court, a public office he held for over 30 years. |
|
| On December 18, 1845, Robert Bell Castleman married twenty-year-old Annie Elizabeth Wood. Their union produced three children: Betty Kay, Sue, and James.
Admitted to the bar in 1834, Castleman, was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in the 23rd General Assembly from 1839-1841. As was his father before him, Robert Bell Castleman was the Davidson County Court Clerk during the years 1840 to 1850. Later, he became the long-serving Davidson County Registrar of Deeds.
Castleman became Mayor of Nashville in 1854 under unusual circumstances. He was appointed by the City Council to serve the remaining months of the term of William Shapard, who had been elected Mayor, but vacated the office after only a brief time of service. Castleman accepted the council's appointment and the following year was elected to the office for an additional one-year term. The Mayor and his family were members of the Presbyterian Church.
Robert Bell Castleman died on July 29, 1886 and was buried alongside his wife in the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Research completed by Carolyn Bridges Gregory, a Public Service Management graduate student at Cumberland University.
Posted 05/11 |
|
| Andrew Anderson 1856-1857. Died 15 April 1867
- Obituary listing CLICK HERE
Andrew Anderson
Mayor of the City of Nashville
1856-1857
Andrew Anderson was born June 19, 1795 in New Jersey, the son of Andrew Anderson, Sr., and Ann Anderson. He married his first wife, Eliza Woodruff, sometime in the 1820s in Lexington, Kentucky. Andrew and Eliza had three children: Frances Eliza, Rachel A, and Andrew O. He married his second wife, Mary Ann Morgan Todd, in 1855 in Nashville. Andrew, Mary, and their blended family (his children — Frances Eliza, Rachel A., Andrew O., and her son — John N. Todd) resided at 43 Cherry Street, which is currently Fourth Avenue.
Anderson was the owner of a foundry and hardware store located at 53 Broad Street where his son Andrew and stepson John Todd worked as bookkeepers. |
After 2009 Restoration
enlarge image |
| Prior to his second marriage and most unusual in that historical period, Anderson and his wife Mary Ann entered into a marriage contract (prenuptial agreement), which stipulated that upon his death she was to receive none of his material possessions; however, she could remain in their residence until her death or the “termination of her widowhood.”
Involved in Nashville politics for more than 20 years, Anderson was a member of the Nashville Board of Alderman from 1837-41, 1846-52, 1854-55, and 1862-64.
Mayor Anderson died from heart disease on April 19, 1867. Elder Philip Slater Fall, a minister of the Christian Church, conducted the funeral services, and Anderson is buried at the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
Research completed by Carolyn Bridges Gregory, a Public Service Management graduate student at Cumberland University.
Posted 05/11 |
|
Raphael Benjamin West 1951-1963.
Died 20 November 1974 |
|
|
|
The Nashville City Cemetery Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 150733
Nashville, TN 37215 |
|
