Harlan County Hightowers

My Grandmother Cassie (Casandra?) Mae Hightower's father was William Hightower and her mother was Martha Harrell/Herrell/etc. They lived in and around Anderson Co, TN most of their lives. I have not been able to find the father of William Hightower. There were between 4 & 6 Hightower/Heightours in Anderson Co during the late 1800s and none of them seem to be my William's family. My mother who is still alive at 82 years old, said that William (her grandfather) was related to a William "Uncle Billy" Hightower of Anderson Co. Uncle Billy's claim to fame was that he lost both hands as a young man while fishing with dynamite. He spent the rest of his life as a preacher. He also married and raised a family. I can't make a connection to him either. William Hightower and Martha Harrell had the following children: Cassie Mae (my grandmother), Maggie, Grannison, George, Dewey and possibly one other. They were born between 1895 and 1907. William Hightower was widowed by 1910.

Received from Darrell H Jackson

Letter One

"My maternal Great Grandfather was involved in the "Battle of Evarts" His name was William Hightower and was imprisoned for conspiracy to murder but was pardoned after three years. His grand daughter, my mother who is still alive at 82 years old remembers this incident. She was about 13 years old at the time and remembers the sound of gun fire, the "men" hiding their guns in the wall boards of the houses, and the fact that her grandfather was jailed.

My paternal grandfather, Isaac Herman Jackson mined there in 1925. He was probably there before and after that. The 1925 is based on his 1925 KY state driver's license that has survived him. His address on the driver's license was Loyall, Harlan Co, KY.

My dad worked coal mines in Arkansas and Tennessee. I was born in Coalfield, Morgan Co, Tennessee in 1940. It was basically "company town" at the time. But for World War Two, I would have grown up to be a miner. My dad got enticed to come up here and work in the ship yards, building ships for the war effort, in Tacoma, Washington. And, as they say, the rest is history.

My family, paternal and maternal seemed to follow the mines through the tri-state area of KY, WV and TN at least from the early 1900s, with a side trip into Arkansas once. Prior to that my Jackson were in the Iron Forge business for 3 generations.

I don't think that there is any of this that will help your new web site but I want to encourage you to keep it going. Harlan County has figured into my family history and with coal mine connections I hope to be able to tie up some loose ends."

Letter two

How powerful are labor unions in America today? Notice I said labor unions, not the screen actors guild or government employees or a few unions that represent employees at large corporations (with their permission?). I mean Labor as in dirty hands, broke backs and stubborn pride out their ears. How many workers today would do what our ancestors did in the coal mines? Establish a picket line? Not cross a picket line? Risk yours and your families well being? My grandfather did. He was born in 1886 and worked the coal mines till World War Two. Even after that he worked till he died in his 70s and was a proud union member to the end. My dad was born into the union. The first half of his life he was as a coal miner then as an iron worker. Always as a proud union member. I saw him strike and know what it cost him but also how it profited him and his family. Me, I was born in a company owned coal mine town but was out of there before I was out of diapers. Did I have a better life?

The one story that stays in my mind is when, my dad and grandfather, (father and son teams were common in the mines) were working together when there was a gas explosion. I think they called it "the damp".Their gas alarm (a bird in a cage?), if they had one must not have worked because their "carbide lamps" set off an explosion. These gas explosions could result in total disaster, a whole mine wiped out, dozens, even hundreds of miners killed, or, as happened in this case.

They said that it was like a flash bulb going off but hotter. It caused their exposed hair to be singed off and skin blistered like a badsun burn. They lost a couple layers of skin but no scarring. The worstthing that resulted from the explosion was a "slate fall". I guess what is left over head in a mine shaft after the coal is dug out is slate rock. Slate breaks apart in thin sheets. It was a minor fall and my grandfather was almost quick enough to get out of the way before he was injured. As it was, besides minor cuts and bruises, his nose was nearly cut off. Dad said that his dad's nose was just hanging by the little bit of tissue between the nostrils. When the dust cleared they were able to walk out of the mine, my grandfather holding his nose in place. His nose grew back, thanks to the camp doctor and his little black bag. Knowing his wife, my grandmother she probably gave credit to her "buttermilk poultices." They would cure everything from cancer to a hangnail. My grandfather died when I was about 18 years old. I'll always remember his nose. A very noble nose thanks to our little bit ofindian blood. The scar did not disfigure him but added to his good looks. I guess it was like the dueling scar on the cheeks of 19th century noblemen, a mark of pride.

At the old age of sixty years I have reached this conclusion: My

granddaddy's generation fought for the union. I mean bloody knuckles, lean times but victory in the end. My dad's generation got the benefits of the union. Good wages, medical, retirement and other benefits. My generation, we lost the union. Whatever power is left in the union is not stopping labor jobs from being exported.

My grandfather for sure, maybe my dad would have a fit if they knew that you had to get a High School diploma in order to get a job. I can just hear my grandfather say "you don't need no education to dig coal".

I guess we are where the cowboys were 120 years ago when barbed wire fencing was invented. Ranchers no longer need "mobile fences" which is what cowboys were. So, the cowboys had to get down off their horses a learn new professions.

I know that I am being simplistic or is it idealistic? My generation got fat and happy as a result of our ancestors work. Part of their work was inventing coal digging machines, etc that in time, put 8 out of 10 miners out of work. I grew up in a company owned timber camp in Washington State. I had calluses on my hands before I was out of Junior High School. Like my dad said, the only difference between a logger and miner is that a logger don't work in the dark. By the time I was 20 years old I knew that I had other options besides labor. I came out of a sixty student, four year high school and the word college seldom heard. After working 3 years for the State Forestry as the Number One Ax Man and led a 20 man forest fire fighting crew I joined the Army and retired after 23 years.

I'm past the age of being tough. Could our sons do what we did? I doubt it. Labor, broke back, under paid. It just doesn't compute for them. Thanks to our hard work. I won't even mention our daughters.

I've been talking about my Dad and paternal grandfather. On my maternal side I've been looking for my grandfather Frank Rodgers. (According to his daughter, my mother, the one that lived through the Battle of Evarts in Harlan Co, KY and saw her grandfather go to prison for his part in it), he died in a mine accident in about 1926. They were living in West Virginia at the time. In the 1920 census, they were living in Earling, Logan Co, WV. Frank Rodgers was the head of household with his wife and five children. His occupation was listed as "electrician in the mines". My mother remembers that he died and was buried in Salt Rock, Cabell Co, WV. I haven't been able to find documentation about his death, etc but I'm still looking.

I am sure that he, if not there, participated in like activities for whatever mine he was working at.

Talking about "carbide lamps" makes me sad that I didn't save my dads. A picture of one and maybe of a "bird cage gas alarm" would look good on a Coal Mine web site.