The Office of the Historian General NSDAR has approved the American Revolutionary War Grave Markings for Nicholas and Cyrus
Further review was required for Michael as the death date we submitted was several months earlier than the previous record. Thanks to the Washington County Records Management and Archives a record exists of Michael's estate sale which was administered by his son-in-law. Documentation has been provided to Washington D.C. and they will make a decision.
Daughters of the American Revolutionary War (DAR) Grave Marking Application
Applications have been completed for three of the Broyles brothers, Nicholas, Cyrus & Michael. The Broyles Cemetery is no longer in existence so we are requesting that their American Revolutionary War grave marking take place at the Broyles, Bashor & Bennett Bennett which houses the Broylesville Archives & Museum. The mill has been associated with the Broyles family since 1783 when they first purchased the property along Little Limestone Creek. We have asked The State of Franklin to be the sponsoring DAR chapter. The applications will be sent to them tomorrow for review. After that, the applications and documentation go the Historian General in Washington D.C. for further review and hopefully, approval.
Heritage Fair
Friday, May 17, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Various Jonesborough Locations
Free & Open to the Public
The Broylesville Archives & Museum (BAM!) will be taking part in this great community event that is free and open to the public. It is designed with three components in mind. According to the Jonesborough Genealogical Society, organizers of the event, the goal is to excite Washington County students with heritage engagements to invigorate a quest for knowledge. To that end 5th - 8th graders are invited to take part in a Heritage Competition with awards, there will be exhibitions by individuals or organizations and a Living History Timeline (with knowledgeable re-enactors) at the Mill Springs Park and the Jimmy Neil Smith Storytelling Park. BAM! will be sharing what we've learned about the history of the Broyles, Bashor & Bennett Mill (3B), the Broyles family and milling in general.
For more information, please click on the links to visit the JGS website or see the following Johnson City Press article.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a correction to this article: Student winner of the Poster Competition will NOT receive a $500 cash prize. Only the teacher or homeschool teacher of the winning student will receive this $500 cash prize.
Exploring Dendroarchaeology to Better Date the Mill
Very excited. Waiting for a reply back from the University about utilizing their dendroarchaeology service to more accurately date the Broyles, Bashor & Bennett Mill (3B Mill). The mill was originally built between the purchase of the land in 1783, a second parcel in 1786 and when it was first sold to 3 of Cyrus Broyles' children (basically for "love and affection") in 1797. It MAY have been either repaired, rebuilt or both after the Civil War c 1869. The document pertaining to that is a vaguely worded partnership between Swatzell (a carpenter) and Bashor (from a milling dynast in Washington County, TN). Their partnership was “to build and repair a saw and flouring mills for the purpose of cutting lumber and Manufacturing flour and corn and Rye meal for an indefinite number of years..." The document goes on to read, "the said Charles H. Swatzel has newly at his own expense built a saw mill, and the said M.M. Bashor EXPECTS to build a Merchant flouring Mill at his own expense..."
Was the goal to change the grist mill from a custom mill to a merchant mill (as mentioned above) thereby increasing its size and requiring it to be both built and repaired? For some reason, this 1869 contract was not formalized through the courts until two years later when the mill was being sold to other parties. In the 1870 census, M.M. Bashor is listed as a farmer but was mostly identified as a very busy and important minister.
Did M.M. Bashor, who sold everything just two years later and relocated to Colorado with his congregation, actually fulfill his part of the agreement? If so, what exactly did “rebuilt and repair” mean? Were the words specific to both the sawmill and gristmill or was one rebuilt and the other repaired? If our mill was repaired what parts belong to the earlier mill and what parts are from c. 1869?
This contract is the reason some say the mill was built c. 1869 instead of 1783-1797. No evidence or other documents have been found to support this except the contract. Others add that the c. 1869 mill was built on the foundation of the old Broyles mill but again, no document has been located to substantiate this and no one has cited a source.
It's Finished
So grateful for the matching reimbursement grant from the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, the generosity of Broylesville residents (past and current), descendants of Washington County millers, Dwight H. Bennett for his photography and schematics and all the people who helped make this book a reality. The book begins with the Broyles as millers in Dußlingen, Germany dating back to the late 1500s (including a photo of their mill taken just before it was torn down c. 1960-1970), continues chronologically forward and ends with documenting the 3B Mill as it is today. Even though the book is 324 pages, there is always more to discover and preserve. Research will be an ongoing project.
Further review was required for Michael as the death date we submitted was several months earlier than the previous record. Thanks to the Washington County Records Management and Archives a record exists of Michael's estate sale which was administered by his son-in-law. Documentation has been provided to Washington D.C. and they will make a decision.
Daughters of the American Revolutionary War (DAR) Grave Marking Application
Applications have been completed for three of the Broyles brothers, Nicholas, Cyrus & Michael. The Broyles Cemetery is no longer in existence so we are requesting that their American Revolutionary War grave marking take place at the Broyles, Bashor & Bennett Bennett which houses the Broylesville Archives & Museum. The mill has been associated with the Broyles family since 1783 when they first purchased the property along Little Limestone Creek. We have asked The State of Franklin to be the sponsoring DAR chapter. The applications will be sent to them tomorrow for review. After that, the applications and documentation go the Historian General in Washington D.C. for further review and hopefully, approval.
Heritage Fair
Friday, May 17, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Various Jonesborough Locations
Free & Open to the Public
The Broylesville Archives & Museum (BAM!) will be taking part in this great community event that is free and open to the public. It is designed with three components in mind. According to the Jonesborough Genealogical Society, organizers of the event, the goal is to excite Washington County students with heritage engagements to invigorate a quest for knowledge. To that end 5th - 8th graders are invited to take part in a Heritage Competition with awards, there will be exhibitions by individuals or organizations and a Living History Timeline (with knowledgeable re-enactors) at the Mill Springs Park and the Jimmy Neil Smith Storytelling Park. BAM! will be sharing what we've learned about the history of the Broyles, Bashor & Bennett Mill (3B), the Broyles family and milling in general.
For more information, please click on the links to visit the JGS website or see the following Johnson City Press article.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a correction to this article: Student winner of the Poster Competition will NOT receive a $500 cash prize. Only the teacher or homeschool teacher of the winning student will receive this $500 cash prize.
Exploring Dendroarchaeology to Better Date the Mill
Very excited. Waiting for a reply back from the University about utilizing their dendroarchaeology service to more accurately date the Broyles, Bashor & Bennett Mill (3B Mill). The mill was originally built between the purchase of the land in 1783, a second parcel in 1786 and when it was first sold to 3 of Cyrus Broyles' children (basically for "love and affection") in 1797. It MAY have been either repaired, rebuilt or both after the Civil War c 1869. The document pertaining to that is a vaguely worded partnership between Swatzell (a carpenter) and Bashor (from a milling dynast in Washington County, TN). Their partnership was “to build and repair a saw and flouring mills for the purpose of cutting lumber and Manufacturing flour and corn and Rye meal for an indefinite number of years..." The document goes on to read, "the said Charles H. Swatzel has newly at his own expense built a saw mill, and the said M.M. Bashor EXPECTS to build a Merchant flouring Mill at his own expense..."
Was the goal to change the grist mill from a custom mill to a merchant mill (as mentioned above) thereby increasing its size and requiring it to be both built and repaired? For some reason, this 1869 contract was not formalized through the courts until two years later when the mill was being sold to other parties. In the 1870 census, M.M. Bashor is listed as a farmer but was mostly identified as a very busy and important minister.
Did M.M. Bashor, who sold everything just two years later and relocated to Colorado with his congregation, actually fulfill his part of the agreement? If so, what exactly did “rebuilt and repair” mean? Were the words specific to both the sawmill and gristmill or was one rebuilt and the other repaired? If our mill was repaired what parts belong to the earlier mill and what parts are from c. 1869?
This contract is the reason some say the mill was built c. 1869 instead of 1783-1797. No evidence or other documents have been found to support this except the contract. Others add that the c. 1869 mill was built on the foundation of the old Broyles mill but again, no document has been located to substantiate this and no one has cited a source.
It's Finished
So grateful for the matching reimbursement grant from the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, the generosity of Broylesville residents (past and current), descendants of Washington County millers, Dwight H. Bennett for his photography and schematics and all the people who helped make this book a reality. The book begins with the Broyles as millers in Dußlingen, Germany dating back to the late 1500s (including a photo of their mill taken just before it was torn down c. 1960-1970), continues chronologically forward and ends with documenting the 3B Mill as it is today. Even though the book is 324 pages, there is always more to discover and preserve. Research will be an ongoing project.
A Wonderful Find
Not the best photograph but a historically significant find for Broylesville and Washington County. It was a splurge, especially after the mill flooded and had to be re-piped, but couldn't pass it up! It is a memorial for four individuals. 1. Emily Maria Brabson (died 1885) 2. Dr. A.W. Brabson who was Emily's husband (died 1888). Dr. Brabson's father, Thomas, built the Brabson Mill in 1811. And in 1850 in Dr. and Emily Brabson's home lived Peter Bashor who is the brother to Michael Bashor who owned the 3B Mill (Broyles, Bashor & Bennett). 3. Isaac Broyles who owned the 3B Mill during the Civil War and whose son, Ben B. Broyles, was the miller there c. 1860-1863. (died 1896) Marilla A. Earnest Broyles who was Isaac's wife. (died 1876). So many connections.. And there is a family connection between the Brabsons and Broyles. Down the line, descendants marry. What a wonderful piece of history.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards
Sometimes the unexpected happens. Sometimes it happens more than once. First it was wildlife that set up their home in the attic of our rustic mill. We are indebted to Roger's Wildlife who helped us protect the mill in a humane way from the raccoon family, the squirrels with their large cache of black walnuts, the starlings and the black snakes. We now have have cleaned, disinfected and sealed all the entrances.
Next, in spite of taking winter precautions, our pipes cracked. When the water was turned back on it flooded three rooms on the second floor and then made its way through a lighting fixture into the downstairs miller's office. Immediate clean up action prevented any damage from occurring. Next we had Tommie's Plumbing come up to re-pipe the whole mill and do a few miscellaneous chores. We are back on track but if you've been considering making a donation, now would be a great time!
Artist Rendition of Mill
Our good friend and accomplished artist, Rick Frausto, surprised us by creating an illustration of the mill. For more information on this amazing artist and his original work and custom pieces, please visit http://rickfrausto.com/
Our good friend and accomplished artist, Rick Frausto, surprised us by creating an illustration of the mill. For more information on this amazing artist and his original work and custom pieces, please visit http://rickfrausto.com/
Robert and Betty Jane Hylton
We are very grateful for Robert and Betty Jane Hylton and their willingness to spend several hours with us so that we could conduct an oral history interview. Having grown up in this area they had an incredible amount of information to share with us about Broylesville, the mill and towns just beyond.
Detailed Schematics of the Mill
Dwight Bennett has started on a very detailed schematic of each floor of the mill. Each patch, hole, elevator, door, window and nail is being added to the drawing. Once completed he will use a light table to see what elements correspond from the ceiling of one floor up through the flooring of the next.
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2017
We learned so much at last year's conference that we are eagerly awaiting our trip to the Lower Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania this year. Each year the conference takes place in a different state and we tour mills in various conditions and use. The mills might have been completely restored and currently operating as a gristmill, restored but modified and reused as a restaurant, wedding venue, theater or B&B or perhaps nothing has been done and you get a glimpse of what the mill looked like the day it ceased operation. This year we will have an opportunity to tour Aberdeen Mill, Mascot Roller Mill (including the miller's home), Bowmansville Mill, Wallace-Cross Mill and Muddy Creek Forks Roller Mill all in the company of mill experts and mill lovers.
Is it Possible?
We have located an accounting ledger from an unidentified mill in Washington County, Tennessee. It spans the business dates of 1858 - 1864. It's not as dry as it sounds. Among other things, it includes the Civil War years. Most exciting to us is that we are almost sure this "unidentified mill" is actually OUR mill. It is filled with local names and the miller, for at least part of this time, was Ben B. Broyles who lived in Broylesville! As excited as we are we don't want to jump the gun, and so are compiling a list of each name and then systematically cross referencing with the 1860 census to see where each individual lived.
UPDATE - YES!!! It is the 3B Mill's ledger from 1858 - 1864.
Erlene Ledford Archives and Library Room
It's taking shape. We were lucky. Margaret Gregg used this room as her art studio so it has really good lighting and numerous outlets.
We purchased custom shelf brackets from Dan Thorne of 4KSteel out of Newton, North Carolina. They are sturdy and look like something that would have been in the mill. After buying the lumber, cutting it and sanding we have applied several coats of Danish Oil to 1/2 of the boards. Still a bit more to go.
We are very grateful for Robert and Betty Jane Hylton and their willingness to spend several hours with us so that we could conduct an oral history interview. Having grown up in this area they had an incredible amount of information to share with us about Broylesville, the mill and towns just beyond.
Detailed Schematics of the Mill
Dwight Bennett has started on a very detailed schematic of each floor of the mill. Each patch, hole, elevator, door, window and nail is being added to the drawing. Once completed he will use a light table to see what elements correspond from the ceiling of one floor up through the flooring of the next.
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2017
We learned so much at last year's conference that we are eagerly awaiting our trip to the Lower Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania this year. Each year the conference takes place in a different state and we tour mills in various conditions and use. The mills might have been completely restored and currently operating as a gristmill, restored but modified and reused as a restaurant, wedding venue, theater or B&B or perhaps nothing has been done and you get a glimpse of what the mill looked like the day it ceased operation. This year we will have an opportunity to tour Aberdeen Mill, Mascot Roller Mill (including the miller's home), Bowmansville Mill, Wallace-Cross Mill and Muddy Creek Forks Roller Mill all in the company of mill experts and mill lovers.
Is it Possible?
We have located an accounting ledger from an unidentified mill in Washington County, Tennessee. It spans the business dates of 1858 - 1864. It's not as dry as it sounds. Among other things, it includes the Civil War years. Most exciting to us is that we are almost sure this "unidentified mill" is actually OUR mill. It is filled with local names and the miller, for at least part of this time, was Ben B. Broyles who lived in Broylesville! As excited as we are we don't want to jump the gun, and so are compiling a list of each name and then systematically cross referencing with the 1860 census to see where each individual lived.
UPDATE - YES!!! It is the 3B Mill's ledger from 1858 - 1864.
Erlene Ledford Archives and Library Room
It's taking shape. We were lucky. Margaret Gregg used this room as her art studio so it has really good lighting and numerous outlets.
We purchased custom shelf brackets from Dan Thorne of 4KSteel out of Newton, North Carolina. They are sturdy and look like something that would have been in the mill. After buying the lumber, cutting it and sanding we have applied several coats of Danish Oil to 1/2 of the boards. Still a bit more to go.