 1818 - 1873 (55 years)
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| Name |
James Monroe McKenzie |
| Birth |
14 Feb 1818 |
Tennessee  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
9 Oct 1873 |
McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee |
| Notes |
- In the 1850 census, J.M. McKenzie, age 30, born Tennessee, is listed in Carroll County, TN, District 4, #580, along with his wife and children. His mother, Martha, age 75, born Virginia also is listed in that same census record.
A new historical marker resides in the downtown McKenzie park (McKenzie, Tennessee). A Saturday afternoon
ceremony was abbreviated by heavy storms as Mayor Patty Edwards and Martha McKenzie
Carpenter, the great granddaughter of founder James Monroe McKenzie attempted to dedicate
the marker.
Mrs. Carpenter said she pursued the idea of erecting the marker at the urging of Dr.
Howard Smith and wife, Marion.
Last week, crews from the McKenzie Public Works Department and Carroll County Electric
cleared an area for the marker. It is situated just north of the gazebo and west of the
veteran's walk.
Because the inclement weather/forced the ceremony to be cut short, Mrs. Carpenter was not
able to give her prepared speech, but did pass along the contents of that text to The
Banner.
"We are here to dedicate this marker to James Monroe McKenzie for his contribution to the
development of this little town. Some newcomers may have wondered where the town got its
name. James Monroe McKenzie was born February 14,1818 and probably was named for President
James Monroe who came to office about that time. He came to West Tennessee with his
father. Captain John, along with some settlers - Sneads, Gilberts, Pates, Ridleys, Bowdens,
and others. Little communities sprang up where these families staked their claims.
The railroad began coming through in the 1850s taking land for the right-of-way as they
needed it. The Memphis and Ohio line, later the L&N, was the first line with passenger
and freight service from Memphis to Bowling Green, beginning in 1861. The N&W had begun
laying track from Nashville to the west but the Civil War interrupted the construction.
After the war, work continued and eventually the two lines crossed at McKenzie. In March
1861, James Monroe had donated 10 acres of land on the north side of the N&W tracks to
construct a depot. Subsequently a passenger depot was built right at the crossing and a
freight office a little to the west. They called this McKenzie Station. When the town was
incorporated in 1869, the name 'stuck' When scheduled train travel was established, the
railroads had to publish timetables so they had to name the stops. In 1870, a 112' x 20'
freight platform was built on each side of the freight office with rail sidings on each
side. Later a concrete platform was laid between the main line and the freight siding."
The script continued by reading, "James Monroe worked for good schools, churches and
government. He married Martha Louisa Coleman and they had eight children. The two oldest
boys, James Albert and John David practiced medicine in Bradford for many years and came
back here to retire. They build identical houses on Stonewall, one of which was razed two
years ago. Malcolm became an attorney, practicing in McKenzie and Huntingdon before going
to Oklahoma, where he practiced law and was an agent for the Pawnee Indians. Today the
name Malcolm McKenzie is still known in the legal profession in Oklahoma City and Tulsa
through some of Malcolm's children. Clinton Atkin was the youngest son and he too went
west. He was there when the land was opened up for homesteaders so all his life he was
involved in real estate and oil. He is the one who gave McKenzie its first swimming pool
on Stonewall.
My grandfather, George W. (Ed. Note: Washington) was station agent for the railroads in McKenzie and in Dickson
for 55 years, James Monroe also had three daughter, Callie, Sally, and Gussie who marked
local businessmen and lived near the rest of their family.
James Monroe died in 1873 before Mt. Olivet (cemetery) was established. He could have been
buried in the Gilbert Cemetery or on McKenzie land, but it is assumed he was moved to
Mount Olivet where his wife and all the children and spouses are buried.
McKenzie has always been a good place to live. Folks were interested in having good
schools, good churches and keeping an eye on their children. The town has responded to
national emergencies, sending their boys to the service, supporting the Red Cross and War
Bond campaigns. There have always been those planting flowers to make the town pretty,
book clubs to keep up to date on what was going on, and church circle meetings. Many
former McKenzians and their children have excelled in the field of education, military,
athletics and religion. I am sure the young people coming up now will accomplish even more
with the opportunities open to them today. And when they become famous, I hope they will
always mention they got their station in this little town, even if it's through a great
grandfather or grandmother. I hope those who choose to leave McKenzie will always have a
longing to return someday. I honestly believe the happiest people in the world are those
who were born and raised here and never left. I still get home sick sometimes and when I'm
on the way up here, along about Jarrell Switch, the air seems to smell better, the trees
greener, and I drive a little faster."
submitted by Jere R Cox
Inscription on the marker reads. James Monroe McKenzie, entrepreneur and philanthropist, was born in February 12, 1818. In 1860 he donated land for the depot and freight office where the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad crossed the Memphis and Ohio Railroad, resulting in the town being named McKenzie. He gave land for Bethal College in 1872 and for the Masonic Lodge. McKenzie died on October 9, 1873.
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4A 46.)
Location. 36° 7.916' N, 88° 31.07' W. Marker is in McKenzie, Tennessee, in Carroll County. Marker is at the intersection of Cedar Street (Tennessee Route 124) and Broadway Street, on the left when traveling west on Cedar Street. Click for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2331 Cedar Street, Mc Kenzie TN 38201 of America.
Introduction to McKenzie, Tennessee
McKenzie, Tennessee, in Carroll county, is 39 miles NE of Jackson, Tennessee and 96 miles W of Nashville, Tennessee. As of the year 2000 census, 5,295 people lived in McKenzie.
McKenzie History
McKenzie was originally inhabited by the Chickasaw Indian Tribe. The first settlers came to the area in the early 1800’s. The community was organized in 1867 after the completion of the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad tracks. The city was named after James Monroe McKenzie, a local settler who gave property to the Railroad Company. McKenzie was officially incorporated in 1869.
Originally inhabited by the Chickasaw Indian Tribe, the first settlers started moving into this area during the early 1800s.
In the original settling of what is now McKenzie, there were two families here that were "rivals". Each named the part of this towns area that they lived in a different name. One part of McKenzie was named Marrieta and the other part Dundas. It was still like this during the Civil War even though the community had much more to worry about at that time than the "rivalry' between the Sneads and the Gilberts. At that time there was a rather big family of McKenzie's that lived here. (From Joe Stout’s notes on “War Leaflets”, a delightful and emotional chronicle by Annie Cole Hawkins. In it you can read about many more geographical and societal norms of the region).
The city of McKenzie was organized in 1867 when the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad completed its track and intersected with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad. Its name was derived from the family that previously owned the land where the railroads crossed. James Monroe McKenzie gave the property to the railroad company with the stipulation that his son George McKenzie be given the position of station agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad. First known as McKenzie Station, it was soon shortened to McKenzie. The town began to develop rapidly after the tracks were completed and was officially incorporated by the state of Tennessee on January 22, 1869.
The railroad drew many residents from the neighboring communities, among them Caladonia and McLemoresville. By 1870, the population of McKenzie had grown to over 500 residents. In the 1880's the size of the town doubled and business thrived. On October 15, 1887, the President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, visited the bustling town and stayed overnight at the McKenzie Hotel. By the turn of the century, a city park was created, public schools were built and roads paved with gravel. The town continued to expand at a steady rate until the Great Depression struck in October of 1929. Banks and businesses closed their doors and the community's labor base evaporated overnight. It would be not until 1936 that conditions began to show economic growth and improvement.
Just prior to the World War 2, the federal government began construction on a munitions plant and arsenal east of Milan. During the war, the plant would hire thousands of laborers and increase the population of McKenzie more than any time in its history. Between 1940 and 1950, the population of the city increased by over 1,300 people and was second to only Oak Ridge in population growth statewide. Following the war the city has kept a steady rate of growth and continues to be a productive and prosperous community (Adapted from RootsWeb.com).
|
| Person ID |
I05441 |
McKenzie Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
| Father |
John McKenzie, b. 17 Sep 1757, Virginia d. 5 Nov 1842, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 85 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
Martha (Patsey) Bonner, b. 8 Jan 1775, Virginia d. 18 Oct 1851, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 76 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Marriage |
20 Dec 1792 |
Washington County, Georgia |
| Family ID |
F03041 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Martha Louisa Coleman, b. 29 Feb 1820, North Carolina d. 15 Oct 1880, McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 60 years) |
| Marriage |
3 Mar 1842 |
| Children |
| | 1. Narcissa Caroline (Callie) McKenzie, b. Abt 1843 d. 1911 (Age ~ 68 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 2. John David McKenzie, b. 1 Nov 1844, Carroll County, Tennessee d. 3 Mar 1922 (Age 77 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 3. James Albert (Clipper) McKenzie, b. 6 Aug 1846, Carroll County, Tennessee d. 7 May 1930, McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 83 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 4. George Washington McKenzie, b. 26 Aug 1849, Tennessee d. 22 Aug 1935, McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 85 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 5. Malcolm Limertines McKenzie, b. 21 Aug 1851, McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee d. 23 Dec 1931, Tennessee (Age 80 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 6. Sarah Martha (Sallie) McKenzie, b. 4 Jul 1853, Tennessee d. 17 Aug 1927, McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 74 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 7. Alice Jackson McKenzie, b. 18 Dec 1854, Tennessee d. 18 Dec 1854, Tennessee (Age 0 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 8. Clinton Atkins McKenzie, b. 29 May 1857, Tennessee d. 16 Jun 1951 (Age 94 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 9. Mary (Gussie) McKenzie, b. 25 Jul 1864, Tennessee d. 29 Jan 1942, McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee (Age 77 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F03057 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
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