Freed-Hardeman Connections
Researching the Restoration Movement in Mississippi and West Tennessee
Henry Emerson Etheridge - 1819-1902
Emerson Etheridge, was a Representative from Tennessee; born in Currituck, N.C., September 28, 1819; moved with his parents to Tennessee in 1831; completed preparatory studies; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1840 and commenced practice in Dresden, Tenn.; member of the State house of representatives 1845-1847; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress and reelected as a candidate of the American Party to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1857); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856 to the Thirty-fifth Congress; elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861); chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs (Thirty-sixth Congress); Clerk of the House of Representatives 1861-1863; unsuccessful candidate for Governor in 1867; member of the State senate in 1869 and 1870; surveyor of customs in Memphis 1891-1894; died in Dresden, Tenn., October 21, 1902; interment in Mount Vernon Cemetery, near Sharon, Tenn.
(Belz, Herman. "Etheridge Conspiracy of 1863: A Projected Conservative Coup." Journal of Southern History 36 (November 1970): 549-67).
Emerson Estheridge and the Cow Bell
When Emerson Etheridge was sent to the fields to plow, he would carry a book with him and spend time reading. His father hit upon a plan to put an end to this "waste" of working time. He attached a cow bell to the plow horse so he could tell when the boy was not plowing. Young Emerson solved the problem by typing the bell to a bush at the end of rows and moving the bush with his feet while he lay on the ground to read his book.
When Will Etheridge was a young man, Emerson tried to persuade him to become a lawyer. Will decided to preach instead. Emerson's parting advice was the following quotation:
Heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Journey Unto Yesterday, Dresden, Tennessee Sesquicentennial 1825-1975, p. 16.
Emerson Etheridge is buried at Mt. Vernon Methodist Church Cemetery, located five miles west of Sharon, Tenn. He was the father of William F. Etheridge.
Emerson Etheridge, was a Representative from Tennessee; born in Currituck, N.C., September 28, 1819; moved with his parents to Tennessee in 1831; completed preparatory studies; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1840 and commenced practice in Dresden, Tenn.; member of the State house of representatives 1845-1847; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress and reelected as a candidate of the American Party to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1857); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856 to the Thirty-fifth Congress; elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861); chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs (Thirty-sixth Congress); Clerk of the House of Representatives 1861-1863; unsuccessful candidate for Governor in 1867; member of the State senate in 1869 and 1870; surveyor of customs in Memphis 1891-1894; died in Dresden, Tenn., October 21, 1902; interment in Mount Vernon Cemetery, near Sharon, Tenn.
(Belz, Herman. "Etheridge Conspiracy of 1863: A Projected Conservative Coup." Journal of Southern History 36 (November 1970): 549-67).
Emerson Estheridge and the Cow Bell
When Emerson Etheridge was sent to the fields to plow, he would carry a book with him and spend time reading. His father hit upon a plan to put an end to this "waste" of working time. He attached a cow bell to the plow horse so he could tell when the boy was not plowing. Young Emerson solved the problem by typing the bell to a bush at the end of rows and moving the bush with his feet while he lay on the ground to read his book.
When Will Etheridge was a young man, Emerson tried to persuade him to become a lawyer. Will decided to preach instead. Emerson's parting advice was the following quotation:
Heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Journey Unto Yesterday, Dresden, Tennessee Sesquicentennial 1825-1975, p. 16.
Emerson Etheridge is buried at Mt. Vernon Methodist Church Cemetery, located five miles west of Sharon, Tenn. He was the father of William F. Etheridge.