Tom went instead across to Cocke Co. from Emert's Cove in Sevier Co. and married my GGM Sallie Valentine, we believe in 1862. The only problem here is that their marriage license is not extant, probably having been destroyed in the Cocke Co. Courthouse fires. My family knows very well that Tom and Sallie did have a family though, and that they had a least my GGM Rhoda Jane Huskey, b. 20 Oct. 1863. See Cocke Co. 1880 Census data, which I will furnish if need be. We also believe that there were three other children, Nina, b. 1865, Stanford (Uncle Jim) b. 1867, and Caldona, b. 1878.
Then in about 1873 Tom took to the woods. Up and over the Great Smokies he went, to Toe String, on Oconalufty, in present Swain County. There he took up with and married Clarinda Conner, and had his second family. Their children are recorded in census records, and in a book written by their son, Cornelius Huskey, who went by the name "C. Huskey". The book is entitled "6/7 Sayings" and is about his life and times as a rancher in Idaho, and of his family and younger days in NC. 6/7 was C's registered cattle brand in Idaho. I have an autographed copy of the book, which has some 511 "Sayings" or quotes/quips made known or used by C in his day.
Thomas and Clarinda's children were: Minnie, b._abt. 1877; Andrew, b. abt. 1879; Severe, b. abt. 1881; Forida, b. Apr. 1883, Cornelius, b. 11 Dec.1888; Ellen, b.Sep 1892, and Mintha, b. Feb 1898, making seven children in all. C Huskey eventually moved to California, where he died. His son Douglas Huskey was a computer science professor at University of California Santa Cruz. Doug and his offspring are still there today. We have an occasional "California Huskey" re-union out here. There's several of us.
Thomas Huskey was listed in the 1900 Census of NC as being born in July 1843. I have an old article, nearly half a page, from the Ashville Times, dated 9 Sep 1928, which has pictures and other treasures and tales. In this article, the reporter holds old Tom out to be 111 years old, allowing him a birth date of July 11, 1822! That's fun, but we know it couldn't be true, because William, his Dad, wasn't grown yet at that time.
In that article, Old Tom does mention that Clarinda Conner is his "faithful wife number two", but doesn't specify who the former was.
My grandfather, Lloyd Forrester, of Cocke Co., TN, saw Thomas for the first and last time in 1920. He and his half brother, Steve Gilliland (Rhoda Huskey first married Noah Gilliland) had gone on a quest to find their grandpa, and found old Tom up on Toe String. He was coming back home from a bear hunt that day. He told them that he was eighty four years old then, and that he had hoisted the black bear up on the mule by his lonesome! It seems that Tom was often confused about his exact age! Eighty four in 1920 would make his DOB 1836.
Thomas is believed to have died in 1933. He is buried in Bryson City, NC.
I have other information if needed, about collateral lines and marriages of the children. I could also help with the photos we have, and other Huskey's in CA.