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- [S106] The Mountain Press, 4 Sep 2010.
Upland Chronicles
Pair of Maples made their mark on Sevier County
By TIIEIESA WILLIAMS
In the mountains of Sevier County there lived two men who were given the great responsibility of carrying on the name of one of Tennessee’s hero, David Crockett. They were named David Crockett Maples Sr. and David
Crockett Maples Jr.
Their fame would be recorded in books and told at family gatherings for generations.
Maples Sr. was born in 1840 in the mountains of Sevier County. He was the son of William Abijah Maples and Elizabeth McMahan. He served as a corporal in the Union Army in Company H, Ninth Regiment Tennessee Calvary.
Before 1855 he married Mary R. Ogle, who was the daughter of Isaac "Shucky" and Susannah Bohannon Ogle. Mary R. Ogle Maples was born in 1834 an died in 1885. They made their home in the Banner Community
which was located just north of Gatlinburg on Highway 441.
Maples Sr. lived through a horrible event that brought him fame and showed the endurance and capabilities of our Sevier County citizens.
His daughter, Bell Maples Burris, who lived in Lafollette, relates this story:
“A salesman had asked Dad to take him to Cherokee, N.C. They stared out and a winter snowstorm came upon them when they were high in the mountains. They got to the top of the mountain, and Dad showed him the trail into North Carolina.
"The storm grew into a blizzard, and Dad, at times, could not see the trail. Thinking all was lost he crawled into a hollow log, thinking this was probably his last days on earth. Next morning, was amazed to find that he had not frozen to death.
His legs felt numb, so he struggled to the nearest house. The nearest house to him was located just above where the Chimney’s Picnic Area is now located. This family sent word to Mom, and the family went to get him.
"Dad's legs were frost bitten. In order to preserve his life, they took him to the woodshed and with a saw, and without anesthesia, they amputated his feet."
Being a hardy mountain man and unwilling to give up, he made himself a pair of boots with straps he could tie around his legs. He shaped wooden feet and put them in the boots; and with the help of two canes, he continued a normal life.
Maples Sr. lived many years alter this event. He died in 1928 and was buried beside his wife in the Banner Cemetery, which was across the road from his home.
Maples Jr. was born in Sevier County in 1871. He married Cora Lucretia Ogle, who was the daughter of Ephraim Earl an Hanna Elizabeth Evans Ogle. She was born in 1884 and died in 1951.
Maples Jr, carried the mail around the Gatlinburg area for 33 years, He delivered the mail horseback through all kinds of weather. He was a good neighbor who not only delivered the mail, but spread the word when someone died, or when there was illness in the community.
It is said that he was responsible for several marriages in the mountains, as he delivered letters for free
between courting couples who could not afford the penny for a stamp. He and Cora Lucretia were married on horseback, which was not a common practice. They had three children: Ephraim, Rellie, and Bruce Maples.
David Crockett and Cora Lucretia Maples lay side by side in the White Oak Flats Cemetery in Gatlinburg.
Born in the hills of Tennessee, two men named David Crockett Maple will be remembered as unique men who met life's challenges and endured.
- Theresa Williams is a genealogist for the Sevier County Public Library System. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier Count . If you have suggestions for future topic, would like to submit
a story or have comments, contact Carrol! McMahan at 453-6411 or e-mail to cmcmahan@seoc.urg; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-mail to ron@ronrader-properties.com.
- [S94] Sevier County, Tennessee Census, 447a, 29 Jun 1870.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tn/sevier/census/1870/0447a.gif
- [S94] Sevier County, Tennessee Census, family 55, page 388a line 18, 16 Aug 1850.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/sevier/census/1850/pg0384a.txt
- [S94] Sevier County, Tennessee Census, 461, 1880.
http://sevierlibrary.tripod.com/page551880.html
- [S94] Sevier County, Tennessee Census, Family 663, Dist. 11, 1860.
- [S87] Death Certificate.
Name: David C. Maples
Event: Death
Event Date: 30 Dec 1928
Event Place: , Sevier, Tennessee, Usa
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Race or Color: White
Age: 90
Estimated Birth Year:
Birth Date: 20 Oct 1838
Birthplace: Sevier Co.
Spouse:
Father: Abiju Maples
Father's Birthplace: Sevier Co.
Mother: Mcmahan
Mother's Birthplace: Sevier Co.
Occupation: Retired
Street Address:
Residence:
Cemetery:
Burial Place: Banner, Tennessee
Burial Date: 31 Dec 1928
Informant:
Additional Relatives:
Digital Folder Number: 4183612
Image Number: 108
Film Number: 1876747
Volume/Page/Certificate Number: cn 30103
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 524.
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