| Sources |
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 62.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 30 Mar 2004.
Clifton Harold Miller obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 20 Mar 2010.
Just Plain Talk - French Broad runs high in early spring
(c)2010 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL
Clayton Cody holds a framed photograph of the Rankin Bottoms along the French Broad River that was made in the early 1900s. That was the area where he grew up.
Author: David Popiel
The French Broad River has been running deep and swift these spring days ushered in by sunshine and near 70 degrees in our hometown, counting the time until April, Easter, and I-40 opening.
Workers by the dozen were crawling over the mist covered new concrete bridge being built alongside the green steel relic east of Newport, as I traveled that way to check with Shawn Gannon. He will be hosting the first Wild West Days at the Outpost not a mile west as the big river flows from historic Del Rio. An appropriate place for Western Cowboy Days, as Shawn reminded that many Cocke Countians migrated west to Missouri and the old west in the 1800s. We are hopeful to have dry weather April 1-4 for the event. You will soon read more about it and some events I have heard in the planning to celebrate the reopening of I-40 by mid-April?
I've been talking to several most interesting people about their work, lives and situations and will share this with you soon. Among them are Jenkins Chapel pastor Dr. Dan Netherland, who is the real deal when it comes to ancient martial arts. He has opened a training facility in Newport. Perhaps you read about it in the Plain Talk. Then there is Cynthia Hart, a Floridian like myself, who has settled on Chestnut Mountain and has some interesting stories. You read her letters about the huge snowfalls on the mountains. I've also got to know more about Polly Gray, of Parrottsville, and her alpaca ranch.
But let me tell you about an old timer who walked into the office last Monday, carrying a framed photograph that must have been three-feet wide, it seemed there may be a story for you connecting him to the photo and how he got it.
Clayton Cody turned 84 on Feb 19, and is fortunate to have lived this long, considering a near-death accident several years ago and a life of hard work with few luxuries. Being curious about families, I asked if he were related to the Cosby Cody family or Hollis Cody and others. "No. We're from Jefferson," he said. Clayton has been retired for many years and lives with his wife, the former Edna Miller, off Hill Road, which is not far from Rankin Bridge. In fact, it is the same area depicted by the photo that might have been made around 1900. I did not get a chance to chat with Edna and know nothing more than she shares his birth date.
Like many of our older citizens, he came from a large family. Arthur Cody married Ruth Whitlock and they had 10 children. Those living also include Clarence, Tommy, and Jetter; and the girls, Grace Hill and Beatrice Moorefield. Perhaps you know them. The photo showed a long, flat expense bordering the French Broad River with a few houses, the old iron bridge, and lots of crops. Stokely Brothers farmed the land raising everything from cabbage to beets. Until he was 18, Clayton worked on the bottom land but was anxious to leave. His first other job was working on the railroad. The Norfork-Southern tracks run right through Rankin. Born in 1926, it must have been about 1934 during the depths of the Great Depression when he first walked along the river bottoms. As a teenager in the 1940s, he saw crews rebuilding the railroad tracks. Clayton walked over and asked for a job and was handed a water bucket to fill and bring to the men. He recalled that one of the section bosses was Jim "Captain" Sweeten, who apparently liked Clayton and put him to work. For more than a year he labored helping to rebuild the rails, the old way with pick, shovel, lever bars. This hardened him for a life of labor that eventually landed him a job with Wood Products. But the plant shut down for a time and he left for Cleveland, Ohio, and went to work for General Motors, maybe for seven to eight years. When he came back to Cocke County, Wood Products had reopened led by Charlie Rhyne, Ernie Eastridge, and Jim Stout, to name a few. Clayton and Edna were ready to settle at Rankin where Wilbur Lindsey built their home in the 1960s. For most of the time at the wood turning plant, Clayton ran routers to shape spindles and legs for beds and chairs. By 1990, he was ready to retire and did so. The only difficulty he had getting along with anyone was an overbearing boss. The man apparently tired to demean the workers and Clayton finally had to tell him: "When God saved me, you can't take that away." He pointed to his heart and told of his longtime interest in church. They attend Rankin Baptist.
Their children are Helen Ball, Kathy, Ronnie Lee, and Randy, both of whom are Army veterans. Helen got the print shown here and made several copies. It was pieced together because of its length. I have no idea who actually made the historic photo. Clayton has not been sitting on a rocking chair watching the river roll by or been sleeping along the bank fishing. He doesn't fish but loves to garden and sets aside an acre to do this. You may know his neighbors: Bert Trent and Mike Douglas, to name a couple. Yes, Clayton remembers the quiet scene in the photograph, when the river ran so clean you could see fish swimming, and drink the water.
Life has been kind to him, at least until five or six years ago. He had suffered a mild heart attack but required no surgery. He believes constant activity has kept him young. I thought he was about 70. Clayton came closest to dying around 2005, when he was driving towards Newport on Industrial Road. As he approached the big curve hear Stokely Chapel Church he saw an 18-wheeler headed his way and then a car passing the truck. The car driver was in his lane when he got struck. He required hospitalization and showed me a large scar on his chest where they had to open him up so he would not die. "God went with me," he said. I like to know more about him and meet Edna and, so, plan to visit when he's planting spring greens. It won't be long; you might want to come along too.
In plain talk, warming days and river flows have always been a welcome part of the season's cycle in the Smoky mountains.
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 10 Sep 2014.
(February 19, 1926 - September 10, 2014)
Clayton “Paw” Cody, age 88, of Newport (Rankin Community), passed away Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at the Turkey Creek Medical Center. He was a member and deacon of Rankin Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by his son, Ronnie Clayton Cody; granddaughters, Chaisty Dawn Moody and Kaylynn Elizabeth AnnMarie Cody; brothers, Harry, Wade, John and Clarence; and parents, Arthur and Ruth Cody. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Edna Louise (Miller) Cody; children Helen Ball (Junior), Kathy Raley (Gary), and Randy Cody; grandchildren, Elizabeth Ann Barnes (David), Michael Ball (Amy Mae), Kevin Cody (Ashley) and Randall Seth Cody (Kelly); great-grandchildren, Brittany Cody, Cameron Ball, Jolee Ball, Bradley Cody and Claydon Cody; one great-great-grandchild; daughter-in-law, Linda Cody; along with extended grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his brothers, Tommy and Jeter Cody; sisters, Beatrice Moorefield and Grace Hill. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Friday, September 12, 2014 at Manes Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held 1:00 pm Saturday, September 13, 2014 at Rankin Baptist Church with Rev. Bobby Kitts officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The body will lie in state from 12:00 noon until 1:00 pm Saturday at Rankin Baptist Church prior to the funeral. Family and friends may sign the guest register on line at: www.manesfuneralhome.com. Manes Funeral Home.com
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1926 - 2014 (88 years)
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