THE RANSOM FAMILY OF TENNESSEE

The Ransom family is of Scottish origin. James Ransom (dates and place of birth unknown) married Amy Davis. They became the parents of eleven children. Richard, their oldest son, was born in the county of The Isle of Wight, Scotland in 1752. He married Kissie Portice.

Richard Ransom enlisted early in the Revolutionary War, was a Private, a Lieutenant, and a Captain. He was captured during Giles' defeat in South Carolina on August 15 1780. He heard that they were to be sent to Halifax, England. He, with ten other men, made their escape and lived on raw corn for eleven days and for two days they lay covered with mud to conceal themselves. Finally they got back to their command.

Richard Ransom lived in North Carolina until 1812 at which time he came to Tennessee, settled in Rutherford County in the Spences Branch area, and remained there until his death in 1827.

Richard Ransom and Kissie Portice Ransom became the parents of twelve children: Robert, Benjamin, William K, John, Lemuel, Nancy, Athelston, Mary, Harry D, Sallie, Richard and Alfred, twins born in 1802.

The Ransom family is a closely knit group, using the same family names over and over to the point of confusion. They are a people who choose professions rather than business careers. They are well- educated, many being medical doctors or ministers of the gospel. Mary Ransom, daughter of Lemuel Ransom and Priscilla Ridgeway Ransom, became a missionary to Japan.

The twin brothers, Richard and Alfred Ransom, born in 1802, were among those who remained in the Tenth Civil District of Rutherford County at Versailles. Alfred married Sallie Snell, while his twin brother, Richard, married Elizabeth Snell (26 Jan 1810-16 July 1905), a first cousin of Sallie. Richard and Elizabeth had three children: Alfred Portice Ransom who died in infancy; Willis Snell Ransom (23 Aug 1832-17 Dec 1889); Richard Ransom (5 July 1835-4 Feb 1903).

During those long-ago days, some of the settlers must have had a vision of Versailles becoming a much larger planned town. On file in the State Archives in Nashville. Tennessee is a diagram of the future Versailles laid off as town square surrounded by building lots. In Deed Book N, page 344 in the Williamson County Courthouse in Franklin Tennessee, a deed is recorded showing that on June 8, 1836, Richard Jackson sold to Richard Ransom Town Lot No. 6 in Versailles, Tennessee for $10,000. Today (1982) the stately ante-bellum Ransom home stands in the very heart of Versailles, on town lot no. 6. This house was one of five built in the area between 1826-1859, all following the type of architecture popular at that time. In 1905 after all the Ransom family had left Versailles, this home and farm were bought by Jim Adcock and is in possession of this family today.

Willis Snell Ransom, son of Richard and Elizabeth Snell Ransom and heir to the home and farm described above, married Ellen Copeland (4 Sept 1841-22 June 1893). Th this union came one daughter and five sons:

1 Lutie Ransom died young.

2 Samuel R "Dick" Ransom moved to Birmingham, Alabama.

3 Alfred Ransom, unmarried, lost his life in a railway accident at age 27.

4 Joseph Copeland Ransom (3 July 1865-12 April 1917) married Fannie Elam, daughter of Dr Elam of Murfreesboro. They were the parents of four children: twin boys who died in infancy; Joseph C Ransom Jr, who died at age two; Rebecca Ransom, born 8 Jun 1913. After graduating from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Rebecca married Jennings A Jones of Del Rio, Tennessee. Rebecca and Jennings Jones reside in Murfreesboro near their four children; Frances, William, Ellen and Russell. These are all married, live in Murfreesboro and have families of their own.

5 William Alexander "Will" Ransom, twin of Ellis

6 Christopher Ellis Ransom, twin of Will

William Alexander "Will" Ransom and Christopher Ellis Ransom became connected with Roberts, Johnson and Rand Shoe Company in St Louis, MO at an early age and continued this business for the duration of their active years. Their love and loyalty to their boyhood home at Versailles stood the test of time. Whenever possible they came back to visit. Fortune smiled on then in many ways and their generous hand were ever outstretched in giving to those in need. In 1930 they established a four-year scholarship to the Middle Tennessee State Teachers' College in Murfreesboro. This scholarship was to be awarded to the most deserving graduate of Rockvale High School. This was given in memory and honor of their Mother and called "The Ellen Copeland Ransom Scholarship". In 1930 this honor was won by Dell Taylor; in 1931 by Billie Todd; in 1932 by Pearl Lowe.

Somewhat late in life, Ellis Ransom married Mary Snell of Murfreesboro. They made their home in Los Angeles CA. Ellis died on April 13, 1950.

William Alexander finished out his days as a bachelor, spending much time in St Louis. Will died on August 28 1951. Both Ellis and Will, however, returned to Murfreesboro for their retirement years. Many delightful days were spent in the Versailles area, visiting friends and taking care of the Ransom Family Cemetery.

After the death of Richard Ransom on March 2, 1835, his widow, Elizabeth Snell Ransom, married Marquis Lafayette Covington. To this union two daughters were born: Mary Jane Covington, who married Captain John C Jackson (see Jackson family); and Sue Adelaide Covington, who married Captain Francis Marion Jackson (see Jackson family).

During the rear 1846, Marquis Lafayette Covington died. Elizabeth Snell Ransom Covington was again left a widow. Elizabeth was a most remarkable woman. She was married at the age of twenty and, though she married twice, she had only a total of thirteen years of married life. She lived in widowhood for more than sixty tears. She outlived both her husbands, all of her sons and sons-in- law, also all of her daughters and daughters-in-law. She was a self-reliant, lived an active temperate life, and, despite her advanced age of 95, had no illness until the last year or so of her life. She kept her strong, clear mind up to her death. She was industrious to an unusual degree, always giving a helping hand to those in need. One example of this was demonstrated during the dark days of the Civil War.

One afternoon a small detail of Confederate soldiers presented themselves to Elizabeth's door. This detachment was led by Colonel Venable and Elisabeth's youngest sone, Richard Ransom. They were en route to West Tennessee to recruit fresh troops. About ten o'clock, Colonel Venable was taken very ill and died. Elizabeth gave him a Christian burial in a beautiful hilltop plot near her home, which later became the Ransom Family Cemetery.

After the close of the war, the parents of Colonel Venable came to locate and claim the body of their son. They were so charmed with the gracious lady, who had cared for and buried their son, that they left his grave untouched.

Sources The information contained in this article was taken from The History of the Ransom Family of Tennessee as compiled about 1910 by George Washington Ransom of Murfreesboro, who was one of the fourteen children of John Ransom, born December 1792. Supplemental remarks were added by William Alexander Ransom of St Louis MO, son of Willis Ransom of Versailles TN. This document was used through the courtesy of Rebecca Ransom Jones, 204 Apollo Drive, Murfreesboro, TN.