THE THOMAS WASHINGTON GARRETT FAMILY
Information by three grandsons of Thomas Washington Garrett:
Holt and Herbert Garrett and John Milton Kimmins


The Garrett family originally came from Lancastershire, England and settled near Philadelphia. Later a branch of this family moved to Bardstown, Kentucky. Two children of this family, Eli and a brother, were captured by the Indians. Eli escaped withe the Indians in hot pursuit, and hid in a pile of brush. At intervals, he would ease his head out to watch the Indians, but remained hidden so very long that the Indians decided he had been drowned in the Ohio River. When the Indians went away, Eli came out, boarded a boat on the river, and reached home. The fate of his brother is not known.

Eli Garrett married Agatha Nash of the vicinity of Nashville, Tennessee, a sister of William Nash. Their father was a son of General Francis Nash of Revolutionary War fame. Nashville, Tennessee was named in honor of General Nash. William Nash was a surveyor, who, with Colonel Robert Weakley, laid out and surveyed Rutherford County.

Milton Garrett, son of Eli and Agatha Nash Garrett, married Sciota Holden on 14 Feb 1820. Sciota Holden was the daughter of Dennis Holden and Sarah Hash Holden, who was the daughter of Thomas Hash. Milton and Sciota made their home in Bedford county, Tennessee, where on 16 Aug 1842, a son, Thomas Washington Garrett was born. When Thomas was a very small child, his parents moved to Versailles in Rutherford County.

On 16 Aug 1861, Thomas Washington Garrett volunteered for service in the confederate Army. He was a member of Company A, 24th Inf. Which had its early beginning at Versailles, and was mustered at Camp Trousdale, 27 Aug 1861.Casualty lists of Co. A indicate action in the Battles of Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge.

Thomas Washington Garrett was never wounded or taken prisoner. By his own testimony, he never went into battle without first getting down on his knees and begging God's protective care. He said he had seven holes shot through his uniform, a canteen burst by a bullet, one-half of his cap gill shot away, but received no wound on his body. He surrendered to General Joseph E Johnston at Greensboro N.C.

The method of surrender was to have all guns stacked, have the soldiers to leave in groups of ten, allowing one man among the ten to carry one gun for protection and to procure wild game for food. Tom Garrett was the man in his group to carry the gun, which he had called "Old Betsy". Their only means of transportation was walking. Each man in order to be released gave an oath of allegiance to the Union against which he had been fighting.

After returning home to Versailles and to the peaceful pursuits of citizenship, Thomas W Garrett married Elinor Harding Jackson, daughter of Richard Jackson and Elizabeth Clark, in 1866. They made their home on the plantation adjoining the John Clark place on the south. Tom Garrett built a large new house which stands today (1982), owned and occupied by a grandson, Holt Garrett. Tom Garrett and Elinor Jackson became the parents of Six daughters and two sons:

1 Elizabeth Sciota Garrett, who taught in local schools, married 1892, William J Dyer. Three Children:
a Garrett Dyer
b John Dyer (now deceased) who moved to Chapel Hill, married Minnie Fairfield Dyer, a teacher and author of note (See History of Eagleville--1972)
c Frances Garrett Dyer, who married Leslie Fairchild and moved to Chicago.

2 Frances Garrett, married 1897, J O Click, and moved to Kansas. Three children: Oliver Click, Elinor Click, Charlie Click.

3 Alice Garrett married 1896, John Lee Poplin and moved to North Carolina. Three children: Marion Poplin, Alf Poplin, Thomas Poplin.

4 Mattie Garrett married 1905, J Will Kimmins, and died 2 May 1909.

5 Sarah (Sallie) Agatha Garrett married 26 Dec 1910, Will Kimmins. Three children:
a Daughter died in infancy
b Joe Kimmins — two daughters: Nell and Dovie
c John Milton Kimmins. Two children: Joel, Sallie

6 Nellie Garrett — died in infancy

7 Milton Harding Garrett, never married, moved west from Versailles

8 Richard Jackson Garrett married Ethel Smotherman. They continued living in the Tom Garrett home and became parents of three sons:
a Holt Garrett, married Sarah Alsup and had two children: a daughter who died in infancy, and Jimmie, who married Marian Miller and lives in Texas. Holt's second marriage was to Belle Smotherman.
b Herbert Garrett, married Mamie Heath. Three children: Thomas Washington Garrett, Ray Garrett, and Fay Garrett Thompson.
c Woods Garrett, Sr., born 22 July, 1909, early in life joined the United States Army. He was stationed in North Carolina where he met and married Esther Blanton in 1930. They became the parents of one child, Woods Garrett Jr. However, Esther died in childbirth. During the freshness of his grief, Woods wrote to his mother that nothing seemed left for him, but the lake. The lake was dragged and every possible means of locating him was used, but to no avail. No trace has ever been found. Sad! Sad! Esther's mother reared the baby, Woods Garrett, Jr., now married and the father for children, all living in North Carolina.

Thomas Washington Garrett spent a long and useful life. He was a member of Rockvale Masonic Lodge 413 and of the Mt Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church. From his farm he gave the trees from which lumbar was sawed to be used in erecting the new church building. He also gave the site on his farm for a school building, know as Woodlawn Academy and later as Garrett School.

On the afternoon of 4 Dec 1923, he fell from a high porch at his home, which resulted in his death on 8 Dec 1923. He was buried beside his wife, who had died during 1890. This family cemetery is located on a high hill overlooking the Versailles and Midland communities. Attending his burial were four of his comrades-at-arms from the Confederate Army: Bob Whitus, John W Farris, W L Leathers, and Robert Averett. Frank Seay (colored) was also present because he had attended "the boys" as a servant during the Civil War.