The members of the Descendants of Early Settlers of Shelby County and Adjoining Counties (DES) held their Fall Social for 2017 on October 19th at the clubhouse at Woodlands. Some 42 members were present to enjoy good wine, camaraderie, an excellent meal, and an interesting program on the history of railroads in Memphis and Shelby County by train historian Donald Harrison. Mr. Harrison provided many slides of early trains and maps of a series of railroads, some of which were financially successful and some of which were not.
The history of these trains and their owners is part and parcel of the history of the growth of Shelby County and its surrounds, especially so with the development of cotton in the Mid-South and its transportation by rail, replacing wagons and steamships. With steady rail transportation, Memphis became the cotton capital and the hardwood capital of the world, as well as fields were cleared in order to raise more cotton. The pioneers in the railroad industry included some of the most prominent names and residents of the area. Mr. Harrison added historical anecdotes about the trains, the bridges they had to cross and the accidents that resulted in tragic fatalities in the industry.
The members also held elections for new officers for the coming term of 2018 – 2020. Elected as officers were; Dr. Rita Hall, President; Frank Stewart, Jr., Vice-President; Betty Leake Brown, Secretary and Adam Simpson, Treasurer. Ceylon Blackwell, Jr. and Paul Matthews were also elected as Directors-at-large. Dr. Hall indicated that the appointed positions would be filled by the following: Registrar, Dr. Jane Hooker; Parliamentarian, Milton Knowlton; Membership Chairman, John Feild; Historian, Dr. John Harkins; Chaplain, Dr. Nick Gotten, Jr., and Publicity Chair, Darlene Sawyer.
William Gotten, current President, had previously indicated that he would retire after 4 years of dedicated service to the Society. Dr. Hall and members thanked Mr. Gotten, who has overseen the growth of the Society by the addition of 16 new members. The members enjoyed several road trips to places such as Shiloh, the Sultana Museum, the Cordova and Morton Museums, and most recently a trip to Wilson and Dyess, AR with a visit to the Johnny Cash Museum. Mr. Gotten indicated that with 63 members and a good cash balance in the bank, the Society was enjoying a vibrant and healthy existence. He encouraged the members to continue to look for other persons who might qualify as descendants of early settlers who settled in Shelby County and adjoining counties prior to 1870.
At the social functions during the years, members have enjoyed lectures on such diverse subjects as the history of Memphis movie theaters, the cataloging of the papers of author Shelby Foote, the story of Captain Lee of the Lee Steamship Lines, Memphians who served in World War II, the early history of Messick High School, the history and development of the Memphis Zoo and most recently the revitalization of the Victorian Village homes.
The next meeting of the members will be the Mid-Winter Social with the date and venue to be announced.