American Biography

Mary Noailles Murfree, author, was born at Murfreesboro, Tenn., Jan. 24, 1850; daughter of William Law Murfree and Fanny Priscilla (Dickson) Murfree; granddaughter of William Hardy Murfree and Elizabeth Mary (Maney) Murfree, and great granddaughter of Col. Hardy Murfree, an officer in the Revolutionary army.

Mary Murfree became lame in childhood, and thus debarred from active amusements, at an early age devoted herself to books, becoming a hard student, and later earnestly turned her attention to literary work. The family in 1856 moved to Nashville where she was chiefly educated, although she spent some time at school in Philadelphia. In 1872 they returned to Murfreesboro, and from there moved to St. Louis, Mo., in 1881, and back to Murfreesbero in 1890.

She spent her summers in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, and devoted herself principally to the portrayal of human character as connected with life in the Tennessee mountains. Her first story, “The Dancin’ Party at Harrison’s Cove“, appeared in the Atlantic Monthly over the signature “Charles Egbert Craddock.” Other stories and novels followed, published also in book form, and she succeeded in concealing her identity until 1885.

Mary Noailles Murfree was the author of: In the Tennessee Mountains, stories (1884); Where the Battle was Fought, a novel (1884); Down the Ravine (1885); The Prophet of the great Smoky Mountains (1885); In the Clouds (1886); The Story of Keedon Bluffs (1887); The Despot of Broomsedge Cove ( 1888 ); In the Stranger-People’s Country (1891); His Vanished Star (1894); The Mystery of Witch-face Mountain and Other Stories (1895); The Phantom of the Foot-Bridge and Other Stories (1895); The Juggler (1897); The Young Mountaineers, short stories (1897); The Story of Old Fort Loudon (1899); The Bush-whackers and Other Stories (1899); The Champion (1902); A Spectre of Power (1902), and numerous contributions to leading magazines.

John McCracken stands prominent among the leading farmers of Kings River Township. McCracken was an old settler of the region, who was born in Washington County, Tennessee on April 15th 1811. He was the son of Robert and Nancy (McClure) McCracken, both of whom were of Scotch-Irish descent. Robert McCracken was born in Pennsylvania, and moved with his parents to Jonesboro Tennessee where he remained for a short time, and then moved to Rhea County, of the same State. From there he moved in 1839 with his family to Madison County, Arkansas, where he died at the age of seventy-six years. The mother was born in Virginia, and died in Madison County, Arkansas, at the age of sixty-four or sixty-five. They were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, but were in their younger days members of the Old Presbyterian Church. The father followed farming all his life, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was on his way to New Orleans when that battle was fought. To his marriage were born nine children.

John McCracken received the rudiments of an education in Washington County, Tennessee, and remained with his parents until twenty-one years of age, when he began to farm for himself. He learned the blacksmith trade and followed this for about ten years, but the balance of the time he has been engaged in tilling the soil, except when in the Florida War in 1835. July 5, 1832, he married Miss Nancy Henry, who was born in Rhea County, Tennessee in 1810, and died in Madison County, Arkansas in 1840, leaving three children. In 1842 Mr. McCracken married Mrs. Mary (Boatright) Henderson, widow of Robert Henderson. They moved from Greene County, Tennessee, to Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1836, where Mr. Henderson died in 1840, leaving three sons: John E., Robert S. and W. R. Mrs. McCracken died in Madison County, Arkansas, February 26, 1888. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. To this union were born six children: Mrs. Nancy Ann Harper, Mrs. Charlotta L. Coker, Mrs. Zalmona E. Costen, Mrs. Dorcas S. Snead, Mrs. Mary B. Boatright and Francis M. The only son, Francis, was accidentally killed during the Civil war at the age of twenty. He was in the commissary department in an Arkansas regiment, Confederate army.

Mr. McCracken was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the South for fifty years or more, and always took a great interest in all church affairs. He was a Whig previous to the Civil war, but afterwards became a Democrat. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and at times held different positions. He owned 260 acres of land, the greater portion of it under cultivation, and although he lost heavily during the Civil war — his house was burned, property was destroyed and stolen — he went to work with renewed energy, and through his own efforts was restored to comfortable circumstances.