Fourth Generation

56. Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols^3,12,18. Birth: 1825, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹² Parents: John J. Nichols III and Margaret (Peggy) Scantling. Census: 1830, Sevier County, Tennessee. Age 05-09, enumerated in the household of her father John J. Nichols. Census: 1840, Sevier County, Tennessee. Age 15-19, enumerated household of her mother Margaret (Peggy) Scantling. Birth of Child: 7 February 1844, Mary M. Nichols, age of mother: 19. Birth of Child: 11 February 1846, Nancy Elizabeth Nichols, age of mother: 21. Birth of Child: 16 September 1849, John H. B. Nichols, age of mother: 24. Census: 1850, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹² Sarah 25 f w TN, she and her children were enumerated household of her mother, Margaret (Peggy) Scantling. Census: 1860, Sevier County, Tennessee. Dist. 5, Sevier County, Tennessee, 8 Aug 1860, Sevierville PO; p.424a, dwelling number 613, family number 607; Nichols Sally 34 f w grocer $625/$615 TN cannot R/W; Mary 16 f w TN attended school; Nancy 14 f w TN attended school; John 10 m w TN attended school. Census: 1870, Sevier County, Tennessee. Dist. 5, Sevier County, Tennessee, 3 Jun 1870, Sevierville PO; page 377b, dwelling number 13, family number 11; Nichols Sarah F. 46 f w keeping house TN; Mary M. 26 female widowed white without employment TN; Nancy E. 24 female widowed white without employment TN; John H. B. 20 m w TN. Death: about 1890, age 65, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee. Burial: Shiloh Cemetery, Pigeon Forge, Sevier County, Tennessee. From The Nichols Book by Wyatt M. Nichols:

The man who she most desperately wanted to marry, but because of a bigger feud between some of the Nichols and Catlett families, they were prevented from completely fulfilling their married life as the feud had been long and bitter. In 1850 the Nichols and Catletts went into court in reference to this matter and a settlement was made where Sally Nichols and her children were to retain the name of Nichols. The lived the remainder of her life in Sevierville, Tennessee. She died sometime in the 1880's or early 1890'd and is buried in the Shiloh Cemetery near Sevierville where many of the early Nichols are buried and her father, mother, and three children.

Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols and James P. Catlett. Marriage: about 1842, Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols, to James P. Catlett.

According to The Nichols Book by Wyatt McKinley Nichols, Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols had three children with a Mr. Catlett. However, there was a Nichols-Catlett feud and a Nichols-Catlett lawsuit. The result of the lawsuit was that the couple was separated and Sally and her children took the Nichols surname.

This information was told to Wyatt Nichols by his grandfather John H. Nichols, who was the youngest of Sally Nichols' three children. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to verify this information because of the 1856 courthouse fire in Sevier County. Records of any Nichols-Catlett lawsuit would have been destroyed in the fire.

It's only a guess that James P. Catlett was the Catlett man who was the father of Sally Nichols' children. However, there is evidence to support this conclusion. Based on the 1850 census, the only three possibilities seem to have been the brothers William S. (Will) Catlett, James P. Catlett, and Henry S. Catlett. The death certificate of John H. Nichols says that his parents were James C. Nichols and Sarah F. Nichols. There was no James C. Nichols. It seems likely that the reference to James C. Nichols was really a reference to James Catlett Nichols which was really a reference to James Catlett. The truth of the parentage of John H. Nichols may have been a story that nobody wanted to tell. Finally, there was an 1851 Sevier County warrant sworn out by Sarah Nichols against James P. Catlett. 1851 is a logical timeframe for legal action between Sally Nichols and her Catlett man because Sally's last child was born in 1849, and at the time of the 1850 census she and her children were living with her parents.

It is not known if Sally and her Catlett man were married. The children might have been born out of wedlock. The Nichols Book does not address this question. If the couple was married, the marriage was probably a year or two before the birth of their first child. My guess is that the couple was married. One out of wedlock child certainly seems possible, but three such children seems much less likely because both families were very religious. The Nichols were Methodist and the Catletts were Baptist. Religion and slavery were the two causes of the feud. (RGB)

James P. Catlett¹⁹, son of Benjamin Catlett and Nancy Loveday,. Birth: 13 February 1820, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹⁹ Parents: Benjamin Catlett and Nancy Loveday. Census: 1830, Sevier County, Tennessee. Age 05-09, enumerated in the household of his father Benjamin Catlett. Census: 1840, Sevier County, Tennessee. Age 20-29, enumerated with his brother William S. (Will) Catlett listed as head of household. Their father Benjamin Catlett had died in 1834. It is not clear if Will was really the head of household, or if the real head of household was their mother Nancy Loveday. Birth of Child: 7 February 1844, Mary M. Nichols, age of father: 23. Birth of Child: 11 February 1846, Nancy Elizabeth Nichols, age of father: 25. Birth of Child: 16 September 1849, John H. B. Nichols, age of father: 29. Census: 1850, Sevier County, Tennessee. 12th Eastern Subdivision, Sevier County, Tennessee, 18 Sep 1850; p.422a, dwelling number 505, family number 505; Catlett James P. 30 m w horse trader $5000 TN. Birth of Child: 25 November 1851, Benjamin Catlett, age of father: 31. Birth of Child: about 1853, Elizabeth Adda Catlett, age of father: 33. Birth of Child: about 1856, William Robert (Bob) Catlett, age of father: 36. Birth of Child: 30 December 1859, Ellen C. Catlett, age of father: 39. Census: 1860, Sevier County, Tennessee. Dist. 7, Sevier County, Tennessee, 7 Jun 1860, Wears Cove PO; page 331a, dwelling number 118, family number 117; Catlett Jas. P. 40 m w farmer $5000/$1000 TN; Sarah 36 f w TN; Benjamin 9 m w TN attended school; Elizabeth 7 f w TN attended school; Robt. 4 m w TN; Ellen 1 f w TN. Birth of Child: 8 August 1860, James M. Catlett, age of father: 40. Census: 1870, Sevier County, Tennessee. Dist. 5, Sevier County, Tennessee, 9 Jun 1870, Sevierville PO; page 382a, dwelling number 76, family number 75; Catlett James P. 50 m w farmer $15000/$5867 TN; Sarah 47 f w keeping house TN; Benjamin 18 m w attending school TN attended school; Adda 15 f w attending school TN attended school; William R. 13 m w attending school TN attended school; Ellen C. 11 f w attending school TN attended school; James M. 7 m w TN. Birth of Child: about 1878, Carrie Catlett, age of father: 58. Birth of Child: 15 March 1879, Kate L. (Katie) Catlett, age of father: 59. Census: 1880, Sevier County, Tennessee.
Dist. 5, Enumeration District 182, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee, 18 Jun 1880; page 369d, dwelling number 193, family number 197; Catlett James P. 59 head male married white, farming TN VA TN; Nancy 37 wife female married white, keeping house, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; James M. 17 son, male, single, white, farming, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; Carrie 2 daughter, female, single, white, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; Kate 1 daughter, female, single, white, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; Webb Henry 18 hireling m b laborer TN -- --. Birth of Child: 6 January 1881, Charles H. Catlett, age of father: 60. Death: 30 January 1894, age 73, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹⁹ Burial: Shiloh Cemetery, Pigeon Forge, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹⁹ Grave marker: James P. Catlett, 13 Feb 1820 - 30 Jan 1894.

Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols-3300 and James P. Catlett-12643 had the following children:

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Mary M. Nichols^3,4,12,18,20. Birth: 7 February 1844, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹² Parents: James P. Catlett and Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols. Census: 1850, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹² Mary 7 f w TN attended school, enumerated along with her mother and brother and sister household of her grandmother Margaret Scantling who was the widow of his grandfather John J. Nichols. Census: 1860, Sevier County, Tennessee. Mary 16 f w TN attended school. Census: 1870, Sevier County, Tennessee. Mary M. 26 female widowed white without employment TN. Census: 1910, Sevier County, Tennessee.
Dist. 5, Enumeration District 139, Sevier County, Tennessee, 15 Apr 1910; page 74a, Main Street, dwelling number 5, family number 6; Nichols Mary M. 66 head female single white, dress maker, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; Nancy E. 64 sis female single white, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; John H. 60 bro male widowed white salesman, grocery store, born in TN, father and mother born in TN. Census: 1920, Sevier County, Tennessee.
Dist. 5, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee, 2-3 Jan 1920; page 115b, Main Street, dwelling number 20, family number 20; Nichols Mary M. 75 head female single white, seamstress, at home, born in TN, father and mother born in TN; John H. 70 bro male widowed white collector, corporate invoices, born in TN, father and mother born in TN. Death: 15 November 1928, age 84, [Sevier County], [Tennessee]. Burial: Shiloh Cemetery, Pigeon Forge, Sevier County, Tennessee. The following is from The Nichols Book by Wyatt Nichols.

Mary Nichols was a most unusual woman in many ways. Her fine tailoring gave her much work from the students at Murphy College located in Sevierville, Tennessee. She chewed a little tobacco and her comments were generally brief and to the point. If she had a like or dislike for someone she did not hesitate to tell them in no uncertain terms. Wyatt Nichols always liked to visit her and got a great kick out of listening to her talk. Wyatt once asked her why she never married. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Huh, I naver saw a man good enough for me." It is a known fact that she was engaged to a Confederate soldier that was killed in the battle of Shiloh. Wyatt was not sure about the exact date of her death. She is buried in Shiloh Cemetery about four miles from Sevierville, Tennessee.

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Nancy Elizabeth Nichols^{3,4,12,18,21,22}. Birth: 11 February 1846, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹² Parents: James P. Catlett and Sarah F. (Sally) Nichols. Census: 1850, Sevier County, Tennessee.¹² Nancy 5 f w TN, enumerated along with her mother and brother and sister household of her grandmother Margaret Scantling who was the widow of his grandfather John J. Nichols. Census: 1860, Sevier County, Tennessee. Nancy 14 f w TN attended school. Census: 1870, Sevier County, Tennessee. Nancy E. 24 female widowed white without employment TN. Census: 1910, Sevier County, Tennessee.
Nancy E. 64 sis female single white, born in TN, father and mother born in TN. Death: 25 March 1911, age 65, Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee.²²

Obituary: Montgomery Vindicator [Sevierville, Tennessee], Mar 29, 1911, page 2.
Miss Nancy Elizabeth Nichols died at the Nichols home on West (text missing) Saturday, March 25, at 3:30 a.m. after a lingering illness. A loving brother and a devoted sister, an attentive physician and many sympathizing friends, did all in their power to alleviate her suffering, but without avail. She was born Feb. 11, 1846. She was a devout member of the M.E. Church and was esteemed by all who knew her for her Christian character and her womanly virtues. She was resigned to death and requested her friends to desist their efforts to prolong her life. She was interred in the Shiloh cemetery Sunday afternoon, services by Rev. W.L. Oliver. She is survived by one sister, Miss Mary M. Nichols, and one brother, John H. Nichols, who have the sympathy of all.

Death Certificate:
Report made by John ?. Wynn
Enumerator of the Fifth School District of
Sevier County or ______
Ward of the City of _______ Tennessee.
Name of Deceased Nancy E. Nichles
Date of Death Mar. 25 1911
Sex Female Color White
Age 65 yr.
Married or Single Single
Place of Death Sevierville
Cause of Death Grif?
Place of Birth Sevierville
Occupation
Name of Physician attending on last sickness J.B. Delozier
Name of J.P. or Coroner holding inquest
Date Recorded July 1911
A T Marshall County Court Clerk Burial: 26 March 1911, Shiloh Cemetery, Pigeon Forge, Sevier County, Tennessee.²² The following is from The Nichols Book by Wyatt Nichols.

Unlike her sister Mary, she was very quiet and reserved and in stature was very much like many of the Nichols folk. Her eyes were very beautiful and it seems that this characteristic has been handed on down to some of our present day Nichols women folk. She, like her sister, was a fine tailoress and they worked together until her death. She and her sister, Mary, were strong Methodists and contributed quite a bit to the building of a new Methodist Church in Sevierville many years ago. She never married and died quite a few years before her sister Mary or brother John.

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John H. B. Nichols-3262.