1895 Tennessee Medical Graduation Includes Bailey B. Sory of Robertson County

 This article from the Southern Practioner from 1896 records the graduation of an important Physician for Robertson County.   Dr. Bailey B. Sory 

With its nearly half century's experience, during which time the Capital City of Tennessee has ranked second only to the great metropolitan centers of New York and Philadelphia, with its most excellent, experienced and progressive corps of teachers, with its clinical features combined in that grand municipal charity hospital, contiguous and convenient to all the schools, together with the free dispensaries connected with each, and other private and public facilities, with handsome, new and commodious buildings, fully equipped with all the paraphernalia, laboratories, etc., necessary in this day for thorough and scientific instruction, Nashville and her citizens may well feel proud of her medical schools, and rest well assured that the reputation so justly earned in the past of "the Athens of the South" will be but greatly added to in the future, held its Forty-fifth Annual Commencement in the Theatre Vendome, on Tuesday, March 24th, in the presence of a large and highly-cultured audience filling the entire building to its utmost capacity. Nearly half a century of distinguished success makes this one of the historic medical schools of America. It came into existence shortly after the Medical Department of the Transylvania University at Lexington, Ky., had been transferred to Louisville, and for a number of years its only competitors South of that point were the schools at Richmond, Charleston and New Orleans. It soon outstripped all these in popularity, and in its fifth year the numbers of its classes equaled those of each of the renowned schools of Philadelphia—the schools of New York at that time not rivaling the latter in reputation or numbers. Since the war medical schools have multiplied three or four-fold in the South, but the prestige achieved by the original faculty of the Medical Department of Nashville has been maintained by their successors, and through all mutations they have sustained its reputation and popularity. Throughout four or five of the Southern States there is scarcely a community in which the diplomas of many of its physicians have not borne the signatures of the Faculty of this school.

The exercises of the evening were opened by music by the theatre orchestra, and then Rev. George F. Degen offered prayer for the young men about to go forth in the world to practice their profession. More music followed.

The Salutatory was delivered by Mr. Oscar Sayle Burrow, of Arkansas, whose words were well chosen and who closed amid applause.

After more music Mr. James Moore King, Jr., of Tennessee, delivered the Valedictory in a manner that made a fine impression on the audience. He dwelt on the high calling that he and his classmates had chosen, and the duties devolving upon them as practitioners of the art of medicine. His words of farewell were peculiarly well chosen and given in an affecting manner.

After a musical selection by the orchestra, Prof. M. C. McGannon delivered the Charge to the Graduating Class on the part of the Faculty. He complimented the class and congratulated them on their success. He expressed the hope and belief of the Faculty that each and every one went out well equipped to do battle with disease, and that each in his future life would achieve success, would win honor, would shed glory on the Faculty and on their Alma Mater. He then spoke of medical ethics, a subject not included in the regular course. It was thought and said that a gentleman needed no code of ethics, and as a rule it was true. But in order to control the unruly a code of medical ethics had been framed by the American Medical Association. You could not make a man a gentleman by law or by formulating a code, unless he was naturally inclined that way. He advocated a high standard of morality and called attention to the strict prohibition of advertising by physicians. The practice of medicine was not a mere money-making business. Advertising by a physician was scandalous because the advertiser could not with certainty guarantee a cure. The dealer in soap could have a standard of excellence which he could guarantee. The physician could not guarantee a cure, no matter how trifling the disease. To so promise was to obtain money under false pretenses. The day when advertising becomes general would see medicine cease to (be a dignified profession, and be a degraded calling. The attendant physician could not object to the patient's changing his opinion, could not object to a consultation with any reputable physician. Other points in medical ethics were also treated by the speaker, who closed with many valuable hints as to the winning of success. In dealing with life they should ever remember that death is just beyond, and give to each and every patient their very best efforts.

Another musical rendition by the orchestra followed and Chancellor Payne, who was in cap and gown, conferred the degrees on the following graduates in a most impressively delivered Latin address, after which they came upon the stage as their names were called by Secretary Ewing and received their diplomas:

Anderson Braxton Allen, Tennessee; Walter Erastus Bartlett, Kentucky; Edward M. Bell, Tennessee; Samuel Moses Bloomstein, Tennessee; James Robert Bell, North Carolina; Matthew Gardner Buckner, Tennessee; Oscar Sayle Burrow, Arkansas; Paul Clements, Tennessee; Malone Mitchel Cooley, Tennessee; Garland Franklin Cummins, Tennessee; Charles Burrell Gannaway, Arkansas; William Roswell Gillett, Texas; Obediah Chauncey Grant, Texas; Washington Allen Harper, M.D., Texas; James Benjamin Harrington, Tennessee; Eli Hunt Harrison, South Carolina; Richard Henry Harrison, Texas; William Ranson Haynie, South Carolina; Charles Benjamin Heimark, Minesota; Robert Hermann Henry, Wurzen, Germany; George Higginsou, Tennessee; James Moore King. Jr., Tennessee; Plato Herman Lee, North Carolina; Joseph Robert Lutton, Pennsylvania; Samuel Bryson Medford, North Carolina a James Dunnaway McCann, M.D., Tennessee; Robert Benjamin Morris Tennessee; James Franklin Myrick, Jr., Texas; David Robinson Neal, Tennessee; Claude Pettus, Alabama; John Dillard Quarles, Tennessee; Annie Riordan, Sidney, New South Wales; John Lewis Smiley, Arkansas, James Buchanan Smith, Tennessee; William Henry Smith, Texas; Bailey B. Sory, Tennessee; William Boyles Staples, Alabama; Fred R. Stoner, Illinois; George Harston Stovall, Texas; Vernon LaGrange Terrell, Mississippi; Benjamin Franklin Walker, Tennessee; Waddy Thompson Wilkinson, Jr., Louisiana; William Hamilton Willett, Tennessee; Richard Andrew Wilson, Texas; J. A. Williams, M.D., Mississippi; Percy Hogan Woodall, Tennessee; LeRoy Settle Woollard, Tennessee; James Lee Wright, Tennessee; Finis Ewing Wyatt, Tennessee.

A unique feature of the graduating class was Miss Annie Riordan, of Sidney, New South Wales, who came all the way from Australia to attend the college. She is a pretty little woman, and received much applause when handed her sheepskin.

At the conclusion the audience was dismissed with the benediction by Rev. George F. Degen.

Note about Dr. Sory:   Dr. Bailey Brown (B. B.) Sory was born August 9, 1871, to Leona Francis Edwards and Robert Sory in Sadlersville, Robertson County, Tennessee. He married Annie Farmer Long, daughter of Sallie Farmer and James Long, on November 20, 1895. The couple made their home in Cedar Hill and had at least six children: Margaret, Bailey Brown Jr., James Robert, Curtis Holt, Anne  Frances, and Mary Elizabeth. Dr. B.B. Sory received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee and practiced medicine in Robertson County for many years. He died March 7, 1940, and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Springfield.  His Ledger Books span the period 1893-1942. The collection is composed of account books, daybooks, expense books, a collections book, and a note book. They are available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.  Collection MF 2016. 

Source: Southern Practitioner, 1896. 

Stories of the Bell Witch - Told Yet Again -

 

As regular as tobacco barns start their annual smoking phase, the tales of the Bell Witch or Spirit begin to appear. This year Spirit: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee returns to the stage in Adams, Tennessee.  It will continue through October 31, 2026.  (LINK to TICKETS)

Nancy Johnston Ayers, the daughter of John & Martha Johnston
was said to have been spanked by the witch. 

Recently, I found a review of the Martin V. Ingram book that recorded the historic tale. This 1919 article relates the story and presents some interesting questions.

A new book gives what purports to be an accurate account of the experiences of certain members of the family of John Bell, who in 1804 moved to Robertson County, Tennessee from North Carolina. The author [Martin V. Ingram] affirms that he " only assumes to compile the data, formally presenting the history of this greatest of all mysteries, just as the matter is furnished to hand, written by Williams Bell, a member of the family, some fifty years ago, together with other corroborative testimony by men of irreproachable character and unquestionable veracity ". Appended to Mr. Ingram's compilation are detailed reports of interviews with his informants, several letters from persons able to speak with authority, and an extended history of " Our Family Trouble " by Richard Williams, son of the unfortunate John Bell.

Mr. Ingram declines to propound any theory regarding the cause of the phenomena he records, nor has he, he affirms, " any opinion to advance concerning witchcraft, sorcery, spiritualism or psychology in any form "; yet he devotes a chapter of thirty pages to the presentation of a mass of evidence tending to establish the reality of supernatural phenomena. He cites the Bible and John Wesley, Richard Watson, Adam Clarke, and other commentators, as well as several modern instances, of which the mysterious " rocking of Dr. William Smith's cradle, which occurred in 1840, in Lynchburg, Va.," may serve as an example.

"According to the author, the Bell homestead was situated on the south bank of the Red River, about a mile from the spot now occupied by Adams Station, the latter being some forty miles north of Nashville, on the southeastern branch of the Louisville and Nashville (the old Edgefield and Kentucky) Rail Road.

After a brief sketch of the social and religious life of the simple, frontier community in which the Bell family settled, Mr. Ingram describes a long series of persecutions which John Bell and his daughter Betsy suffered at the hands of an invisible being who took up its abode at the Bell homestead and made itself a general nuisance. At intervals the " witch " frequented other places in the community, among them Fort's mill, about a mile from John Bell's house. The machinery was often heard running at night after the miller had left the building. It first revealed its presence in 1817, and, when questioned regarding its origin, claimed to have come from North Carolina. Sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by four other airy personages denominated Blackdog, Mathematics, Cypocryphy, and Jerusalem, it filled the house with wild laughter, profane language, and coarse jests. The smacking of unseen lips and strange sounds "like rats gnawing the bed posts . . . dogs fighting ... or trace chains dragging over the floor" made sleep impossible. Covers were pulled from the beds, chairs were overturned, " chunks of wood and stones" fell unexpectedly in the path of the farm laborers, ghostly lights flitted around the house, and various members of the family were struck by unseen hands. At times the demonic family sang sweetly, and the " witch " quoted Scripture with astonishing accuracy. In 1817 " Mr. Bell, while walking through his corn field, was confronted by a strange animal, unlike any he had ever seen, sitting in a corn row, gazing steadfastly at him as he approached nearer. He concluded that it was probably a dog, and having his gun in hand, shot at it, when the animal ran off. Some days after, in the late afternoon, Drew Bell observed a very large fowl, which he supposed to be a wild turkey, as it perched upon the fence, and ran in the house for a gun to kill it. As he approached within shooting distance, the bird flapped its wings and sailed away, and then he was mystified in discovering that it was not a turkey, but some unknown bird of extraordinary size. Betsy walked out one evening soon after this with the children, among the big forest trees near the house, and saw something which she described as a pretty little girl dressed in green, swinging to a limb of a tall oak. Then came Dean, the servant, reporting that a large black dog came in the road in front of him at a certain place, every night that he visited his wife Kate, who belonged to Alex Gunn [a neighbor], and trotted along before him to the cabin door and then disappeared.” "The Goblin's favorite form, however, was that of a rabbit, . . . the hare ghost took malicious pleasure in hopping out into the road, showing itself to every one who passed through [the lane in front of the house]."

Witch-doctors and other persons attempted repeatedly to discover the cause of the strange events, but to no purpose. " The want of some satisfactory explanation or the failure of all investigators to throw light on the witch mystery, gave rise to the speculative idea that John and Drew Bell had learned ventriloquism and some subtle art. . . , and taught the same to their sister Betsy, for the purpose of attracting people and making money", but, as investigation showed, it was no such matter.

The unseen visitor's own account of itself was far from satisfactory. At one time it claimed to be the spirit of a child buried in North Carolina. At another it was a disturbed ghost seeking a lost tooth under the Bell house. When, however, the flooring was removed and the dirt sifted, no tooth was found, and a mocking voice from the air declared it was " all a joke to fool ' Old Jack'," as the " witch " called John Bell. On another occasion it was the ghost of an early settler, come back to reveal the whereabouts of hid treasure; but the money was not found, and the " witch."

Let’s continue with this story.

Kate Batts was a sort of gigantic Mrs. Malaprop, whose propensity for using long words and whose evil tongue made her at once the laughing stock and the terror of the neighborhood. After the " witch's " assertion it was recalled not only that Mrs. Batts had an old grudge against John Bell, but also that certain events connected with her history savored strongly of witchcraft. She had a habit of " begging a brass pin of every woman she met, which trifle," adds the author, " was supposed to give her power over the donor" (p. 63). "The most incontrovertible evidence [however] was that a certain girl in the vicinity was given the task of churning, and after working the dasher diligently for two hours without reward, and no sign of butter coming, she declared that old Kate Batts had bewitched the milk and she determined to burn her. Carrying out this decision, she stuck an iron poker in the fire, and after it had come to a white heat, she soused the iron into the milk, setting the churn away; then making some excuse for the visit, she called on Aunt Kate to ascertain the result of her experiment, and found Mrs. Batts sitting in the corner nursing a burnt hand, which had been badly blistered through a mistake in taking the poker by the hot end that morning" (p. 69 f.). Mrs. Batts violently denied all connection with the Bell " witch," and the matter was never brought to a test.

Whatever may have been the cause of the phenomena described by Mr. Ingram, the persecution of the " witch" brought naught but sorrow to the Bells. The father became despondent and in 1820 died; Betsy was forced to give up her lover, and the household was finally broken up.

The following clipping, taken apparently from the query column of the Nashville, Tennessee, Banner, has some bearing on the events described in Mr. Ingram's book:

"' Is there such a thing as a Bell Witch near Springfield, Tenn. ? If so, please tell some of its doings of the past.'

" A great many of the most reputable among the older citizens of Springfield and Robertson County are convinced that there was an unexplainable manifestation of some sort which was generally regarded as a ghost, and which came to be called the Bell Witch. It was said to jump on the steeds of men returning home from Springfield after dark, shriek in an unearthly manner and of other alarming things (sic). In the eighties, when there was a recurrence of what was supposed to be the Bell Witch manifestations, the Banner sent Mr. John C. Cooke to investigate. He concluded that there was not at that time any supernatural manifestation, though he heard noises that were not explained. Mr. Cooke is still a member of the Banner staff. While he does not accept the ghost theory, he is convinced that there was a mysterious something that alarmed many of the most intelligent people of that community. Mr. Martin V. Ingram of Clarksville wrote a book undertaking to give all the facts and circumstances in which the Bell Witch figured, and this book can probably be obtained from second-hand book dealers."

The student of folklore will recognize at once that we are here dealing with a series of phenomena long associated with haunted houses. Buildings rendered uninhabitable by terrorizing agencies have existed in fact from time immemorial, and their horrors have formed the basis of skeptical or sympathetic treatment from the ancient classical drama to the more modern Gothic romance and the contemporary penny-dreadful. Moreover, it should be observed that, although houses may be haunted by vampires, ghosts, and other uncanny beings not necessarily associated with witchcraft, the ills which befall the occupants have frequently been attributed to maleficium. During the great period of witch mania in Western Europe many buildings in the British Isles and on the Continent were disturbed by the Devil or his human emissaries. A few well authenticated instances of English and American houses troubled by diabolic forces will make it obvious that the agency responsible for the misfortunes of the Bell family did but illustrate the excessive conservativeness with which the powers of evil stick to tradition.

Extraordinary events closely resembling those described in The Bell Witch are outlined by E. B. Miles in a series of sketches of life in the Cumberlands (The Spirit of the Mountains, p. 108ff.). They concern "an old woman, or the spirit of one," who annoyed the family of Beaver. As a result of the visitations the head of the family pined and died.

In 1654-5 the family of Gilbert Campbell, a weaver living in Galloway, Scotland, underwent a series of similar annoyances as the result of Campbell's having refused alms to a sturdy beggar named Alexander Agnew, " who afterwards was hanged at Dumfries, for Blasphemy." When questioned by the minister, an invisible demon confessed that he was the author of the trouble and showed himself even more learned in the Scriptures than did Kate Batts. About the year 1661 a series of persecutions strikingly similar to those described in The Bell Witch were suffered by the household of Mr. John Mompesson, of Tedworth, Wilts. An invisible force pulled the children's hair and night-clothes and even lifted the children themselves bodily out of bed, scattered the grandmother's garments and hid her bible in the hearth, moved furniture, opened and shut doors, and "The commissioners blamed the disturbance on the Devil, but an eighteenth-century tradition, which it must be admitted is not above suspicion, has it that the perpetrator was one John Collins, a loyalist who, by concealing his real opinions secured a place with the commission and who was well acquainted with the trap-doors and secret passages of the building.

The story of the Bell Witch will continue to captivate the residents and visitors to Robertson County. To learn more about the families of this region, visit all of the great history museums in Robertson County, and don't miss the story told in Spirit: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee.  Limited tickets are available for next week -   https://bellwitchfallfestival.com/

Amazing Happenings of 1928 Around the County

Our newspapers were always filled with great information about families and interesting events. I found some very interesting information about the citizens of Robertson county reported in the Robertson County Times of 1928.  

Bell Community  Club Has Kitchen Quiz. The Home Demonstration Club of the Bell Community met August 10th [1928] at the home of Mrs. Frank Roe. There were thirteen members present and one visitor. Miss Cullens gave a demonstration on canning corn and butter beans. An interesting  feature of the afternoon was a contest  Kitchen Quiz in which Mrs. Clarence Fyke was the highest scorer. After the business session, delightful refreshments were served. 

The next meeting will be with Mrs. Claude Benton and the subject will be Making Pickle. All members are urged to attend.

Farmers Attend Field Study Day at Farm Station. A number of farmers attended a field study day of the work of the Middle Tennessee experiment station at Columbia last Friday. Those in the company were J. J. Farmer, C.H. Baggett, Rufus Burnett, A.G. Woodward, John Goodman, Walter Toon and county agent, H. H. Jones.

A careful study of the various experiments resulted in some interesting information. The following phases of work as being carried out at the Station was studied by the party: Different dates of seeding grasses and clovers, beginning the middle of August and running until the first of December at intervals of fifteen days and beginning the first of January and running at intervals of fifteen days until the middle of April, brought out the some very interesting facts. The methods and rate of seeding alfalfa sweet clover and red clover were studied. 

Local Osteopath Saves Drowning Man. Many of our readers will be interested in the story of the rescue of a man from drowning by Dr. George W. Stevenson of this city.

Dr. Stevenson was attending a convention of osteopaths at Kirksville, Missouri , recently and with other doctors went in swimming. The doctor is an expert swimmer and all round gymnast. 

One of the doctors while in the water on August 10 sank for the second time. Dr. Stevenson dived after him, and after a hard struggle he was able to punch the drowning man senseless and then pull him to the shore. 

Dr. Stevenson since his return home has made no mention of his heroic exploit, and the story of his courage was learned from another doctor, who lives far from Springfield, who was attending the convention. 

The Orlinda High School opened in 1928 under the
supervision of  Professor E.C. Hicks, a noted educator.

Orlinda High Opens with 300 Enrolled; 150 Patrons Present on First Day of Term. The Orlinda High School opened on September third with an enrollment of three hundred. A feature of the opening day that greatly pleased and encouraged the faculty was the presence of 150 patrons of the school. 

The opening exercised included scripture reading by Rev. A.M. Nicholson, a prayer by Rev. Cecil Jones, and an address by Prof. E. C. Hicks and speeches by several of the patrons. 

The Orlinda school was graded “Class A” by the state board of education for the year ending June 30, 1928, and the schedule for a Class A school for the following year has been approved by the state supervisor of high schools.

There are ten teachers in the faculty of the Orlinda schools. D.D. Willmoth of Oklahoma City has charge of the science department. and directs athletic activities. He received his degree from Union University at Jackson, Tenn. Prof. C.W. Broyles received his degree from Peabody at Nashville. He teaches vocational Agriculture. 

Prof. E.C. Hicks, superintendent of the school is beginning his first year’s work at Orlinda. He moved there from Cedar Hill where he left a record of notable service. He is one of the county’s ablest and most energetic educators.

With a capable faculty and a citizenship that takes great interest in education, the Orlinda High looks with confidence to a successful school year.

Medical Society Has Picnic Dinner. The regular monthly meeting of the Robertson County Medical Society was held in Springfield last Tuesday on the High school campus. A picnic dinner was served at noon by the doctors’ wives and was thoroughly enjoyed by the members of the society, visiting doctors and their wives and a number of invited guests. Members of the society present were: Drs. Connell, Jones, E.S. and J. S.  Hawkins, Bradley, Thomas, Dye, Porter, Kempf, Moore and Fyke.

Visiting doctors present were: Drs. W. L. Gossett and J.L. Russell, Adairville, Ky.; Dr. E. C. Morgan, Schochoh, Ky.; Dr. W. W. Scott, Pleasant View, Tenn.; Dr. P.L. Pitt, Ashland City, Tenn.; Dr. M. B. Garner, Edenwold, Tenn., and Dr. W. A. Bryan, W. W. Core and F. B Dunklin, Nashville, Tenn.

On the scientific program Dr. W.A. Bryan delivered a lecture on ‘The Gall Bladder,” followed by Dr. W. W. Core whose subject was “Appendicitis.” The essayist for he meeting was Dr. F. B. Dunklin who chose for his subject “Encephalitis Lethargica.” The lectures and essay were very interesting and were received most attentively by the members and visitors.

The society accepted an invitation to meet with the Cheatham County Medical Society in Ashland City on the third Tuesday in October. 

1928 Atwater Kent Radio

Atwater Kent Radio Show. The Tennessee Light and Power company will have an Atwater Kent radio show Monday and Tuesday, September 24 and 25thh.

This event is the first of its kind in Springfield. Through the cooperation of Atwater Kent manufacturing company it has been made possible for Springfield to have the same advantages as the larger cities have enjoyed. 

At this show the company will feature a complete line of cabinets and phonograph combinations, and also the new Atwater Kent model 43-dynamic set which will be on display for the second time in this section of the South. 

Mr. A. Frank Trimble extends a cordial invitation to the public to visit this show and receive information about the 1929 Atwater Kent receivers. 

Source: Robertson County Times, 1928.