Date: 1860.

Biography:

Michael Woods Trimble

Michael Woods Trimble was born to John and Susannah Woods Trimble in January of 1788. His early years were spent near the headwaters of the French Broad River on the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The Trimbles first arrived at Bayou Pierre, Claiborne County, Mississippi, in April of 1811. They later joined their eldest son, Robert Trimble, in Jefferson County, Mississippi, and became planters.

During the War of 1812, Michael Woods Trimble enlisted in Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hindss Mississippi dragoons. He took part in the capture of Pensacola, Florida, and the battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. Trimble returned to Jefferson County and married Elizabeth [Caroline] McCrary on October 27, 1822. The couple settled near Fayette, Jefferson County, where Trimble was a planter until at least 1860. The Trimbles had several children, including John (b. ca. 1835), William (b. ca. 1835), Manda (b. ca. 1840), Clara (b. ca. 1841), and Hester (b. ca. 1842). Trimble served as a ruling elder of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Fayette. He remained a ruling elder until December of 1871 and apparently died between 1872 and 1877.

 
Scope and Content Note:

This collection consists of a typescript memoir of Michael Woods Trimble, who dictated the original narrative to the Reverend Henry McDonald in 1860. The recollections were later published in three installments in the Sunday edition of the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, during July of 1909. The typescript memoir ends with the beginning of the battle of New Orleans while the newspaper version continues until the end of the battle.

The memoir begins with Trimbles anecdotes of his father, John Trimble, who was an active member of the Presbyterian church in North Carolina. He also discusses his fathers participation in the May 20, 1775, Mecklenburg Convention, which called for the annulment of British commissions and laws. Trimble also describes Cherokee uprisings in the Mecklenburg District of North Carolina. He relates significant events of his youth, including the Trimble familys journey to Bayou Pierre on flatboats in April of 1811. Of interest are Trimble's recollections of his service in Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hinds's Mississippi dragoons during the War of 1812, especially his participation in the capture of Pensacola, Florida, and the battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. Also included is genealogical information pertaining to Trimble's grandparents, parents, and siblings.

 
Series Identification:

Series 1: Memoir. 1860. 1 folder.