Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published March 16, 2005

Some columns spark quite a bit of interest

It is always great to hear from readers. Recently, I had a phone call from Forest D. O'Dell in Tansi. He had read the "Random Thoughts" column on the historic eruption of the Krakatoa volcano. It brought to his mind an article in the Smithsonian magazine in 2001 on another even worse explosion of Mount Tambora in the East Indies. He wondered if I knew about that one.

The author of the book Krakatoa explained early in his story that "Krakatoa is reckoned today to be only the fifth most explosive one in the planet's geological history." He continued that Tambora and three other volcanoes were thought to have been much larger but added, "these were all lost in antiquity, with rather little effect on human society."

Another "Random Thoughts" column last year all about those tantalizing Krispy Kreme doughnuts brought a surprising phone call from New York City. A man studying at the Columbia Business School was doing his thesis on the Krispy Kreme Company and he found my story on the Internet and was interested in anything I had learned from my sources. Amazing.

Several weeks ago I received a letter from Marilyn Sherrill in Crab Orchard. She referred to an item in the "Looking Back" column from February 1898. It noted, "The Literary Society is progressing with B. Driver as president."

Mrs. Sherrill explained that several years ago she had been cleaning old gravesites of her husband's family in Haley's Grove Cemetery when she noticed an old marker. It was small, handcut sandstone with the hand chiseled letters B. Driver. There was no other information or dates. She had thought about that marker often and when she saw the item with the B. Driver name she wondered if it was the same. As president of the Literary Society he must have had friends and family, so why did the marker have so little information?

Before I called Mrs. Sherrill I did a little investigating . In the 1860 census I found listed in the Third District a ___ Driver, Elizabeth, NC; William, Caroline, Monroe, Bluford. In another source I found Drivers living in Lantana described as "Northerners" who arrived after the Civil War.

Could it be the gentleman preferred B to Bluford? If any local historians have any information on B. Driver, both Marilyn Sherrill and I would appreciate hearing from you.
Another "Looking Back" item from 1924 told of a horrific family tragedy. Shortly after that column appeared I had a phone call from a gentleman questioning where I had found the story. I explained that all those stories come from past issues of the local paper.

Then he told me the family involved had been his great-grandparents and although there had been rumors about the event over the years no real facts had ever been disclosed. He asked if I could send him a copy of the story. I warned him it was not a pretty story and was very graphic. He said he understood but he wanted to see it. I sent him the complete article. I hope it gave him answers to questions that had bothered him for many years.

Keep those calls and letters coming. It is great to hear from you.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.