Sammy's Historical Information
This section is where I am putting information dealing with the history of the area. For much of our knowledge of Morristown history we are all indebted to three individuals - Cora Davis Brooks, Howard Hill and Selina McFarland Gill.
Cora Davis Brooks (b. May 22, 1871 - d. March 10, 1942), was a local lady who was a member of the Samuel Doak Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1932 she wrote a paper for the D.A.R. entitled "Pioneer Morristown" which led her to begin work on a more lengthy history of Morristown. Poor health forced her to suspend research on this book in 1936, but she has left us with a book entitled "History of Morristown 1787 - 1936." I suppose this is the foundational book on the history of our town.
Howard Hill (b. October 3, 1886 - d. December 1, 1973 ), was a local man who for years wrote about local history for the now defunct Morristown Gazette and Mail. The sum total of his articles comprise probably the largest body of writings on Morristown's history. Volumes of his articles are on file at the Morristown Hamblen Library.
Selina McFarland Gill (b. March 1, 1892 - d. November 4, 1977), a distant cousin of mine, wrote for several local newspapers over the years. Her popular column was entitled "Passing By." In it she often wrote of local history.