Isham Gurley, son of Willis and Eliza Gurley, was born in Illinois and grewup in Mississippi. He served in the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry, CSA, in the War Between the States, during which time he saw a great deal of action in Tennessee, much of the time fightingunder the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. When the was was over, he was one of 19 survivors from a company which originally numbered over 200.

After the war he returned to Charleston, MS and married a widow, Mrs. M.E. Barnes, Jan. 5, 1866. They came to Decatur County and settled in the Doe Creek Community. His first wife died shortly after their arrival and is buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Isham then married Nannie Kennedy, daughter of Hugh Kennedy. A deed, recorded in 1868, indicates that he purchased 40 acres of land from Robert Kennedy. The story is told that he traded his overcoat inpartial payment for the land.

One common thread among the family stories of Isham is that he was an expert horseman, and he alays rode a "Big gray horse - some times for great distances." Isham was a farmer, but he found it necessary to supplement his income; to do this, he used those skills which had served him so well during the war. Some say that he was a US Marshall, but no records have been found to verify this; in reality, he may have been a bounty hunter. Whatever the correct title for his avocation, it is said that, "He always grought his man in."

The Gurleys were all reported to have been tall, robust, very strong men, and Isham was no exception. This tall, black-haired, mustached ex-cavalryman must have cut quite a dashing figure on his gray horse. In contract Nannie was a petite, dar-skinned lady with black hair and brown eyes. Isham died in 1911 and Nannie in 1923 and they are buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Isham is buried between his two wives. He and Nannie were the paretns of the following children; Joralles, Robert Willis, Fannie Elizabeth, Sylvester, Isham Alton, William, Jesse, Nannie, Ida Ether, Synthia E. and James L. Ida, Synthia and James died in childhood and they are also buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Isham Gurley, son of Willis and Eliza Gurley, was born in Illinois and grewup in Mississippi. He served in the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry, CSA, in the War Between the States, during which time he saw a great deal of action in Tennessee, much of the time fightingunder the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. When the was was over, he was one of 19 survivors from a company which originally numbered over 200.

After the war he returned to Charleston, MS and married a widow, Mrs. M.E. Barnes, Jan. 5, 1866. They came to Decatur County and settled in the Doe Creek Community. His first wife died shortly after their arrival and is buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Isham then married Nannie Kennedy, daughter of Hugh Kennedy. A deed, recorded in 1868, indicates that he purchased 40 acres of land from Robert Kennedy. The story is told that he traded his overcoat inpartial payment for the land.

One common thread among the family stories of Isham is that he was an expert horseman, and he alays rode a "Big gray horse - some times for great distances." Isham was a farmer, but he found it necessary to supplement his income; to do this, he used those skills which had served him so well during the war. Some say that he was a US Marshall, but no records have been found to verify this; in reality, he may have been a bounty hunter. Whatever the correct title for his avocation, it is said that, "He always grought his man in."

The Gurleys were all reported to have been tall, robust, very strong men, and Isham was no exception. This tall, black-haired, mustached ex-cavalryman must have cut quite a dashing figure on his gray horse. In contract Nannie was a petite, dar-skinned lady with black hair and brown eyes. Isham died in 1911 and Nannie in 1923 and they are buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Isham is buried between his two wives. He and Nannie were the paretns of the following children; Joralles, Robert Willis, Fannie Elizabeth, Sylvester, Isham Alton, William, Jesse, Nannie, Ida Ether, Synthia E. and James L. Ida, Synthia and James died in childhood and they are also buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery.

ISHAM GURLEY'S DAUGHTERS

Fannie Elizabeth Gurley married Andrew Kennedy. They moved from Doe Creek to Hooker's Bend in Hardin County. When Andrew died, since Vester was the only son remaining at home, Fannie deeded the farm to him. Vester sold the farm and moved to Jackson. Fannie, Delia, Flora, and Ethel came "home" to Doe Creek and the Scotts Hill area. Andrew had moved to Texas and Isham to Georgia by this time. Ethel Kennedy Dickson is the only living member of this family at the time of this writing. She lives in Jackson Oaks Retirement Center in Jackson, TN.

Fannie Elizabeth and her daughters are buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Vester is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson and the other two sons are buried in Texas and Georgia, respectively.

Nannie Gurley married Lester Scott and they made their home in Scotts Hill. They were the parents of the following children: Edna, Arine, Birtie, Elco, Euda, Velma, Ruben Marvin, Ray, Ellis, and Evelyn. Ruben still lives at Scotts Hill; Roy lives in Poplar Bluff, MO; and Edna lives in Jackson, TN. Lester Scott (d. Dec. 31, 1972) and Nannie (d. Feb. 28, 1973) are both are buried in the Scotts Hill Cemetery.

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ISHAM GURLEY'S SONS

Ralles, Isham and Nannie Gurley's oldest son, married Ada Singleton and they lived in Henderson County near Lexington. Robert Willis and Sylvester both married daughters of Henry Vandiver. Robert Willis married F.E. Vandiver and Sylvester married Nannie Vandiver.

Robert Willis moved to northern Alabama where he died in an accident in the early 1920s. He and his wife had two daughters. One of Sylvester's daughters, Vessie Ervin who is still living at the time of this writing, says that her mother always told her that she was three-quarter Creek Indian. This could possibly be one reason why Robert Willis located there. Also, the founders of the town of the northern Alabama town of Gurley were cousins of the Doe Creek Gurleys as they also descended from Isom, son of William Gurley of North Carolina.

Jess married Lucy Frances Kennedy, and they made their home near the old Gurley home site at Doe Creek. Their children were: Voist, Gova, Rob­ert Isham, Boyd, Zenia Mae, and Essery. Gova and Robert Isham served in the military during WWII; Robert Isham was killed. Zenia married Hay wood Western and they live in Milan. Gova married Virginia Starrord; they live in the town of Gibson. Essery lives at the family home place, and Voist is in the Parsons Nursing Home at the time of this writing.

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ROBERT & VERA GURLEY Old Smoke House at the Robert Gurley Home

This place was the original James & Julia Sophronia Keeton Maners, where they reared their 16 children. It was owned by John Lawson Maners whose daughter, Vera, married Robert Gurley. They bought the place upon the death of John Lawson's widow.

Robert Gurley (b. Sept. 8, 1907, in Dyersburg, TN) was the youngest child of Sylvester and Nannie Gurley. He was orphaned when he was six years old and brought from his home in Missouri back to Decatur County to live with his uncle, Will Gurley. He attended school at Doe Creek and played dirt-court basketball. He once said that the sport at that time was comparable to modern day football in terms of physical roughness. According to him, "The rougher it got, the better I liked it." He had fond memories of the Presley Ridge Community and of friends Oral Austin, Cecil Presley, and the Mitchel boys, Harve and Tom. After he finished the eighth grade, Robert went back to Missouri to live with his sister, Vater Thompson. He soon returned to Tennessee and worked on the farm of Bob Chalk near Sardis, TN. Mr. Chalk was like a father to him and he always thought of the Chalk children, Lee, Ruby and Buford, as brothers and sister. When he was in his early 20s. he came to the Baptist Church (Turman's Creek) community to work for John L. Maners. He later married John' s youngest daughter, Vera, and they lived on the Maners farm. Robert and Vera had two daughters, Melba Rea, who died in infancy, and Betty Lue, who married Robert Hughes and lives in Jackson. Robert and his brother-in-law, Claude Maners, cultivated the Maners family farm as well as Claude's adjoining farm. If different temperaments complement, he and Claude were the perfect pair. Robert was patient, somewhat laid back and always ready to see the humor in any situation. Claude was just the opposite, as some would say, "a bit high strung." However, they were never known to quarrel. Quite a feat for a pair who worked together almost every day.

At the death of John and Mary LucindaManers, Robert and Vera bought the home place, and they lived there until their death. Robert helped to care for both Vera's parents as well as her older sister, Mittie, who made her home with them. Their daughter, Betty Lue, and her husband, Bob, own the farm today. Robert was basically a farmer, but he found it necessary to supplement his income in a variety of ways. He was a logger, broke young mules, worked on the pipeline (a job which required him to rise at 3:00 a.m.) a carpenter and a blacksmith. Vera attended the Turman's Creek Baptist Church School; she loved school, and she excelled. In her adult years, Vera was known for her needlework skills. It has been said of her, "If it could be done with a needle, she could do it, and she would do a better job than most anyone you ever saw." Her sewing, crocheting and quilting skills were equaled by very few. Robert Gurley (d. Feb. 9,1984) and Vera (d. July 16,1992) are both buried beside their daughter and Vera's parents in the Wylie/Gardner Cemetery in the community where they lived.

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FAMILIES OF WILL & SYLVESTER GURLEY

Sylvester and Nannie Vandiver Gurley lived at Doe Creek for a while before moving to Obion County and later to Tyler, MO. Sylvester was a farmer and later became a veterinarian as well. He and Nannie had the following children: Effie Vater; Oscar, who later changed his name to James; Callie; Vessie; Claude; Jettie Ida; Madia Lee; Bedford Forrest and Robert Elipheu. Jettie Ida died before the family left Doe Creek and is buried in the cemetery there; Madia died in Missouri and is buried near her parents; Forrest died at the home of Will Gurley and is buried in the Doe Creek Cemetery. Nannie (d. November 1913) and Sylvester (d. the following March) are buried in the Steele, MO, Cemetery.

At the time her parents died, Effie Vater was already married and living in Steele, MO. The oldest child still at home was 17-year-old Oscar; the youngest was six-year-old Robert. For about a year Oscar and Vater kept the family together. Finally, Sylvester's brother, Will, went to Missouri and brought the minor children back to live with his family in the Doe Creek Community. This made for quite a house full of children as Will and his wife, the former Janie Flora Tubbs, had Ozzie, Mexie, Floyd Obie, Jewel, Biffel Wilson, Burma, Erie, and Vernell. Add to those Oscar, Callie, Vessie, Claude, Forrest, and Robert and you have quite a large household. Oscar left shortly after coming to Tennessee and his brothers and sisters did not know anything of him or his whereabouts for the next 30 years.

In 1947 Oscar contacted his brother Robert who lived in the Baptist Church (Turman's Creek) Community. He informed Robert that he was married to Margaret and that they had one daughter Mavia. Margaret had a daughter Avis, at the time of their marriage. Jim, as he was now known, was insurance and tax agent for Norfolk Southern Railway, and he lived in Portsmouth, VA. He visited shortly after and he continued to visit his family until his death in 1977.

What celebrating there was when Jim returned! The family had a reunion at Robert's home. One of the children in attendance says that she remembers her mother making banana pudding for the occasion in a large, enameled dishpan. "Uncle Will," "Aunt Janie," and their family were invited also. The family also went to Missouri and visited Vater as well as the cemetery where their parents were buried. Margaret preceded Jim in death, and he was married a second time to Gladys.

Only two of Sylvester's children are still living at the time of this writing, Callie Gurley McCollum, who is in the nursing home at Lexington, and Vessie Gurley Ervin Howell, who is in the nursing home in Dresden, TN. Vater is buried in Steele, MO; Claude is buried in Bolivar; Jim in Portsmouth, VA; and Robert in Wylie Cemetery in Decatur County. Will Gurley died in 1951; Janie in 1968; and they are buried at the Holiness Temple at Scotts Hill. All of their children are dead except Jewell Ruby Kennedy and Erie Edith Petty.

The Gurleys were a big influence in the Doe Creek area of Henderson and Decatur Counties. Be sure and visit the Doe Creek School & Church Restoration. The place where many of them attended school and church.