Henderson County Tennessee Genealogy & History

Life Community
Henderson County TN
From the "History of Henderson County Schools" by Louise Oakley (County Fair Project 1940)

Life community first came into existence around the year 1860 when a Mr. Groom settled at the place where Mr. Lafayette Gilliam now lives. Sometime later Mr. Jim Flake and Mr. Rankin Carver settled around this vicinity. Mr. Lafayette Gilliam is teh oldest man living at Life. He has lived at the same spot where his father lived who moved to Life about 1866. The old house was torn down in 1926. The oldest house still standing is the house built in 1888 by Mr. Tom Sullivan where Mr. Abe Mullins now lives.
Life community once extended to where Chapel Hill School is now located. There was a Baptist church erected about 1862, and later a large shelter was built to accomodate large crowds of people. Wheat was raised in this section at that time and a large amount was placed on the ground to keep the dust settled.
When the railroad was built in 1888, Mr. Henry Foster gave the lot where the depot was built and the station was named Foster Station. The community resumed the name of Life in the year 1889. Sullivan and Priddy operated the first store at Life. The present store is near the school and operated by W.R. Powers. New Bethel is the name of teh Methodist church which was built in 1931 and has as its pastor Rev. U.E. Parr with a membership of 47. Mr. Connie Sullivan is the the present mail carrier who brings the mail from Lexington.
Life school was built in the year 1925. The school derived its name from the station located on the railroad. Before teh present school was constructed, the pupils that lived in this community went to Ruby's Grove and Chapel Hill schools. The first teacher at life was Miss Bonnie Rogers with an attendance of 30. The present teacher is Lorene Fesmire with an average attendance of 25 pupils.