John and his family lived on the west side of the hill above the present-day site of the Bull Run Steam Plant. Their youngest daughter Ethel who was only two years old died of diphtheria. John's wife, Julia Ann, blamed John for her death. It seems John had spanked Ethel sometime earlier and in her mind, Julia Ann somehow blamed John. Ethel was buried in the Black Cemetery that was moved from the Bull Run Steam Plant site. Her grave is in the relocated cemetery, marked by TVA with an "unknown" marker. Around 1900, Julia Ann took her three children and went with her brother to Arkansas. She later wrote John a letter telling him that she and the children were not returning. She later married a Mr. Bradley near Camden, Arkansas.
John took the death of his young daughter and his family leaving him very hard. It was about this time in his life that he began to think more seriously about religion and to see visions. He prayed to God to tell him and a voice said if he would lay with his face on the ground for 40 nights and pray, it would be revealed to him. John stayed in the woods for 40 days and nights, praying and sleeping on the ground. A neighbor lady found him lying with his hair frozen to the ground and brought a quilt to cover him. She stated that hearing him pray would make your hair stand on end. The cold ground contributed to his tuberculosis. When John began to describe his visions, people thought him insane and he was imprisoned for a time at the county farm. John "dug out" and escaped but was spotted by authorities. John shouted to them from outside the fence that the farm was an evil place and that within a month God would strike the building and burn it down. When lighting did strike and burn the building, some people began to fear him as a witch. However, many of the things he said were not taken seriously by those who heard him talk about his special gift of visioning...at least not while he lived, but later they would remember and wonder at the accuracy of what he foretold.
An example of his eerie insight follows:
More than 40 years before Y-12 or Oak Ridge existed, told the future regarding Bear Creek valley that lay between two East Tennessee ridges and Black Oak Ridge just north of that valley.
He first predicted that soon a railroad would be built running from Knoxville through the central part of Anderson County. This prediction proved accurate and caused Hendrix to consider himself capable of even more amazing prophecies. He was told by a voice, he said, to sleep on the ground for 40 nights and he would learn about the future. He did as he was told and on the 41st day he emerged from the woods and beginning at the local crossroads general store he told everyone who would listen about the amazing things he had seen in his visions while sleeping on the ground.
“Bear Creek Valley some day will be filled with great buildings and factories and they will help toward winning the greatest war that will ever be.”
“There will be a city on Black Oak Ridge and the center of authority will be on a spot middle-way between Sevier Tadlock’s farm and Joe Pyatt’s Place.”
“A railroad spur will branch off the main L&N line, run down toward Robertsville and then branch off and turn toward Scarbrough.”
“Big engines will dig big ditches and thousands of people will be running to and fro. They will be building things and there will be great noise and confusion and the earth will shake.”
“I’ve seen it. It’s coming.” John also named the people around him that would be alive to see it happen and named the people who would not be alive, including him. He also notched the trees indicating where the main arteries of roads and railroads would be. He also marked the command center.
John Hendrix died in 1915 at age 49 and is buried on a hilltop in a subdivision of Oak Ridge named “Hendrix Creek.”
His predictions were uncannily accurate. Twenty-eight years after his death, Y-12 was built in Bear Creek valley. It was constructed in 18 months with nine huge buildings and all the necessary support facilities. The uranium U-235 needed for the first atomic bomb was produced there that led to the end of World War II. The city of Oak Ridge was built on Black Oak Ridge. The "Castle on the Hill" or center of authority was built where approximately between where Tadlock's and Pyatt's place were before they were removed to make way for the Manhattan Project. The railroad spur was placed as Hendrix described it.
Paralee Raby and her husband Perry took Hendrix
into their home and cared for him until his death in exchange for his 15-acre
farm. This was done at the request of John Hendrix's second wife, Martha Jane
(Whitehead) Gregory. Martha Jane Whitehead was born in Happy Valley in Blount County on April 28, 1867 and had first married William A. Gregory of Blount County. They had seven children before they were divorced. Gregory was born in Cades Cove on July 4, 1864 and died March 1, 1910. He is buried in the cemetery at Primitive Baptist Church, Cades Cove, Blount County, Tennessee. Martha Jane and John married in 1908. Martha Jane and John had a son (Curtis Allen Hendrix) born September 4, 1909.
When John came down with "consumption" or what was later known as tuberculosis, Martha Jane, desiring to protect her young son (Curtis Allen Hendrix) from John's sickness, "set him out" to a small building on his farm of 15 acres that joined the property where she and John lived. When he continued to grow more feeble and sick she farmed out the care of John to Paralee and Perry Raby, her daughter and son-in-law. On April 22, 1915, John and Martha Jane deeded half of the 15-acre farm he had bought six years earlier to his step-daughter Paralee (Gregory) Raby and her husband Perry in return for their taking care of John.
The other half of the property was to go to them at John's death. John Hendrix signed the deed by placing an "X" his mark. It is thought that he must have been very sick as the census records of that time do not identify him as being illiterate. Wayne Gregory has provided documentation through a copy of the face of the deed that it was registered in Anderson County at 9 A.M., 17 May 1915. It was noted in book 8, page 137 and recorded in book of deeds "F", Volume 3, page 515. The deed is signed by Geo. T. Riggs, Register. Don Raby provided a copy of the actual deed that shows it was signed on April 22, 1915 and recorded on May 17, 1915. Hendrix had acquired the 15 acres from a neighbor and paid for the land by working at farm labor for 50 cents a day.
Grace Raby Crawford the author of "Back of Oak Ridge" tells the story that John Hendrix said "'I'm going to be with the angels.' and after a few more breaths Hendrix was dead." Crawford also notes that it was during this time of illness that John Hendrix spent with Paralee where she came to know the deeper thoughts and character of her stepfather. Grace Raby Crawford is the adopted child of Paralee and Perry Raby and having come to live with them soon after the death of John Hendrix, she experienced John Hendrix through the rememberances of Paralee and John's widow, Martha Jane. (At this writing Grace Raby Crawford is 88 years of age and her mind is a clear as a bell. I am thoroughly enjoying her help with my research as I am also the help of Wayne Gregory, John Hendrix's step-grandson.)
When John died on June 2, 1915, Perry Raby paid
$8 for the coffin and also chiseled a field stone to mark the grave.
It took Perry Raby three years (July 22, 1918) to pay the $8 for the coffin built by Jim Dunlap (I now have a copy of the handwritten receipt courtesy of Grace Raby Crawford.)
In later years, Curtis Allen Hendrix planted a stand of boxwood trees around the
grave. The original field stone marker was likely removed when a second marker, the one photographed in 1944 was placed there. This second marker was removed at some time (If anyone knows the whereabouts of the first crude stone or the second stone photographed in 1944, it would surely be a great find and would be an excellent addition to John Hendrix's grave! Please contact
SmithDRay if you have ANY information regarding these markers.).
The present marker was placed there as a result of a joint class project of the Robertsville and Jefferson Junior High School students in 1967.
When the Manhattan Project began to acquire land
for the Kingston Demolition Range, later the Clinton Engineer Works and even
later Oak Ridge, among the first to be given notices in November 1942, were
Martha Jane Hendrix and her son Curtis. They were told that they would have to
move by December 1 in a curt letter from the government dated November 11,
1942. The letter stated: "The War Department intends to take possession of your farm December 1, 1942. It will be necessary for you to move not later than that date." Curtis was given $300 for his 60-acre farm, home and buildings. Perry and Paralee Raby moved to the Hillvale community near Norris taking Martha Jane with them where she lived for approximately one year. Martha Jane then moved to a home on Brickyard Road in Powell owned by her son Andrew M. Gregory (Wayne Gregory's father) where she lived until her death on October 19, 1945. Her wake was held at Paralee and Perry Raby's house in Hillvale and she is buried in the Hillvale Cemetery beside Paralee Raby and her husband Perry Raby. Curtis moved his wife and seven children to Union County. Curtis was killed by a quarrelsome neighbor on July 9, 1944 and is buried in the Galbreath Cemetery in Anderson County, TN. His widow was Thelma Lee "Linda" or "Lindy" Haney Hendrix.
Curtis was bitter about having to leave his
home. He wrote the following free verse poem to express that bitterness:
The Planned and Organized Society (sponsored by Elinoir)
"Come listen to me,
people,
And hear my tale of
woe,
And if you feel it
tiring,
I'll shut my mouth and
go.
"I had a home in
Robertsville.
They call it Oak Ridge
now.
T'was home for all my
younguns
and their chickens and
the cow.
"One day a bunch of
men rode in
With papers in their
hands
And great big shining
badges.
They came and took our
land.
"They read a lot of
great big words
I couldn't understand,
But when it was all
over
I didn't own the land.
"I had seen the
Revenoors (sic)
Come and search and
take the stills,
But I didn't think the
government
Would ever seize our
hills.
"Of course, we had to
get right out
And start to paying
rent,
But now, what can poor
folks do
Against the
government?
"Just sixty acres
t'was all I had.
Some rich land and
some poor.
But the check they
sent me
Wouldn't buy a pure
bred bor (sic).
"Now see I ain't
complaining.
It's just my blamed
bad luck,
On any deal I ever
made
I'm always getting
stuck.
"Of course the
government was right.
They always are, you
see.
T'was just the land
looked worse to them
Than it ever did to
me.
"I moved to Union
County,
Once famous for its
Stills,
And bought another cabin
and a bunch of slatey
hills.
"For I couldn't keep
my younguns
And their chickens and
the cow
Without a little
pasture
And a piece of land to
plow.
"But I've done seen me
a vision
And it's one I
understand.
In the none too
distant future
Working folks will own
no land.
"There will be a bunch
of planners.
Everyone will live by
plan.
Plan our work, plan
our religion,
Plan our schooling and
our play,
Won't even have to
study,
'Now what must I do
today.'
"The thing to do is
win the war
And when we end that
strife,
Stop electing
Presidents
For longer terms than
life.
“Well I guess I'd
better hush.
I could have said some
more,
But her just let me
whisper!
I'M skeered (sic) of
Elinor.
"Written by: Curtis Allen Hendrix"
By: David Ray Smith June 8, 2003
The above was written based on information provided by Evorie Loe, a descendant of John Hendrix and from genealogical information provided by Dennis Aslinger, John Hendrix's great grandson. Evorie Loe's uncle, Vernon Hendrix wrote an article for the "Old Time Chronicle" in Pike County, AR. She also provided two articles from old newspapers, one by Marjorie P. Parsley and another by Anne Powell. Finally, I drew on additional information provided by Donald Raby, an avid researcher of the history of the pre-Oak Ridge communities and families. He is providing CD's of early home sites vacated for the war effort. The early photographs of the John Hendrix grave site are the property of Mae Gregory Weaver who is the grand-daughter of Martha Jane (Gregory) Hendrix, John Hendrix's 2nd wife. Recently Grace Raby Crawford, adopted daughter of Paralee and Perry Raby, and Wayne Gregory, step-grandson of John Hendrix and grandson of Martha Jane (Whitehead) Gregory Hendrix and William A. Gregory, have both provided additional information to clarify and confirm much of the above research. I am certainly in debt to both of them for all of their help!
Below are photos of the John Hendrix gravesite. First is the gravesite before the area surrounding the grave was developed into Hendrix Creek subdivision and after the Manhattan Project took over the land.
Second is a close up of the grave site. Note the fence and number of the gravesite (40).
Third is the original grave marker. This photograph was taken by Ed Westcott on October 6, 1944. Ed was the official photographer of the Manhattan Project for many years.
I took this photo in June 2003 and it shows how the gravesite looks today. The new grave marker was the result of an effort by Robertsville and Jefferson Junior High Schools in Oak Ridge. The earlier grave marker has disappeared, but was photographed in October 1944 by Ed Westcott, see photo above.
Here is a photo of the Martha Jane Hendrix home when it was being taken by the government for the Manhattan Project. The photo was taken by the Corps of Engineers to document all the buildings on the land being taken by the government. Donald Raby has located copies of all the Corps photos and provided this image. He is making CD's of the old home places of the families who had to leave their homes when the government took the land for the war effort.
For more information on the photos and the Kingston Demolition Range Project go to the Kingston Demolition Range Web Site
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