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Fort Family Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2020.026

Scope and Contents

The Fort Family Papers include the business, personal correspondence, family papers, and photographs of the Fort and Fleming families. This collection, which dates from 1810 to approximately 1955 consists of letters, journals and diaries, Northern Bank of Tennessee account and assorted business papers, personal writings of the Forts, genealogical correspondence and research by Margaret Fort (Fleming), and various wills and deeds of the family, evidencing a long family history that revolved around Clarksville and the surrounding area. This collection is a rich example of records of one of the first families to establish themselves in middle-Tennessee, both professionally and socially.

Dates

  • 1810 - 1950
  • Majority of material found within 1860 - 1940

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

While the Montgomery County Archives houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. It is the user’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

The Fort Family first came to Middle Tennessee from North Carolina in approximately 1790, and were among one of the first five families to be guided to ‘Nashboro’ by a young Andrew Jackson over the Avery Trace. Elias Fort III settled in ‘Tennessee County’ in 1792 with his wife Sarah and their children. Elias’ son Josiah married Eliza Dancy in 1853, and they raised seven children in what is now Adams, Tennessee. Among these seven children were Sterling and Dancy Fort, who established a footing for the Fort name in Clarksville by way of successful civic and social lives.

While studying at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Sterling met Sallie Jones and they married in 1885. Before Sallie’s death on their fourth wedding anniversary, Sterling and Sallie had two children, George Taylor Fort (b.1886 d.1938) and Sallie Jones Fort (b.1889 d.1979). Sterling remarried ten years later to Margaret G. Fleming of Corinth, Missouri, and they went on to have two of their own children, Margaret Dancy Fort Trahern (b.1902 d.1966) and William Killebrew Fort (b.1906 d.1965). Margaret Fleming was the daughter of Robert J. Fleming and Elizabeth (Bettie) Glenn Fleming, and was born 29 January 1870. She moved to Clarksville with Sterling in 1906, and raised her family there. Margaret died in 1943, and is buried at Clarksville’s Greenwood Cemetery.

Although not much information can be found about Margaret Fleming's personal life or background, it is evidenced in this collection that she maintained a penchant interest in her family's lineage. Much of the genealogical research contained in the collection was the product of Margaret's research efforts.

Not much is known about Robert Fleming’s origins; however, it is known that Robert served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. During his service, Robert was taken as a prisoner of war and taken to Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio in 1862/1863. Robert was one of the few selected for parole duties, and enjoyed freedom throughout the camp. In 1864, Robert lost one of his legs at the Battle of Resaca, Georgia and after the war he retired to Corinth, married Elizabeth (Bettie) Fleming, and saw the birth of his daughter Margaret in 1870.

Sterling Fort helped organize the Bank of Adams in 1902, and actively served the Red River Baptist Church as a church clerk until his move to Clarksville in 1906. After the move, Sterling helped to establish the first Trust and Savings Bank in Clarksville. Three years later, in 1909, Sterling ascended to the role of President of Northern Bank of Tennessee. He retired from this role in 1934, but remained active in the churches of Clarksville. During his tenure as president of the bank, he concurrently served as President of the Tennessee Bankers Association. In the latter decades of his life, Sterling served as a deacon of Clarksville’s First Baptist Church and eventually rose to the position of chairman of deacons for that church. Sterling was an active member of the Masonic Order and was thoroughly involved with his local lodge.

Extent

6.004 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 8 series: Correspondence of the Fort Family (1864-1941), Personal Papers of the Fort Family (1812-1944), Financial and Official Documents of the Fort Family (1843-1933), Journals and Diaries of the Fort Family (1858-1935), Genealogy of the Fort Family (1761-1985), Business Proceedings of the Fort Family (1909-1936), and Photographs of the Fort Family. The series within this collection are arranged by subject. Within each series, each file is arranged by chronological order or by whom created the record, with original provenance organized by the donor kept in mind.

Processing Information

Materials that were received by the donor had been sequestered previously into bundles according to subject or recipient upon donation. All other materials that were not included in pre-fixed bundles were loose and showed no sign of organization. Categorization by the donor was kept in mind during the arrangement, and and is reflected in most series. Items were removed, cleaned, and flattened in groups according to subject, and any substantially damaged papers have been placed in Mylar housing. All materials have been placed in acid-free folders and boxes. Photographs within this collection have been removed, filed, and stored separately with oversized photographs being stored in an oversized materials folder. Captions attached to photographs have been left to the archivist's interpretation, and any suspect words or names have been placed in square brackets.

Title
Guide to the Fort Family Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Cameron Dostie
Date
2021-07-27
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Montgomery County Archives Repository

Contact:
350 Pageant Lane
Suite 101D
Clarksville Tennessee 30741 United States
931-553-5159