The following are exerts from early Claiborne County Newspapers.

Cumberland Gap Progress Vol 1, Tazewell, TN Wed, April 18, 1888. , R.F. Patterson Cumberland Gap Progress Vol 1, Tazewell, TN Wed, April 25, 1888 Rube Payne, Will Hunt, ____Hood of the firm of McFier, Payne, Berger & Hood are in town doing the merchants. (Payne, Reuben S. (1844-1896) of Knoxville, Knox County, Tenn. Born in Davidson County, Tenn., 1844. Hat merchant; banker; mayor of Knoxville, Tenn., 1882. Died in 1896. Burial location unknown.) From The Political Graveyard - Also at FindaGrave.com

Married Maggie Shell daughter of William Shell to Jefferson Ely, Apr 1888.

Claiborne Progress
George Livesay bought a new large printing out fit in Cincinatti, Ohio. James A. Day obituary - Feb. 1840 - June 17, 1888 Wed. July 11, 1888. A. G. Payne was in town today

Claiborne County Democrate Vol. 1 Tazewell, Tenn Wed. Oct 5, 1892.
Mrs. J H. Carr the wife of our worthy friend, J. H. Carr of Old Town was in town last week visiting her daughter, Mrs. E.A. Hurst, accompanied by her son and duaughter Jammie and Mrs. Della.

The Tazewell Times Vol 1 Tazewell, Claiborne Co., TN Wed. 12/23/1896 - Local Dots. Miss Maggie Hodges, went to Lone Mt. Wednesday last to visit her sister, Mrs. James Day.
Mrs. Mollie Yoakum of Lone Mt. and Miss Sallie Carroll of Knox Co. were visiting the Miss Stones of this place this week.
Mrs. William Chumley visited friends and realitives last week at Cumberland Gap.

The Tazewell Times
Vol. 1, Tazewell, Claiborne Co., TN Wed 12/23/1896
George Livesay Commission Merchant, New Tazewell, TN Cash paid for chickens, eggs, geese, ducks and livestock. People wishing prices, etc. can get message over the telephone at my expense. Oct 7-1.

The New Tazewell Times - Wednesday 10-20-1897
Cash Paid for Poultry I buy Live Poultry in car lots and also handle eggs, beeswax and dry fruits

New Tazewell Times - George Livesay, Editor and Proprietor .50 a year.

George Livesay called Tazewell about Springs village, Grand Old Republican Party.
Livesay & Ford Livery Stable
Miss Rosa Payne and Mattie Livesay went down the country the other day to enjoy the country air.

Announcement
What countless and magnificent escapes even the best of us in our short career and what fatalities we clutch which we should have shuned with horror. And how easy it is now to look back on our lost battlefields that might have been victorys had we stopped to read the grim lesson of experience, the threatening danger that stared us in the face at every turn in life when prosperity had been blighted and pledges had been broken and promises had been forgotten. All because we fainted under the banner of King Credit, but now have come again with the bullion, the stuff that will buy the world, with goods that is unexcelled in quality, and with prices that will prove to you that the Almighty Dollar is King of the World. And thanks to my many friends, I will prove to you if you will visit me and examine my goods, that I am on top. I will pay you cash for your produce and will redeam every pledge I have made to living man, and will continue to condemn without fear, thievery, robbery, corruption and dishonesty in the future as I have in the past.

click for enlargement
Left to Right - Mattie Alice LIVESAY, Lafayette G. PAYNE, Benjamin LIVESAY
(second row) John Freeman LIVESAY, George LIVESAY Elizabeth Johns LIVESAY, Bobbie LIVESAY
(Edith LIVESAY, who married Tom Ed STONE had not been born)Picture made about 1902-03. George Livesay's daughter, Mattie Alice Livesay, married Judge Lafayette Glen Payne and remained married to him until his death in 1924.

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Although the marriage of Daniel Cawood Yoakum and Mattie Alice Payne took place and she attended the wedding of Caniel's daughter Annett it still is unclear when and where their annulment or divoce took place. . My search was primarily centered on a very early marriage before Lafayette Greene Payne married Mattie Alice Livesay it was indeed much later, most likely without the knowledge of either extended family. Why they traveled to Lafayette, Georgia to marry while at the same time William (Eli) Breeding and Edna Haley were getting married at a large family wedding is still a mystery. It may be mentioned that Daniel Cawood's mother was Lettie Rose Breeding, who had died in 1934. Mattie's father, George Livesay, was adamantly at odds with the Tazewell banking families. He later moved to Knoxville with a younger daughter Edith Livesay who married Tom Ed Stone, but divorced. Edna was first a teller then a bank official for the old Fountain City Bank. Daniel C. Yoakum died in 1953 and whatever relationship between him and my grandmother Mattie Alice Payne had been dissolved. I will leave the information I gathered even before I got the proof I needed regarding the date of the marriage of Daniel C. Yoakum and Mattie A. Payne which can be found HERE "1900 census District 10, Claiborne, TN: Martha (Elizabeth VanBebber) Yoakum, aged 77, born Mar 1822, widow, eight children w/ four living, bp TN, both parents TN; daughter Sarah (never married) aged 40, born Apr 1860, bp TN, both parents TN; A Grandchild - Daniel C. (son of James R.) aged 23, born Feb 1877; Mattie aged 16, born Jun 1884 -- both born TN" Who was this Mattie above? Robert W. Payne had already married Mattie Mason and is listed in the 1900 Census, below. Mattie Alice Livesay - who latter married L.G. Payne is not listed anywhere in any 1900 Census as well as her father George Livesay with siblings. As you can see by the announcement above George Livesay was not happy with living in Claiborne County. Daniel C. Yoakum was the Federal Census taker in 1900 and is living with his grandmother, a sister as well as this 16 year old "Mattie". James R. Yoakum, Daniel C. Yoakum's father, did not have a daughter named Mattie. So who is she? Here is the 1900 Census for John Mason's household and then Robert W. Payne and Mattie (Mason) Payne then Lafayett G. Payne and Daisy Yoakum Payne: 1900 Census, Claiborne County, Tennessee, CD 10, SD 250, ED 10, page 146a, dwelling & family 88: Mason, John, head, male, born January 1854, age 46, married 19 years, TN, TN, TN, farmer, not unemployed, literate, owns farm, no mortgage, farm schedule 93 ___, Dorcus, wife, female, born April 1857, age 43, married 19 years, 4 children, all living, TN, TN, TN, literate ___, Frank, son, male, born November 1887, age 12, single, TN, TN, TN, in school 5 months ___, Tipton, son, male, born February 1891, age 9, single, TN, TN, TN, 4 months in school ___, Burn, son, male, born April 1893, age 7, single, 3 months in school Neal[?] Casida, servant, female, born February 1883, age 17, single, TN, TN, TN, housekeeper, not in school, literate Enumerated 9 June 1900 by Daniel C. Yoakum. All white, speak English. 1900 United States Federal Census Name: Robert Payne Home in 1900: Civil District 10, Claiborne, Tennessee Age: 23 Estimated birth year: abt 1877 Birthplace: Tennessee Relationship to head-of-house: Head Spouse's name: Mattie (Mason) 18 Race: White 1900 United States Federal Census Name: Layfayett G Payne Home in 1900: Civil District 9, Claiborne, Tennessee Age: 23 Estimated birth year: abt 1877 Birthplace: Tennessee Relationship to head-of-house: Head Spouse's name: Dusy (Daisy) Race: White Layfayett G Payne 23 Dusy (Daisy Yoakum) Payne 18 My grandfather Lafayette G. Payne first married Daisy B. Yoakum, daughter of Ewing B. Yoakum (B. stands for Burdine - who was from same family as Methodist Episcopal Minister Eziekel Burdine). Daisy B. Yoakum died in child birth in 1900 (See Picture). In the 1910 Claiborne County Census the following appears: "1910 census District 3, Claiborne, TN: Daniel Cawood Yoakum, aged 33, occupation not clear, bp TN, both parents TN; Lettie (Rose Breeding) aged 23, married five years, one child, bp TN, both parents TN; Shelby Cawood aged 3, bp TN" It is told me that Daniel Cawood was not good to Mattie Livesay and that her father George Livesay had the marriage annuled. Shelby Cawood Yoakum later had a brother Glenn Samuel Yoakum born 1913, most know him from the Claiborne County now Century Banking family. After my grandfather's first wife died he married Mattie Livesay in November 1901. During a visit with Leo Walker Yoakum around 2001 and after receiving an email <SEE BELOW> from the grandaughter of Shelby Cawood Yoakum I was able to reunite by phone the widow of Glenn Samuel Yaokum, Leo Walker Yoakum and daughter Glenna Rose Yoakum with family they hadn't seen or heard from in years. That made me and them very happy.

George Livesay had previously been Editor of the Cumberland Gap Progress but had left that paper to form his own in New Tazewell. I was not mistaken when I spoke of the building that housed the telephone exchange in New Tazewell as being the building directly across the street from Payne Motor Company, the George Cosby & Sons Building. My uncle recalled it to me as the building where Western Auto had it's building only. I think that the Western Auto has been a couple of places in New Tazewell but the first was the George Cosby building which had been purchased by the Cawood brothers and that is where I thought my Uncle L.G. Payne was referring.

My Uncle Lafayette Payne at 90 (2002) remembers this: "Evidently when the railroads started in the Late 1800's, our Grandfather A.G. Payne became the agent at Lone Mountain and later my Dad (L.G. Payne) became the agent and did the use of the Telegraph Machine there.... I remember his doing this while I stood and watched him. During those early years also, grandfather George Livesay was in Tazewell (New Tazewell) owning and operating the privately owned Telephone System (1912-1918), which connected to Knoxville and Kentucky area by using a plug-in and ringer for connections. The switchboard at Lone Mountain was operated in Aunt Eliza's (Payne-Jennings) house, and the one in Tazewell was over the Livesay Produce business. I have watched and operated both these operations while there." George Livesay later moved to Knoxville where he established a store on Central Ave., Knoxville, TN and resided
there the rest of his life.
Please follow the link below to see excerpts from the Knoxville Business Directory regarding the Livesay Produce Store.

Subj: Yoakum Date:8/16/99 2:15:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: nurban@usit.net (Nancy Urban) To: JPayne5744@aol.com Dear Joe, My name is Nancy Urban and I live in Signal Mountain, TN. I am trying to find a starting place for my son-in-law Steven Scott Yoakum. Steve's parents were divorced when he was young, and he is seeking information about his father's family. His father died in 1991. James Butler Yoakum (Steve's Dad) had polio as a child. Found documents written by Shelby Cawood Yoakum that Lettie Breeding's grandfather was named ? Simmons and gave the land for Tyes Branch Primitive Baptist Church (evidently flooded by TVA). Shelby had a check from the government for 5 cents compensation. (What a slap in the face) The only information that I have is as follows: Generation 1: Dan Cawood Yoakum m Lettie Breeding. Children - Shelby Cawood Yoakum, 3/28/1907 Claiborne Co, TN - 11/14/1974 Tuscumbia, Colbert Co, AL. Annette Yoakum m Lloyd Wilman. Glen L Yoakum. James M. Yoakum 5/19/1908 - 10/09/1995, Claiborne Co, TN m Myrtle. Generation 2: Shelby Cawood Yoakum (Steve's grandfather) m Artie Juanita Butler. Children: James Butler Yoakum (Steve's father) and Jack C. Yoakum. It would mean so much to Steve if I could find his family. Thank you, Nancy

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