My Genealogy Hound

John Naill, a well-known citizen and farmer of Haywood County, was born in Madison County, December 11, 1831, and is the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Barclay) Naill. The father was born in Ireland about 1782, and came with his parents to America at an early age, settling in North Carolina, but in early life he moved to East Tennessee; in two or three years he moved to Wilson County, living there until 1820, then moved to Madison County, and died in March, 1845, being a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church. The mother was a native of Knox County, Tenn., born about 1809, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; she died in April, 1842. Our subject is the eighth of eleven children; he secured a good education, and while still young came to Haywood County and lived three years with an uncle. At the age of twenty-two he moved to Brownsville and clerked at a hotel for six years, and in the meantime was elected town constable. In 1861 he went to Memphis, and engaged in the livery stable business about a year, then bought and sold cotton until 1866. November 30, 1870, he married Miss Kitty B. Williams, a native of Dyer County, born in January, 1842. They had five sons and two daughters; two of the sons are dead. In 1867-68 he was assistant assessor of the United States internal revenue, then for a year he dealt in furniture at Brownsville, at the same time trading in stock and speculating in cotton. In 1872 he was elected tax-collector, and when the State Legislature consolidated the office of tax collector and trustee, he was re-elected to the latter. In 1880 he settled on his present farm. In 1881 he was appointed by Gov. Alvin Hawkins as commissioner from West Tennessee to assess the railroad and telegraph property of the State. In politics he always warmly supports the Republican party. He inclines to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, though he was not united with any.