My Genealogy Hound

HON. R. C. SANDERS, clerk and master of the Chancery Court of Wilson County, Tenn., was born July 23, 1826, in Sumner County, and is one of three children of James and Letitia (Carey) Sanders. The father was born in North Carolina, in 1779, and in youth came with his parents to Sumner, Tenn.; where he followed the occupation of farming. He was married to Letitia Carey in 1825, and died in 1861. He was twice married and was the father of ten children. The mother was born in Sumner County, Tenn., in 1800, and died April 16, 1871. Our subject graduated from Enon College and for one session was a student in the law department of the Cumberland University at Lebanon. In 1847 he began teaching school and continued that and farming until 1849, when he became principal of the Smithfield (Tenn.) High School, continuing until 1853. December 23 of that year he wedded Rhoda A. Reeves, daughter of John and Sarah Reeves. Mrs. Sanders was born February 17, 1836, in Smith County, Tenn., and became the mother of the following children; Nora, John C. and Nat. In 1854 Mr. Sanders was chosen superintendent of the high school at Carthage, Tenn., and in 1857 was elected to represent Smith County in the State Legislature. After his return to Carthage upon the adjournment of the Legislature, he again began the study of law, and in 1859 was admitted to the bar and practiced his profession until the breaking out of the war. In June, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Twenty-fifth Regiment Tennessee Infantry, and was immediately appointed its adjutant and served until the reorganization of the army at Corinth, when he was elected lieutenant-colonel of the same regiment. He had command of the regiment for several months, the colonel, S. S. Stanton, being absent. He and Col. Stanton, owing to trouble with the brigadier-general in command, resigned, and returned to Middle Tennessee and raised another regiment (infantry), the Eighty-fourth Tennessee; this was consolidated with the Twenty-eighth Tennessee Infantry. Col. Sanders was appointed quartermaster and acted as such until the close of the war, receiving his parole at Washington, Ga., June 9, 1865. Col. Sanders, although quartermaster, went into the ranks as a private, and took part in the capture of Dalton, Ga., in the battle of Spring Hill and Franklin, and in the engagements around Nashville. After the close of the war he resumed the practice of law and formed a partnership with Judge Cantrell, of Lebanon, with whom he remained eight years. In 1874 Col. Sanders moved to Louisville, Ky., but after a two-years residence, returned to Tennessee and resided one year in Gallatin and then came to Lebanon. He and his son, John C., are partners in the practice of law, the latter being a graduate of the law department of the University of Louisville, Ky., and of the same department of the Cumberland University of Lebanon, Tenn. In 1881 Col. Sanders represented Wilson County in the lower house of the State Legislature. He was made chairman of the Committee of Claims and in 1883 was appointed to his present position. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and he and his son constitute one of the leading law firms of the county.