TRIMBLE
Trimble is located between Milton and
Halls Hill in the area of present day West Trimble Road (2010). It is part of the old 17th District
of Rutherford County, TN.
The Turnbull/Trimble family lived in Augusta
Co., VA, before the Revolution and later moved to Abbeville District, SC. After the American Revolution
and the War of 1812, a young son of this family moved to Middle TN. Joseph Trimble II was the son of Joseph
Trimble I (1740-1808) and Elizabeth Crawford. Joseph Trimble I received a land grant in 1784 and moved
to Wilkes, now Greene Co., GA, Joseph II remained in Abbeville and married Nancy Melkin (Feb 26, 1807).
The first record of Joseph Trimble in Rutherford Co., is the Tax Rolls of 1812, in which he
is listed as owing 100 acres and two black polls. Joseph was appointed as one of the commissioners to lay
off and set one year’s provisions to Clementine Wright, widow of Thompson Wright deceased, May 18, 1835.
He is listed as owning 1,975 shares of N&C Railroad, the first railroad to come through Rutherford County.
Joseph and Nancy are listed in the census from 1820 – 1850.
Joseph died Feb 8, 1857. Nancy was listed until her death in 1864. The Trimble’s
owned approximately 700 acres of land and ten to twenty slaves at their death along with farm equipment, animals, etc.
Deed Book 5, Page 584, July 8, 1852, located in the Register
of Deeds office in Rutherford County shows a deed from Joseph to D. D. Smith and others, deacons of the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, for three acres, more or less, to be used for the purpose of a “place of worship.” Joseph
reserved the right of the timber in the land and gave the church access to a well. He mentioned this land
joined the land “on which I now live” and is bound by my land.
The
estate settlements were long and drawn out with many lawsuits and complications. The Trimble’s did
not have any children. Joseph is buried in the Trimble Cemetery and a part of his marker has survived.
There is no marked grave for Nancy.
Approximately
200 years ago on a high hill in northeast Rutherford County, there was a Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Cemetery called
Trimble. The church disbanded around 1960, but a cemetery association has been organized to maintain the
cemetery. The Sam Nipper family had faithfully maintained the cemetery since 1965.
Donations are received for maintenance of the Cemetery at an
annual homecoming on the third Sunday of July each year. This event began in 1938. The
Cemetery Association has established a perpetual fund at the Pinnacle Financial Partners, 114 West College Street, Murfreesboro,
TN 37130. Attention: Trimble Cemetery Savings Fund. This fund will ensure proper perpetual care of the
cemetery.
