| Sources |
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 2 May 2004.
Sarah Williamson Rolen obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 23 Jan 2006.
SEVIER COUNTY - Just off the beaten paths that wind through Sevier County are areas where family ties are important, faith is strong, and money can be hard to come by. Jonathan Pflug, director of Sunset Gap Community Center, sees the struggles for survival more than most people. "In the mountains it's hidden," Pflug said. "They're very proud people. They wait until it's extreme before they ask for help."
From Jones Cove to English Mountain are abandoned mobile homes with the windows broken out, junk cars lying dormant in front yards, and decades-old houses in severe disrepair that serve as visual cues to Pflug of neighbors in need. Sunset Gap Community Center, which straddles the Sevier and Cocke County line, helps meet that need. It has long served as a place for education and ministry to the isolated area. According to Pflug, isolation is part of the problem. Also, many take seasonal employment in Gatlinburg leaving them without work in the winter. In Newport, a lot of industry has been lost, cutting job availability for Sevier County residents crossing the Cocke County line looking for work, Pflug said. Residents in the area contribute to the 7,517 people who were below the poverty line in Sevier County in 1999, according to the U.S. Census. That's about one in 10 residents. At Jones Cove Elementary School, approximately 90 percent of the children receive federally subsidized free or reduced lunches, according to Principal Tammy Waters. In addition to a poor job market, physical illness and age can also create financial need for people like local residents Lessie Rolen and Geneva Dunn. That's where Pflug, Sunset Gap Project Manager Josh Dunn and numerous volunteers from around the country step in. When Dunn and a team of volunteers from Illinois arrived at Rolen's home just off Bogard Road this summer, there was a lot of work to be done. Rolen, who is in her 80s, moved into the house in 1947. It was built sometime during the 1920s. Coating the roof, which had six leaks, painting the house, patching the concrete steps leading up to the door and screening in the windows were some of the tasks the team completed in addition to beautifying the property with some flowers and plants. "Y'all don't know how much I appreciated that," said Rolen. "They were such a nice group of people." She said she appreciated the team's kindness and generosity, but her family also knows something about generosity. It was her grandmother who donated land for a school to be built where Sunset Gap Community Center now stands. Now the favor has been returned. Pflug hopes another team can come this summer to put insulation in Rolen's home. It currently has none. Not far away from Rolen and just down the hill from Sunset Gap is Geneva Dunn's mobile home, where Pflug hopes a team of volunteers can do improvement work this summer. Dunn's home stands next to where she used to live in a cinder block house set on a discontinuous stone foundation. Her newer home needs roof work and insulation. She said she has family around who helps, but health problems with her legs keep her mostly homebound. Pflug said improving houses like Rolen's and Dunn's does more than repair what's broken. They also help to restore dignity to many families who feel like there is no hope. "It changes their perception about what they can do for themself," said Pflug. Sunset Gap is currently taking applications for homes that can be added to the project list for volunteer teams. For an application or more information, call (423) 623-4313 or visit or write the community center at 1300 Sunset Gap Road, TN 37722.
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Lessie Williams
Event: CENSUS
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 1, Sevier, Tennessee
Gender: Female
Age: 8
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1922
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Enumeration District Number: 1
Family Number: 28
Sheet Number and Letter: 2A
Line Number: 30
NARA Publication: T626, roll 2271
Film Number: 2342005
Digital Folder Number: 4547919
Image Number: 00566
Household Gender Age
Parent Walter Williams M 39
Parent Evelyn Williams F 38
Thomas Williams M 16
Hooper Williams M 14
Verma Williams F 12
Clessie Williams F 8
Lessie Williams F 8
Sara V Williams F 4
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 12 Jul 2011.
(March 6, 1922 - July 12, 2011)
Lessie Rolen, age 89, of Cosby, passed away Tuesday, July 12, 2011 She was preceded in death by her husband, Creed Rolen, Jr.; son Clifton Williams; parents, Evelyn and Walter Williams; sisters, Sarah Williamson, Clessie Sutton, Violet Williams; brothers, Tom Williams and Hooper Williams. She is survived by daughters, Sandra Finchum of Cosby and Patricia Taylor of Sevierville; grandchildren, Gabrielle Taylor, Amelia Taylor and Bradley Finchum; great-granddaughter, Anastasia Gray; sister, Verma Dixon of Cosby. Graveside services will be held at 6:30 pm Friday, July 15, 2011 at Huff Cemetery, Cosby with Steve Shults officiating. Family and friends may sign the guest book online at www.manesfuneralhome.com. Manes Funeral Home in charge.
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