| Sources |
- [S92] Cocke County, Tennessee Census, 479-754, 1850.
ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tn/cocke/census/1850cens.txt
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 76, 156.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 8B, 31 Jan 2012.
Taken about 1905, this photo shows Thomas and Martha (Kyker) Denton, seated, and their surviving children: from left: Addison, Margaret, Caywood, and Winfeld. The young people in the doorway are unidentifed. The photo was taken in front of the Denton home in Bogard.
Martha Kyker’s bravery saved the Dentons
As a teenager she warned her future father-in-law of imminent arrest.
Among the earliest families to settle in the bogard community were the Denton and Kyker clans, and it was inevitable that the two families would unite in marriage.
The accompanying photo shows the family of Thomas and Martha (Kyker) Denton and their four surviving children.
Thomas Hal Denton was born 1 november 1840, a son of Joseph Jefferson Denton and his wife, the former Charity Huff. Thomas was a grandson of Thomas and Frances (Boring) Denton and of Rev. John and Nancy (Allen) Huff.
Thomas married Martha Adaline Kyker, born 20 october 1843, a daughter of Joseph Jefferson Kyker and his wife, the former Priscilla Bayless. Both the Kyker and Denton families migrated to Cocke County from the Watauga settlement prior to the Civil war. The Denton family arrived frst and settled in the Bogard area. The Kykers followed in the 1840s and built their home nearby.
When Civil war hostilities erupted, Joseph Jefferson Denton, known as “Uncle Jeffy” and approaching sixty years of age, was too old for active duty, but he soon found himself in the role of Captain of the Home Guard.
This group of older men banded together as a sort of older militia and did their best to maintain some semblance of law and order in the area. Politically they supported the union forces.
At one point, a band of Confederate soldiers arrived at the home of Joseph Jefferson Kyker, which stood just across the hill from the Denton home. The Kykers had no choice but to serve the men supper. As the men ate, they bragged about their mission: to arrest and hang “old jeff” Denton.
At the time, Martha Kyker, who was helping her mother serve the meal, shot a look at Priscilla and received a silent message of approval.
Martha quietly slipped out of the house and raced through the woods and across the hills to warn the Dentons of the impending danger.
Uncle Jeff barely had time to escape and safely hide in one of English Mountain’s limestone caves.
Meanwhile, Thomas Hal Denton had enlisted in the Union Army, where he served until the war’s end. He later drew a pension for his services.
Following the war’s end, Thomas and Martha married. They became the parents of seven children:
1) Andrew Jackson Kyker Denton, who died in infancy
2) an infant daughter, who died in infancy
3) Margaret Jane “Mag” Denton (1871-1929), who never married
4) Emma Louan Denton (1874-1899), who died of tuberculosis; at the time of her death, she was engaged to Dr. J. A. P. Shields
5) William Addison Denton (1876-1965), who married Irene Hart
6) Joseph Winfeld Denton (1879-1944), who never married
7) Jefferson Caywood Denton (1881-1950), who married Gladys Myrtle Norris
Thomas and Martha’s frame house, built in 1870, stood just east of an older log structure, which had probably been the residence of his parents and grandparents. At the time of this photo, it stood just one story high.
A later remodeling added a second level to the structure.
Today this area is known as yellow springs road.
At one time, the home served as the post offce for Birdsville.
For many years, Gladys (Norris) Denton, Caywood’s widow, lived here and maintained the family farm. Known to her family and friends as “Mom Priss,” she narrowly escaped death in 1990 when the home burned.
At her death in December, 1999, the last immediate member of the Thomas and Martha Denton family passed from the scene.
Thomas Hal Denton died 2 april 1911. At his death, he was buried in the Denton-Huff Cemetery, a short distance from his home. When Martha (Kyker) Denton died 14 july 1915, she was interred beside her husband.
Thomas H. Denton enlisted for three years of service in the Union Army on November 1, 1862 and was discharged on July 6, 1865. He returned to Bogard where he married Martha Adaline Kyker. His discharge from service states he was five feet, eight inches tall with a dark complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair.
Smoky Mountain Homeplace
- [S114] Cemetery, Jackie Robinson [jackier@planetc.com], 23 Jun 1997.
Thomas H. Denton Co. K 2nd TN Cav born 11-1-1840 died 4-2-1911
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