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Individual Page


Family
Marriage: Children:
  1. Nancy E. Likens: Birth: ABT 1837. Death: 27 OCT 1922 in Macon County TN TN

  2. John Likens: Birth: ABT 1839.

  3. Samuel C. Likens: Birth: 21 AUG 1839 in TN. Death: 19 AUG 1916 in Clay County TN

  4. Barthenia Likens: Birth: 5 JAN 1845 in TN. Death: BET 1858 AND 1938

  5. Issac Likens: Birth: 16 FEB 1846 in White County TN. Death: 2 AUG 1928

  6. William M. Likens: Birth: 20 AUG 1848 in TN. Death: 13 DEC 1923

  7. Mary A Likens: Birth: 15 NOV 1850. Death: 28 JUN 1925

  8. Benjamin Franklin Likens: Birth: 30 APR 1853 in TN. Death: 24 DEC 1932 in Macon County TN TN

  9. Eliza Likens: Birth: ABT 1858.

  10. Lucy Cansada Likens: Birth: JUN 1861 in TN.


Notes
a. Note:   The Early TN Marriage Records show where James Jonas Likens married Serrena Jennings on 10-12-1836 in Rhea county TN 1840 Rhea County TN Census list Jonas Lackens in house with 1 female age 20-30 yrs, 1 male under age 5 and 1 female under age 5. 1850 TN White County Census shows a James and Susanna Likens. Based on their age and the age of thier children I believe this is James Jonas and Serrena Likens. 1860 TN White County Census shows a James and Luvena Likens, again based on ages it is believed that this is Jonas and Serrena Likens. 1870 TN Jackson County Census shows Jonas and Serrena Lakins. 1880 Clay County TN Census shows Jonas and Serrena Likens living in the house with Ben & Bettie Likens. 1900 Macon County TN Census shows Ben and Elizebeth (Bettie) Likens. Jonas & Serrena are not listed in the 1900 Clay county or the Macon County TNunty Census and is belived to have died between 1880 and 1900. It is also beleved that they are both buried in the Jonestown Cemetery, Clay Co. TN The following article was found in a news letter from the Macon County TN Historical Society.The following is as it is written. ( The following article is part of a thesis by Tolbert Hall Kennedy dated 6-1942. The original thesis is in a vault at Peabody College, Nashville, TN Mr. Kennedy interviewed Macon County TNuntian "Dr." Jesse Webb Likens. "In Macon County TNunty a number of persons practice the art of herb-doctoring. (This art was widely practiced throughout Tennessee. See E.G. Rogers, Early folk Medical Practices of Tennessee (Murfreesboro, TN : The Mid-South Publishing Company, 1942) pp. 22-31) One family is especially skilled in this herb-doctoring art. It has been in the family for many years. The chief practitioneer of the art has gained enough prestige from this work to be called "Doctor" by the people of the county. Even a trained physician suggested that the investigator go to this practitioneer when he had a persistent infection of the feet. Below is an account of the origin and practice of the "art" as dictated by "Dr." Jesse Webb Likens" himself: Well, herb doctoring, I would call it doctoring with roots, herbs, flowers, leaves, stems, seeds, and the like. This is 'cause you'll use the leaves of one plant, the stem of another, and so on fer the diffrunt one How did it git started? Well, this 'ere started with my great-grandfather (James Jonas Likesn). He 'uz hutin' in the woods one day and the Indins captured him. He 'uz with them a good long time. The first year he 'uz with them they tried to make a Indin outen him. They tuck him to the creek and warshed his face with red like theirn. They put feathers on his hair. They niver could make a Indin outen him like they wanted to, so they made him go with the Medicin Man and help him gather the roots and yarbs and leaves n' everything they used in makin' medicin. After he 'uz with them fer three years he becom the tribe doctor and 'n he had the doctoring for the whole bunch of 'em - the whole tribe. He wudn't verry well satisfied with the Indins and atter a while he begin trying to fix out a plan to get away frun them - but he knowed ef he aver tried and failed it ud be jist too bad. Well now, atter five years had went by, my grandpappy begin to split his bullets at they give him. He done this o' course to save lead, n' he saved all the powder he could so's he could be able to make his gitaway later. He wuz with 'em seven years in all. Here's how he got away, One day he wuz goin' up the hill to the ole chief's wigwam when the old chief's dog ran out on him. He had to shoot this 'ere old dog. the old chief's squaw run out waving a red hankershief and my great-grandpappy started to run off. Hit wuz gitten near the settin' uv the sum and he seen he had to run fer his life. As he 'uz runnin' around the hill - he 'uz ahead uv the Indians on account uv he got the start uv them all - he come to a bluff. He clum up on this bluff and found a holler snag and stayed in it till the Indins quit hunting ' for him. He then got out and started fer home which wuz a awful long ways off. He got home all right though. But fer two long years he allus slept with his clothes on and his loaded gun allus by his side, afeard that the Indins would come and try to take him back. He learnt his family all these yarbs, he knowed, one hunnerd and ninety-six differnt yarbs, 'n how to use 'em. He larnt 'em how the diffrunt diseases worked that the Indins knowed about 'n how they treated them. That wuz in the days before the Civil War. This wuz larnt by my grand -father, Ben Likens. It come down to Ike, Alex and Willet Likens. This kind of doctorin' has been fooled with in Macon County TNunty fer a long time. It has been used to cyore cancers of all kinds 'cept the cancer uv the stomac and the cancer uv the womb. Frum about three days atter the plaster is put on, the cancer falls out. This is the greatest medicin we have. The place where the cancer comes out will heal in about seven days and we make the salve to heal this too. One man had a cancer on his ear and we tuck it off. It tuck his ear off too with the cancer. We can cure any skin disease there is. We cure exeemie, arsiplas (both the red and white), small pox, measles, eatch, n' everything else. On the inside we cure lots uv diseases. We can cure nuralgi, kidney trouble, blood trouble, fevers of all sorts, rheumatism, T.B, dropsy, sugar diberis, ulcers of the stomax, piles, and nerviss break down. We can also cure this ole bad disease that men and women sometimes has - but we don't like for people to know about this. We don't want to be bothered with it. (This is a refernce to venereal diseases.) My brother got so nerviss that he could hardly feed hisself. He tuck son uv out blood and nerve medicin. He got better right at once. He got stiddy enough agin that he could strike a match ever shot and thirty feet with a twenty two, ur drive a nail yp 'thout missing' a single shot. Following is a list of the herbs, roots, and barks used in herb-doctoring, as listed by "Dr." Likens. Hickory Bark, Sassafras root, Spice wood root, Willow bark and root, Yellow poplar bark, Wahoo root, Sweet gum bark, Wahilink, Wild Cherry bark, Spignat, all, Dogwood berry, Beech drop, Ragweed, all Dog fennel, all Mullein leaves, Burdock roots, stems, Sage grass stems, Winergreen leaves, Pennyroyal stems & leaves, Indian turnip roots, Jimson roots, Yellow pucoon roots, Rabbit tobacco leaves, Indian clover root, Iron weed roots, Sheep shires stems and leaves, Cockle Burrs, Ginseng roots, Poke berries and roots, Wild ginger roots, Sore shin roots, Yellow root, Star grass root, Cow heel, whole plant, Pink root, Adan apple, Raspberry root, Bristletoe stems and leaves, Blackberry root This report by "Dr." Likens" and other observations indicated that many people in Macon County TNunty still depend upon untrained medical service. In view of the isolation of the area and the lack of adequately trained physicians, this practice is quite understandable. Summary Self -sufficiency is one result of continued isolation of a people. Macon County TNunty continues to support itself to a great extent by its own efforts. Each family relies greatly upon its own resources and every member of the family is expected to do his part. Such crafts as furniture-making, herb-doctoring, quilting, blacksmithing, basket-weaving, and broom-making are still an integral part of the life of the hill people. 20. Lafayette, Tennessee, septembr 6,1940


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