Connie and All,
First, I really appreciate the new information on the
Northern Cavett/Cavitt families, Connie, and pardon me if
I misspelled the surname of the Northern Branch.
In the next few weeks, John Bryan will be active on this
list, and he knows far more than I about the Southern
Cavitts.
John has documented the following information from multiple
sources.
Richard Cavitt, (b. 1727 in Ireland; d. 1789) had the
following
children, perhaps others:
Richard, b. 1749
Alexander, b. 1745
Moses
Michael
John
Mary
George
Richard's (b. 1727) son Alexander (b. 1745) was the
Alexander
who was master of Cavett Station near Knoxville, TN.
At the time of the Cavett Station Massacre, I understand
that Alexander's brothers Richard (b.1749), Michael
(b. 1737) and Moses were living on property in Sumner
County,
TN granted to Alexander for his services in the American
Revolution.
The children of Richard Cavitt (b. 1727) variously spelled
the surname CAVET,CAVETT, CAVITT and CAVEATT.
CAVETT STATION MASSACRE:
The Momument to the Cavett Station Massacre is located at
430 Broome Road in Knoxville, a short distance from the
intersection of Broome Rd. and Walker Springs Rd. The
present owner of the property is a descendant of Mary
Cavett Lonas(sister of the massacred Alexander).
The monument was placed by the SONS of the American
Revolution on September 25, 1921. I photographed the
monument in August, 1998 and Rita posted two of the
photos on her website.
The State of Tennessee placed a National Historic
Landmark sign about the massacre on Knoxville's Kingston
Pike,
about 0.1 mile East of the intersection of Walker Springs Rd
and Kingston Pike (in front of Roger's Cadillac).
Attack of Cavett Station and the massacre are credited to a
Cherokee named Doublehead, who was actually the son of
Joshua
(Joseph) Howard and his Cherokee wife. The band of 1000
renegade Cherokees Creeks, and Tories set forth to march on
Knoxville. They arrived at Cavett Station at dawn, and
heard
the routine, morning firing of the cannons by the soldiers
in
Knoxville, just eight miles away. Thinking they had been
detected by the soldiers, Doubleree lead the "brutal" attack
on
Cavett Station.
For this reason, the Cavett Station Massacre is credited
with
saving the young city of Knoxville from a similar attack.
Alexander Cavett agreed to surrender in return for the
safety
of his family and two men that worked at Cavett Station
So that he could reloading of his rifle faster, Alexander
had four bullets in his mouth. The inference is that these
were exploded when Doubletree attacked.
Several accounts of the massacre claim that a small son of
Alexander Cavett was taken captive by Doubletree. I found
a recent account that said the son was taken back to
Doubletree's
village but Doubletree killed him four days later. Others
in the band of renegades that attacked Cavett Station
condemned Doubletree for the murder.
It appears that Alexander's wife may have died before the
massacre. "The French-Broad Holsten Connection" published by
the East Tennessee Historical Society in 1972, states that
the
only item of business before the first session of new Court
of Pleas and Quarter Sessions on July 16, 1792 in Knoxville,
was "to receive the oath of Alexander Caveatt that Susannah
Caveatt had departed this life on the 2nd day of April,
1972".
Alexander's brother Richard Cavitt (b. 1749) married in VA
and before moving to Sumner County to oversee older brother
Alexander's land. Among the children were:
Mary Cavitt, b. November 27, 1777, d. November 27, 1857
Moses Cavitt who married Elizabeth Tinnin
Andrew Cavitt (subject of the Cavitt Book)
In 1798 Richard's daughter Mary Cavitt married William
Laspley Armstrong, youngest son of Captain William Armstrong
and Jane Lapsley of Orange County, NC.
William Lapsley and Mary Cavitt Armstrong had ten children,
including:
Cavitt Armstrong (b. 1808) who travelled to Robertson
County, TX to comfort, and eventually marry Andrew Cavitt's
widow, Ann Cavett Cavitt.
Helen Gant Donald