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Below is a family biography included in The History of Williamson County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
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JOHN D. De GRAFFENRIED, county clerk of Williamson County, was born near Franklin, November 17, 1854. son of M. F. and M. M. (McLemore) de Graffenried, and of Swiss-French origin. The family came to America from Berne, Switzerland, and settled in North Carolina, and from thence, in an early day, the family immigrated to this county. The father of our subject was a general under Gen. Jackson. By occupation he was first a lawyer, but later in life turned his attention to farming, and at one time was one of the wealthiest men in this part of Tennessee. He died in 1869. The mother of our subject died in 1861. Our subject is the eighth child by his father’s second marriage. He was educated at the Military Institute at Nashville, at which school he was adjutant for some time. Later he was a clerk in the county clerk’s office, and subsequently engaged in the dry goods and lumber business. Politically he is a thorough Democrat. In 1882 he was elected county court clerk, defeating some of the county’s strongest men. He has made one of the best officers the county has ever had. In 1883 he wedded May Sneed, of Rutherford County, and this union resulted in the birth of one daughter, Patti Russ. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He is one of the prominent young men of Williamson County, and the family one of the best known in this section.
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This family biography is one of the numerous biographies included in The History of Williamson County, Tennessee published in 1887 by Goodspeed. The History of Williamson County was included within The History of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford & Marshall Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Beford and Marshall Counties of Tennessee
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