Stiversville is located about 12 miles south of Columbia near the Giles County line. Stiversville and the surrounding area is situated on three revolutionary grants. Most of the Stiversville area was on Elijah Robertson's grant. His North Carolina grant number 96 was for 5000 acres and is recorded in Book 1A, page 184. Robertson's land was sold to early settlers by Washington L. Hannum and his wife, Patsy (nee Robertson), John Childress and his wife, Elizabeth (nee Robertson), and Sterling C. Robertson and Eldrige B. Robertson, heirs and representatives of Elijah Robertson. Many of the settlers had settled on the land before the deeds were recorded. Some of those buying land from the Robertson heirs were: Lemuel Prewett, John Cannon, Thomas Richardson, John Richardson, William Richardson, Jr., Elisha Pullen, William Mills, Thomas Ramsey, James Walden, R. A. L. Wilkes, James Howard and others.

Jones Kendrick's grant for 5000 acres, grant number 4437, was located on the eastern margin of the community and Thomas Gill's grant on the southeast of the community.

The first major settlement at what was to become Stiversville occurred at the junction of the Pulaski Pike and the Valley Creek Road. A large group of settlers from Wilkes County, GA settled this area between 1807 and 1810. Some of the known families from Georgia included the Richardsons, Cannons, Willises, Mills, Gambles, Thorntons, Popes and the Pullens. Thomas, John and William Richardson, Jr. were the sons of William Richardson Sr., who came to Wilkes County, GA, from Newberry Co., SC, around 1780. Thomas Richardson is mentioned in the court records of Maury County in 1808. Between 1807 and 1811 William Richardson and his wife Keziah built a log home at the junction of the Valley Creek Road and Pulaski Pike. This home was enlarged and became the plantation house of William's son, James M. Richardson who married Lucy Bugg. Lucy was the daughter of John and Sally Bugg of Virginia. At a later date the home was purchased by Shadrack S. Dugger and retained in the Dugger family, Edgar B. and Miss Cordelia Dugger the last of the family to reside there. Bobby Rice restored the home in the 1970's and it was later burned by vandals.

Thomas Richardson and his wife, Jane Willis built a log home above a cane spring north of William's home. This house later became the home of his son, Allen Richardson. The home was considerably altered in this century; however, Thomas's log house remains in the nucleus of the structure. The home is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Inman. John Richardson built his home south of Thomas' house.

Many other settlers were from Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and other states. Paul Akers was from Campbell County, VA. His daughter married Charles Venable Brown. James Allen migrated from Virginia to Kentucky and then to Maury County, TN. His daughter married Jesse Tomlinson.

The Appersons, Blankenships, LeNeaves, Dallases and Boazes were from Virginia.

James Harvey Emmerson and his father, John M. Emmerson, came from Scott County, KY. John M. Emmerson was a "faith'' doctor and the husband of Catherine Reynolds, a daughter of the Revolutionary soldier, Aaron Reynolds.

Lemuel Prewett settled at Cave Hill (also known as Cave Spring) in 1806. Prewett sold this same land to Thomas Richardson and bought some land from Thomas Richardson. Cave Hill is now called Ingram's Cave. Lemuel Prewett sold about 300 acres to Col. Joseph Brown, noted Indian fighter and Cumberland Presbyterian, in 1824. Joseph Brown also purchased more land in 1835 from Amos Richardson. This land was owned by Amos' father, Thomas Richardson, who had purchased it from Lemuel Prewett. Joseph Brown became the postmaster at Cave Hill (Cave Spring).

The Duggers, Weems, and the Baileys came from Greene County, TN. David, Joseph, Shadrack, and Alexander Dugger were the sons of Alexander and Ann Dugger who left Orange County, NC, and settled in Greene County, TN, in the 1780's. David Dugger married Catherine Bailey, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Weems) Bailey of Baileytown, TN. Elizabeth was the daughter of the Reverend John and Catherine Weems of Greene County, TN. Elizabeth Weems Bailey's brother, William Weems, and his wife, Mary Edwards, also settled between Stiversville and Campbell's Station.

An order found on page 389, Book B, Volume 1, Maury County Wills and Minutes, dated 15 October 1821 lists the names of many of the early settlers who lived between Cave Hill and the Giles County line, south of Stiversville. The order was to work on the road between these two points and the order further states that "Wiley Richardson be appointed overseer of the road from Lemuel Prewett's old place to the top of the ridge where Howard Cannon and Lemuel Prewett were overseers and that Peter Acres, Thomas Bills, Constantine Davis, Isaac Butcher, William Richardson, John Richardson, Jr., John Richardson, Sr., Stephen W. Smith, John May, William May, William Sands, William Williford, Button Williford, David Dugger, Joseph Dugger, Charles J. Bailey, Noles Cannon, Thomas Pope, Shadrack Dugger, Daniel Dugger and Robert M. Richardson to work thereon under his direction.''

Other families that settled on or near Stiversville were the Willifords, Hills, Moores, Fosters and the Ingrams who came to this area circa 1850.

Stiversville took its name from John Stivers of Pennsylvania. He is not listed in the 1830 census but is listed in the 1840 census. He was born about 1790 and his wife Elizabeth was born about 1793. John Stivers bought land from A. J. Caldwell and William Dearing and on April 13, 1847 sold his land on both sides of the road to Josiah A. Dugger and John Farris. Farris later sold his interest in this parcel to Dugger. The land bordered the lands of William T. Williford and James H. Emmerson. William Dearing purchased his land from James Harvey Emmerson who had purchased it from John Richardson.

William L. Williford was the noted Maury County educator. About 1816-17, Professor Williford and Dr. Hardin conducted an Academy for girls and boys in Spring Hill near the M. T. Cheairs old place. Williford is listed next to Wiley P. Richardson in the 1820 census. Williford's daughter, Mary E., married William Wallace Dugger, son of David Dugger and brother of Josiah Dugger. Another Williford daughter, Lucy L. married Thomas C. Reynolds, son of Aaron Reynolds.

The first known church in this area was the New Ramah Baptist Church which existed before 1820. The church was built north of the junction of the Tanyard Hollow Road and the Valley Creek Road.

The present New Ramah cemetery was the location of the old church. On November 11, 1825, John Cannon deeded land to Isaac Butcher, John Richardson and Richard Hewitt, "Trustees of the Baptist Church known as Ramah,''adjoining where Cannon lives on Fountain Creek and Elisha Pullen's spring including a new brick meeting house known as New Ramah. Witnesses to the deed were Wiley P. Richardson and Henry B. Cannon. The first minister was Isaac Butcher who was followed by Allen Richardson who preached here 20 to 30 years before the Civil War. The church began as Primitive Baptist and later changed to Missionary Baptist. The Elder Jesse Cox of McConnico's Meeting House in Williamson County, TN, noted in his diary that he preached at New Ramah. Jesse Cox married Elizabeth B. Brown, daughter of Charles and Michel Brown of Maryland; both the Reverend Allen Richardson and Elder Jesse Cox relatives of the author.

It is believed that the church was destroyed during the Civil War; one native recording that "fighting occurred at Stiversville on September 6, 1864."

The Christian Church or Church of Christ started meeting in a school house in 1889. The school was located in a field near the old Foster home in Stiversville built in 1888. During 1888, James Allen Richardson served as Superintendent of a Union Sunday School. The charter members of the Church of Christ which had its first meetings in the school house were Josiah A. Dugger and his wife, Harriet Hix, Blankenship Dugger, James Allen Richardson and his wife, Virginia Ann Dugger, A. T. Blankenship and his wife, R. A. Foster and his wife, S. A. Foster, J. T. Dugger and his wife, E. Ann, Mrs. Mary A. Hill, Anna C. Fry, J. Stewart Green and wife, Sallie, Alexander E. Dugger and wife Lizzie, Martin Hickman Petkeltner and wife, Ann, Jonas Brown and wife, Fanny, Mrs. M. J. Dugger, Miss Mattie Dugger, and Mrs. Mollie Scott.

In 1911 the present building was erected on land given by T. F. Hill. Professor T. F. Hill began teaching in the Stiversville School, circa 1898. Another teacher at the school was Mrs. Sallie Gilmer.

It is possible that William L. Williford operated a school in this area since he had operated one earlier in Spring Hill. The earliest known school dates before 1817 and was located near New Ramah Church and the creek. Deed Book 1-F, page 366 records a deed dated January 25, 1817 from John Cannon . . . for land was bounded by Thomas Richardson, John Richardson and the creek; the line passing "near the school house.''

Josiah Allen Dugger opened a store in Stiversville around 1840 on land he purchased from John Stivers who, by 1850, had moved to Giles County, TN. J. A. Dugger operated the store until the Civil War and following the war, William Marsh and George Taylor operated it. J. A. Dugger purchased the store again and later sold it to J. A. Hogan. The old Hogan home is still standing west of Stiversville. It was purchased in the 1870's by James A. Richardson. After Hogan, the store was operated by Button, then Lamar, and purchased again by the Dugger family around 1894. Jonathan Hunt Dugger ran the store until after 1937 when John D. Foster and Jonathan Hunt Dugger, Jr. took over. The old store was torn down and a new one built by Jonathan Hunt Dugger directly across the road. After J. H. Dugger, T. B. Mencer managed the store until it burned. Another store was operated by Professor T. F. Hill around the turn of the century.

T. R. Wilsford operated a smith and repair shop which was later in the hands of Mitchell Johns. A creamery was located between the smiths and T. F. Hill's store..

Another part of the Stiversville Community was Tanyard Hollow road. The road derived its name from the fact that it went to an early tanning yard located about one and one half mile west of Campbell's Station, near the Giles County line on the "old stage road.'' The tanyard was first operated in the 1820's by Adam Rankin. Rankin purchased the land from William Ira Weems son of William Weems. It is interesting to note that on June 8, 1840 at Carrollsville, Tishomingo County, MS, William Ira Weems, Benjamin Reynolds, Alexander Dugger who married Reynold's daughter, Catherine, Stephen W. Smith who married Nancy Weems and Stephen A. Hale were involved in a shooting incident in which Smith was killed. All these men were from the Stiversville-Culleoka area except Hale and were acquitted of guilt in the incident in Circuit Court.

Adam Rankin sold his tanyard to Samuel H. Smith who ran it until his death. His wife, Elizabeth Stockard Smith, died at the Mt. Pleasant home of her daughter, Mrs. M. C. Hart, on January 25, 1877.

Many men from the Stiversville area fought in our American wars. Thomas Gill, Pugh Cannon, Aaron Reynolds and others fought in the American Revolution. William Boaz, Allen Richardson, Elisha Pullen, Howard Cannon, Parmenas Howard, Willis Richardson, Wiley P. Richardson, John M. Emmerson, Benjamin Reynolds and Charles Allen served in the War of 1812. Pullen, Cannon and Howard all married daughters of Thomas Richardson.

The Pulaski Pike was called the Big Road or the Great Road which passed through Stiversville. In the War of 1812, soldiers marched down this road to rendezvous at Fayetteville, TN. The road was also heavily traveled during the Civil War, many soldiers stopping at Allen Richardson's spring which was located below his home, near the road. One individual, A. B. Flint of Texas, who served in the Confederate Army as a doctor and surgeon, stopped at the spring. He wrote his mother in Texas and mentioned that he had stopped by and talked to his relative Allen Richardson. Flint was the grandson of John and Sinthia Richardson of Stiversville. Five of Allen Richardson's sons, James Allen, David B., Elijah D., Zachary T. and ____ served in the Confederate Army. Other Stiversville Civil War veterans included Jonas M. Ingram, Samuel B. Foster, J. F. More and N. S. Hickman. Wade Richardson served in World War I.

Doctors known to have served the Stiversville area before the Civil War included Allen Richardson, Dr. J. H. Hunt and Dr. John P. Fry. Dr. J. G. Williamson was active around the turn of the century. Dr. J. H. Hunt's daughter, Mary Ann, married William C. Richardson, son of James M. and Lucy Bugg Richardson of Stiversville. James M. Richardson's brother, John M., married Emily J. Scott, daughter of Nathaniel Scott and Polly Cheairs. Polly was the daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah Rush Cheairs. Her brother, Nathaniel Francis Cheairs, built Rippavilla.

Allen Richardson was a botanical doctor and a member of the Friendly Botanic Society of the United States while this organization was under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Thompson. Richardson was called to give court depositions for several of his patients. He was a relative of the Gilders of South Carolina who were also advocates of botanical medicine. In about 1825, Richardson authored books on botanical medicine which are now in the possession of his great great grandson, the author.

Today, Stiversville remains a quaint small village where many descendants of these early settlers still reside with many newcomers.

Sources: Jill K. Garrett, Marise P. Lightfoot, Judge William Bruce Turner, Century Review of Maury County Tennessee 1807-1907; Goodspeed's History of Maury County, TN; cemetery and Bible records; Maury County TN wilds and court minutes; Maury County deeds and Chancery Court records; ancestor charts and family records and the old record book of the Stiversville Church of Christ.