Thomas 'Tom' Guilford Flanagin
(Dec 1844 - Apr 1927)

Thomas Guilford Flanagin, ca. 1917

For a complete history of Thomas and his descendants I would like to direct the reader to the book Remnant Of A Family, began by Nell Sunderland Hendrix, and completed by her brother, Marshall 'Chub' Sunderland, after her untimely death in 1982. This book may be found at the Sevier County Library in the Genealogy Library, and at the Hoskins Library on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville.

Tom, like his brother Samuel in Blount County, had a chair shop (factory) where he and his workers manufactured rockers and straight backed, cane-bottom chairs which where hauled to Knoxville and Dandridge to sell. There was also a small general store attached to Tom's house. From page 32 of Remnant Of A Family: "Tom was tight with his money, he was a shrewd trader, honest in his transactions and was never known to work a crooked deal or cheat his workers or his neighbors."

Tom's attitude toward the Civil War was straight-forward. From page 31 of Remnant Of A Family: "When the Civil War started Tom refused to enlist or to be conscripted, stating that he did not start the war and therefore would not take part in it. He owned no slaves, the men who worked on the farm and in his chair factory were hired by him or by relatives or neighbors, all free to come and go as they pleased. Tom stuck to his belief and resolution until the end of the conflict and did not support either side. When the recruiters or government men came around his place he was never anywhere to be found and it has been said that when Tom found out recruiters were in the community he would don a bonnet, dress like a woman and go work in the fields."

--Phil Flanagan