Randal McGavock (1766–1843) was an American politician and Southern planter in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][2][3] Identifying as a Jeffersonian Republican, he served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1824 to 1825.[1][2][3]
Randal McGavock | |
|---|---|
 McGavock by Washington Cooper | |
| Born | June 20, 1766 |
| Died | September 1843 |
| Resting place | McGavock Family Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Politician Planter |
| Spouse | Sarah Dougherty Rodgers |
| Children | James R. McGavock William McGavock John McGavock unnamed infant son Elizabeth McGavock Mary Cloyd McGavock unnamed infant daughter |
| Relatives | Felix Grundy (brother-in-law) William Giles Harding (son-in-law) Randal William McGavock (great-nephew) |
His daughter Elizabeth married William Giles Harding of Nashville in 1840; he was a young widower and son of planter John Harding. He was running the 5300-acre Belle Meade Plantation and managing his father's slaves; in 1850 his father was ranked as the third-largest slaveholder in Davidson County, Tennessee.[4]
Early life
editRandal McGavock was born on June 20, 1766, in Rockbridge County, Virginia.[1] His father was James McGavock Sr., and his mother, Mary (Cloyd) McGavock.[1]
Career
editMcGavock served as Mayor of Nashville from 1824 to 1825.[1][2][3]
In 1815, McGavock built Carnton. During the American Civil War, Carnton served as a field hospital after the Battle of Franklin. On December 1, 1864, four dead Confederate generals were laid on Carnton's gallery: Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams, and Otho F. Strahl.[3]
Personal life
editIn February 1811, McGavock married Sarah Dougherty Rodgers, whose brother-in-law was Felix Grundy (1775–1840), U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, from 1829 to 1838, and 13th United States Attorney General, from 1838 to 1839.[1][5] They had four sons, James R., William, John, an unnamed infant son, and three daughters, Elizabeth, Mary Cloyd and an unnamed infant daughter.[1]
In 1840, their daughter Elizabeth married Gen. William Giles Harding, heir and later owner of the Belle Meade Plantation, which was 5400 acres.[1][4]
Their son John McGavock (1815–1893), who married Carrie Elizabeth Winder (1829–1905) in December 1848, inherited the Carnton plantation.[3] His great-nephew, Randal William McGavock (1826–1863), the grandson of his brother Hugh, also became a politician. He served as Mayor of Nashville from 1858 to 1859, and died as a Confederate Lt. Col. in the Battle of Raymond.[5]
His nephew, James McGavock, built Blue Fountain, now known as the McGavock-Gatewood-Webb House in East Nashville.
Death
editMcGavock died in September 1843. He is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN
- ^ a b c Nashville Library
- ^ a b c d e The Battle of Franklin Trust
- ^ a b [Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/42626919 W. Ridley Wills II, "Black-White Relationships on the Belle Meade Plantation"], Tennessee Historical Quarterly Vol. 50, No. 1 (SPRING 1991), pp. 17-32; accessed 10 August 2018 via JSTOR
- ^ a b Col. Randal William McGavock, 1826 ~ 1863, Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sources
edit- Carnton Plantation and Battlefield. Franklin, TN: The Battle of Franklin Trust. 2010.