J.C. Steger vs. John M. Lea Court Verdict
This broadside reprints the court’s verdict against Woods, Yeatman, and Company and lays out the process for liquidating the assets of the Cumberland Iron Works by its trustee, J.C. Steger, in order to pay any debts. He will sell land north of the Cumberland River; mules and other livestock; scrap and pig iron; and all bills, notes, and accounts. There are several other names mentioned in the ruling, including Mrs. V.F. Rowland, who has filed a cross bill. Below this lengthy verdict, Steger has had printed a form letter to various creditors that explains briefly and clearly what they need to do in order to get paid.
Dates
- 1879 March 31
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This broadside reprints the court’s verdict against Woods, Yeatman, and Company and lays out the process for liquidating the assets of the Cumberland Iron Works by its trustee, J.C. Steger, in order to pay any debts. He will sell land north of the Cumberland River; mules and other livestock; scrap and pig iron; and all bills, notes, and accounts. There are several other names mentioned in the ruling, including Mrs. V.F. Rowland, who has filed a cross bill. Below this lengthy verdict, Steger has had printed a form letter to various creditors that explains briefly and clearly what they need to do in order to get paid.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Cumberland Iron Works was founded in Stewart County by Thomas Yeatman, and Joseph and Robert Woods. They erected their first furnace in 1820 and produced their first pig iron in 1830. Thomas Yeatman died in the early 1830’s and his shares wend to his son Henry and his widow Jane, who later married the politician John Bell. It was the largest ironworks in the state before the Civil War, with 60,000 acres on both sides of the Cumberland River, four furnaces, several farms, and many slaves. It was shelled out of operation by the Union, and after the war it declined because slave labor was less efficient than the new technologies being developed.
John C. Steger was born in 1834 in Madison County, Alabama to Benjamin and Mary (Windom) Steger. He graduated from Nashville Medical College in 1857 and moved to Stewart County, Tennessee to practice medicine. He served in the Confederate army with the 4th Alabama Cavalry, returning to his practice in Stewart County after the war. He was appointed trustee of Woods, Yeatman and Company in 1875 because of his widely admired integrity.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased this document in 2000.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository