East Tennessee State University
Archives of Appalachia
Box 70295
Johnson City, Tennessee 37614
E-mail: archives@etsu.edu
Telephone: (423) 439-4338
INTRODUCTION
Title: Fannie A. Fain Papers
Collection Number: Accession No. 133
Physical Description: 2 folders
Creator: Fannie A. Fain
Repository: Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Provenance: The Fannie A. Fain Diaries, consisting of photocopies of two handwritten diaries and a photocopy of a typewritten transcription of one of the diaries, were transferred to the Archives of Appalachia by Hal Smith in June 1982. Gertrude Toncray, Johnson City, Tennessee, transcribed one handwritten diary and gave permission for the Archives of Appalachia to copy the transcribed version.
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processing Information: J Shelton completed processing and the diaries were opened for research in October 1986. Ed Speer revised the Findaid in 1988.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Born March 6, 1834, at Blountville, Sullivan County, Tennessee, Fannie Anderson Rhea Fain was the daughter of Samuel Rhea (1795-1863) and his second wife Martha Lynn (1810- ? ). Educated at Jonesborough and Rogersville, Tennessee, she was a teacher at Blountville, apparently before her marriage on Oct. 18, 1858 to John H. Fain, a Blountville merchant who was born in Sullivan County on November 27, 1825. The Fains had five children: Samuel Rhea (who died at five months), Martha Ellen, John Mitchell, James Rhea, and Mary Lynn ("Mamie").
At the beginning of the Civil War the Fains were living in Blountville. In April 1862 the Confederate Congress passed a conscription act which declared that every able-bodied white man between the ages of 18 and 35 be subject to military service. Exempt from the provisions of the first conscription act, John Fain apparently hired a substitute when the age limit was extended to 45 in September of that year. After the passage of acts abolishing substitution and ordering those who had hired substitutes to report for service without delay, he left Blountville on January 28, 1864, to avoid military conscription and did not return for at least fifteen months.
In 1866 the Fains moved to the Washington County, Tennessee, town of Jonesborough (about twenty miles south of Blountville) where Mr. Fain operated a retail dry goods establishment. Both husband and wife became members of the Jonesborough Presbyterian Church, and in 1867 John was elected church elder.
After the death of John H. Fain on July 5, 1873, Fannie continued to reside in Jonesborough. The deaths of her widowed daughter Mamie Fain Stuart and Mamie's son occurred in 1894, and her other daughter Martha Ellen Fain Dosser died in 1901. Fannie Fain died on August 26, 1903, and was buried beside her husband in the Old Jonesborough Cemetery.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The Fannie A. Fain Diaries consist of two handwritten accounts of events in her life: 1) covers the period of the Civil War and dates from November 26, 1863 through March 19, 1865; and 2) covers the latter part of her life dating from March 6, 1867 to March 6, 1898. The first diary gives a glimpse of daily life in upper East Tennessee during the Civil War. She specifically mentions events at Zollicoffer (now Bluff City, Tennessee), Longstreet's occupation of the area, and the activities of bushwhackers. She described the difficulties she faced while her husband was away from home due to the war and the grief of losing her brother in the war. She also records the hardships farmers faced when the planting of crops was delayed due to military activity in the surrounding area or when horses were taken by both the Federal and Confederate forces.
The second diary covers a span of 30 years but focuses on three major phases of her life with long periods of silence between each entry. The first section deals with her husband's success in his store and the birth of her fifth child Mamie. The second phase describes the death of her husband, and the third part concerns the events surrounding the death of Mamie. The diary concludes with an overview of her faith and ends with a list of scriptures relating to specific needs.
The photocopies of the diaries are contained in two folders and are arranged chronologically. The photocopied transcription of the earlier diary is placed in the front of the folder containing the handwritten version.
Important subjects covered in the collection include:
Fain, Fannie A., 1834-1903
Fain, John H., 1825-1873
Tennessee, East--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Tennessee--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives
FOLDER LIST
Folder
1. Diary and transcription, November 26, 1863-March 19, 1865.
2. Diary, March 6, 1867-March 6, 1898.
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