Today’s guest post was written by Don Casada.
82-year old Clem Enloe near her home on Tight Run Branch (Photo Source: Open Parks Network)
Elmina Clementine “Clem” Conley was born to Elizabeth Cockerham and William Conley in 1854 or 1855. Her father William was the son of James L. Conley, who is acknowledged as the earliest Conley in the Jackson and Swain County areas, arriving decades before Jackson was formed from parts of Haywood and Macon Counties in 1851. William’s mother was Mary “Polly” Sherrill, daughter of Ute Sherrill, another early area settler.
Conley Creek (or as the USGS spells it, Connelly Creek), which empties into the Tuckasegee on the upstream end of Whittier, is named for Clem’s grandparents. James acquired property on the drainage when it was known as Dickie Wesser’s Creek. At least as early as 1876, it had become “Conley’s Creek.” Clem’s formative years were on the stream named for her family.
After her marriage to Melvin Bynum “Biny” Enloe in September, 1872, the couple started a family and lived in the Qualla area for 25 years before acquiring 69 acres at the head of Tight Run Branch (Tract 57, Smokemont quad, grid M/N-41) in 1897. In August, 1930, five months before their property was taken by the State using powers of eminent domain, Clem laid Biny to rest in Queens Cemetery, 0.6 air miles but almost 2.5 miles by shanks mare to the west. Biny’s heirs shared the estate; Clem’s legal portion was a life interest in 1/3 of the property. What this meant practically in terms of her share of the $2,500 paid by the NC Park Commission is unknown.
According to an individual who shared his personal memories, Clem knew all the cuss words, was proficient in their application, and had no reluctance in utilizing them on needful occasions. Such a need arose when a newly minted Park Ranger attempted to enforce the single hook, artificial lure fishing regulations on darling Clementine. With a wellseasoned delivery, she let it be known that she’d used garden hackle (worms) all her life and had no intention of changing for some nonsensical rule. The ranger, completely buffaloed by the feisty octagenarian, left with tail tucked and passed the word along. From that day on, the rangers steered clear and Clem went about her angling ways.
Joseph S. Hall, a Montana native who taught in California, loved and recorded Smoky Mountain people. Warned about Clem’s eccentricities prior to visiting her, he managed to secure a pair of photographs of her as she was heading down to Raven Fork, cane pole (sans reel) in one hand and worm bucket in the other. A bribe was required to get her to agree to pose – the box of snuff secured in the folds of her blouse.
Clem died of chronic myocarditis at Broughton Hospital in Morganton in December, 1945, and is buried there. None of this world’s goods did she leave behind, but the richness of her legacy, thanks to Joseph Hall, is beyond measure.
I hope you enjoyed Don’s writing as much as I do. The short piece on Clem is part of an online project that Don has been working on for many years. I dare say once it is finished it will be the most thorough comprehensive documentation of the people who once inhabited the Smoky Mountain National Park that has ever been completed.
Don has offered to share detailed information about the project so be on the lookout for that in the coming months.
Last night’s video: My Favorite Christmas Bread.
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Hi Miss Tipper. I loved Mr. Don’s tale of Clementine. She reminds me of a modern version of my grandmother. Mary Eliza Bledsoe Cooper. She was my maternal grandmother. She chewed tobaccie, smoked a corncob pipe and carried a flask of pure old whiskey in her purse, it was for health purposes. I remember she took no guff from anyone. When grandpa, Joe Cooper, died she was so grief stricken it was approximately 1 year later she was gone. She had been diagnosed with a broken heart. I’m not sure, but I remember it as said. I been told, They were both of Irish and Scottish descent and grandma had a touch of Indian, I think. They were both born in the 1800’s. I love your insights into the past history of mountain folks and love all the stories and especially the pictures. Thanks to all the historians who bring this to us, including you my friend.
Jennifer Lee-thank you for sharing about your grandmother. She sounds amazing!! Glad you enjoyed this post 🙂
I would have loved meeting her. My grandma’s name was Clementine and she was a dandy, loved and miss her! Thanks for sharing this story.
Feisty lady. Gotta love and respect that grit! It’ll keep a body… and legacy alive. Blessings to you and yours, Tipper
I love her!!!! I love strong women (but not strong women of our day!)
Strong women are connecting with their feminine side, birthing side, gentle side, mothering side, surviving side!
…..so many strong women of today are simply connecting with with their POWER SIDE, and I personally believe it’s the number one reason our country is declining, and fighting, and simply saddening….our world needs strong women, mothering women, God Fearing Women!!
I may wrong, that’s just my opinion but that’s ok,…,bc “like YOUTUBE always says” “you do it your way”…. AND I’LL MOST DEFINITELY DO IT “MY” WAY!!
Thank you very much for sharing this story! I enjoyed it very much!
It reminds me of folks I knew back home in Tennessee.
Clem knew how to handle them ole government boys. I hate that so much land has been taken by the government for highways and parks. That was done here in Arkansas for the Buffalo River. So many of the older folks had never know any but a hard life and I would say enjoyed the work of it. We are so used to a “luxurious” life, we tend not to understand.
The video about making Stollen reminds me of a time back in the ’70s when my wife made a beautiful Stollen for Christmas Eve at her parents house. She rehearsed the bake the day before and perfected her technique; so when she made the final version it was perfect. She even wove the dough to look braided and placed candied fruit on top with a bit of sugar icing instead of powdered sugar. We arrived at the in-laws house about dusk. She place the Stollen on the counter with all the other Christmas goodies. Someone suggested we all tour the neighborhood to see Christmas lights; so we piled into a couple of cars and made our tour. When we returned, we found 2 dachshunds and a cocker spaniel enjoying the final crumbs or that huge Stollen. It seems the cocker, Lady, had jumped on the counter during our absence and pulled the Stollen on the floor and removed the plastic wrap then she, Sam and Buster consumed the delicacy. The strangest thing is that they ignored every other goodie including country ham biscuits and focused solely on the Stollen. That says a great deal about how good it truly is.
Clem was a contemporary of my grandparents who were born in 1857 and 1961. The avatar is a pic of my grandmother when she was in her 80s. She was a Tabor. The Tabors were also very early settlers in Swain County. The family cemetery is in the Brushy Creek Cove off the road from Bryson City to Franklin.
I too have some good, vivid memories of those kind-but-tough women of the mountains and ridges of Eastern KY/TN who would not tolerate pompous “authority” or any sort of nonsense. Without their unique strengths, their families would not have survived and even flourished. We need more spirit and determination like that nowadays as well
I recently read a book about the park and the people living there and having to move when the park was built. One of the main characters was the first park ranger at the park who grew up with these people and didn’t like to do some of the things he was made to do. The book sorta asked the question was the park worth the price that it cost the ones that had everything taken away from them.I can not remember the title but think the author lived in the Asheville area. A few of the characters that stayed were not going to change their ways come hell or high water. One of the characters continued to fish with live bait right in front of the ranger. I wish Don could could put these stories into a printed book form.
I loved this! Can’t wait to read more on this project. There’s nothing I like more than reading about our mountain people. Especially when they’re a character such as miss Clem! I guess she told them what they could do with their artificial bait policy, haha. The only thing I like better is meeting living ones…and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing quite a few.
Great story! She reminds me of the lady on the Waltons, Martha Corinne and the episode where she wasn’t going to give up her land. I wouldn’t have wanted to get on her bad side. Tipper, I enjoyed last night’s video. My husband had a coworker that gave us Christmas Stollen every year. It was really good. You did a great job making it because it looked just like what we had except for the powdered sugar which I think would be just as good without it. It was shaped just like yours. I may try to make some for New Year’s, still have a couple other things to make for Christmas and time is running out. Have a great day everyone!!
She was 90 or 91 when she died apparently. Incredible! Thank you for highlighting this story, Tipper.
Interesting story. As my mom would have said, “She’s a strong willed, hard headed woman, who is set in her ways and don’t care who knows it.”….no matter how long one’s mom has been passed, one can still hear their voice saying things from their memory. I’m thankful I can still remember things my mom said while she was with us in life.
What a great story and pic of “Clem”! I think every small community has that one “character or resident” that is legendary. So glad that is down on paper so follow on generations can look back and smile about those that came before. Thanks, Tipper; this site certainly offers a diverse read on the wonderful people, traditions, and foods of Appalachia.
Love stories of people like this. To be so detached from what others think of us is a rare thing.
Tipper–Br’er Don has devoted an extraordinary amount of effort to collecting information on the people of our home county, Swain, and this is an early example of turning research into something for posterity. Most of his work focuses on those who were dispossessed by the creation of the Park, and once you know stories of those like Clementine, not to mention a grim determination to erase history and all vestiges of the one-time human presence in the Park, it’s difficult not to be gripped by resentment and even anger.
Neve mind that, I’ll add a tidbit of a linkage between Clementine and another one-time resident of Connellys Creek. The notorious murderess and centenarian, Nance Dude, live out her final years there and is buried not too far away in a lovely little cemetery on a knob overlooking the Tuckaseigee River.
I think Richard might be thinking of the movie “Wild River” (1960) that was filmed in and around Charleston, Tennessee, and on the Hiwassee River nearby. Some locals were used in the movie. I remember going to see some of the sets when it was being filmed.
I’ll bet that Clementine would be an interesting person to talk to. Just be careful to stay on her good side!
Excellent !
Wish more bios of the people of Appalachia existed and were available to read. Such eccentric behavior was the norm from several older citizens growing up in the mountains and Im convinced it was an observation by flatlanders, not natives.
Glad to know Joseph Hall could fit in with the mountain folks. Without him there probably would not have been a Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English or its later editions. Kinda helps make up for the changes brought by the GSMNP. Doubt if that difference between locals and outlanders has ever gone away entirely, just lessened a lot.
The mountain women of Clem’s day could not afford to be soft. A hard life required hardy people, physically and mentally. And meaning what you said and saying what you meant went with it. That was at a time and place where a person’s word was their bond.
Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to each and all of us acorns and the BP&A gang. At the heart of this time to remember is redemption.
Thought that I didn’t enjoy reading, but this was good. Clem made me think of my stepfathers mother and her can of W.E. Garrett
Love history and the people who lived it. Always enjoy these stories.
Merry Christmas!
This reminds me of a movie long ago about an elderly woman in the mountains who held out to the end when TVA was acquiring property for building a dam. I can’t remember the title or the year the movies came out on tv.
I loved today’s post and Don’s writing! I’m new to this party but can’t wait to see what he has been up to. Truth is usually more interesting than fiction but it takes strong writing skills to give them so much life. He surely is the one to do it. My great grandmother was raised outside of Ashville in the mountains. Her father was the sheriff and she was scandalous as she rode a horse like a man, not like a lady. But she lived with him and when young, she rode on his horse with him and when old enough, she rode her own horse, the way her father did. Much later she moved into town, probably when she married. Last name was Jackson and that is how I became a distant relative to Stonewall Jackson. I would have loved to know more about her but can picture her as being similar to the stories I do read concerning those strong women raised in the mountains, far from towns. I’m certainly proud of my heritage but know so little of it. That is why I love reading things like today’s post. Thank you so much for sharing your passion with us!
Good story! Nothing like good mountain history. Am re-reading Lance Holland’s “Nantahala”.
She certainly looks stern, seems like you wouldn’t want to cross her. Those people had to be strong to survive in those hard times.
Another strong woman from the hardy mountain stock that settled in the Smoky Mountains. Bless her soul and God give her a good rest. I look forward to Don’s account of those people from whom I hail!
A tough mountain woman! My mamaw was also one tough mountain woman! That will be an interesting book to read. I can hardly wait!
Debbie-I should have noted it is an online project 🙂 But you will love it I know!!
Very interesting. Love to read about strong women. I come from a line of very strong women. I pray Ii inherited some of that strength! Enjoyed Christmas bread video. I am going to try & make it this week for my family! Take care and God bless ❣️
Oh goodness, God Bless her…her pictures lets us know how it was for her back then and thanks for giving us a great read. I got the ingredients out to make your Christmas bread and I too am not sure about that ‘last’ fold. Gotta try it, that is for sure. Looking forward to Friday’s read and of course Monday. Merry Christmas and yes, we do have to remind some, to remember the reason for the season and to keep Christ in Christmas. God Bless
Merry Christmas!!!
Great story!!!! Don Casada’s project completion is eagerly awaited!!!!