Samuel Lafayette Fain was the second child and oldest son of John and Emily Ann Crowder Fain.
During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army in Co. E, 21 Tennessee Calvary or Carter's scouts. He spent most of his time either sick with pneumonia, followed by typhoid fever or recovering in the home of the Horton family in Mississippi after the CSA army moved on, leaving him behind. After his condition improved he surrendered and was held prisoner at East Port, Mississippi, sent to on Gravel Springs, Alabama and then sent to Nashville where he took the Oath of Parole in March 1865. Forty years later he filed and was granted a Civil War Confederate Soldier pension. On his pension application, when asked in what battles he was engaged, he wrote Lawrenceburg, Franklin, and Mufreesborough, Tn. At the end of his pension application he writes, "I am a worn out Methodist preacher, receiving a merely nominal salary, my whole life given to the service of the public." His Confederate Pension Application is a good source of information about this time in his life.
In 1872 he was enrolled at Emory and Henry in Virginia where he graduated with a Divinity degree.
On Oct., 26, 1873 he married Annie Jackson, daughter of Nathan Jackson and Indiana Windrow Jackson of Rutherford Co., Tn. In 1874, his wife died of "childbirth fever" three weeks after the birth of their daughter, Annie Fain.
So, by the time he was 35 years old, S.L. Fain had gone to war, been a POW, gone to college, entered the ministry, married, had a daughter, and become a widower.
S.L. Fain is included in the earliest record of the Ethridge Methodist Church in 1887 where he is listed as the Presiding Elder, according to the source, "The Heritage of Lawrence County, Tennessee."
S.L. Fain is found in the following US Federal Census records:
- 1850 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and three siblings
- 1860 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings
- 1870 in Mooresville, Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings, occupation listed as farm laborer
- 1880 in Savannah, Hardin Co., Tn, widower, occupation minister
- 1900 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, and his widowed daughter and her two small children, occupation clergyman
- 1910 in Connersville, Marshall Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, listed as retired
- 1920 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, occupation preacher
His grand daughter, Sammie Clark Sims, wrote about Papa Fain in her memoirs. "Now, I will tell you about the Fains. My grandfather S.L. Fain was a native of Marshall Co., Tn. He was a son of John and Rebecca Crowder. He was a Methodist minister. When I was one year old, about 1899 he was sent by the Middle Tenn. Conference to Lawrenceburg, Tn. as a pastor of the Methodist Church there. It was there, where his daughter, my mother, married for a second time in 1901."
At different times the Rev. S. L. Fain and his second wife, Dante, lived with his daughter, Annie and her second husband, Simeon McDougal and her children in the house on N. Military Street in Lawrenceburg, Tn. More about the history of the Simonton-McDougal house can be found in the article, "The House on Fain Court in Lawrencebur," in the book the "History of Lawrence County," by Bobby Alford. 1999.
Sammie Clark Sims adds in her memories of 1905, "The winter that my little sister, Annie, died in January, and my brother, Marshall, was born in Feb., we had lots of snow and bad weather. Our grandparents were with us that winter as Marshall required all of mother's attention...Days went by that Waman and I seldom saw our mother, but Papa and Dante filled the gap. They played games with us, read to us, had devotionals with us, and implanted themselves firmly in our lives."
Sammie Clark Sims goes on to add, "By the time I was 12 my grandfather (with Dante) had retired from the ministry and bought a home in Cornersville, Marshall Co., Tn. I spent much of my summers there and made friendships with other boys and girls."
On 31 Jan 1917, his only child, Annie Fain Clark McDougal, died leaving behind in the home, her daughter, Sammie, and two younger sons, Fain and Marshall.
When his second wife, Dante, died 15 May 1920, Papa Fain moved in with his granddaughter, Sammie and her husband, Almon Sims, and their two children. They all lived together, "at the corner of Cumberland and Locust," in Knoxville, Tn. We have letter he wrote about this time and his great-grandchildren. Still later, in 1924 he lived with them on E. Fifth Avenue in Knoxville.
He died in San Antonio, Texas, where he had gone to visit his grandsons, Marshall and Fain McDougal. He was buried at Lawrenceburg, Tn.
- compiled by Gaynelle Hobt Morton
- revised Sept 2017
- revised May 2019
- revised Aug 2023
During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army in Co. E, 21 Tennessee Calvary or Carter's scouts. He spent most of his time either sick with pneumonia, followed by typhoid fever or recovering in the home of the Horton family in Mississippi after the CSA army moved on, leaving him behind. After his condition improved he surrendered and was held prisoner at East Port, Mississippi, sent to on Gravel Springs, Alabama and then sent to Nashville where he took the Oath of Parole in March 1865. Forty years later he filed and was granted a Civil War Confederate Soldier pension. On his pension application, when asked in what battles he was engaged, he wrote Lawrenceburg, Franklin, and Mufreesborough, Tn. At the end of his pension application he writes, "I am a worn out Methodist preacher, receiving a merely nominal salary, my whole life given to the service of the public." His Confederate Pension Application is a good source of information about this time in his life.
In 1872 he was enrolled at Emory and Henry in Virginia where he graduated with a Divinity degree.
On Oct., 26, 1873 he married Annie Jackson, daughter of Nathan Jackson and Indiana Windrow Jackson of Rutherford Co., Tn. In 1874, his wife died of "childbirth fever" three weeks after the birth of their daughter, Annie Fain.
So, by the time he was 35 years old, S.L. Fain had gone to war, been a POW, gone to college, entered the ministry, married, had a daughter, and become a widower.
S.L. Fain is included in the earliest record of the Ethridge Methodist Church in 1887 where he is listed as the Presiding Elder, according to the source, "The Heritage of Lawrence County, Tennessee."
S.L. Fain is found in the following US Federal Census records:
- 1850 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and three siblings
- 1860 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings
- 1870 in Mooresville, Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings, occupation listed as farm laborer
- 1880 in Savannah, Hardin Co., Tn, widower, occupation minister
- 1900 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, and his widowed daughter and her two small children, occupation clergyman
- 1910 in Connersville, Marshall Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, listed as retired
- 1920 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, occupation preacher
His grand daughter, Sammie Clark Sims, wrote about Papa Fain in her memoirs. "Now, I will tell you about the Fains. My grandfather S.L. Fain was a native of Marshall Co., Tn. He was a son of John and Rebecca Crowder. He was a Methodist minister. When I was one year old, about 1899 he was sent by the Middle Tenn. Conference to Lawrenceburg, Tn. as a pastor of the Methodist Church there. It was there, where his daughter, my mother, married for a second time in 1901."
At different times the Rev. S. L. Fain and his second wife, Dante, lived with his daughter, Annie and her second husband, Simeon McDougal and her children in the house on N. Military Street in Lawrenceburg, Tn. More about the history of the Simonton-McDougal house can be found in the article, "The House on Fain Court in Lawrencebur," in the book the "History of Lawrence County," by Bobby Alford. 1999.
Sammie Clark Sims adds in her memories of 1905, "The winter that my little sister, Annie, died in January, and my brother, Marshall, was born in Feb., we had lots of snow and bad weather. Our grandparents were with us that winter as Marshall required all of mother's attention...Days went by that Waman and I seldom saw our mother, but Papa and Dante filled the gap. They played games with us, read to us, had devotionals with us, and implanted themselves firmly in our lives."
Sammie Clark Sims goes on to add, "By the time I was 12 my grandfather (with Dante) had retired from the ministry and bought a home in Cornersville, Marshall Co., Tn. I spent much of my summers there and made friendships with other boys and girls."
On 31 Jan 1917, his only child, Annie Fain Clark McDougal, died leaving behind in the home, her daughter, Sammie, and two younger sons, Fain and Marshall.
When his second wife, Dante, died 15 May 1920, Papa Fain moved in with his granddaughter, Sammie and her husband, Almon Sims, and their two children. They all lived together, "at the corner of Cumberland and Locust," in Knoxville, Tn. We have letter he wrote about this time and his great-grandchildren. Still later, in 1924 he lived with them on E. Fifth Avenue in Knoxville.
He died in San Antonio, Texas, where he had gone to visit his grandsons, Marshall and Fain McDougal. He was buried at Lawrenceburg, Tn.
- compiled by Gaynelle Hobt Morton
- revised Sept 2017
- revised May 2019
- revised Aug 2023
Samuel Lafayette Fain was the second child and oldest son of John and Emily Ann Crowder Fain.
During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army in Co. E, 21 Tennessee Calvary or Carter's scouts. He spent most of his time either sick with pneumonia, followed by typhoid fever or recovering in the home of the Horton family in Mississippi after the CSA army moved on, leaving him behind. After his condition improved he surrendered and was held prisoner at East Port, Mississippi, sent to on Gravel Springs, Alabama and then sent to Nashville where he took the Oath of Parole in March 1865. Forty years later he filed and was granted a Civil War Confederate Soldier pension. On his pension application, when asked in what battles he was engaged, he wrote Lawrenceburg, Franklin, and Mufreesborough, Tn. At the end of his pension application he writes, "I am a worn out Methodist preacher, receiving a merely nominal salary, my whole life given to the service of the public." His Confederate Pension Application is a good source of information about this time in his life.
In 1872 he was enrolled at Emory and Henry in Virginia where he graduated with a Divinity degree.
On Oct., 26, 1873 he married Annie Jackson, daughter of Nathan Jackson and Indiana Windrow Jackson of Rutherford Co., Tn. In 1874, his wife died of "childbirth fever" three weeks after the birth of their daughter, Annie Fain.
So, by the time he was 35 years old, S.L. Fain had gone to war, been a POW, gone to college, entered the ministry, married, had a daughter, and become a widower.
S.L. Fain is included in the earliest record of the Ethridge Methodist Church in 1887 where he is listed as the Presiding Elder, according to the source, "The Heritage of Lawrence County, Tennessee."
S.L. Fain is found in the following US Federal Census records:
- 1850 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and three siblings
- 1860 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings
- 1870 in Mooresville, Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings, occupation listed as farm laborer
- 1880 in Savannah, Hardin Co., Tn, widower, occupation minister
- 1900 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, and his widowed daughter and her two small children, occupation clergyman
- 1910 in Connersville, Marshall Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, listed as retired
- 1920 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, occupation preacher
His grand daughter, Sammie Clark Sims, wrote about Papa Fain in her memoirs. "Now, I will tell you about the Fains. My grandfather S.L. Fain was a native of Marshall Co., Tn. He was a son of John and Rebecca Crowder. He was a Methodist minister. When I was one year old, about 1899 he was sent by the Middle Tenn. Conference to Lawrenceburg, Tn. as a pastor of the Methodist Church there. It was there, where his daughter, my mother, married for a second time in 1901."
At different times the Rev. S. L. Fain and his second wife, Dante, lived with his daughter, Annie and her second husband, Simeon McDougal and her children in the house on N. Military Street in Lawrenceburg, Tn. More about the history of the Simonton-McDougal house can be found in the article, "The House on Fain Court in Lawrencebur," in the book the "History of Lawrence County," by Bobby Alford. 1999.
Sammie Clark Sims adds in her memories of 1905, "The winter that my little sister, Annie, died in January, and my brother, Marshall, was born in Feb., we had lots of snow and bad weather. Our grandparents were with us that winter as Marshall required all of mother's attention...Days went by that Waman and I seldom saw our mother, but Papa and Dante filled the gap. They played games with us, read to us, had devotionals with us, and implanted themselves firmly in our lives."
Sammie Clark Sims goes on to add, "By the time I was 12 my grandfather (with Dante) had retired from the ministry and bought a home in Cornersville, Marshall Co., Tn. I spent much of my summers there and made friendships with other boys and girls."
On 31 Jan 1917, his only child, Annie Fain Clark McDougal, died leaving behind in the home, her daughter, Sammie, and two younger sons, Fain and Marshall.
When his second wife, Dante, died 15 May 1920, Papa Fain moved in with his granddaughter, Sammie and her husband, Almon Sims, and their two children. They all lived together, "at the corner of Cumberland and Locust," in Knoxville, Tn. We have letter he wrote about this time and his great-grandchildren. Still later, in 1924 he lived with them on E. Fifth Avenue in Knoxville.
He died in San Antonio, Texas, where he had gone to visit his grandsons, Marshall and Fain McDougal. He was buried at Lawrenceburg, Tn.
- compiled by Gaynelle Hobt Morton
- revised Sept 2017
- revised May 2019
- revised Aug 2023
During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army in Co. E, 21 Tennessee Calvary or Carter's scouts. He spent most of his time either sick with pneumonia, followed by typhoid fever or recovering in the home of the Horton family in Mississippi after the CSA army moved on, leaving him behind. After his condition improved he surrendered and was held prisoner at East Port, Mississippi, sent to on Gravel Springs, Alabama and then sent to Nashville where he took the Oath of Parole in March 1865. Forty years later he filed and was granted a Civil War Confederate Soldier pension. On his pension application, when asked in what battles he was engaged, he wrote Lawrenceburg, Franklin, and Mufreesborough, Tn. At the end of his pension application he writes, "I am a worn out Methodist preacher, receiving a merely nominal salary, my whole life given to the service of the public." His Confederate Pension Application is a good source of information about this time in his life.
In 1872 he was enrolled at Emory and Henry in Virginia where he graduated with a Divinity degree.
On Oct., 26, 1873 he married Annie Jackson, daughter of Nathan Jackson and Indiana Windrow Jackson of Rutherford Co., Tn. In 1874, his wife died of "childbirth fever" three weeks after the birth of their daughter, Annie Fain.
So, by the time he was 35 years old, S.L. Fain had gone to war, been a POW, gone to college, entered the ministry, married, had a daughter, and become a widower.
S.L. Fain is included in the earliest record of the Ethridge Methodist Church in 1887 where he is listed as the Presiding Elder, according to the source, "The Heritage of Lawrence County, Tennessee."
S.L. Fain is found in the following US Federal Census records:
- 1850 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and three siblings
- 1860 in Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings
- 1870 in Mooresville, Marshall Co., Tn with his parents and four siblings, occupation listed as farm laborer
- 1880 in Savannah, Hardin Co., Tn, widower, occupation minister
- 1900 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, and his widowed daughter and her two small children, occupation clergyman
- 1910 in Connersville, Marshall Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, listed as retired
- 1920 in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence Co., Tn with his second wife, Dante, occupation preacher
His grand daughter, Sammie Clark Sims, wrote about Papa Fain in her memoirs. "Now, I will tell you about the Fains. My grandfather S.L. Fain was a native of Marshall Co., Tn. He was a son of John and Rebecca Crowder. He was a Methodist minister. When I was one year old, about 1899 he was sent by the Middle Tenn. Conference to Lawrenceburg, Tn. as a pastor of the Methodist Church there. It was there, where his daughter, my mother, married for a second time in 1901."
At different times the Rev. S. L. Fain and his second wife, Dante, lived with his daughter, Annie and her second husband, Simeon McDougal and her children in the house on N. Military Street in Lawrenceburg, Tn. More about the history of the Simonton-McDougal house can be found in the article, "The House on Fain Court in Lawrencebur," in the book the "History of Lawrence County," by Bobby Alford. 1999.
Sammie Clark Sims adds in her memories of 1905, "The winter that my little sister, Annie, died in January, and my brother, Marshall, was born in Feb., we had lots of snow and bad weather. Our grandparents were with us that winter as Marshall required all of mother's attention...Days went by that Waman and I seldom saw our mother, but Papa and Dante filled the gap. They played games with us, read to us, had devotionals with us, and implanted themselves firmly in our lives."
Sammie Clark Sims goes on to add, "By the time I was 12 my grandfather (with Dante) had retired from the ministry and bought a home in Cornersville, Marshall Co., Tn. I spent much of my summers there and made friendships with other boys and girls."
On 31 Jan 1917, his only child, Annie Fain Clark McDougal, died leaving behind in the home, her daughter, Sammie, and two younger sons, Fain and Marshall.
When his second wife, Dante, died 15 May 1920, Papa Fain moved in with his granddaughter, Sammie and her husband, Almon Sims, and their two children. They all lived together, "at the corner of Cumberland and Locust," in Knoxville, Tn. We have letter he wrote about this time and his great-grandchildren. Still later, in 1924 he lived with them on E. Fifth Avenue in Knoxville.
He died in San Antonio, Texas, where he had gone to visit his grandsons, Marshall and Fain McDougal. He was buried at Lawrenceburg, Tn.
- compiled by Gaynelle Hobt Morton
- revised Sept 2017
- revised May 2019
- revised Aug 2023
Gravesite Details
Wife Ellen Crockett Fain
Family Members
Siblings
Children
