Massengale, John. John
Cobb Massengale of Autauga County, Alabama is a possibility for the John
Massengale, composer and 1860 co-proprietor of The Sacred Harp.[i]
He was born in Tennessee, January 20, 1792, the son of Virginians Solomon Massengale and
Tabbitha Cobb. He married Jane Rogers (1795—1860) in Madison County, Alabama. Massengale died in Elmore County, Alabama, July 9, 1866. He and his wife are buried in the Cain's Chapel Methodist Church
Cemetery at Holtville, Alabama. This John Massengale's geographical trajectory
seems all wrong; He didn't live in Georgia, as J. S. James claimed. But there
is some circumstantial evidence to support his "candidacy". The tune
name Autauga, p. 322, is
significant. The name is rare and seems to appear only in this area of Alabama.
John Massengale also arranged the tune for the dying words of Rev. S. B. Sawyer
(Sawyer's Exit, 338, The Sacred Harp, 1850). Seymour Boughton
Sawyer was a Methodist minister who lived in Wetumpka, which was in Autauga
County. Elmore County was formed in 1866 and the locations of both Sawyer's
and Massengale's interments are now in Elmore County.[ii]
The cemeteries where they are buried are only about 10 miles apart. It is
likely that John Cobb Massengale was well acquainted with S. B. Sawyer, but how
did he become acquainted with B. F. White?
32t I’m Not Ashamed of Jesus (Corinth)
73t Show Pity, Lord (Cusseta)
88b Mount Zion
306 News From the Regions of the Skies
(arranged)
312 Sing to Me of Heaven
322 Soon We Shall Land on Canaan’s Shore (Autauga)
[i]
From the title page: "For the proprietors, White, Massengale & Co.,
Hamilton, Ga. 1860." White also refers to The Sacred Harp as “the property of White, Massengale & Co.” in
The Organ, Feb. 2, 1856, Vol. 4, No.
47.
[ii]
Elmore County was established in February of 1866, so was already in existence
at the time of John C. Massengale’s death.
9 comments:
Another link to Alabama is Cusseta. There was a Fort Cusseta built in 1832 in Alabama after the Creek Indian War. This was significant to the people in Alabama at the time where John Cobb Massengale lived.
Music was in the home of John Cobb Massengale. In researching this family (my ancestor), I found that his mother, Tabitha Cobb Massengale, played the organ.
I have been trying to research this mystery and found this to add. I recently visited the Deatsville area and Cain's Chapel and saw the graves of John Cobb Massengale and Jane Rogers Massengale, his wife. In researching the history of Cain's Chapel I found this significant information. In the book, "Passing It On" found in the Deatsville, AL library it stated that there was a log cabin church located about 1.5 mi above Deatsville off HWY 143 that began in the late 1820's/early 30/s. This is confirmed again by Loyce Ruffin's, "A History of Cain's Chapel Meth Church. In it, it references a Mr. Elmore Blackwell of Deatsville, AL who said his father and mother told him about the early church there at MT ZION. This is another of John Massengale's tune names. The Massengales lived near this church and his mother is buried very near there in Deatsville. When Cain's Chapel was built the Massengales went there to worship.
I find this mystery fascinating. It turns out I majored in music in college and my son is now a Worship Pastor in California. I would very much like to know if John Cobb Massengale was this involved in hymnology.
Thanks for this additional information, especially about Mt. Zion. Seems like a lot of circumstantial evidence comes together to really connect this John Massengale to the tune names. There is also a "Coosada" in Elmore County, Alabama. Best I can tell it is a different spelling of the same Indian name from whence comes Cusseta.
The "traditional wisdom" is that this Massengale was too far away from B. F. White and they would not have known each other in 1844. But the circumstances of the tune names seems too much too ignore. I just don't know of any way to follow up further to prove or disprove this theory. If I find anything else, I'd love to know.
I meant to say:
If you find anything else, I'd love to know.
Does anyone know if John Cobb Massenger had children, and if so, their names. I am tryng to find the parents of Talitha Cumi Massenger Reed, wife of George W. Reed. Rev Reed and his wife are my husband's great-grandparents. Thank you.
SeaGazer, I missed this comment earlier. I'll see if I can find anything about his children.
John Cobb Massengale b 1792 Tennessee - c.1866 Augtauga, AL children were: Alfred Maddison Massengale 1814-1874, Tabitha Elizabeth Massengale 1816-1880, Stokely Donelson Massengale 1819-1899, Eliza J Massengale 1821-1848, Mary T Massengale 1825-1880, Sarah Burk Massengale 1826-1892, Deborah Ann Massengale 1828-1871, John Cobb Massengale 1830-1865, William Thomas Massengale 1832-1920. He was married to Jane Rogers b. 1795 Tennessee.
Schu, thanks!
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