Robert Byrd Capshaw

     Robert Byrd Capshaw was born on October 13, 1855 in Warren County, Tennessee. He was the youngest of three children born to James W. and Mary Capshaw. Not much is known about the activities he was involved in as a boy. The Capshaw family lived approximately ten miles north of McMinnville, in a community known simply as Capshawville. The area had been settled by Capshaw’s grandfather James, who had served in the American Revolution. The population of the community was 150. Capshaw’s father served as the justice of the peace, as well as a farmer. His older brother James H. served as postmaster, jeweler, and dentist. He had also served in the Union army during the Civil War. Upon turning eighteen, Capshaw left Warren County and went to Cookeville.
     It was in Cookeville, where he became acquainted with Judge B.M. Webb, under whom he read law. While studying law, he taught school in order to support himself financially. Once being admitted to the bar, he set up a practice in Cookeville. His office was located just west of the courthouse square, where Highland Hardware now stands. If you were an aspiring lawyer, you studied under Robert Byrd Capshaw. His law practice would grow to become the biggest in the city, and made the name Capshaw famous.
     Just a few months after his ten year anniversary of coming to Cookeville, Robert Byrd Capshaw met and married Alice Whitson, the daughter of Jeremiah Whitson. This forever linked the Capshaw and Whitson families. The couple had a total of three children. Their names were Estle, Coran, and Hulon. The family home was located on East Broad Street where the public library is today. Alice Capshaw was known to give music lessons at her home.
     In 1915, Dixie College, now Tennessee Tech University was established. Among the members serving on the board to get the school started was Robert Byrd Capshaw. The school began as a Christian College associated with the Broad Street church of Christ. Capshaw was an elder in that church. In addition to his duties in the church, he was also very active in the Lion’s Club and the Democratic Party. He was eventually elected justice of the peace for the entire city. He was also active in farming, as he owned hundreds of acres in the center of town.
     On February 20, 1928 Robert Byrd Capshaw passed away during surgery on his stomach. According to his death certificate, the cause of death was stomach cancer. He was seventy-two years old. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest practicing lawyer in Cookeville. He had been a member of the bar for over fifty years. Throughout his career as a lawyer, he treated others the way he wanted to be treated. He was always ready and willing to give advice, legal, or not, to anyone who asked. He had become one of the most well respected citizens not only in Cookeville, but in the state of Tennessee. He was honored posthumously with an elementary school, bearing his name, that was built on fourteen acres of his farm. He was entombed, along with his wife and three children, in the Cookeville City Cemetery. The last member of the “Old Bar” had died, but his impact on his community has been felt by many generations.

The Capshaw Home on Broad Street.

Capshaw Family Grave

Original Capshaw School Building, built in 1939, razed in 2002.

Current Capshaw School building, built in 2002.

The remaining acreage of the Capshaw Farm was developed into residential neighborhoods.

Be sure to come back next week for another installment of Moore Historical Consulting's Throwback Thursday series. At Moore Historical Consulting, I have all your heritage management, historic litigation, and preservation needs covered. Put me to work for you today!!