98 Making the American Thoroughbred 



specialty has Tennessee been best known ever since she 

 stopped producing presidents. 



James Cryer was a Revolutionary soldier and came to 

 Sumner County from North Carolina. He was a wealthy 

 and influential citizen and represented Sumner County in 

 the legislature of 1815. On the farm he owned may still 

 be seen the marks of a track which is said to have been 

 the first in Middle Tennessee where public race meetings 

 were held, antedating Clover Bottom by many years. 

 A few hundred yards away is the site of the old log court 

 house, where Andrew Jackson had his famous fight with 

 the Kuykendalls. It is tradition, firmly believed in this 

 locality, that when Jackson was here attending Court as 

 Attorney-General he rode in races on this track. The only 

 way to undermine this tradition would be to prove that 

 races were not run on this track when Jackson was here 

 as Attorney-General. 



Cryer died in 1816. Madam Tonson was his chief con- 

 tribution to Sumner's foundation stock. 



Col. George Elliott, born in North Carolina in 1781, 

 was a colonel under Gen. John Coffee in the Creek war, 

 and at the battle of New Orleans. By his efficient mili- 

 tary service he won the friendship of Gen. Jackson. 

 Jackson offered him command of the troops in the Florida 

 war, but Elliott thought he had done his share of fighting 

 and declined. 



Col. Elliott commenced his career as a breeder and turf- 

 man, prior to 1813, and continued until about the time 

 of his death, in 1861. "Wall Spring" was the name of his 

 farm and the residence built by him in 1828 still stands. 

 In a flat across the road from his house Elliott had a 

 splendid race track where many a "nag," afterward 

 famous, joined the infant class in daily exercise. His 

 home was a gathering place for people from all sections 



