Jacob Smith first settled Mount Willing. He had the old English
custom of giving names to every farm and separate place he owned.
He lived first at the place now (1891) occupied by Mr. Frank Boyd,
which he called Flat Grove. His house was near the creek, near the
old Smith and Bonham graveyard. This place was very sickly at
that time, which caused Mr. Smith to remove to a place which he
called Wine Hall, where Mr. William Myrick now lives. Just before
the Revolutionary War Mr. Smith built a tavern in the woods on the
east side of Richland Creek. Soon afterwards a large number of men
met at the tavern to see about opening some roads through the
country. When they were through with the business of the meeting
and all had agreed upon the location of the roads to be cut - the
same, by the way, that cross there now - the Chairman or President
of the meeting called out: "Let’s Mount!" to which was replied:
"Willing!" Mr. Smith, who was present, caught the words, and gave
the place the name of Mount Willing, which name it has borne ever
since. Jacob Smith married Sarah Butler, an aunt of General
William Butler. Cunningham, while on his great raid, stopped there
in order to refresh his men and also to put Smith to death, but a
Tory begged Cunningham to allow Mr. Smith a few moments to pray,
which request was granted. The Tory then ran to the house of
Russell Wilson, who lived only a short distance from the store,
north, and got Mrs. Carghile to help intercede for his life. Mrs.
Carghile, was Wilson’s sister, and the widow of Captain Neely
Carghile, who had been lately killed by the Whigs. She told
Cunningham of Smith’s great kindness to the widows and orphans of
the mudered Tories, which saved his life. Jacob Smith was a man of
great wealth, and many are the stories told of his liberality to
the distressed families of both Whigs and Tories during the
Revolution. He died in 1805 at about seventy years of age, and was
buried at Flat Grove. Mr. Smith left a son, Luke, and a daughter,
Sophia. Luke married Elizabeth Loman, by whom he had two children,
Jacob B. Smith and the exemplary wife of Dr. Rhyden G. Mays.
Sophia married Captain James Bonham, a young widower from Maryland.
Captain Bonham lived near Red Bank and died in 1815, at the age of
thirty-nine. His oldest daughter, Sallie, married John Lipscomb;
Julia married Dr. Bowie. His oldest son, Malachi, emigrated to
Texas; James also went there, and was one of the victims of the
massacre at the Alamo. Milledge was the youngest, and was regarded
as a very pious youth; in fact, he used to preach sometimes. He
read law; was a successful practitioner; was made Solicitor of his
circuit, his home being at Edgefield; was a member of Congress when
the State seceded; became Brigadier-General in the Confederate
service; took an active part and rendered efficient service at the
first battle of Manassas or Bull Run; was elected Governor
succeeding Pickens, and held that office for two years during the
war. After the war he held different public positions, and died in
the service of the State. Mrs. Bonham, his mother, lived with him
at the court house during the last years of her life. She was a
lady of extraordinary merit. When she died the Governor had her
buried by the side of his father at Flat Grove.
