Riley Chambers
James Riley Chambers (1809-1888) was an early Scott County official who served as the county’s first registrar.
Biography
Riley Chambers was born about 1809, the son of Thomas Chambers Sr. and Catherine Lakey “Katie” Lawson.
Both of Chambers’ grandfathers were Revolutionary War veterans. William Chambers (1777-1871) was originally from North Carolina and settled on Buffalo Creek in present-day Scott County after the war. Randolph Lawson (1752-1843) was also originally from North Carolina and settled on Paint Rock Creek in present-day Scott County after the war. Lawson is believed to have built the first water-powered grist mill, near the mouth of Paint Rock Creek.
Thomas Chambers and Lakey Lawson were both born outside Tennessee, then moved to the Cumberland Plateau region with their families — likely before their marriage. Following their marriage, they settled along the mouth of Buffalo Creek. They had at least 10 children (and possibly as many as 15), with Riley being the second. It is believed that he was born in present-day Scott County, though it was part of Anderson County at the time.
Family
Riley Chambers married Margaret Smith (born 1810) in 1827. Their marriage took place in Campbell County, though it was likely part of present-day Scott County. They had at least eight children: Eliza Louisa, John Riley, Thomas, Abraham, William Riley, Granville, Winfield Scott and Calvin.
It isn’t clear when Chambers’ first wife died or where she was buried. It appears that they divorced. However, they were still married when the 1850 census was taken. At that time, they had seven children living at home, with 17-year-old Eliza being the oldest and newborn Winfield Scott being the youngest.
Margaret was also still living and married to Thomas when the 1860 census was taken. At that time four of their children still lived at home, with 17-year-old William being the oldest and 7-year-old Calvin being the youngest.
At some point between 1860 and 1867, Riley and Margaret divorced. The 1880 census found Margaret listed as divorced and living with her son, Winfield, and his wife, Rebecca, at their home on Buffalo Creek. She used her maiden name when census enumerators visited.
Meanwhile, Riley Chambers married Mary Elizabeth “Polly” Anderson (1838-1895) on Feb. 17, 1867. In addition to being much younger than Chambers, some genealogy records list her as being his niece — the illegitimate daughter of Riley’s brother, Pleasant “Ples” Chambers Sr. and Elizabeth Mason Anderson Hughett. She had first married Burton Byrd in 1856, but they apparently divorced sometime after 1860. She had two children from her first marriage.
Riley and Polly had several more children together: Lacha, Lafayette, Mary Elizabeth, Emiline and Rosa. Lafayette died as a child.
Civil War
Chambers served in the Union army during the Civil War and was assigned to the 2nd Tennessee Infantry. Little is known about his wartime involvement, but his second wife, Polly, later applied for a pension.
Professional Life
When Scott County was formed by act of the Tennessee General Assembly in 1849, Chambers was named to the committee responsible for choosing the county seat. There were three options considered, including one on Buffalo Creek and one near Paint Rock Creek, before Huntsville was ultimately chosen. George McDonald and Manuel Phillips were the town’s first residents.
In 1850, Chambers was elected Scott County’s first registrar.
Chambers appears on a list of Scott County magistrates in 1854, along with “P. Chambers,” Thomas Chambers and Pleasant Chambers. Thomas and Pleasant were likely his brothers.
Death
Chambers died Sept. 27, 1888, at about 78 years of age. His wife, Polly, first applied for a Civil War pension in October 1883, listing her husband as an invalid. She filed again in March 1889, listing herself as widowed.
It is not clear where Riley Chambers was buried.
Polly Chambers died on Aug. 28, 1895. It’s also not known where she was buried.