Another Mess

Aunt Bryd and Uncle Owen.

Front of 106 Clarendon in March 1960.

The front door in January 1963. Aunt Byrd brought a sprig of ivey from Scotland in her hat pin box. See how it goes over the door.

The front door now. The yellow lab was a well mannered girl.

Again the front showing more of the house.

This is the only true house that was in the family which is still standing. Waveland was dozed down to put a runway for the Nashville Airport. The Wilson farms house was thorn down and rebuild to duplicate the house. The owner thought the old house was making their son sick. You saw in a previous post the hole that now occupies the place that 1620 West End home stood.

But this house which is referred to as "Garallan" (see the plaque over the door) is still standing.

In 1921 Aunt Byrd and Uncle Owen were in Ayr and Aunt Byrd decided she wanted to see the Douglas homestead "Garallan", located about ten miles northeast of Ayr, near the village of "Old Crumnock". At that time, two old ladies , aunts of the owner lived there. In Uncle Owen's notes, he indicated that they were VERY "communicative" and proud of their family. He indicated that both he and Aunt Byrd enjoyed the trip and their visit with the ladies.

In 1930, Aunt Byrd and Uncle Owen decided to move to the country and were planning a new home. One night Aunt Byrd dreamed that they should copy the facade of Garallan, so off they went to Scotland. In Edinburgh they met the present owner, Jack Boswell, a decsecendent of Dr. Johnson's Boswell.

Jack's ancestral home was "Auchenlech" about two miles from Garallan. It was a very handsome "Adam" house according to Uncles notes. I have no idea what that means. Anyway Uncle Owen goes on to state that Auchenlech means "flat rock" and Garallan means "stony ground".

Both are located in Burns country and in spite of the names, the farms were flourishing. Jack seemed very prosperous, a W. S. (Writer to the Signet) a kind of lawyer differing from an ordinary one-K. C. (King's Counselor). The old ladies had passed away and renters occupied Garrallen.

On the stone lintel over the front door was carved "G. D.---M. H.1660" meaning that George Douglas in 1660 married Margaret Hume and built their home, Garrallan. Aunt Byrd took a photo of the facade and used it to plan their new home in Belle Meade at 106 Clarendon. She also took a stone from the front yard of Garrallan and it is now embedded in the plaster on the left wall of the portico.

The front door of 106 Clarendon is from the old Kerr residence in Murfreesboro-which was torn down about the time 106 was being built. The window in Uncle Owen's office was from their 1620 West End home along with stones to make the back porch and front walkway.

The couple who now own the home were very gracious and let us come over for a tour. It made my heart jump with joy to listen to Prince as he would tell stories and point out where certain things had been. When Aunt Byrd died Prince was a little over three months old and he spent most of his childhood at 106 while Mimi and her husband took care of Uncle Owen.

The kitty justice is that Uncle Owen and Aunt Byrd are smiling down on the new owners due to the care and love their home shows in every nook.