General Notes

 JOHN LIVINGSTON HADLEY, son of John and Margaret (Livingston) Hadley, was born 10
  August 1788, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, died 26 December 1870, and is buried in the
  Hadley family Cemetery, Hadley's Bend, Old Hickory, Davidson County, Tennessee.
  On 6 December 1815, he married his first cousin, Amelia Hadley. Amelia was born 8
  September 1799, in Tennessee, died 11 February 1875, and is also buried in the Hadley
  family Cemetery, Old Hickory, Davidson County, Tennessee. Amelia was the daughter of
  Joshua and Hannah (Holmes) Hadley.
     John Livingston Hadley graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1807, and from
  the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1812. He served as a surgeon in
  the War of 1812. Shortly after the close of the war, he appeared in Nashville, Tennessee,
  where, in 1815, he married his first cousin, Amelia Hadley, and purchased a lot on the public
  square of Nashville.
     About ten years later, Dr. John Hadley purchased the area now known as Hadley's Bend,
  and presumably, immediately began the construction of his home, Vaucluse.
  Vaucluse was situated about two miles west of The Hermitage. It has been claimed that
  Andrew Jackson purchased the Hermitage site from Dr. John Hadley, but this statement is
  not substantiated by any known records. In those days there had been no Government
  survey and all parcels of land were described by metes and bounds which are often difficult
  to reconcile with present?day descriptions. Both homes were constructed at about the same
  time. The Jacksons and the Hadleys were neighbors, and a certain similarity in the pattern
  of their homes may be recognized, as evidenced by Rachel's chapel and Amelia's chapel.
  Apparently Dr. John devoted more of his time and energy to the management of his
  plantation than to the practice of his profession of medicine. Nevertheless he saw fit to send
  the only two sons who reached maturity through medical school. He also found time to act
  as a trustee of the Nashville hospital and to serve in the State Assembly.
      In February, 1917, the United States Government condemned John Livingston Hadley's
  plantation to make way for a powder plant. His heir's received $333,000 for 3,300 acres and
  all buildings thereon. Only the family burying ground was reserved. After the close of World
  War I, the Dupont interests purchased the powder plant and converted it to rayon mills. In
  the process, Vaucluse was destroyed. Much of the polished wood and hand carved stones
  were shipped to the homes of officials of the Dupont company in Delaware. A pair of iron
  gates and stone posts were given to the little Overton cemetery in the village of Old Hickory
  which has grown up on the Hadley acres near the mills. A pair of carved stones from
  Vaucluse became a part of a new church which was constructed in the village In 1967, these
  stones were at the entrance to the home of Robert Livingston Brown in Donelson,
  Tennessee.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JOHN LIVINGSTON HADLEY

I, John L. Hadley, a citizen of Davidson County and State of Tennessee, do make and publish this my last will and testament:
     lst Item; I give and bequeath to my wife Amelia Eight thousand dollars in bonds of the United States for her life time and at her death the same to go to my sons John and Robert. In other words I give to her during her life the interest on said bonds and at her death, I give said bonds to my sons John and Robert. I also give to my said wife the interest in my real estate which the law would give her as dower in case of my intestacy. I also give to my said wife all my household and kitchen furniture, including my clock, two silver butter balk and my silver handle knives.
     2nd Item; I give to Mary Laurent, a young lady that I educated for a teacher and who is now a teacher in Nashville, two thousand dollars in money, to be paid her at my death.
     3rd Item; I give to Jordon Hadley, a man of color and formerly my slave and carriage driver, my fine blooded riding mare.
     4th Item; I give to my wife Amelia in trust to hold the same for the use of my son John L. Hadley during his life and at his death to convey it to his heirs a tract of land lying in Hadleys or Jones bend in the County of Davidson and State of Tennessee embraced with the following boundary:
Beginning at the northeast corner of the land owned by Paul Dismukes in his life time and running thence northeastwardly to the house now occupied by H. . W. Bumpass on the west or south bank of Cumberland River, thence down said river to the land of Mrs. Ann Turner; thence along the East and northern boundary of said Turner to the Beginning.
     5th Item; I will and bequeath the remainder of the tract of land or rather the rest of the tract of land I own in said bend to my said wife in trust to hold the same for and during his actual life and in trust to convey said land at the death of my said son Robert to his heirs.
     6th Item; I have heretofore given to my son John L. Hadley seven thousand dollars and in dividing my tract of land as above, it has been my wish to equalize them as near as possible. But the parts given to each has not been surveyed and therefore I may have given more to one than I intended. I trust to the sense of justice of my said sons, that if I have given more to one than to the other that they will do right and authorize my wife as trustee to assist them in arriving at justice. To Robert I have given nothing or made no advancement. To John I have advanced $7000 as before stated and I have attempted to give Robert land with improvements thereon which was worth $3500 more than the land I gave to John.
     7th Item; I give all the rest, residence and remainder of my estate of every nature whatsoever, whether the same be real or personal property or choses in section and consisting of debts due me from individuals, from the corporation of Nashville from the County of Davidson, from the State or otherwise to my said wife Amelia in trust to hold the same for the use, enjoyment and benefit of my said two sons John and Robert during their lives and at their death in trust to convey it to their heirs at law. In case of the death of either of my said sons John and Robert, I wish their children to occupy their shares.
     8th Item; I nominate and appoint my wife Amelia, Executor of this my last will and testament and having entire confidence in her honesty and in the love she has for our said children, I desire and request that she be not required to give security before acting as such executor or trustee.
     In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name with my seal on this 11th day Dec. 1870.