Living History Saturday Brings the Story of Private Abraham Nave to Life

History is more than names and dates recorded on a page. It lives in the stories families preserve, the experiences passed from one generation to the next, and the people who help us hear the voices of those who came before us.

On Saturday, September 26, the Museum of Butler invites you to step back in time as descendant and historical interpreter Robert Rambo portrays his ancestor, Private Abraham Nave.

The special Living History Saturday presentation will take place from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. and is included with regular museum admission.

A Farmer, Hunter and Tennessee Soldier

Abraham Nave was a farmer, an accomplished bear hunter and a soldier whose life reflected the resilience and independence of early East Tennessee’s settlers.

He and his wife, Mary, raised 15 children in the community once known as the “Neck,” an area near Elizabethton that later became known as Siam. Life on a large mountain farm required the work of the entire family, but according to stories preserved by Nave’s descendants, Abraham still found time to head deep into the mountains in pursuit of bear.

Family history recalls that while his sons tended the farm, Abraham would leave on extended hunting trips—and that the family “always had at least one bear ham in the smokehouse.” It is a small but vivid detail that offers a glimpse into the resourcefulness required of families living along the Appalachian frontier.

From East Tennessee to New Orleans

Nave’s life also became part of a much larger American story.

During the War of 1812, he served as a private in the 2nd Regiment of West Tennessee Volunteer Mounted Gunmen. Although its official designation referenced West Tennessee, the ranks included men connected to communities across the state.

The regiment joined the brigade commanded by Brigadier General John Coffee, one of Andrew Jackson’s most trusted officers. Coffee’s mounted gunmen traveled hundreds of miles through difficult country, supplying their own horses and enduring harsh weather, uncertain provisions and exhausting marches.

The brigade participated in the 1814 Pensacola Campaign before continuing toward Louisiana to help defend New Orleans from the British. There, Coffee’s Tennessee mounted gunmen formed an important part of the American defensive line during the engagements surrounding the Battle of New Orleans.

Abraham’s name reportedly appears in military records as “Abe Nove”—a reminder that names were frequently spelled as clerks heard them during the early 19th century.

David Crockett also served among Tennessee’s mounted volunteers during portions of the Creek War and Pensacola campaigns. Although Crockett returned home before the Battle of New Orleans, both men were part of the larger movement of Tennessee volunteers who followed Jackson and Coffee south during this defining period in American history.

When Family History Becomes Living History

What makes this presentation especially meaningful is Robert Rambo’s personal connection to the man he portrays.

Through period interpretation, family stories and documented history, Rambo will introduce visitors to Abraham Nave not simply as the name of a soldier on a muster roll, but as a husband, father, farmer, hunter and East Tennessean.

This is exactly what Living History Saturday is meant to do: connect national events to the lives of people from our own region and demonstrate how the families of the Watauga Valley helped shape the American story.

Join us as one descendant honors another—and as the story of Private Abraham Nave returns to the mountains he once called home.

Event Information

Living History Saturday: Private Abraham NaveFeaturing Robert Rambo as his ancestor, Private Abraham Nave

Saturday, September 26, 202612:00–2:00 p.m.

Museum of Butler 123 Selma Curtis RoadButler, Tennessee

The presentation is included with regular museum admission.

Admission: $5 per person | Children under 12 are admitted free

Season passes are available for $25

Museum Hours: Saturdays: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.Sundays: 1:00–4:00 p.m.

Learn more at MuseumofButlerTN.org.

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee and administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.