LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — Though no one can definitively prove the actual birthday of Jack Daniel, September 1848 is a pretty good guess. His birth records supposely went up in flames during a Moore County Courthouse fire but September 1848 is a date historians came to through deduction using the U.S. Census from those days and local oral histories as their guide.
“We knew the 1850 date on the Jack Daniel statue at the distillery was wrong based on the correct date of his mother’s death,” Jack Daniel Historian Nelson Eddy says.
Jack’s mother, Lucinda Cook Daniel died in 1849, not 1847, as it states on her tombstone at the Lynchburg Cemetery, according Nearest Green Distillery founder Fawn Weaver in her recent forward to Ben A. Green’s Jack Daniel’s Legacy.
“In piecing together all available information (including the original handwritten diary of Jack’s sister, Louisa – housed at the Albert Gore Research Center), I was able to determine Jack likely wrote a “9” at the end of his mother’s death year when ordering the gravestone marker and the monument mason mistakenly took the “9” for a “7,” she says.
According to Eddy, no one’s ever discovered Jasper Newton Daniels birth certificate and based on the times, it’s not a given that one existed. Birth certificates weren’t a requirement in the United States until after the turn of the century, and they cost money. With 10 children, Jack’s parents may not have filed one to save money, Eddy says.
“But we know that back then, the Census listed a person’s age as of their last birthday. If the June 1850 U.S. Census lists Jack’s as a one year old in September 1849 then his birth year must have been 1848.”
Regardless, folks in Lynchburg like to celebrate Jack’s entire birthday month and Visitor’s Center here in Lynchburg developed a slew of new events this year to really add an exclamation mark to the occasion.
Here a list of everything going on:
September 5 • Barrel Day in Lynchburg | One of the key ingredient in every bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey produced here in Lynchburg is the barrel it’s made in. On Sunday, September 3, the Barrelman himself, Jack Daniel Brand Ambassador Kevin Sanders will give a unique barrel demonstrations at the Jack Daniel’s Visitor’s Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
September 12 • Bonded Rye Release and Master Distiller Signing | Master Distiller Chris Fletcher will be at the White Rabbit Bottle Shop on Tuesday, September 12 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. to sign bottles to celebrate the new Bonded Rye release. They open at 8 a.m.. Be sure to get there early.
September 8, 15, 22, 29 • Meet the Makers at the Lynchburg Hardware & General Store • The Distillery plans four Meet the Makers events at the Lynchburg Hardware and General Store where you can meet whiskey makers and barrel makers and ask questions. On September 8, whiskey maker Byron Copeland and barrel Craftsman Doug Hall will be onsite. On September 15, whiskey maker Jessica Hartline and barrel craftsman Stephen Reeves will be onsite. On September 22, Assistant Distiller Lexie Phillips and and barrel craftsman Riley Darden will be onsite. On September 29, whiskey maker Josh Phillips and and barrel craftsman Kevin Sanders will be onsite.
September 26 • Free Dry County Tours | Back in the day, it was absolutely free to tour The Jack Daniel’s Distillery an on Tuesday, September 26 the good old days will be back. All Dry County Tours will be free that day.
September 27 • Mr. Jack’s Birthday Celebration | It’s a birthday party of sorts. On Wednesday, September 27 guest can enjoy dinner at Miss Mary Bobo’s followed by an evening tour of the distillery and a progressive tasting. It’s limited to 75 people and costs $175. Contact the Visitor’s Center to reserve your spot.
If you’d like to learn more about Jasper Newton Daniel the man we know as Jack, check out our piece on The Unexpected Life of Jack Daniel by clicking here. •
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