SWEETHEARTS YEARS AGO - Judge Denny, of Cookeville, and Mrs. Robertson, of Mt. Juliet, Wed.

The formal announcement of the wedding of Mrs. Lilly Robertson, of Mt. Juliet, and Judge T. L. Denny, of Cookeville, which occurred at 9 o'clock last night at the Jared House, 146 Fourth avenue, North, will come as a surprise to many of their friends, as it was planned yesterday morning and carried into effect last night. Not even the children of Mr. and Mrs. Denny were informed of the exact date of the ceremony. They came to Nashville to be married for the purpose of having a quiet wedding. Judge and Mrs. Denny will remain in the city until Saturday, when they will go to Cookeville, where Judge Denny has some important cases coming up in Criminal Court.

The romance, for it is the consummation of a romance, began at the Big Spring schoolhouse, in Wilson County, near Lebanon, where T. L. Denny and Lilly Pemberton were in school together over thirty years ago. The courtship culminated in an engagement. It was then that relatives of Miss Pemberton interfered and forbade them seeing each other. The youth of the intended bride, then only 15 years, was given as the reason of opposition. Judge Denny removed to Cookeville and entered into the study and later the practice of law. A few years later he married. Miss Pemberton did likewise, being united in marriage to Joseph Robertson, a brother of Nathan Robertson, of Lebanon. Mrs. Robertson removed to Mt. Juliet.

After being a widower for about a year, Judge Denny learned only months ago that Mrs. Robertson was free to marry again. He hurried over to Mt. Juliet and picted up the threads of courtship which had been so abruptly broken over twenty-eight years ago. During that time neither had seen each other. Judge Denny made frequent visits to Mt. Juliet. He arrived in Nashville Wednesday night. Yesterday morning he decided that he would go to the home of Mrs. Robertson and secure her consent to an immediate marriage. She accompanied him to Nashville yesterday afternoon and they secured the services of the Rev. R. V. Cawthorn to perform the ceremony, naming 9 o'clock as the hour.

Judge Denny is a prominent lawyer of Cookeville. For a number of years he was Judge of the Putnam County Court. Since that time he has been on the Chancery and Circuit benches by special commission. His term as Mayor of Cookeville expired April 25. He is the father of Mrs. O. K. Holladay, wife of Senator Holladay; Mrs. H. M. Jared, Mrs. William McCluen, Miss Clara Denny and Larimore Denny. Mrs. Robertson is the mother of Miss Lucile Robertson and L. W. Robertson, of Mt. Juliet, and Duffer Robertson, employed in the auditing department of Cumberland Telephone Company in this city.

Outside of the family of B. B. Jared, proprietor of the Jared House, the only persons attending the wedding were Duffer Robertson and S. F. Carr, Register of Putnam County, who recently came to Nashville as assistant clerk in the State Treasurer's office.

Source: "SWEETHEARTS YEARS AGO: Judge Denny, of Cookeville, and Mrs. Robertson, of Mt. Juliet." The Nashville American (1894-1910); 7 May 1909; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Nashville Tennessean (1812-1922), P. 9.