Also associated with him as judges were David Campbell and Joseph Anderson and their session were also held here. The waters of the Watauga River forms its boundaries to the north and the peaks of Buffalo Mountain, Jump Hill and Jackson Mountain border the eastern edges. The exodus from the land was dramatic. John Hendrix (Hendricks) and Hannah Kelly moved to the Watauga settlement about 1780. This will certainly not be the last article pertaining to Tennessee and its early history. About the time of the Revolutionary War, the McCrays, the Noddings, Calverts and Bayless families migrated to Washington County. At day-break, when there were a large number of people gathered there, and the women were out-side milking the cows, a large body of Cherokees fired on the milkers; but they all fortunately escaped to the fort, the gates of which were thrown open for their reception. An American Family History is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Watauga Petition, 1776. It is divided into two almost equal parts by the Holston River, which traverses its entire length. He built a cabin on the Watauga River near Boone's Creek. In the United States, all land can be traced back to the original land patent. Sixteen counties were established by 1824. on farms nearby. And yes, once again, the entire territory known as Tennessee was under Washington County. pay 10 pounds per 100 acres. The John Carr family came from South Carolina, and was one of the first in Washington County, Tennessee. OnThisDay, March 1, 1792, in the village of Ranning Water, Southwest Territories (now Tennessee) died TREASONOUS CANOE. It was created in 1784 with the intent of becoming the fourteenth state. Legislative Journal of the Provincial Congress at Halifax, North Carolina Monday, December 23rd, 1776. The county contains many creeks and three rivers the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork of the Holston River. Index. I will share much more details on this in future articles, such as the Cherokee attacks of 1776. James Robertson and John Sevier were known to lease lands from the Cherokee however, Ive not been able to locate a written source for such documents which would prove this theory. It was created in 1784 with the intent of becoming the fourteenth state. Im trying to find Williams city of birth. In the 1830s the government forced the Cherokee out on the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) west of the Mississippi River, under the authority of the Indian Removal Act passed by Congress in 1830. Pioneers from North Carolina and the older Watauga Settlement in East Tennessee arrived in this area around . It is possible that Lucas Massengill came first, as he was a member of the Watauga association and there is no evidence known to me that William Cobb was a member. His equipage was unpretending. The South Fork rises near Sugar Grove in Smyth County and flows 112 miles (180km) southwest to join the North Fork at Kingsport. George Brown is my brick wall, He is buried in Stewart Cemetery in Putnam County, Tn. The first Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia arrived in the 1720's primarily from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Eastern Virginia. Ord[ered]. Michael married for a second wife Hannah Torbett, and title rested in their son William Allen until hs death, and is still in his family, Mrs. Deborah Massengill Bayless, of Johnson City, being the present owner. Five other dams, also managed by TVA, impound the Holston's headwater streams: Watauga Dam and Wilbur Dam on the Watauga River, and Boone Dam, Fort Patrick Henry Dam, and South Holston Dam, on the South Fork Holston River. The Watauga settlement was was south of the Holston River, on the Watauga and Nolichucky Rivers in the colony of North Carolina. Register George Brown was a Rev. (LogOut/ February 1, 1796 Leonard Hart obtained 239 acres next to the Hendrix (Hendricks) Family in Turkeytown. North-of-Holston(now Sullivan County) was settled by those who came down the valley from Virginia and thought themselves to be in Virginia. blood in the Holston Valley and other neighboring parts of the USA. John Sevier settled on the Nolichucky. In 1799 there was a petition in Washington County asking for marriages performed under the State of Franklin to be recognized. Johnson City: The Watauga Press, 1928. This setting was known to the early settlers as they first stepped upon the soils of Tennessee. In 1799 there was a petition in Washington County asking for marriages performed under the State of Franklin to be recognized. Others include, 4-320 acres-Washington County-waters of Lick Creek, Samuel Harris-#5, Book 36, pg. This page was last modified 16:19, 15 October 2009. . The first settlers on This is the story told by park rangers and by the excellent film and signage at todays Fort Loudon State Park. From there the river flows roughly southwestward, just north of Bays Mountain, until it reaches its confluence with the French Broad River just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Jacob Range improved land in 1779 on the Big Harpeth River and later petitioned for a grand to that land. They were told to relocate, but instead negotiated with the Cherokee to lease the land. (History of Southwest Virginia). As the settlers made their way from North Carolina and Virginia, they traveled along many hunting trails of the Cherokee and the Catawba Indians. According to records, over 200 people were living in the Washington County area during the year of 1776. Several families did in fact leave the area but many chose to stay. The Washington DistrictCommittee of Safety was created in 1775 and included John Carter, Zachariah Isbell, Jacob Brown, John Sevier, James Smith, James and Charles Robertson, William Bean, John Jones, George Russell, and Robert Lucas. These early settlers formed the Watauga Association which was was semi-autonomous government created in 1772. A dream come true, to be free on fertile soil, to live among one another with joy and respect. Fannin & Union County, Georgia & Tennessee & North Carolina Border Settlers. The above is just a brief description of the early history and origins of the area. It is well documents that in that settlement, Rhoda Alexander was born November 6, 1785, and possible other females were born in that settlement before John Weaver, his wife and child, Jacob, arrived in late fall of 1786. John Nicholas (1753) and Margaretha Mottern were from Berks County Pennsylvania. Borden's Grant The main cabin was probably built as early as 1774. The John Miller-Adam Sell house was built in 1788 on Knob Creek. James Miller and others left the church. The reason is the topography itself, where, Author of 100+ genealogy books. which he purchased the lease of land Dungan. Impressed with what he had seen, Bean brought his family to the area. Talbot. Mordecai Price received a patent for four hundred acres on Sinking Valentine Sevier, Sr. came from the Shenandoah Valley. Change). The stories associated with these trails as well as the people who traveled them will be discovered and shared. The original plans and the placement of the buildings and their functions have been restored as a state park. Pictured above is a current photo of Fort Watauga which was formally known as Fort Caswell. These were Lutheran, Reformed, or Brethren. The United States settlers and army fought with the Cherokee over land in Tennessee, North Carolina, and further South into Georgia and Alabama. He was from Virginia (likely Halifax) and married a daughter of Conrad Keicher (Kyker). Early Settlers . East Tennessee College was established by law on the 26th of October, 1807, as one of the two colleges in the State, for which one hundred thousand acres of land, south of French Broad and Holston, and west of Big Pigeon river, had been set apart by act of Congress the previous year. In answer to your question, yes, Sullivan County was at one time Washington County. The actual military defense of Virginia's extreme western frontier did not begin, on a large scale, until the spring prior to the outbreak on Dunmore's War in the fall of 1774, more commonly referred to by historians as the Point Pleasant Campaign. That point, the confluence of the Holston and Little Tennessee Rivers, was considered to be the beginning of the Tennessee River, 601 miles upstream from the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky. The genealogies refer to approximately 12,000 individuals, many of them worked through seven generations. David Matlock received a warrant for a 540-acre tract of land in Washington Countyin 1782 on the west side of the Doe River including the big spring and the bottom on both sides of Doe River. TheCherokeewere indigenous people who lived in the southern Appalachian mountains. Im looking for paths that might have been best for travel between 1750 and 1800 to TN. Many settlers came to the Holston and Watauga Settlements after the Battle of Alamance in May, 1771, when there was a mass migration of settlers from central North Carolina to the frontier regions. He kept his horses, his dogs, his rifles, even his trap for comfort and entertainment of his guests. 149-50 acres-Washington County-Elk Creek, branch of Watauga, Thomas Murray-#883, Book 76, pg. 3-400 acres-Washington County-both sides of Indian Creek, David Reese-#4, Book 36, pg. It existed for about four and a half years and then North Carolina re-assumed control. James Maury wrote at the time: "By Bedford Courthouse in one week 'tis said and I believe truly, near 300 inhabitants of this colony passed on their way to Carolina." [ 10] As requested by the editor I submit the follow in regard to the use of the Cobb residence as the first capital of a recognized government west of the Alleghenies, The Territory South of the River Ohio. Sinking Creek Baptist Church was organized 1772 in Washington County (now Carter County).. Carter's Valley(now Hawkins County) was named for a trader, John Carter, who later moved to the Watauga Settlement where he was prominent in its affairs. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and northwestern North Carolina. In 1784, Zachariah Isbell, John Sevier and Jesse Walton were appointed to confiscate the properties of Tories in Washington County. The reason I bring up water is that I have another ancestor and his brothers-in-law who I think traveled by water from the area of Roane County TN to Madison County AL around 1809. Add . These early settlers formed the Watauga Association which was was semi-autonomous government created in 1772. His information has been so corrupted I doubt it will ever be corrected. obtained for the settlers a ten year lease for flve or six thousand dollars worth of merchandise. Like the old Carolina and Virginia gentlemen. The North Carolinians rebuffed them and this signaled the end of the State of Franklin. Carter County, Tennessee was named for Landon. In 1779, Tidence Lane established the Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church. Plan your next trip to Flag Pond, TN and be sure to visit Natchez Trace State Park. Beverley Manor Dungan, acquired land in the area in 1778 and built a mill on Brush Creek in the present town of Watauga. On July 13, 1792 Moses Humphreys purchased a tract of land on the north During the 1770s, European Americans established the "Nolichucky settlements" in what is nowGreene County, Tennessee. His son was born in S.C. in 1779 but there is no info on either, only that William, the son, moved from S.C. to Cocke County, TN. In 1775, the Wataugans secured their lands by purchasing it from the Cherokee Nation, and by August 1776, had petitioned North Carolina for recognition of their government, now termed "Washington District." The following petition is undated, but is believed . Moving into the Alabama area, routes that were in use are the Taylors Pass and the Mountain Pass. The hunters came from there and the adjacent valley of the Clinch River, where they were land owners or residents. The largest stream is the Holston River, which traverses the eastern portion of the county, flowing in a southwesterly course until it reaches the Washington County line where it is joined by the Watauga. filed in the court office. 2-90 acres-Washington County-both sides of Doe River, William Sharpe-#3, Book 36, pg. The parties of two or three men (and rarely more) usually started their hunts in October and ended toward the end of March or early in April. Mordecai Price received a patent for four hundred acres on Sinking Between 1769 and 1771, four settlements were made in what is now East Tennessee. The relations between the occupants and the Cherokee were civil but grew to despair during the year of 1758. 1st Class O.B. During the year of 1756, its construction was modest but as the months went by, the fort grew to a great barrier among the wild elements of the landscape. Thank You so much for sharing your family history with us today. The North Carolinians rebuffed them and this signaled the end of the State of Franklin. The list contains name, grant number with book and page number for reference. Among the dams and associated reservoirs on the South Fork Holston River are Boone Dam and Boone Reservoir; Fort Patrick Henry Dam and Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir, and South Holston Dam and South Holston Reservoir. Many of the first settlers would follow the trails beyond this rich area of Tennessee. Maps by early French explorers in this area identified what is now known as the Holston River as the "Cherokee River", after the tribe they encountered. Chimney Top points towards the western skies and reminds you of lands lying elsewhere. 1500 acres of land as a Boundry for Iron Works in the fork of Wataugah and Doe River Joining the Land of said Carter also, Also 1500 acres on the South of Doe River Joining the lands of, John Hendrix (Hendricks) and Hannah Kelly, John Nicholas (1753) and Margaretha Mottern. Carter County received $16,000 and the Commissioners decided to purchase salt with the money, re-sell at cost to the citizens. 326-345 acres-Hawkins County-south side of, Ruebin Derring-#1053, Book 77, pg. . Four major river forks (Nork Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork, and Watauga Rivers) combine to make up the beautiful Holston River which spans 274 miles. Luttrell, L., Creekmore, P., & Creekmore, P. (1943). Once the Royal authorities found proof of their existence past the Proclamation Line, soldiers responded by informing the settlers to return to North Carolina and Virginia. Beverly Bastian, Jenna Tedrick Kuttruff, and Stuart Strumpf, Fort Loudoun in Tennessee: 1756-1760: History, Archaeology, Replication, Exhibits, and Interpretation-Waldenhouse Publishers, Inc., 2010. The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and East Tennessee. The Holston's confluence with the French Broad River at Knoxville marks the beginning of the Tennessee River. Daniel McCray and William Nodding, and both are on the 1786 list of voters and received land grants in Washington County. The settlers were warned and stopped the first attack at Heaton's Station. Thank You So Much for your support of Piedmont Trails. He received his commission as Gov .of the territory August 7, 1790. this continued for a time, but when it . Of the coming of Governor Blount and of William Cobb, Ramsey says as follows: Receives Commission As they first stepped upon the soils of Tennessee was probably built as early 1774! Buried in Stewart Cemetery in Putnam County, TN and be sure to visit Trace... A daughter of Conrad Keicher ( Kyker ) is my brick wall, he buried. Tn and be sure to visit Natchez Trace State park Harris- # 5 Book. Impressed with what he had seen, Bean brought his family to the.! William Cobb, Ramsey says as follows: Receives Zachariah Isbell, Sevier! Doubt it will ever be corrected the beginning of the first settlers would the! 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