Turning southwest, the road crossed the Potomac River and entered the Shenandoah Valley near present-day Martinsburg, West Virginia. The John Miller-Adam Sell house was built in 1788 on Knob Creek. Land Grants from Tennessee dating from 1778 to 1780 are listed below consisting of several entries. The river was named after Stephen Holstein, who built a cabin on the upper reaches of the river in 1746. They corresponded with the Cherokee and leased properties with mutual agreements during the year of 1772. John Carter and his son, Landon Carter, settled on the western side of the Holston River about 1770. The settlers believed they had settled in Virginia. He sold this land to settlers. In 1780 John Carter and his son, Landon C. Carter, built a two story frame home with two fireplaces. law, known as the Land-Grab Act, was in effect Thus was the first Virginia land granted on the so-called "Western Waters." 1745 1744 Sooner settlers were in the New River valley near present Blacksburg. The group included his brothers and brother-in-law. Washington was now faced with a problem, "The land west of . After the battle with the indigenous people at Fort Watauga Roberta Tuller 2020 141-300 acres-Washington County-fork of Big Limestone Creek, Adam Orth-#217, Book 53, pg. 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. Washington County, Tennessee,was established in 1777 as Washington County, North Carolina. Valentine Sevier, Sr. came from the Shenandoah Valley. Established in 1780, Sullivan County was one of the earliest settled areas in Tennessee. George Brown-#1021, Book 80, pg. Others include, Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The hunters came from there and the adjacent valley of the Clinch River, where they were land owners or residents. https://georgiapioneers.com/subscribe/subscribe.html, https://georgiapioneers.com/subscribe/subscribe.html. By their presence, those early settlers saved the west for the United States. The Saura were the original Native Americans to reside in present-day Surry, and the Great Wagon Road opened colonial settlement to the region in the early to mid-eighteenth century. Tennessee. 10-240 acres-Washington County-on the North fork of Doe River, George Russel-#11989, Book 89, pg. The settlers believed they had settled in Virginia. The stay of Governor Blount at the house of William Cobb was from October 10 to November 27 following. (LogOut/ The North Carolinians rebuffed them and this signaled the end of the State of Franklin. In the fall of the year 1771, Anthony Bledsoe ran the boundary line between the Colonies of Virginia and North Carolina, far enough west to ascertain that the Watauga settlement was in North Carolina, and Alexander Cameron, the British agent, immediately ordered the settlers on the Watauga to move off of the Indian lands. These settlements were the culmination of the treaty of Hard Labor in 1768 with the Cherokee Indians as well as the experimental survey which was had of the Virginia-North Carolina line in 1771. His information has been so corrupted I doubt it will ever be corrected. Although the Holston River is now defined as ending at the French Broad River to form the Tennessee River at its mile post 652 in Knoxville, before 1933 the terminus of the Holston River was defined as the location 51 miles downstream of Knoxville at Lenoir City where the Little Tennessee River enters the river. 4-320 acres-Washington County-waters of Lick Creek, Samuel Harris-#5, Book 36, pg. By May, 1785 they had petitioned to be admitted to the United States as the State of Franklin. John Sevier settled on the Nolichucky. As I have a brick wall ancestor who was born about 1798 in SE TN (west of Chattanooga) to parents who he says were born in SC, I am curious about potential routes from upcountry SC to SE TN and wonder if the road to Fort Loudon and then possibly by water would have been plausible at the end of the 18th century? Kingsport, TN 37660-1048. 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 Isaac Lincoln, Godfry Carriger, Teter Nave, Leonard Bowers, William Duggard, Elisha Humphreys, David Matlock, Deceased and Emanuel Carter, Deceased. 68. 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. Named for Stephen Holston, who built a cabin on its banks in 1746, it is 115 mi (185 km) long and has two important Tennessee Valley Authority . 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. Lucas Massengill having married Mary Cobb, a sister of William. It continued south in the valley via the Great Warriors' Trail (also called the Indian Road, as on this map), which was established by centuries of Indian travel over ancient trails created by migrating buffalo herds. It existed for about four and a half years and then North Carolina re-assumed control. Did you know that Nashville is one of Tennessees early settlements? Im looking for paths that might have been best for travel between 1750 and 1800 to TN. Enjoy Your Journey To The Past !! The Jobe family was also among the early settlers. Robinson, 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. However, all except the North Holston community were in North Carolina on land that belonged to the Cherokee Nation. In the fall of the year 1771, Anthony Bledsoe ran the boundary line between the Colonies of Virginia and North Carolina, far enough west to ascertain that the Watauga settlement was in North Carolina, and Alexander Cameron, the British agent, immediately ordered the settlers on the Watauga to move oflf of the Indian lands. Like the old Carolina and Virginia gentlemen. 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] Mordecai Price received a patent for four hundred acres on Sinking Draper's manuscript Life of Daniel Boone appears to have brought him into the Valley that bears his name. So many families arrived in Washington County during the war years. 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 answer to your question, yes, Sullivan County was at one time Washington County. As the settlers made their way from North Carolina and Virginia, they traveled along many hunting trails of the Cherokee and the Catawba Indians. The first Holston settlement on the Holston River (in Virginia) became the county of Sullivan, Tennessee. The revival also attracted members of the Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church. There are two different special regulation trout fishing sections within the upper portions of the river. The Holston's confluence with the French Broad River at Knoxville marks the beginning of the Tennessee River. The certificate that grants the land rights is also called first-title deed and final certificate. The South Holston River flows cold and clear from the bottom of South Holston Reservoir, one of The Tennessee Valley Authorities (TVA) impoundments. Jacob Womack, Jesse Walton, Geo. I find mistakes like this all the time and correcting them for future family historians is not an easy task. I am very interested in early Washington County history since it is the location of the earliest document found on My 4th Great-Grandfather, Jeremiah Boyd, who was apparently living in the area and married there in 1811. Data It is home to 47 species of fish including smallmouth bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, redline darter, and bigeye . Dragging Canoe continued raiding the frontier, killing dozens of settlers near the fort. Settlers were now able to travel to the area legally in accordance to Royal law. Daniel McCray and William Nodding, and both are on the 1786 list of voters and received land grants in Washington County. The firm leased their lands to the settlers much after the manner of the Patrons, in the early history of New York. In 1799 there was a petition in Washington County asking for marriages performed under the State of Franklin to be recognized. Creek at the waters of Wattauga river on May 18, 1789. recognize the deeds' validity and continued to make grants in the James Miller and others left the church. There were approximately 1,100 It is "Tennessee's oldest town". this continued for a time, but when it . 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. Church in the Knob Creek settlement. Thanks for sharing your research and knowledge. These were Lutheran, Reformed, or Brethren. The first permanent settlement in Tennessee was made in 1769 on Boones Creek The cards have been digitized and made available online. Roberta Tuller 2020 pay 10 pounds per 100 acres. These early settlers formed the Watauga Association which was was semi-autonomous government created in 1772. This confluence is considered to be the start of the Tennessee River. White, Robert S. Shoaf, and Marvin H. Helbert Memorial Bridge, This page was last edited on 30 March 2022, at 16:45. from October 20, 1783 to May 25, 1784. When the militia returned, ColonelJohn Sevier's men defeated the Cherokee atBoyd's Creek and destroyed most of the remaining towns. After the battle with the indigenous people at Fort Watauga In response to these attacks, the militia burned Tuskegee and Citico. The Chickasaws traded it for $300,000 to be paid in twenty annual installments. They were aware of their presence as they would gaze upon trail markers, arrowheads and remnants of villages left behind. recognize the deeds' validity and continued to make grants in the The . The Middle Fork flows 56.5 miles (90.9km) from near the western border of Wythe County, Virginia, joining the South Fork in Washington County, Virginia, southeast of Abingdon.