Goodspeed's History of Greene Co --1887

Goodspeed's Biographies of some Greene County citizens

Green County is the fourth county in size in East Tennessee, having an area of 530 square miles. It lies between the Unaka Mountains on the south and Bays Mountains on the north, and is traversed by a series of valleys and ridges. The principal stream is the Nolachucky River, which receives as tributaries Lick Creek, Little Nolachucky, Horse Creek and Camp Creek. The soil of the county is generally fertile, with the exception of the extreme southern part, and even in this section the lands are found to be well adapted to tobacco culture. The richest farming lands occupy the northern portion of the county and the bottom of the "Chucky River." The minerals embrace almost every variety found in East Tennessee, with the exception of coal. Iron is especially abundant in many places, and has been worked with success.

The settlement of what is now Greene County was begun about 1788. One of the first settlers was Anthony Moore, who in that year located not far from Henderson's Station, and whose daughter is said to have been the first white child born in the county. Other settlers followed soon after, and during the next two years, the greater part of the land, along Lick Creek and the Nolachucky River had been occupied.

Daniel Kennedy came in 1779, and located on the river four miles east of Greenville, at the mouth of Holley Creek. He was one of the most prominent pioneers of the State, and deserves to rank with Sevier, Shelby and Cocke. He was chosen clerk of the county court upon the organization of the county, and continued to hold it under four successive changes of government, a sufficient proof of his integrity and worth. He was an ardent support of the State of Franklin, and was an active participant in the convention which founded it. He was also elected a brigadier-general of the Franklin militia.

Among the other early settlers of the county were James English, on the headwaters of Lick Creek; Joseph Hardin, on the Roaring Fork of Lick Creek; George, William and Henry Conway, at the mouth of Lick Creek; Amos Bird, on the Chucky River; Alexander Galbraith, on Sinking Creek; James Delaney, on Holley Creek; Lewis Brayles, on Horse Creek; James Houston, in what is known as the Cove; Lanty Armstrong, on the sight of Rheatown; Robert Carr and Robert Hood, on the sight of Greeneville; James Patterson, who had four sons -- James, Andrew, Nathaniel and William -- located on Lick Creek in 1783. The Moores, Rankins and David Rice also settled in the same vicinity. A station was erected by the Carters about eight miles northwest of Greeneville. Tephaniah [sic]Woolsey lived south of the river.

About 1790 a large number of Friends or Quakers began to come into the county from Pennsylvania and North Carolina, although a number of person of that faith had come several years before. Among the pioneers were William Reese, Garrett and Peter Dillion, William and Abraham Smith, Solomon, David and John B. Beales, Samuel and Mordecai Ellis, Abraham Marshall, Samuel Pearson, Samuel Stanfield and George Hayworth. The first religious services were held on the eleventh day of the ninth month, 1791. Other meetings were held from time to time, and on the twenty-eighth day of the second month, 1795, New Hope monthly meeting was organized about one mile west of Rheatown where a house of worship was erected. A church house was also erected on Lick Creek at an early day.

While some of these friends were slave-holders the great majority was opposed to the institution of slavery, and it was among those earnest, simple and God-fearing people, that the first society for the abolition of negro slavery in America originated. The first branch of the Tennessee Manumission Society was organized at Lost Creek Meeting-house in Jefferson County on February 25, 1815. On that day eight persons met for the purpose of forming themselves into a society, under the style of the Tennessee Society for promoting the Manumission of Slaves. These persons were Charles Osborne, John Canady, John Swan, John Underwood, Jesse Willis, David Maulsby, Elihu Swan and Thomas Morgan. The constitution for this society was as follows:

Each member is to have an advertisement in the most conspicious part of his house, in the following words, viz.: "Freedom is the natural right of all men. I therefore acknowledge myself a member of the Tennessee Society for promoting the manumission of slaves."

That no member vote for a governor or legislator unless he believes him to be in favor of emancipation.

That we convene twelve times at Lost Creek Meeting-house. The first on the 11th of the third month next ****** shall proceed to appoint a president, clerk and treasurer, who shall continue in office twelve months.

The required qualification of our members are true Republican principles **** and in form of ***** and that no immoral character be admitted into the society as a member.

Soon after societies were formed in Greene, Sullivan, Washington and Cocke Counties and in Knoxville, and on the 21st of November, 115, the first general convention was held at Lick Creek Meeting-house of Friends, in Greene County. The second annual convention was held on the 19th and 20th of November, 1816, at Greeneville. Unfortunately the first minutes of this society have been lost, and but little is known of the original members of other branch societies. The first secretary was John Marshall. How long this society existed could not be ascertained, but the following facts are learned from the minutes of the eighth annual convention, held at the Friends' Meeting-house at Lick Creek, in Jefferson County, on August 12 and 13, 1822.

The delegates present were as follows: Green [sic] Branch -- John Marshall, Samuel McNees and David Stanfield; Maryville Branch -- David Delzel, Isaiah Harrison, Aaron Hackney and Andrew Cowan; Hickory Valley Branch -- Isaiah Harrison and John Coulson; Nolachucky Branch -- Lawrence Earnest; Turkey Creek Branch -- William Milliken; Washington Branch -- Joseph Tucker; French Broad Branch -- William Snoddy and John McCroskey; Holston Branch -- Jesse Lockhart; Jefferson Branch -- John and James Caldwell and Elisha Hammer; Middle Creek Branch -- John Kerr. Beaver Creek, Sullivan, Powell's Valley, Knoxville and Newport Branches were not represented. James Jones was chosen president; Thomas Doan, clerk, and Asa Gray, treasurer. The whole number of members in the various branches was reported at 474. Robert M. Anderson and Jesse Lockhart were appointed to draw up a memorial to Congress, and Stephen Brooks, Thomas Doan, Wesley Earnest, Abraham Marshall and James Jones were appointed the committee of inspection for the ensuing year. As had been the custom at each preceding convention an address advocating the abolition of slavery, to be distributed to the various branch societies, was prepared. Since it inaugurated the anti-slavery agitation, which culminated in the civil war, the organization of this society must be regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the country.

The first Methodist society in the State was organized in this county. It was named Ebenezer, and was established in the Earnest neighborhood some time about 1790. This neighborhood is on the Nolachucky River, opposite the present Fullen's Depot. Henry Earnest located there in 1778 or 1779. He was the father of five sons and six daughters, and it is said that his wife with the children constituted four fifths of the membership of the new church. The first church building was erected prior to 1795, as in that year the Western Conference held its annual meeting there. From this time for several years this church seems to have been a favorite meeting place of the conference, that body having convened there in 1801, 1805, 1807 and 1822. One of the largest camp-grounds ever built within the bounds of the Holston Conference was erected about one and one-half miles from Ebenezer, near what is now Henderson's Depot. It was used for many years and was not abandoned until the civil war. It was known as Stone Dam Camp-ground.

Another Methodist society was organized at a very early day at Vanpet's, in the vicinity of Carter's Station, on the north side of Nolachucky, in the western part of the county, where a camp-ground called Center was erected some time prior to 1813. The first church building was built as early as 1792.

The first Baptist Church in the county was organized in 1793 or 1794 on Lick Creek. Among the first members were Phillip Hale, Robert Fristoe, William Johnson, B. Hopper, Samuel Baker, Thomas Wyatt and Richard Curtin.

Another church known as Flay Branch was organized at New Providence Meeting-house in 1803. Of its early members may be mentioned D. D. Shackleford, Nehemiah Woolsey, George Jones, Thomas D. Mason, V. Reynolds, Joshua Hardin, Frederick Dewitt, Joseph Reynolds, James Houston, J. Gilbert, H. Gilbert, Jeremiah Broyle and Giles Parman. The name of this church in 1885 was changed to Mountain View. Among other churches of this denomination are Roaring Springs, organized originally in 1817, present church of that name constituted in 1872; Clear Fork, 1825; Caney Branch, 1844; New Lebanon, 1848, Susong's Memorial, 1877; Romeo 1878, and Lovelace, 1879.

The Presbyterians organized the first church in the county at Greeneville, for a sketch of which see elsewhere. A second church known as Providence was organized in 1784.

In 1783, the General Assembly of North Carolina passed an act dividing Washington County for the second time, and establishing the county of Greene. On the third Monday of August, the court of pleas and quarter sessions met at the house of Robert Carr, which stood near to what is known as the Big Spring in Greeneville. The magistrates present were Joseph Hardin, John Newman, George Doherty, James Houston, Amos Bird and Asahel Rawlings. Daniel Kennedy was elected clerk; James Wilson, sheriff; William Cocke, attorney for the State; Joseph Hardin, Jr., entry taker; Isaac Taylor, surveyor, Richard Woods, register, and Francis Hughes, ranger.

For convenience the county was divided into four civil districts, three of which lay north of the Nolachucky and French Broad Rivers, which the fourth included all the residents south of these streams. For these districts the following assessors were appointed: First -- Lanty Armstrong, Owen Owens and William Stockton; Second -- Gideon Richie, James Dillard and Henry Conway; Third -- Alexander Kelly, Jeremiah Jack and Henry Earnest; Fourth _____ ______. The constables appointed were John Hammond, James Robinson, Joseph Box and Robert Ore.

At the November session, 1783, the first grand jury was summoned. It was composed of the following men: Henry Conway, Joseph Carter, David Russell, Lanty Armstrong, Alexander Galbraith, Archibald Stone, Andrew Martin, James Rogers, Jeremiah Jack, Anthony Moore, George Martin, David Copeland, Richard Woods, Robert Allison and four others whose names could not be deciphered. This jury, however, found no indictments and was soon discharged. The court which was begun on February, 1784, levied a tax of one shilling specie on each 100 pounds of taxable property for the purpose of erecting public buildings. At the same session a road was ordered to be laid off from Robert Carr's "to the confines of the county in the direction of Sullivan Courthouse." At the next term Robert Carr was allowed £8 for the use of his house by the court while at the same time the sheriff entered a protest against the jail erected by Mr. Carr.

In May, 1785, the county was reorganized under the State of Franklin, and all the officers who were reappointed were required to take a new oath of office. The magistrates who appeared and qualified were Joseph Hardin, George Doherty, Benjamin and John Gist, John Newman, Asabel Rawlings, John Maughon, James Patterson, John Weir and David Craig. The old county officers were removed except Daniel Kennedy, clerk and Francis Hughes, ranger. The county, as a whole, was the most loyal to the Franklin government of any of the counties composing the State, and jealously guarded against anything tending to weaken its influence or authority.

In the records of the February session, 1786, is the following entry: "An anonymous printed paper, purporting to be an address to the citizens of Franklin, is judged by the court to be a scandalous, wicked and seditious libel against the States in the Union, and individuals of the Ecclesiastical order, and the same is ordered by the court to be burnt by the High Sheriff to-morrow at four o'clock in the afternoon." At the next term David Crawley was brought before the court on a charge of "threatening the county of Greene," and it was considered "that he be bound to good behavior for one year and a day." An amusing instance of the court's attempt to maintain its dignity against an irate attorney is found in the following entries in the minutes of November, 1786: "Luke Bowyer fined five shillings for insulting the court. Fi. fa. issue for the same. Luke Bowyer fined £10 for insulting the court and 5s for profane swearing. Fi. fa. issue for the same." "Luke Bowyer ordered to be confined in the stocks for one-quarter of an hour; ditto one hour." At this juncture Mr. Bowyer doubtless bethought himself of the maxim, that "discretion is the better part of valor," and submitted to the court.

Notwithstanding the troublous times through which the new State was passing, the court of pleas and quarter sessions for Greene County continued to hold its sessions regularly, and to discharge its duties with the greatest fidelity, and even after every vestage of the authority of Sevier's government had disappeared from the other counties this court transacted its business in the name of the State of Franklin. In August, 1788, however, the county passed once more under the authority of North Carolina, and John McNabb, Alexander Outlaw, Abraham McCoy, Alexander Galbraith, Joseph Hardin and John Newman, qualified as magistrates. At this term new county officers were elected with the exception of clerk of the court, and the following attorneys were admitted to practice: John McNairy, Alexander McGinty, David Allison, Archibald Roane, Joseph Hamilton and Andrew Jackson. In November, 1790, the county court was once more reorganized, to comply with the government of the territory south of the river Ohio, but there were few changes in the magistrates or other officers. The same may also be said of what occurred six years later, when the officers qualified according to the laws of the State of Tennessee.

The circuit court for Greene County was organized on March 7, 1810, by William Cocke. The attorneys present were David Yearsley, attorney-general; John Kennedy, John F. Jack and Samuel Y. Balch. The chancery court for the district, composed of Carter, Greene, Washington, Cocke, Jefferson and Sevier, was organized at Greeneville on May 16, 1825, by Thomas L. Williams, then one of the judges of the supreme court. Of the attorneys mentioned above only Samuel Y. Balch and James Reese are known to have resided in the present limits of Greene County. The latter was a member of one of the Franklin Assemblies and later represented Greene County in the Legislature of North Carolina.

About 1817 James W. Wyly received a license to practice, and from that time until 1835 he was one of the leading advocates at the bar. At the latter date he removed to Missouri. Contemporary with him were his brother, A. H. Wyly, and George T. Gillespie. The former removed to Texas during the war between that State and Mexico, and the latter, after serving for a time as clerk and master, removed to Russellville, Tenn. Alfred and Augustus Russell were also lawyers of some note during this period. About 1830 Robert J. McKinney, who had studied law with John A. McKinney, of Rogersville, located at Greeneille. He at once took a front rank in the profession, and it is doubtful if he ever had a superior as a jurist in the State. In 1848 he succeeded Judge Reese upon the supreme bench, where he continued to preside until the civil war.

About 1835, Thomas D. Arnold, formerly of Knoxville, located at Greeneville. He was a man of only limited education, and of somewhat eccentric manners, but by his strong native intellect and force of character he had already raised himself to prominence. He had served a term in the Legislature, been attorney-general of his circuit, and had held a seat in the XXII Congress. He engaged actively in the practice of his profession and in politics at Greeneville, and in 1840 he was elected to represent the First District in Congress.

In 1841 David T. Patterson was admitted to the bar. He had studied in the office of Judge McKinney, and was well equipped for the practice of his profession. In 1854 he was elected judge of the First Judicial Circuit, and six years later he was re-elected. After the close of the war he served four years in the United States Senate, and since his retirement has not be engaged in the practice of his profession.

In 1846 Samuel Milligan, also a pupil of Judge McKinney, began the practice of law, but as more extended mention of him is made elsewhere it will not be repeated here.

Among the other attorneys prior to the war were James W. Hale (who died in 1842), Robert M. Barton, J. Britton, Jr., Robert Johnson, J. G. Rose and Robert McFarland. The members of the Greeneville bar at the present time are James Robinson, R. M. McKee, A. M. Shown, James Armitage, Dr. W. A. Harmon, R. D. Harmon, Samuel Shields, J. E. Hale, A. B. Wilson and W. F. Milburn.

Greeneville may be said to have been founded in 1783, when the court held its first session at the house of Robert Carr. The name is first mentioned in the records of 1785, but the town was not established by the Legislature, nor regularly laid off until that year. The first settlers in the vicinity besides Carr were William Dunwoody (properly Dinwiddie), and Robert Hood, all of whom located about 1780 or 1781. Hood lived on what is now the south edge of town, on land owned by Mrs. Walker. Dunwoody is said to have kept a tavern near the site of Self's hotel, but the first house of entertainment was kept by Robert Carr, who in 1784 erected a house on the north side of Main Street, afterward occupied by Dr. James Isbell. The tavern rates as fixed by the court were: Diet, 1s; liquor, half-pint, 6d.; pasture and stable, 6d.; lodging, 4d; corn, per gallon, 8d.; oats, per gallon, 6d.

The first courthouse was completed about 1785, and in November of that year the third Franklin convention was held in it. Afterward it served as the meeting place for the Commons, while the Senate met in Carr's old house near the Big Spring. The building is described by Ramsey as follows: "It was built of unhewn logs, and covered with clapboards, and was occupied by the court at first without a floor or loft. It had one opening only for an entrance, which was not yet provided with a shutter. Windows were not needed, either for ventilation or light, the intervals between the logs being a good substitute for them." It stood at the lower corner of the present courthouse lot. It was used until about 1804 or 1805, when both a courthouse and new jail were erected. The latter was built of stone and stood near the middle of East Depot Street. It has had two successors, one completed in 1830, at a cost of $1,700, and the other built in 1882. It is constructed entirely of stone and iron, and cost $14,000. The third and present courthouse was erected about 1822-23. In 1870 a front, containing four offices and two stair-cases, was added.

The first merchant in Greeneville was Andrew Greer, who had previously been known as a prominent Indian trader. William Dickson began business some time prior to 1800, and continued as one of the leading merchants until his death, a period of nearly half a century. He was a man of wealth, and served two terms in Congress, from 1801 to 1805. Joseph Brown and John Russell both opened stores about 1800, the former in a small frame house where the Presbyterian Church now is, and the latter on the lot now occupied by Brown & Brown. Among the other residents of the town at about this time were James Stinson, county register and tavern keeper; Robert Kyle, a tailor, and Valentine Sevier, clerk of the county court.

In 1819 the merchants of Greeneville were Deaderick & Sevier, William Dickson, Henry & Peter Earnest, Lewis H. Broyles & Co., John C. Greenway & Co., and Joseph Allen & Co. At this time Greeneville had ceased to be a village, and had become a town of some 600 or 700 people. It was a good business point, and during the next decade it continued to improve. The merchants were prosperous, and many of them acquired a large amount of wealth, hence a sort of aristocracy sprang up, which, on political issue, was opposed by the mechanics and the laboring class generally. Among the latter the leaders were Andrew Johnson, Mordecai Lincoln and Blackstone McDaniel. The last named was a plasterer and is still living. Mr. Lincoln was a tanner and also carried on a shoe and saddler's shop. he was a relative of Abraham Lincoln, and is said to have been very much like the latter, both in character and personal appearance.

Mr. Johnson arrived at Greeneville, from North Carolina, in September, 1826, and finding a good opening for a tailor, he concluded to locate. He was accompanied by his mother and stepfather, and they took up their residence in a small frame building nearly opposite Spencer and Brown's factory. Andrew worked for a time in a shop on Main Street, but subsequently removed to the corner of Depot and Water Streets. Meanwhile he had married, and he now purchased the brick house opposite his shop, where he continued to reside for several years. In 1828, in an election for alderman, he led the opposition to the aristocratic elements, and was successful. This he repeated two years later with the same result.

At about this time a debating society was organized, and to it Mr. Johnson doubtless owed much of his future success. The origin of this society is described by Mr. McDaniel, a surviving member, as follows: Johnson and McDaniel were intimate friends, and both, during their leisure hours, were fond of discussing current political topics. The finally became involved in a discussion of the merits of a bill then lately passed by the Legislature, extending the criminal laws of the State over that part of the Cherokee Nation in Tennessee, Mr. McDaniel advocating the measure and Mr. Johnson opposing it. The discussion continued until at last a challenge to a public debate was made and accepted. Assistants were chosen and other preliminaries arranged, and on the following Saturday night the disputants, together with a small audience, assembled at the shops of Mordecai Lincoln. None of them present except Mr. Lincoln knew anything of parliamentary proceedings, therefore he was made chairman. Mr. McDaniel opened the debate, but Mr. Johnson refused to speak until all the others had finished, and then he proceeded with great trepidation. This debate led to the organization of a society which met every week, and some times twice a week, for two or three years, and Mr. Johnson soon became one of its most active members and best speakers.

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Goodspeed's Biographies of some Greene County citizens

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