One
of the oldest Tennessee counties,
Hawkins County was first established
as a separate North Carolina county
on January 6, 1787, when the state
legislature divided Sullivan County,
North Carolina. The original county
was quite large, extending from the
North Fork of the Holston River southwestwardly
to the "Big Suck" near present-day
Chattanooga. Other counties, or parts
of counties, later created from Hawkins
include Hancock, Grainger, Jefferson,
Knox, Roane, Meigs, and Hamilton.
Prior to its creation by North Carolina,
the county was Spencer County, State of Franklin.
The act creating Hawkins County empowered seven commissioners to select a central
place for the county seat, where a courthouse, prison, and stocks would be built
and to levy a tax for the support of local government. The first meeting of the
commissioners took place at the home of Thomas Gibbons on Big Creek on June 4,
1787, at which time Joseph Rogers's land on Crockett's Creek was selected as
the location for the county seat. During the summer of 1787 the courthouse, jail,
and stocks were erected, and the little community took the name Hawkins Court
House. The first elected county officials were John Hunt, sheriff; William Marshall,
register; and Thomas Hutchins, clerk. Marshall and Nathaniel Henderson were elected
the first representatives to the North Carolina House of Commons, and Thomas
Amis was elected the first senator to represent the new county in the legislative
assembly.
In 1789 Amis presented a petition from the community to the North Carolina General
Assembly to establish a town at the Hawkins Court House site and to name the
town Rogersville. Approval of the petition, which was granted on November 7,
1789, empowered county commissioners to lay out a town in half-acre lots, with
convenient streets and lots reserved for public buildings.
Rogersville's Main Street was defined by the route of the Great Wilderness Road,
which attracted a steady stream of settlers through the town on their way to
Bean Station, the Cumberland Gap, and Kentucky. Tennessee's first newspaper,
the Knoxville Gazette, was published in Rogersville by George Roulston(e)
and Robert Ferguson in 1791 before they moved the paper to Knoxville.
Newspapers were published in Rogersville. Scattered early issues are available from 1858, and a complete run begins in 1932. See Extended History for More information. There was a fire at the Hawkins County courthouse in 1863.
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
Hawkins County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1786 and Probate Records from 1786 and is located at Courthouse, 150
Washington Street,
Rogersville, TN 37857;
(423) 272-8150. The County Clerk maintains Marriage & Divorce records. It also has jurisdiction over probate cases. Wills, administrations, and all other records pertaining to probate are recorded in the respective county clerk's office. If the will or administration was contested, the records of these actions may be filed in the circuit court or chancery court.
Hawkins County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1787 and is located at Courthouse,
P.O. Box 235,
Rogersville, TN 37857;
(423) 272-8304 . The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Hawkins county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Hawkins County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1810 and is located at Courthouse,
150 Washington Street, Rogersville, TN 37857; (423) 272-3397. Circuit Court Clerks serve an important role in the operation of the court system in Tennessee. Chancery courts have jurisdiction over property disputes, and circuit courts oversee criminal cases, divorces, and adoptions. Early courts included courts of common pleas and quarter sessions.
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Tennessee Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Tennessee Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Tennessee State Vital Records, is located at Central Services Building,
1st Floor,
421 5th Avenue North,
Nashville, Tennessee 37243;
Phone (615) 741-1763,
FAX (615) 741-9860. The Tennessee Office of Vital Records registers and maintains the original certificates of births, deaths, marriages and divorces that occur in Tennessee. They have the following records:
Birth Certificates: Records are available beginning with January 1914, for Nashville since June 1881, for Knoxville since July
1881, and for Chattanooga since January 1882. Records of some births that occurred in the major cities from 1881-1913 are also available. A certified photocopy of the original record may be obtained at a fee of $12.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record requested at the same time. For persons born from 1949 to the present, a certified copy produced by computer is also available at a fee of $7.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record requested at the same time. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below.
Death Certificates: Death records are available for the past 50 years (1957). The fee is $7.00 per certified copy. The cause of death is not normally included on a certified copy unless specifically requested and then is available only to certain family members or legal representatives. You can download an application online for Death Certificates. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below.
Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Marriage and divorce records are available for the past 50 years at a fee of $12.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record requested at the same time. You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificate. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Make certified checks and money orders should be made payable to "Tennessee Vital Records". Credit Cards may be uses by using VitalChek services Please do not send cash or checks. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Tennessee State Vital Records, Central Services Building,
1st Floor,
421 5th Avenue North,
Nashville, TN, 37243.
Tennessee
State Library and Archives have the following records:
Birth Records & "Delayed" Birth Certificates:
Tennessee began keeping birth records statewide in 1908. TSLA has statewide birth records for the years 1908-1912. To find a birth record, we need the following information: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known).
The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier birth records: Nashville (beginning in 1881); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1879); and Memphis (beginning in 1874). Only the early Nashville birth records are indexed. For birth records after 1912 or for "delayed" birth certificates filed for persons born after 1903, contact the Office of Vital Records above.
TSLA also has "delayed" birth certificates for persons born 1869 - 1903. These delayed certificates were filed at the request of the individual or that person's representative for legal reasons. To locate a delayed birth certificate, we need the following information: name of child, date of birth or approximate date of birth, county of birth (if known) and names of parents (if known). E-mail TSLA and they can check thier index to the "delayed" birth records for a specified name. Please specify that you are requesting a "delayed" birth certificate.
There is a $20 fee to search for a birth record. If the record is found, they will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
Death Records:
Tennessee began keeping death records statewide in 1908. TSLA has statewide death records for the years 1908-1912 and 1914-1955. To find a death record, we need the following information: name of individual, date of death (or three year range to search), county of death (if known) and name of spouse (if known). Please keep in mind that some deaths were not recorded, due to poor record-keeping by local officials.
For death records from 1956 to the present, contact theOffice of Vital Records above.
The larger cities in Tennessee did keep earlier death records: Nashville (beginning in 1874); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1872); and Memphis (beginning in 1848). Only the early Nashville and Memphis death records are indexed. TSLA can search the unindexed records for one year only; you must provide us with the name of individual, date of death, the city, and the name of the spouse (if known).
There is a $20 fee to search for a death record. If the record is found, they will mail a copy to you. If the record is not found, you will be notified by mail. The $20 fee is not refundable. Payment in advance by check, money order or credit card is required. Send your request to Tennessee State Library and Archives, Research Department, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville TN 37243-0312. [GO TO FORMS PAGE]
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Click Here to Search Tennessee Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Hawkins County, Tennessee are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Hawkins County, Tennessee are Industry and Agriculture Schedules available for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Tennessee and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Tennessee showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Tennessee showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Maps. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Tennessee Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Tennessee (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Tennessee tax lists can be used to locate families, document historic properties and study community history. Early tax lists generally include all white males over 21 and indicate whether they owned land or slaves. They usually do not provide other personal information.
The tax lists enumerated for Hawkins County for the years: 1809-1812, 1836, 1837, 1877-1880, 1886, 1892, 1893, 1899, 1900 ; are available on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. They are generally filed with each county's records, but some early lists are in a separate collection. To order a search of the records by mail, follow this link [EMAIL]
The 1796 Constitution levied taxes on “every freeman of
the age of twenty-one years and upward possessing a freehold
in the county wherein he may vote, and being an inhabitant of
this State, and every freeman being an inhabitant of any one
county in the State six months immediately preceding the day
of the election, shall be entitled to vote....”
Many early surviving tax records were published in an effort
to replace the missing federal censuses.
Original extant tax records are preserved in the respective
county courthouse as well as in the Tennessee
State Library and Archives, where a card index exists for tax records in its
collection pre-dating 1835, arranged by county, date, and district.
The 1891 tax lists of male inhabitant voters in each county
were recently found. Available on microfilm at the Tennessee
State Library and Archives, these nine reels are arranged alphabetically
within each district in each county. Tax records from trustees
office in counties are available on microfilm as well.
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Hawkins County Genealogical Addresses (See Also Tennessee Genealogical Addresses) - The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Hawkins County Archives,
955 East McKinney Avenue,
Rogersville , TN 37857
Phone: (423) 921-0904,
Email: jgoins@usit.net
Tennessee Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Tennessee Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
Although
few histories for Tennessee churches have been published, there
are church records for almost every county in the state.
Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist were the principal religions
of early settlers in the state, and documents from these
groups make up the largest number of records available. Other
representative religions include Lutheran, Church of Christ,
Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Jewish. Most early Tennessee
churches only kept minutes and membership records.
Church records could, however, include records of baptism, marriage,
burial, membership, or removal, but it is rare to find all or
several of these categories maintained by one church. .
As with cemetery records, the DAR has collected church records
for Tennessee, available at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C.,
and through the FHL.
Many compilations of church records have been compiled and/or
published for the state. The Tennessee
State Library and Archives has records of over one hundred churches that pre-date 1900.
There is a online Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records which contains over 25,000 records for the state of Tennessee for the years approximately 1720-1890. This includes marriages, births, deaths, and wills, etc., has been obtained from family bibles, church, court, and county records.
A large collection of transcripts of Tennessee cemetery records has been compiled by members of chapters of the DAR. Records collection available at the Tennessee
State Library and Archives and through the FHL. The state library and archives has notebooks containing listings of cemetery records.
County genealogical and historical societies and local citizens have collected, compiled, and published numerous volumes of cemetery records.
Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
Click Here to Search Tennessee Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Hawkins County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Hawkins County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Tennessee Valley Genealogy Meetup Group! - Meet other local Genealogists and people who are interested in Genealogy who live in the North Alabama and South Central Tennessee Areas. We welcome beginners and beginners classes will be held as soon as a location can be set up. For everyone else we gather to share tips, exchange information, talk shop, etc.!
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Tennessee Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
The history of Bulls Gap also centers on transportation. In 1792 John Bull received
a grant for 55 acres near the east-west passage over Bays Mountain. Capitalizing
on his location, Bull operated a stage line through the passage that quickly
became known as Bulls Gap. In 1858 the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad used
slave labor to lay the first tracks through the area. During the Civil War the
strategic location of the tracks made Bulls Gap the frequent scene of fighting
between Union and Confederate forces, though the railroad and Bulls Gap remained
under Federal control throughout the war. In the postwar period the railroad
dominated the economic life of the town. At the turn of the century the Southern
Railway System gained control over the lines passing through Bulls Gap and built
a small maintenance center and railroad yard. The automobile and the construction
of modern highways signaled the decline of railway influence over the town, however.
From the 1840s through the 1870s, the marble industry developed in Hawkins County,
and the area became famous for its pink and red variegated marble. Local furniture
manufacturers used much of the marble, which was cut from various quarries and
hauled to Rogersville on wagons pulled by sixteen- or twenty-mule teams. From
there, the marble was floated down the Holston River on rafts or later shipped
by railroad. Marble from Hawkins County was used in the Washington Monument in
Washington, D.C., as well as the balustrades and stairways of the Capitol. Huge
columns of Hawkins County marble were also used in the South Carolina State Capitol
and in the municipal buildings of Baltimore.
For fifty-six years (1911-67) the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants
Union maintained the Pressmen's Home on 2,700 acres of Hawkins County land. The
Pressmen's Home included a farm, a sanitarium, a retirement home, and a technical
school where more than three thousand union members received training before
modern medicine and advancing technology rendered the operation obsolete.
Today Hawkins County has a population of over fifty thousand. Church Hill is
the largest city, followed by Rogersville, Mount Carmel, Surgoinsville, and Bulls
Gap. The principal sources of farm income are beef cattle and burley tobacco.
In 1997 the 4,545 farms with tobacco quotas produced an average yield of 2,369
pounds of tobacco per acre, making Hawkins County the second largest producer
of burley tobacco in the state. There are over twelve thousand industrial jobs
in the county, with AFG Industries, a producer of flat glass, employing nine
hundred at its Church Hill plant, and TRW, a motor vehicle parts manufacturer,
employing eight hundred in Rogersville. The Hawkins County school system supports
twelve elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools, and an enrichment
center. Twelve colleges and universities lie within a seventy-five-mile radius
of the county. Personal enrichment and recreational opportunities are readily
available. The county supports four public libraries, and the H. B. Stamps Memorial
Library offers a special collection of genealogy and local history. Local parks
and golf courses provide activities from picnicking and baseball to championship
PGA golf. Rogersville hosts an annual three-day festival in October called Heritage
Days, and Bulls Gap celebrates Archie Campbell Homecoming Day each Labor Day.
The 2000 population of Hawkins County was 53,563.
The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1887
Hawkins County lies in upper east Tennessee, and extends somewhat in the shape of a parallelogram from the Virginia line to the nothern boundaries of Grainger and Hamblen Counties. It is divided into two almost equal parts by the Holston River, which traverses its entire length. It is one of the largest counties in the State, having an area of 570 square miles. The surface is much of it broken, but the uplands are more fertile than in many counties. Iron ore is found in some localities, but is not now worked. In marble Hawkins county surpasses any other county in the South. It is found in all tints from a pale pink to a dark, richly variegated chocolate color, and in inexhaustible quantities.(1)
The first permanent settlements within the limits of Hawkins County were made in 1772, very soon after the settlements on the Watauga were begun. They were made in Carter’s Valley, a short distance west of New Canton.
Amoung these pioneers were Mr. Kincaid, Mr. Love, Mr. Long and Rev. Mr. Mulkey. At about the same time Messrs. Carter & Parker established a store in the neighborhood.Soon after this store was robbed by a party of Cherokees, & when HendersonCo.’s treaty was held with the Indians the proprietros of the store demanded as compensation all the lands in Carter’s Valley, extending from Cloud Creek to Chimney Top Mountain of Beech Creek. This was granted upon the payment of a small amount advanced by Robert Lucas, who then became a partner of Messrs. Parker & Carter. the firm leased their lands to the settlers much after the manner of the Patrons, in the early history of New York. This continued for a time, but when it because known that the lands lay in North Carolina instead of Virginia, the settlers refused to recognize the ownership of the firm, and the right and title to the territory acquired was denied by the former State. They were afterward included with the members of the Henderson Company, to whom a grant of 200,000 acres was given by the government of North Carolina as a compensation for the trouble they had been to in obtaining these lands.
The deeds obtained by Henderson & Co. from the Cherokees is recorded in the register’s office of Hawkins county. It was given by "Oconistoto, the chief warrior and representative of the Cherokee Nation, and Attakullakulla and Savanocka, otherwise Coronoh, appointed by the warriors and other head men to convey for the whole nation." to Richard Henderson, Thomas and Nathaniel Hart, John Williams, John Luttrell, William Johnston, James Hogg, David Hart and Thomas H. Bullock. The compensation for the immense tracts conveyed by these deeds as expressed at L10,000.***
The settlement in Hawkins County was confined chiefly to Carter’s Valley until about 1780. Several stations or forts were built, and it is said that a Presbyterian Church was organized there as early as that date. At about the same time a fort was built at Big Creek. Not from from this fort, about three and one-half miles above rogersville, Thomas Amis in 1780 or 1781 erected a stone house, around which he built a palisade for protection against the Indians. The next year he opened a store, and erected a blacksmith shop and a distillery. Very soon after he also put into operation a saw and grist-mill, and from the first he kept a house of entertainment. A Baptist Church was organized, and a school established very soon after the settlement was made. The church was probably organized by Thomas Murrell, who located on the farm now owned by John A. Chesnut on the Holston River, some time prior to 1782. Among the school masters, who taught in the school at this place, were John Long in 1783; William Evans, 1784; James King, 1786; robert Hohnston---. and Samuel B. Hawkins in 1796.
Thomas Amis was twice married, and was the father of fourteen children. The stone house, in which he lived, is now occupied by his grandson, Thomas Amis, and is in a remarkable good state of preservation. In 1780 he represented Hawkins County in the Legislature of North Carolina, and took an active part in restoring Gen. Sevier to the rights of citizenship. He owned two or three large tracts of land, one of which included the site of Rogersville; he died in 1798. In 1784 Joseph Rodgers, an Irishman, arrived at Amis’, and for a short time was engaged in keeping store, but in 1785 or 1786, probably the latter year, he married Mary Amis. Mr. Amis then gave the newly married pair a tract of land, upon which, inn 1787, was established the seat of justice for Hawkins Couty. There they continued jto reside until their death in November, 1833. Rachel, another daughter of Thomas Amis, married James Hagan, a countryman of Rodgers, with whom he was in partnership in merchandising for a time. He afterward removed to a farm abouve town. Of other early settlers of the county, only a few of the most prominent, will be located. Perhaps no Tennessean of his time ranked higher than William Cocke, who settled at what was known as Mullberry Grove about 1780. He was a lawyer by profession, and his name appears upon the records of all the older counties of East Tennessee, as a practicing attorney, but during the greater portion of his life was engaged in filling some official position. In 1783 he was elected attorney-general for Greene County, and the next year was sent to the convention, which met at Jonesboro. In 1785 he was made a member of the Council of State of the Franklin Government, was chosen brigadier-general of militia, and was sent as a delegate to the United States Congress. In 1786 he represented Spencer County in the franklin Assembly. From the fall of the State of Franklin until 1794 hewas actively engaged in his profession. In that year he was chosen a member of the Territorial Assembly, and in 1796 was a member of the Constitutional Convention. The first Legislature elected him as one of the members of the United States Senate, where he remained for twelve years. In 1810 he was elected judge of the First Judicial Circuit, but after serving one year he was impeached.**** Stung by the ingratitude of his countrymen, whom he had served so long and faithfully, he at once left for Mississippi, where he remained until his death.
Joseph McMinn located in the extreme upper end of Hawkins county about 1787, and soon took an active interest in the affairs of the county. In 1794 he was elected with William Cocke, to represent it in the Territorial Assembly, and two years later was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He then served two terms in the Upper House of the General Assembly. In 1815 he was elected governor of the State, a position he continued to hold until 1821. Soon after he was appointed Indian Agent at Calhoun, now in Bradley County, and was filling that position at the time of his death. The above named men were the most illustrious of the first settlers of the county. Among others who had settled prior to 1783 were Mordecai Haygood, who lived on the Holston, about eight miles above Rogersville; Peter Cocke, who lived in the same neighborhood, and Rodham Kenner, who located about one mile above Spear’s Mill. He was prominently connected with the affairs of the county, and was a member of the Legislature one or more terms. Capt. Thomas Caldwell lived ten miles above Rogersville on the north side of the river. John Saunders lived on the river opposite Kenner’s. William Cox, Sr., Charles and William Payne, Obadiah and Elijah Chissom also lived south of the Holston, and the last namedkept a ferry across that stream. Thomas Lee, Cornelius and John Carmack and Thomas Gibbons lived in Carter’s Valley. William Armstrong settled at Stony Point. Among others who had located in the county prior to 1783 may be mentioned John cox, Col. John Smith, William McGehee, Peter Harris, James McCarty, Hutson Johnston, John Evans, George Ridley, James Blair, Thomas Brooks, Elisha Walling, William W. Brown, capt. Thomas Hutchings, James Short, Abraham Rice, William Ingram, William lauson, Reese Jones, Capt. Thomas English, James Berry, Benjamin Murrell, George and Littleton Brooks, Thomas Henderson, Thomas Caldwell, Robert King and Martin Shaner. Among those who came in during the next two or three years were Robert Gray, Richard Mitchell, Samuel Wilson, William Bell, John Horton, Robert Stephenson and John Gordon.
Some time about 1795 one of the most extensive iron works of those days was erected near the present town of Rotherwood, by daniel ross & Co., and a considerable business was done there for a number of years.
Hawkins county suffered much less from Indian depredations than some othr sections of the State. A few instances of massacres and robberies are mention by Haywood, but most of these occurred in what is now Hancock County. the comparative immunity of this section from Indian attacks was due partly to the position of the county and partly to the vigilance of the settlers, who had taken eveyr precaution for the protection of themselves and families. The Indians made several incursions into Carter’s Valley, but finding the people in the forts and prepared for them they retreated without doing serious damage. On one occasion the families that had gathered into the fort at Big Creek, because greatly in need of salt, and a young man, Joab Mitchell, volunteered to go and and procure a supply. While upon his return he was attacked by a part of Cherokees and mortally wounded. He succeeded, however, in reaching the fort, and his remains were interred in that depression which has since borne the name of Mitchell’s Hollow. In December, 1787, William english was killed by the Indians, and two of his children carried into captivity. The county court records of 1790 contained the following entry: "Whereas it has been represented to the court by Thomas King, that Matthew English and Elizabeth English, orphan children of William English, who was taken and killed by the Indians in December, 1787, at which time the aforesaid children were carried into captivity by the Indians, supposed to be of the Wyandotte nation, and are yet in captivity. Thomas King therefore represents that the said orphans might be recovered if there was property sufficient for that purpose. Ordered by the court that James blair and William Patterson do receive from the said Thomas King or from any other person the property belonging to the estate of the said William English, and the same apply as they shall think best for the redemption of the said orphans, and Thomas King was discharged therupon of said property.
It is related that a boy, on one occasion, came suddenly upon a party of Indians not far from one of the forts. He turned and fled, with the savages in close pursuit. Before reaching the fort he was compelled to cross a small stream, and just as he reached the bank the foremost Indian caught him by the back of his loose hunting shirt. But the lad was not a captive. Straightening out his arms behind him he sped on to the fort in safety, leaving his pursuer holding the shirt.*****
In 1785 the State of Franklin organized Spencer County, including, besides other territory, the present Hawkins County. Thomas Henderson was chosen county court clerk and colonel of militia, and William Cocke and Thomas King representative to the Assembly. The remaining officers are unknown. In November, 1786, the Legislature of North Carolina passed as act creating Hawkins County. It included within its limits all the territory between Bays Mountain and the Holston and Tennessee Rivers on the east to the Cumberland Mountains on the west. the county court was organized at thre house of Thomas Gibbons, but as the early records were all destroyed during the late civil war nothing is known of its transactions.
The circuit court for Hawkins county was organized on the first Monday in October, 1810, by William Cocke, judge of the first Judicial Circuit, who appointed Thomas Cocke, clerk. The first grand jury empaneled was as folllows: Joseph McMinn, foreman; John Johnston, Hezekaih Hamblen, George Hale, John Critz, John Hamblen, Robert McMinn, John Remes, Jacob Miller, James Haygood, Joes Gillenwater, Gabriel McCraw, Samuel Smith, Rodham Kenner and David Bagler. Michael Rork, constable, was appointed to wait upon them. The first criminal case tried at this term was that of the State vs. Obediah Gents for horse stealing. A change of venue was applied for, but denied. He was found guilty and sentenced to receive thirty lashes, to stand in the pillory two hours per day for three successive days, to be branded upon the right hand with the letter H and on the left hand with the letter T, and to be imprisioned in the county jail for six months. during the first years of the court few criminals cases of importance were tried. A vigorously contested case, and one which created a general interest thoughout this section of the State was begun in 1820. It was the trial upon a change of venue from Campbell County, of Robert Delap, indicted with being accessory to the murder of Eve Martin. The principal, Mitchell Marcum alias Marcom, was not tried in Hawkins County. Delap was convicted. He appealed to the supreme court, and the case was remanded for a second hearing. this was had in april, 1822, after an application for another change of venue had been denied. The defendant was again found guilty, and again took an appeal to the supreme court the decision of the lower court was comfirmed and Delap was executed.
Another case which caused intense excitement was tried in May, 1861. Two slaves, John and Ned, the property of a Mr. Haynes, on the night of May 1, brutally murdered George R. Kite, Richard Kite, Mary Haynes and Louisa Haynes, and set fire to the house. When the deed was discovered excitement ran very high, as a general insurrenction of the slaves was feared, and the lynching of the murdrers was prevented with difficulty. a special term of the circuit court was called to meet on May 9, 1861, at which time Judge D. T. Patterosn presided. They were promptly convicted, and were hanged on the 12th of June following.
Since the close of the war two executions have taken place. The first was that of w. N. Berry, hanged in August, 1875, for the murder of his wife. The second that of Joseph Harris, of Hancock county, executed in November, 1881. He was convicted of the murder of two men in rogersville for the purpose of robbery.
The first chancery courts were held in 1825. the division consisted of sullivan, Hawkins, Grainer and Claiborne Counties. The judges of the supreme court alternated in presidingover the chancery court from that time until several years later.
The first lawyer of prominence in Hawkins County was William Cocke, who is mentioned elsewhere. He had two or three sons, who also became lawyers. One of them, John Cocke, located in Grainer county; another, Sterling Cocke, remained in Hawkins County. He was admitted to practice in 1812, and six years later was made attorney-general, in which position he contiued for many years. He was not looked upon as a lawyer of great ability, but was aman of strict intergrity and of pleasing manners. Peter Parsons, a somewhat prominent lawyer of his time, was a resident of rogersville for a few years, but subsequently went to Alabama. Orville Bradley, who was licensed to practice in 1817, was a bachelor of large wealth, and never gave that close attention to his profession necessary to secure success. One of the ablest of the early members of the rogersville bar was John A. McKinney, uncle of the late Judge robert J. McKinney, and father of Judge John E. McKenney. He began practice about 1807, and very soon took a leading position at the bar. He was appointed United States district attorney by John Quincy Adams, and was chosed to represent the county in the Constitutional Conventon of 1834. He died in 1845. His great success was due to his thorough knowledge of the law, his untiring perseverance and his incorruptible integrity. He was associated during the latter years of his life with his son-in-law, John Netherland, who had formerly resided in Sullivan County. The latter is still living, but for some time has been retired from the active prosecution of his profession. He was an eloquent speaker, and because distinguished as a great criminal lawyer. He has always taken an active interest in politics, has served several terms in the Legislature, was an elector for the State at large on the Whig ticket in 1848, and in 1860 was the Whig candidate for governor.
Two other men of eminence in the profession, in the early history of the State, resided in the county. They were Pleasant M. Miller***** and Judge Samuel Powell. The latter resided on a large farm near rogersville. He began the practice of law in Tennessee early in the century, and soon became favorably known for his ability and legal attainments. In 1807 he was elected a judge of the superior court, and so continued until that court was abolished. In 1814 he was chosen to represnet his district in the XIV Congress, and while in that position he was tendered a seat upon the supreme bench, which he refused. In 1821 he was elected judge of the First Judicial Circuit, and from that time was upon the bench for twenty consecutive years. He was the preceptor of several men who afterward obtained eminence, among whom were Robert L. and Abraham Caruthers.
Among other resident attorneys of the county prior to 1860 were Michael McCann, admitted to practice in 1823; Dicks Alexander, for many years clerk of the chancery court; William O. Winston and George R. Powel.
The present members of the Rogersville bar are F. M. Faulkerson, A. D. Huffmaster, Hugh G. Kyle, Thomas McDennott, W. P. Gillenwaters, W. N. Clarkson, T. C. Sensabaugh, H. C. Jarvis and Ellis Cocke.
Rogersville was founded by Joseph Rogers, who settled upon the site in 1786. At the June term of the county court in 1787 the commissioners appointed "for fixing on a place for building the courhouse, prison and stocks" reported "that it be fixed at Joseph Rogers’, on Crockett Creek." Joseph Rogers then relinquished the right and title of two acres of land for the use of the public buildings, and Thomas Hutchings, Hutson Johnston, Francis Doherty, Joseph Cloud and Thomas Gibbons were appointed commissioners to lay off the town, which was done on June 15, 1787. At about this time, or very soon after, Mr. Rogers entered into a partnership with his brother-in-law, James Hagan, and in 1789 they applied to the Legislative to establish a town at Hawkins Courthouse, where a number of lots had already been laid off. It was accordingly enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, on December 22, 1789, "that thomas King, Thomas Hutchings, Joseph McCulloch, Thomas Jackson and elijah Chissom be, and they are appointed, commissioners and trustees for designing, building and carrying on a town at Hawkins Courthouse by the name of rogersville, and they, or a majority of them, are hereby empowered and required to lay off thirty acres of land, including the public buildings at the said courthouse, in half-acre lots, with convenient streets and alleys."
Previous to this time a store had been opened by rogers & Hargan, and a courhouse and jail had been erected. The character of these county buildings is not known, but they were probably very temporary structures, since in 1794 the Territorial Assembly granted the county permission to levy a tax for a jail and courthouse. The oldest courthouse now remembered was a one-story hewed-log building, weather-boarded. It stood in front of the Bank Building, with its side to Market Street, now the main street of the town. It was occupied until 1836 or 1837, when the present substantial brick building was erected. In 1807 the old jail and lot were sold, and a new brick jail erected upon the site of the present one, which was built a short time prior to the war.
As before stated, the first store was opened by Rogers & Hogan. Among the other firms in business from 1790 to 1800 were Joseph Parks, Hugh & Campbell, North & Nelson, and Sherman & King. They were succeeded early in the present century by Samuel Neill and William Simpson, who did business in a small frame house immediately opposite where the hotel now is; Francis Dolzell, whose store was on the adjoining lot west, and Nicholas Fain, who was located where the postoffice now is. The first hotel was kept by Joseph Rogers, who continued in the business until his death.
In 1817 a branch of the old State Bank was incorporated under the title of the Rogersville Tennessee Bank. Its capital stock was $4,000. The directors were Richard Mitchell, John A. Rogers, Francis Dolzell, William Hord, Jacob Miller, Dr. Joseph W. Carden, Hugh G. Moore, William Lyons, William Simpson and Nicholas Fain. This institution did business in the house now occupied by Mr. Caldwell, situated a short distance west of the public square. About 1828 this bank began to wind up its affairs. Ten years later the last Bank of Tennessee was incorporated, and one of the two branches allotted to East Tennessee was located at Rogersville, thereby causing great indignation among the citizens of Knoxville and Jonesboro. The new bank was organized with C. H. Coffin as president, and S. D. Mitchell, cashier. For the first two or three years it occupied the building formerly used by the old bank. The large and imposing brick building, which is still standing, was then erected. This bank continued in business until the war, but with a frequent change of officers.
The business of Rogersville in 1835 was conducted by the following individuals and firms: Charles H. Coffin and John A. McKinney, James K. Neill and P. S. Hale, Nicholas Fain & Son, R. G. Fain, Neill & Simpson, and Armstrong & De Wolf, merchants; Jacob Wax, coppersmith and tinner; F. B. Evans and George C. Speck, tailors; Joseph Huffmaster, carpenter; John Aston, cabinet-maker; George C. Bradley, hatter; Michael Baugh, silversmith, and Robert Carden, blacksmith. Richard Humphreys kept the present Hale Spring Hotel, which was built by John A. MCKinney. Richard Smith also had a hotel where the postoffice is.
Among the business men of the fifties were Sevier & Simpson, McKinney & Rogan, Mitchell, Caldwell & C., James K. Neill, M. S. & R. D. Wells, Johnston & Thompson, William White and Mitcell & Kyle.
To Rogersville belongs the honor of being the place at which was issued the first newspaper publised in Tennessee. It was known as the Knoxville Gazette, and the first number appeared on November 5, 1791, bearing the names of G. Roulstone and R. Ferguson as publishers. Where the building stood in which the paper was printed is not known, but as the lot on the northeast corner of the public square was purchased by Mr. Roulstone it is probable that that was the site of his printing office. The publication was continued at Rogersville for about one year, when he removed to Knoxville, which had been established during that year. The next paper established in the town was the Rogersville Gazette, the first number of which was issued in July, 1814, by Carey & Early. It was a five-column folio, with the couplet, "The Star Spangles Banner, etc.," as its motto. A few years later the Western Pilot was established by John B. Hood, who afterward removed to Rhea County, and there published the first paper in East Tennessee below Knoxville. In 1827 Reb. James Gallaher, F. A. Ross and David Nelson established the Calvinistic Magazine, devoted mainly to the theological discussions of the times. It was published for about five years. On July 4, 1831, the first number of the Railroad Advocate was issued by an association of gentlemen, for the purpose of encuraging and advocating the building of railroads in Tennessee. It continued for little less than a year, and was probably the first journal of the kind evr published. In August, 1838, a prospectus was issued stating that a number of gentlemen had formed an association for the publication of a Whig paper to be known as the Holston Watchman, the first number of which was to appear about November 1. For some cause the publication did not begin until the following March, and then it was known as the East Tennessean. The editor was William Wales. It had but a brief existence, and in othr papers was established until 1850, when the Rogersville Times appeared, bearing the name of L. L. Poats as editor, and LaFayette Jones as publisher. It continued for six or eight years, and was then succeeded by the Independent, under the editorial management of Rev. M. H. B. Burkett. In 1860 the State Sentinel was published by Capt. R. D. Powell. The papers established since the close of the war have been mainly published for campaign purposes, and have been short lived. Among them have been the Spectator and the Telephone. In 1885 Will T. Robertson established the Holston Review, a well edited and newsy Democratic paper. The Rogersville Herald, a Republican paper, was established in 1856.
The first schools in Rogersville, are said to have been taught in a small house, which stood nead Union Spring. In 1806 trustees were appointed for McMinn Academy as follows: George Maxwell, William Armstrong, Richard Mitchell, Andrew Galbraith and Thomas Jackson, to
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