Greene County, part
of North Carolina, was established in 1783 from Washington County, NC and named in honor of Nathaniel Greene (1742-1786), Revolutionary War commander at Trenton who succeeded Horatio Gates in command of the Army of the South and forced the British out of Georgia and the Carolinas.
The County seat is located at Greeneville .
Settlement began about 1772 when Jacob Brown and a couple of families from North
Carolina moved to a camp on the banks of the Nolichucky, the first in its valley.
In 1775 Brown leased from the Cherokees a large tract of land which was titled
to him as part of the Washington District of North Carolina. In 1777 Henry Earnest,
a Swiss immigrant, established Elmwood Farm along the Nolichucky River. It is
the oldest Tennessee Century Farm. A great influx of settlers between 1778 and
1783 made residents of the area anxious for separate government, which was achieved
through the efforts of Daniel Kennedy and Waightstill Avery. Greene County participated in the State of Franklin movement along with
fellow upper East Tennessee counties Sullivan and Washington. The split that
precipitated the end of the State of Franklin occurred during the 1785 constitutional
convention held at Greeneville.
Newspapers were published in Greeneville. Scattered early issues are available from 1822, and a complete run begins in 1937. See Extended History for More information.
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.
Greene County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1783 and Probate Records from 1802 and is located at Courthouse, 101
S. Main St.,
Greeneville, TN 37743-4932; Telephone:
423-638-6361. 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.
Greene County Register of Deeds hasLand Records from 1785 and is located at Courthouse, 101
S. Main St., Greeneville, TN 37743-4932; Telephone:
(423) 639-5321. The Register of Deeds office has land records beginning with county organization, land records are available from the register of deeds at the Greene county courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries
Greene County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1783 and is located at Courthouse, 101
S. Main St., Greeneville, TN 37743-4932; Telephone:
423-638-4332 . 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.
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Criminal Records Instantly!] [View
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Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Greene 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. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. 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. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. For Earlier Records See Tennessee State Library and Archives Below.Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
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. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. For Earlier Records See Tennessee
State Library and Archives 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 Greene County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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 Greene 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 Greene County, Tennessee are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible 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 Greene County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Greene 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 Greene County Maps. Email us with websites containing Greene 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. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Greene 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 Greene County for the years: 1783, 1805, 1809-1817, 1828-1862, 1867-1892, 1894-1900 ; 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 Greene County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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 Greene County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Greene County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Greene
County Genealogical Society, 229 N. Main Street,
Greeneville, TN 37745; (423)
638-5034
Andrew Johnson National Historical Site Archives,
121 Monument Ave., Greeneville, TN 37743 423-639-3711 President Andrew Johnson Museum & Library,
Tusculum College,
Gilland Street, PO Box 5026, Greeneville, TN 37743 423-636-7300
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 Greene County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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 Greene County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Greene County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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.
Presbyterian ministers dominated education during the early history of the county.
Dr. Samuel Doak, educator and minister of Mount Bethel Church, obtained a charter
for a private Presbyterian academy in 1784 which became Washington College in
1795. Doak served as its president until 1818, when he resigned to establish,
with his son Samuel Witherspoon Doak, another classical school called Tusculum
College. In 1794 Dr. Hezekiah Balch founded Greeneville College, the first college
west of the Alleghenies. Tusculum and Greeneville Colleges merged to form the
Tusculum College that endures today. The county also is associated with the founding
of Methodism in Tennessee as the site of Ebenezer Church, established in 1792
by the Earnest family. An early Quaker meeting took place at New Hope Meeting
near Ripley Creek in 1795.
Greeneville is strongly associated with Andrew Johnson, its most famous citizen,
the former alderman and mayor who became the controversial seventeenth president
of the United States after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Johnson
moved to Greeneville from North Carolina as a runaway apprentice and set up a
tailor's shop. This building is now preserved inside a brick structure and is
one of three sites in the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. The others are
the cemetery on Monument Hill where he is buried and Johnson's South Main Street
home from 1851 to 1875, the years he served as governor, vice-president and president
of the United States, and U.S. senator.
Other historic sites in Greene County are the Tusculum College historic district,
which includes the only Tennessee building designed by famous American architect
Louis Sullivan; the Earnest Fort-House, an unusual late eighteenth-century fortified
stone and log house which is part of the Earnest Farms Historic District; and
a historically significant and beautiful stretch of the Nolichucky River Valley
at the border between Greene and Washington Counties adjacent to the David Crockett
Birthplace State Historical Area. The recently restored Dickson-Williams House
in Greeneville documents antebellum life and architecture.
Greene County played a pivotal role in the Civil War in East Tennessee. The county
was largely Unionist in sentiment and the Greeneville Convention of 1861 was
the state's largest and most important pro-Union meeting in the weeks immediately
prior to the Civil War. After the Confederate disaster at the battle of Knoxville
in 1863, General James Longstreet placed his troops in winter quarters at Greeneville.
In September 1864 Confederate cavalry commander John Hunt Morgan died in Greeneville
after he and his officers were surprised by a Union force from the command of
Alvan C. Gillem.
Greene County agriculture is historically known for burley tobacco production.
It was the crop that led to prosperity in the late nineteenth century, when Greeneville
developed into the region's most important tobacco market. The University of
Tennessee Extension Service operates a Burley Tobacco Experiment Farm outside
of Greeneville. But the modern dairy industry was also important in the mid-twentieth
century, especially after Pet Milk established a plant in Greeneville in 1928.
Tobacco, beef cattle, and hay remain important products from the county's rich
farmland. The economic growth that accompanied burley tobacco cultivation and
the dairy industry also stimulated commerce and industry in Greeneville, and
the city displays a collection of late Victorian commercial buildings that were
constructed during Greeneville's years as an important stop on the Southern Railway.
The Brumley Hotel, built by entrepreneur Colonel John H. Doughty in 1884, has
recently been restored as the centerpiece of a downtown revitalization effort
known as the General Morgan Inn.
Greene County's economic focus has shifted, along with the other counties of
upper East Tennessee, to include large industrial employers such as Five Rivers
Manufacturing, which produces television sets, and Plus Mark, the maker of greeting
cards and gift wrap. In 2000 the population of Greene County numbered 62,909
inhabitants, but it retains significant reminders of its place in Tennessee's
history from the earliest days of the state's settlement.
The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1887
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 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:
ARTICLE I.
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.” ARTICLE II. That no member vote for a governor or legislator unless he believes him to be in favor of emancipation.
ARTICLE III.
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.
ARTICLE IV.
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 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.
The subject of education early engaged the attention of the people of Greene County, and Greeneville College, the first college in the State, was incorporated in 1794. The trustees were Hezekiah Balch, Samuel Doak, James Balch, Samuel Carrick, Robert Henderson, Gideon Blackburn, Archibald Roane, Joseph Hamilton, William Cocke, Daniel Kennedy, Landon Carter, Joseph Hardin, Sr., John Rhea and John Sevier. Hezekiah Balch was chosen president, and Robert Henderson, vice-president. The first meeting of the trustees was held at the house of James Stinson and February 18, 1795. Robert Henderson, James Balch, Joseph Hamilton and John Rhea were appointed to prepare a memorial to the President and Congress of the United States, soliciting assistance for the college. This Mr. Balch offered to present. He soon after started upon a trip to Philadelphia and the Eastern States, and, upon his return, reported that had collected and brought a large number of books, and received $1,352 in cash donations and $350 of subscriptions. It was then decided to erect a frame building 60x30 feet, two stories high. Messrs. Balch, Hardin, Kennedy and Henderson were appointed to fix upon a site for the building in the neighborhood of Mr. Balch’s plantation about three and one-half miles from Greeneville. It was also resolved “that the board propose a lottery for the purpose of increasing the funds sufficiently for building the above house, the sum to be $1,000, and Gov. Sevier, John Rhea and Joseph Hamilton be a committee to prepare a scheme.” Whether this resolution was carried into effect is not known. In August, 1796, the trustees held another meeting, at which time Mr. Balch offered to donate 150 acres to the college, but the conditions upon which he proposed to make the donation were such that the trustees refused it. The plan for a building, presented at the previous meeting, was found to be too expensive, and it was decided to erect a house 32x26 feet, two stories high, “with a stock of chimnies at each end.”
From this time until March 8, 1800, if any meetings were held, the minutes have been lost; at the latter date Rev. Charles Coffin was elected vice-president to succeed Rev. Mr. Henderson, and was commissioned to go to the Northern and Eastern States to solicit subscriptions. The college building had not yet been completed, and there is no evidence that the school had been put into operation. On July 1, 1803, the president was authorized to have the schoolroom glazed, and made comfortable for the accommodation of pupils, and this was probably about the date at which the college was opened. The first mention of any graduate was in 1808, when Hugh Brown received the degree of A. B. After four years of labor, soliciting donations for the college, Mr. Coffin returned in 1805, and reported that he had secured about $14,000, of which $8,855.96 came from the “other side of the mountains.” These funds placed the college upon a firmer foundation, and it at once entered upon a prosperous career. In 1810 Mr. Balch died, and was succeeded by Mr. Coffin, who continued at the head of the institution until 1827, when he accepted the presidency of East Tennessee College. His successor was Henry Hoss, for a short time as president pro tem., and in 1838 Rev. James McLin succeeded him. It was then decided to remove to reeneville, and a committee
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