History of Carter County Tennessee United States of America

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Local History Notes:

Carter County was the first county erected by the first General Assembly of Tennessee in April, 1796, before the state was admitted into the Union, June 1, 1796. It was taken from Washington County, the oldest county in the state, and was named for Landon Carter, son of John Carter. The county seat, Elizabethton, was named in honor of his wife, Elizabeth. William Been, the first permanent settler, and other pioneers located on or near the Watauga River in this county. In this valley homes were established by Valentine Sevier, Sr., father of John Sevier, by James Robertson and by Jas. P. Taylor, grandfather of Robert L. and Alfred A. Taylor. It is said that James P. Taylor was one of the greatest orators of his time as well as eminent as a lawyer. His brother-in-law was Thomas D. Love, for whom Robert Love Taylor was given his middle name.

The Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions was probably organized on July 4, 1776, at the home of Samuel Tipton. The justices of the peace present were: Andrew Greer,5 Landon Carter, Nathaniel Taylor, David McNabb, Lochonal Campbell, Guttredge Garland, John Vaught, Joseph Lands, and Reuben Thornton.

Statistics of Carter County: Population, 1920, 21,488. Assessed valuation of taxable property, 1921, $7,993,976. Area, 298 square miles. Number of farms, 2,717. Railway mileage, eighty-three. Drained by Watauga River. Surface mountainous with fertile valleys and well timbered. Corn, oats, grass, and live stock are the staple products. An abundance of iron ore is found in the county. Elizabethton, the county seat, has a population of 2,749. Has three banks, a weekly newspaper, grist, saw, and woolen mills, good churches and schools; iron works in vicinity. Scholastic population of county, 7,712; high schools, thirteen; elementary schools, forty-nine.

From:
Moore, John Trotwood. Tennessee, The Volunteer State, 1769-1923. Vol. 1. Chicago, IL, USA: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1923.

Biographies:

Samuel Powhatan Carter, naval officer, was born in Carter county, Tenn., Aug. 6, 1819. He attended Washington college, Tenn., studied at Princeton, and was appointed a midshipman in the U. S. navy in 1840. In 1846 he was on duty at the naval school in Philadelphia, when he was promoted passed midshipman. He served in the Mexican war, participating in the taking of Vera Cruz. During 1847-48 he was attached to the U. S. naval observatory in Washington; 1851-53 was assistant instructor at the U. S. naval academy; was promoted master in 1854, and lieutenant in 1855. During 1855-57 he was attached to the San Jacinto of the Asiatic squadron, and participated in the taking of the Barrier forts in the Canton river. He was assistant instructor in seamanship at the naval academy from 1858 to 1860, and on July 11, 1861, was ordered on special service with the army in east Tennessee. He was commissioned acting brigadier-general Sept. 16, 1861, and brigadier-general May 1, 1862; was provost-marshal of east Tennessee during 1863-64; was brevetted major-general of United States volunteers March 13, 1865; was mustered out January, 1866. He was distinguished for his gallantry in the engagements at Wildcat, Ky., October, 1861, Mill Spring, 1862, and in the capture of Cumberland Gap. He commanded the left wing of the army at Kinston, N. C., March 10, 1865, and defeated the Confederates at Goldsboro. At the close of the war he returned to naval duty, was promoted commander June 25, 1865; during 1865-72 was commandant at the U. S. naval academy; was promoted captain, 1870; was a member of the lighthouse board, 1867-80; was promoted commodore Nov. 13, 1878; was retired Aug. 6, 1881, and promoted rear-admiral on the retired list May 16, 1882. He died in Washington, D. C., May 26, 1891.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Carter County Tennessee

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