History of Hancock County Tennessee United States of America

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Hancock County was erected on January 7, 1844, and was named for John Hancock. It was formed from portions of Hawkins and Claiborne counties. On account of some constitutional objections13 it was not organized until 1846 when a commission was appointed to have the county resurveyed so that the rights of other counties might not be interfered with. The personnel of that commission was: A. P. McCarty, Anderson Campbell, Richard Mitchell, William Nichol, of Hawkins County, and James Ritchie, James Fulkerson, John Farmer, Marshall Brewer, and Alexander Bates, of Claiborne County. These commissioners were also authorized to organize the county. Sneedville was selected as the county seat and was named for John L. T. Sneed, the eminent lawyer who successfully defended the suit brought against the new county for running its line within twelve miles of Rogersville, the county seat of Hawkins County. The first court was held at the house of Alexander Campbell.

Settlements began as early as 1795. Some of the early pioneers were: William McGee, John Ray, Enos Matthias, William McCully, Daniel Slavins, John Givins, Alexander Treat, Solomon Mitchell, John Amis, and Lincoln Amis. Of the early settlers, M. E. Testerman says: ?The county was settled largely by immigrants from Virginia and North Carolina, and many of these were of the very best blood of the world, and no county in the state, population and area considered, has in the same length of time produced more men of worth and note than Hancock.?

Hancock was one of the first counties in the state to establish a system of public schools, for which its people have always responded generously. This is one of the few counties in the state in which Melungeons14 dwell.

Statistics of Hancock County: Population, 1920, 10,454. Assessed valuation of taxable property, 1921, $2,733,197. Area, 260 square miles. Number of farms, 1,820. Railway mileage, none. Drained by the Clinch River. Its surface is partly mountainous and covered with a fine growth of timber. It is rich in all kinds of minerals, including iron ore, lead, zinc, marble, granite, ochre, phosphates, coal and silver. Corn, wheat, oats and live stock are staple products. Sneedville, the county seat, has a population of about five hundred and is located on the Clinch River, fifty miles northeast of Knoxville. It has good churches, schools, bank, newspaper, and flourishing business houses. Scholastic population, 3,833; high schools, 1; elementary schools, 49.

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

History of Hancock County Tennessee

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