History of Hawkins County Tennessee United States of America

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Hawkins County was formed from Sullivan County by the State of North Carolina in 1786, while the State of Franklin was concurrently functioning. It was named for Benjamin Hawkins, who, as United States senator conjointly with Senator Samuel Johnston, executed, on February 25, 1790, the deed which transferred what is now Tennessee to the United States. Its early settlers came principally from North Carolina and Virginia, with some from Pennsylvania and a sprinkling from New England. The first settlements were made in Carter's Valley about the time of the first settlements on the Watauga. Prominent among them were the Kincaids, Loves, Longs, Mulkeys, Carter and Parker, who established a store; Robert Lucas, Thomas Amis, who came about 1781 and built a stone house, a store, a blacksmith shop, a distillery, a saw mill and grist mill and kept a tavern; William Cocke, who settled at Mulberry Grove about 1780; Joseph McMinn, governor of Tennessee, 1815-1821; Peter Parsons, Orville Bradley, John A. McKinney, Pleasant M. Miller and Samuel Powell.

From the first they took a great interest in education. Notable teachers in the early days were: John Long, 1783; William Evans, 1784; James King, 1786; Samuel B. Hawkins, 1796.

Rogersville, the county seat, was established by the State of North Carolina, this being one of the last acts of the Legislature of that state prior to the act of cession in 1789. It was named for Joseph Rogers, the first settler at that place. The old Rogers tavern was one of the most famous taverns of the early days. Andrew Jackson and other notables made it their stopping place.

The Knoxville Gazette, the first newspaper published in Tennessee, was first issued in Rogersville by George Roulstone in 1791. The Railroad Gazette, the first newspaper devoted exclusively to internal improvement published in the United States, was established at Rogersville, in 1832.

Statistics of Hawkins County: Population, 1920, 22,918. Assessed valuation of taxable property, 1921, $12,741,069. Area, 490 square miles. Number of farms, 3,314. Railway mileage, 51. Drained by the Clinch River. Its surface is hilly and valleys very fertile. The county is covered with a growth of fine timber, including hardwoods, common to the South. Minerals found are iron, zinc, lead, barites, magnesia, iron pyrites, salt, marble. Corn, wheat, oats, grass and live stock are staple products. Fruit growing is developing into a profitable industry in the county. Poultry and dairy products are important industries. The Southern Railway passes through the southern portion of the county. The county has good roads, and many fine mineral springs. Rogersville, the county seat, on the Southern Railway, has a population of 1,402. Has good churches and schools, banks and newspapers, and many prosperous business establishments. Scholastic population of county, 9,620; high schools, 5; elementary schools, 95.

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

History of Hawkins County Tennessee

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