History of Jefferson County Tennessee United States of America

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Jefferson County was erected on June 11, 1792, by Wm. Blount when governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio. It was formed from portions of Greene and Hawkins counties and was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. The first settlers came in 1783. Among them were: Robert McFarland, Alexander Outlaw, Thos. Jarnagin, James Hill, Wesley White, James Randolph, Joseph Copeland, Robert Gentry, James Hubbard, Matthew Wallace, James Roddye, Richard Rankin, Thomas Snoddy, Parmenas Taylor, Hugh Kelso, Adam Meek, and George Doherty, most of whom were prominently identified with the early history of Tennessee.

Dandridge, established in 1793, was selected for the county seat and the first Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions was organized at the house of Jeremiah Matthews with the following magistrates in attendance: Alexander Outlaw, James Roddye, John Blackburn, James Lea, Joseph Wilson, Josiah Wilson, Andrew Henderson, Amos Balch and William Cox.

The oldest church is the Hopewell Presbyterian Church, established in 1785.

Among the interesting records of Jefferson County is the record that, on October 22, 1805, David Crockett was licensed to marry Margaret Elder. However, after all the arrangements had been made Miss Elder refused to marry him. But it seems that the wound was not irremediable, for, on August 12, 1806, a license was issued to him to marry Polly Findley.

Statistics of Jefferson County: Population, 1920, 17,677. Assessed valuation of taxable property, 1921, $11.052,203. Area, 310 square miles. Number of farms, 2,209. Railway mileage, 22. Drained by the Holston and French Broad rivers. Surface marked by high ridges and fertile valleys. It has a fine timber growth, including the hardwoods. Iron ore and limestone are found in paying quantities. Wheat, corn, oats, grasses, fruits and live stock are staple products. The Southern Railway intersects the county. The county seat lies three miles north of the French Broad River. It has a population of 439, and is a flourishing town with good schools, churches, banks, newspaper, and commercial and manufacturing enterprises. Other towns are Mossy Creek and Jefferson City. Scholastic population of county, 6,555; high schools, 4; elementary schools, 66.

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

History of Jefferson County Tennessee

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