History of Marshall County Tennessee United States of America

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Marshall County was erected February 26, 1836, from parts of Lincoln, Bedford and Maury, to which was added a part of Giles in 1870. It was named in honor of John Marshall, chief justice.

The first County Court was organized on October 3, 1836, at the house of Abner Houston with the following justices of the peace in attendance: Wm. McClure, Thos. Ross, Wm. Wilkes, Peter Williams, Thos. Wilson, David McGahey, James Adams, Geo. Cunningham, Jas. V. Ewing, John Field, Adam Miller, Joseph Cleek, Ephraim Hunter, Asa Holland, Jas. Patterson, Jason Sheffield, Sherwood Dunnigan, and Andrew Laird. The following officers were elected: Jno. R. Hill, sheriff; Martin W. Oakley, county court clerk; John W. Record, trustee; John Elliott, register; Joseph McCord, coroner; Isaac H. Williams, ranger; Hugh McClelland, surveyor.

By the act which created the county, Richard Warner, Wm. Smith, Holman R. Fowler, Geo. W. McBride, and Wm. D. Orr were appointed commissioners to select the county seat to be named Lewisburg in honor of Meriwether Lewis. Abner Houston gave fifty acres for the county site. Lewisburg was incorporated on December 16, 1837.

Early settlers were: Asa Fonville, in 1807, and Jas. Patterson, in 1808. Wm. McClure, in 1809, the Becks, Wallaces and Allens. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was born near Chapel Hill, was a descendant of the Becks. Capt. Andrew Patterson, who commanded a company at the battle of New Orleans, made a settlement near Chapel Hill about 1800.

The first Circuit Court was held at Abner Houston's house in November, 1836, Judge Edmund Dillahunty, presiding.

The first Chancery Court was established in 1836, Lunsford M. Bramlett, chancellor.

The first postmaster was John Hatchett. The first paper published was the Marshall Democrat in 1847. The second was the Lewisburg Gazette, in 1848.

The first church was Bethbersi, organized June 1, 1810, by Rev. Samuel Findley, Presbyterian. The first minister was Rev. John Gillespie.

Statistics of Marshall County: Population, 1920, 17,375. Assessed valuation of taxable property, 1921, $13,927,210. Area, 377 square miles. Number of farms, 2,560. Railway mileage, sixty. Drained by Duck River. Northern part of the county is generally level; southern portion hilly with valleys that are fertile. Staple products are corn, oats, wheat, fruit, and live stock. A branch of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway passes through the county, and it is also intersected by the Lewisburg & Northern, a branch of the Louisville & Nashville. Lewisburg, the county seat, has a population of 2,711, fine schools and churches, two weekly newspapers, two banks and flourishing manufacturing and commercial establishments. Chapel Hill, Farmington and Cornersville are other towns. Scholastic population, 5,671; high schools, nine; elementary schools, forty-five.

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

History of Marshall County Tennessee

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