USA > Indiana > Jay County > Historical hand-atlas, illustrated : containing twelve farm maps, and History of Jay County, Indiana > Part 31
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NORTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE.
122
Geology and Mineralogy,-North Carolina is made up in its geological formation of primary and secondary rocks, and alluvial deposits. The state is vory rich in minerals. Gold, copper and iron abound ; and coal, hoth anthracite and hituminous, exist in large quantities, the latter of the hest quality. Marl is ahundant. Magnetic iron ore, silver, lead, manganese, gypsum, and salt have also been found.
Climate and Soil .- In the low countries the climate is hot and unhealthy in the summer, hilious and intermittent fevers pre- vailing; hut in the middle and western sections the climate is temperatc and healthy.
The soil in the plains is, for the most part, sandy and sterile. In the hilly country, also, there are some pine harrens; but these are less extensive than in Virginia, etc. "Along the hanks of the rivers, and west of the mountains, there are lands of a rich hlack mould, and of great fertility.
Most of the rivers in this state have more or less a southeast course, and flow directly into the Atlantic. The principal are the Roanoke, Neuse, and Cape Fear rivers. The latter is the only one wholly within the State; it is navigahle for small vessels to Fayetteville, 130 miles from its mouth. The Neuse, which opens hy a wide estuary into Pamlico Sound, traverses the centre of the State, and is navigahle for hoats in most parts of its course. The Roanoke enters the State from the north, and flows into Albemarle Sound, after a course of 370 miles.
Products, etc .- The forests of the interior contain oak, hickory, maple, ash, cypress, cedar and black-walnut. Apples, pears, strawberries, the fig-tree, vine, wild-vine, etc., attain per- fection. The cherry-trees grow to an immense size, and peaches thrive everywhere. Snake-root, sarsaparilla, and other valuable drugs are found. Cotton and rice are staples. Large quantities of the former are grown on the sandy islands, and in the low country ; rice is cultivated principally on the more solid tracks, interspersed among the swamps. All kinds of grain, pulse, and flax are produced in the interior ; and a great deal of pitch, tar, turpentine, and lumher are obtained from the pine forests. Maize thrives well; hut the wheat is generally of inferior quality.
Education, etc .- The State board of education is composed of the governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, auditor, superintendent of public works, and superintendent of public instruction.
The following is the decennial population of North Carolina, from 1790:
1880
1870
1860
1850
1840
1880
1820
1810
1800
1790
1071381
992622
869039
753419
737987
638829
555500
478103 893751
According to the census of 1870, the total population of North Carolina was 1,071,361; of which 391,650 were colored, and 1,241 Indians.
The chief cities in the State are Raleigh, the capital; Wilming- ton and Charlotte.
TENNESSEE.
TENNESSEE, the third State admitted into the Union, lies hetween latitude 45deg. and 36deg. 40min. north, and longi- tude 82deg. and 90deg. west, and is hounded on the north hy Ken- tncky and Virginia ; east hy North Carolina; south by Georgia, Alahama, and Mississippi ; and west hy Arkansas, from which it is separated hy the Mississippi River. It has an area of 45,600 square miles, or 29.184,000 acres.
The eastern part of this State is intersected hy the Alleghany chain, which here sometimes rises to the height of 2,000 feet ; the middle part is hilly, while the western portion is an extensive undulating plain.
History, Government, and Finances .- The name of Tennes- see is derived from its chief river. The spot where Memphis now stands was prohahly visited hy De Soto as early as 1549. At the outhreak of the French war, ahout fifty families were located on the Cumberland River, hut the savages hroke up the settlement and drove the settlers off. The first permanent settlement was made in 1756, and Fort Loudon was huilt on the Tennessee River ahout thirty miles from where Knoxville now stands. This was the first Anglo-American settlement west of the Alleghanies and south of Pennsylvania. The settlers enjoyed friendly intercourse with the Indians until the Cherokees, instigated hy the French, hegan to commit depredations. In 1760 the Indians hecame so troublesome that a force was dispatched to relieve the settlements, hut after several encounters with the Indians the troops retreated, and the savages seizing the opportunity hesieged the garrison at Fort Loudon. The Indians far outnumbered the settlers, and the whites were obliged to capitulate, stipulating that they should he
allowed to return to North Carolina unmolested. The treacher- ous red-skins overtook the settlers on the second day of their march, and hutchering many of them, led the survivors into cap- tivity. In 1761 another expedition was sent from North Caro- lina and Virginia, and after defeating the Indians in several hat- tles compelled themu to sue for peace. A treaty was made with the Indians, which they ohserved honorably, and the settlements along the Watauga and Holston rivers made rapid progress. In the colonial assembly of North Carolina in 1776, the territory was represented hy Deputies as the District of Washington. In the Revolutionary War the settlers joined the cause of the colonists, and in 1780 the mountaineers of the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee distinguished themselves in the Southern campaign, at King's Mountain, Guilford, and other hattle scenes, and soon after these events they penetrated the Indian country and dis -. persed the savages. At the close of the Revolution, a small col- ony of ahout forty families, under the direction of James Rohert- son, crossed the mountains, and settled on the Cumberland River, where they founded the town of Nashville. The nearost white neighbors where the settlers of Kentucky, and hetween stretched a wilderness of two hundred miles. From 1777 to 1784 the terri- tory constituted a part of North Carolina, which laid off a portion of the district near Nashville for hounty lands for her Revolution- ary soldiers. In 1785 the people hecame dissatisfied with the manner in which the government of North Carolina treated them. They organized the State of Franklin, which continued a separate government until 1788, when it was again united with North Carolina. In 1789 the legislature of North Carolina ceded the territory, on certain conditions, to the United States; and in the following year Congress accepted the cession, and hy its act of May 26th, 1790, provided for its government under the title of "The Territory of the United States South of the Ohio," which included the present States of Kentucky and Tennessee, the former having been ceded hy Virginia. In 1794 a separate terri- torial government was granted to Tennessee, and two years later an act of Congress enabled the people to form a State constitution, which they did at Knoxville, and in 1796 Tennessee was admitted into the Union. In the war of 1812 the troops from this State gained distinction for their hravery, and Andrew Jackson, a citi- zen of Tennessee, was one of the most distinguished generals of tho war.
In January, 1861, a proposal to secede-from the Union was defeated; hut in June, carried hy a majority of 57,667, the vote standing 104,019 for separation against 47,238. In the war which followed, Tennessee hore a distinguished part in the Confederate side, and as one of the principal battle-grounds suffered greatly. She was re-admitted to the Union on July 23d, 1865.
The executive is composed of a governor elected hy the people for a term of two years, and a secretary of state, treasurer, comp- troller, and attorney-general, chosen by the legislature. The legis- lature itself consists of 25 senators and 75 representatives, and holds its sessions biennially. The judicial power is vested hy the constitution in the supreme court and such inferior tribunals as the legislature may establish. The supreme court consists of three judges, and the legislature has established courts of chancery, cir- cuit courts, county courts, and justices' courts. Tennessee sends nine representatives to Congress, and casts twelve electoral votes.
Geology and Mineralogy .- Tennessee is very rich in min- erals, iron heing extensively mined, while copper and lead are found in considerahle quantities. Marhle, gypsum, and limestone exist in inexhaustihle deposits, and are quarried to a very large extent. Vast deposits of coal, covering upwards of 4,300 square miles, have heen traced, and the coal is of excellent quality. In the limestone regions are numerous caves, mostly unexplored. Several in the Cumberland Mountains are 100 feet deep, and miles in extent. A considerable river has been discovered in one at a depth of 400 feet ; another opening perpendicularly in a moun- tain has never heen fathomed. In some of these caves are large deposits of fossil hones of extinct animals. In the Enchanted Mountain are seen impressions of the feet of men and animals in limestone. Tracts of several acres have sunk into caverns a hun- dred feet deep. In many places are interesting remains of ancient mounds and fortifications.
Climate and Soil .- The climate is mild. In winter consider- ahle snow sometimes falls, hnt the winters are generally short. The summers are free from the hot temperature of the Gulf States. In the Cumberland Mountain districts the climate is very agreeable. Nearly all parts of the State, excepting on the alluvions of the large rivers are healthy. The soil may he generally described as arable, and of good quality. In East Tennessee, in the mountainous districts, there is much poor land, not well adapted to cultivation, hut favorable to grazing, while the valleys of these districts are very fertile.
The principal rivers, next to the Mississippi, are the Tennesseo
1
123
TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY.
and Cumherland, hoth tributaries of the Ohio. The Tennessee rises near Franklin, in North Carolina, and runs northwest to about 35 miles southwest of Knoxville; it then turns to the south- west, and continues in that direction to near Decatur in Alabama. After a hend to the northwest, it again enters the State of Ten- nessee about longitude 88deg. W., and its course thenceforward is generally northward to its junction with the Ohio, ahout 20 miles southwest of Salem. At its outlet it is ahout 600 yards in width. It is navigahle for steam vessels of large size for 250 miles, and as much further for boats of 40 or 50 tons. It has several tributar- ies, some of which are navigable to a considerable distance. Ten- nessee is generally well watered, and comprises a vast extent of excellent land.
Products, Commerce, and Manufactures .- The products are much the same as those of Kentucky, with the addition of cot- ton. Indian corn, wheat, and oats are the principal crops. Cotton is grown in most parts of the State. Tobacco is also cul- tivated to a considerable extent. In the eastern section grazing is a good deal attended to, and considerable numbers of cattle and sheep are reared for the markets of the eastern States. Immense numbers of mules are also raised in the State. The chief prodnc- tions, hesides those mentioned, are figs, peaches, grapes, and all the fruits and productions of the southern temperate regions. The State is richly wooded with pine, oak, hickory, sugar-maple, cedar and black-walnut.
The commerce of the State by its rivers and numerous lines of railway is chiefly with New Orleans, St. Louis and Cincinnati. Manufactures have not as yet played any great part in the indus- try of Tonnessee, though few States have such a combination of advantages in the way of water-power and cheap fuel.
Education, etc .- In Tennessee the treasurer of the State is ex-officio superintendent of public instruction. The county boards are composed of the commissioners of the school districts, who elect their county superintendents. The counties are subdivided into school districts. District commissioners are elected by the districts, one every year, who are the general trustees of the dis- trict school. They hold office three years, and are known as the board of education for the district. The counties levy taxes for school purposes. The school fund consists of the interest of school-land sales, poll-tax. dog-tax, sales and rents of escheated lands, and effects of intestates dying and leaving no heirs.
The decennial population of Tennessee, from 1790, is as follows :
1880
1870
1860
1850
1840
1830
1620
1810
1800
1790
1258520
1109801
1002717
829210
681904
492 771
261727 105602
35691
According to the census of 1870 the total population of Ten- nessee was 1,258,520, of which 322,331 were colored, and 70 Indians.
The important cities of Tennessee are Nashville, the capital; Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
KENTUCKY.
KENTUCKY, the second State admitted into the Union, is situ- ated between latitude 36deg. 30min, and 38deg. 30min. north, and longitude 86deg. and 89dcg. west, and is bounded on the north by Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, west hy Missouri, south by Tennessee, and east by West Virginia. It has an area of 37,680 square miles, or 24,115,200 acres. The general slope of this State is towards the northwest. The eastern extremity of the State is occupied by some offsets of the Alleghany mountains; and along the Ohio the country is broken, and contains many abrupt hills, and deep and fertile valleys often densely wooded. Towards the centre of Kentucky the surface is undulating; the west is compar- atively level. In the latter direction is an extensive tract called the "harrens," not sterile, however, as its name would seem to imply, but comprising some of the fine pasture-land for which Kentucky is distinguished, and studded with oak and other forest trees.
History, Government, and Finances .- Daniel Boone and Knox were the first explorers of Kentucky; after them came Bullitt, Harod and Henderson, and thou Heuton, Calloway and Logan. Boonesborough was founded by Daniel Boone, who brought his wife and daughter to the new country. They were the first white women who visited the hanks of the Kentucky. Kentucky was made a county of Virginia ; but as history is some- what confused respecting the date of the transaction, the precise date cannot be given. In 1777 the first court was held at Har- rodsburg. Settlers rapidly inoreased in numbers as the fame of the new country spread. The savages were very troublesome, and many bloody conflicts occurred hetween them and the settlers.
Kentucky, in the language of the Indians, means "dark and bloody ground," and that name was given to this State because it was for many years a theatre of savage warfare. The war of the Revolution left the inhabitants in an unsettled state, and con- stantly apprehensive of attacks hy the savages. The seat of gov- ernment was located at Richmond, Virginia, which was too dis- tant to afford ready succor to the Kentuckians; therefore they. were compelled to provide for their own safety. Several conven- tions met at Danville to take peaceful measures to separate Ken- tucky from Virginia. The third convention sent a petition to Richmond, and in 1786 Virginia acceded to the wishes of the petitioners; but from several causes the separation was not com- pleted, chiefly, however, from the desire of the Kentuckians to obtain an independent nationality. A fourth convention only tended to incite the people against the central government, and a report having gained currency that Mr. Jay, the minister to Spain, had ceded the navigation of the Mississippi to that country, the public mind became inflamcd. A fifth convention met, and, on petition, Virginia allowed the Kentuckians to send a delegate to Congress; hut the constitution having in the meanwhile been adopted, Congress turned the whole subject over to the new gov- ernment. Spain took advantage of this state of affairs, and through her minister, clandestinely proposed certain commercial favors and facilities to Kentucky, should she hecome an indepen- dent government. These propositions were regarded with some favor; but a sixth and seventh convention met, and although political passions ran high, constitutional measures prevailed, and an address was finally voted to Congress. The question was at length determined by Kentucky becoming a separate territory in 1790, and its admission into the Union on the Ist of June, 1792. At this time the population was ahout 75,000. In the war of the Revolution Kentucky took an active part. The proclamation of war against Great Britain was hailed with enthusiasm by the inhabitants. Upwards of 5,000 volunteers were called into active service, and upwards of 7,000 men of Kentucky are said to have heen in the field. During this period Isaac Shelby, a hero of the Revolution, occupied the gubernatorial chair. At an advanced age he evinced the same enterprise and courage that had gained him an honorable fame in the battle of King's Mountain. At the battle of Frenchtown, and the savage massacre that followed, many of Kentucky's best citizens were slain. Since the treaty of 1815 the annals of Kentucky do not record any stirring event. Many of the best and bravest citizens of the State were engaged in the Mexican war, and gained an honorable reputation. She also, as one of tho "border States," took a conspicuous part in the civil war. At first it seemed doubtful which side Kentucky would espouse; but having finally cast her fortunes with the Union, her troops participated actively in all the western campaigns.
The constitution of 1850 is the basis of the present government of Kentucky. The governor is elected hy the people for four years. He cannot be elected two terms in succession. A lieuten- ant-governor, auditor, attorney-general, register of land office, and superintendent of public instruction are elected for four years. The legislature consists of a senate and house of representatives. The former is chosen for four years, one-half every second year, and the latter every two years. The legislature meets biennially on the first Monday of December in every odd year, and is limited to a session of sixty days, but it may be prolonged by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Should a vacancy occur in the office of gov- ernor during the first half of his term, a new election is held ; otherwise the vacancy is filled in the same way as in most of the other States. The treasurer is elected every two years, and the secretary of state is appointed by the governor, with the advice of the sonate.
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