USA > Tennessee > Hardin County > A history of Hardin County, Tennessee > Part 2
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Mr. Shannon calculated on a large profit from raising cattle at a small expense, but his cattle were not used to cane, and the result was that in three months from the time they were turned loose in the cane, thirty-nine out of the forty were dead.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
A log house was erected soon after the arrival near the camp, which was then the first house built in the county on the west side of the river. The spot where this house stood is now in Decatur County, but was then included in Hardin.
Mr. Shannon's father, as also his mother's father, came from Ireland. Thus we find that the first permanent settlers on both sides of the river were of Irish and Welsh descent.
In the year 1825 Mr. Shannon and his boys built a hewed log house on the hill, about four hundred yards north of the present landing at Saltillo, near the present site of the Mrs. Haney residence. This was the first house built in Saltillo, and was first occupied by William and Nathan Shannon.
It was in this year (1825) that Smith Hawkins brought two hundred dollars' worth of dry goods from Louisville on a keelboat to what is now Sal- tillo, for Mr. Shannon to sell for him. A hewed log store-house was at once erected, and Nathan Shannon, then a youth, sold out the goods in three months. He sold hats at seven dollars and a-half that sell now for two dollars; shoes at four dollars per pair that sell now for two dollars;
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
coffee sold then at twenty-five and thirty-three cents per pound, and salt at one dollar and twenty- five cents per bushel.
The place was now called Hawkins's Landing. Mr. Hawkins did not run this store long until he and his brother Perry built a store-house about a quarter of a mile south, near the Gan Spring, where they sold goods for several years.
Mr. Simpson Lee came over to this little village one day, and while running his horse through town was thrown off and killed-being the first man killed in the town now called Saltillo.
It was not long until barges or keelboats trav- eled the river regularly, bringing dry goods, salt, and sometimes a few barrels of flour.
The first settlers of Saltillo and vicinity were not blessed with plenty of mills, as we are now, but were obliged to go to a mill on Duek River. Some of the new-comers, before they would go that distance to get meal, would soften their corn by soaking it in water, then grate it; others would beat it in a mortar, which was made by sawing off a block from a white oak log and burning out a hole in the end of it, into which the corn was
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
placed and beat with a maul or pestle. These pounding-mills continued for many years in use by some of the settlers. They were even con- structed in such a way that the pestle moved up and down by water-power.
OTHER SETTLERS.
In the year 1824 Major James Montgomery landed his boat near the Lick ford on White Oak Creek, and moved out with his family to a spot one-half mile north-west of Shady Grove Church, where he settled; and it was some time during 1824 that he built the first mill that was run by horse-power on the west side of the river. Major Montgomery received his title by serving in the Indian war. He was with Col. James Hardin and Solomon Brazelton at the battle of Horse-shoe Bend.
In 1824 Jesse W. Holland started a tanyard a short distance north of Shady Grove Church, which was the first in the western part of the county.
It was also during this year that a man by the name of Charles Miles moved in and settled one
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
mile west of Saltillo, near the little creek which has ever since borne the name of Miles's Branch. His house stood on the spot now occupied by the Mrs. Parker mansion. Soon after locating, Mr. Miles built the first cotton-gin on the west side of the river.
About the year 1825 Jehu Davy came in and bought a tract of land now known as the Ether- idge place, lying near the Lick ford on White Oak Creek, which was then occupied by a man by the name of Allen Anderson. Mr. Davy's family cou- sisted of his wife and eight children-five sons and three daughters.
The land lying along the river from Point Pleas- ant to half a mile south of Saltillo first belonged to Thomas Shannon. In 1842 Thomas Davy be- came the owner of the land where Saltillo now stands; then for several years the place was called Davy's Landing.
In 1849 Mr. Davy leased the landing to Scott Terry, who named the place Saltillo, sold goods there about two years, and died. The next store was the firm of Davy & Williams, with a capital stock of three thousand dollars. 2
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. .
Previous to 1855 the business-houses were near the river, and it was not until after the war that the town began to move westward. No town in the county is more nicely situated than Saltillo. The ground where the town is, and for a mile west of the river, lies well for the situation of a beauti- ful city.
OTHER SETTLEMENTS.
It was not long after the first settlement at Sal- tillo until people began to move in and settle the territory south of White Oak River. George Norwood and Jesse Jones settled on Mud Creek; Isaac Graham and Robert King on Chalk Creek; Mrs. Kerr near the mouth of Mud Creek, on the east side of the creek; James English near the head of Chalk Creek. Jesse Jones's house was one of the precincts in that early day.
Previous to the year 1825 a public road ran from the lower end of Coffee Bluff to the top of the bluff. Here it intersected the road from Hardin's Ferry (now Cerro Gordo) to McNairy Court-house. Several years after the first settlement at Saltillo a company of hunters and trappers by the name of Stars and Jacksons settled the region between
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
Middleton's and Hurricane Creeks. This company first came here from Ohio, and spent several years hunting and trapping for the beaver on White Oak Creek; they finally returned, sold their lands in that State, and moved with their families to this part of Hardin County.
John and Robert Barham were the first settlers of Coffee Landing. These two brothers merchan- dised there for several years before the civil war. The place took its name from the great coffee sand bluff on the river.
Crump's Landing was first settled by a man named Burnet, and was for several years called Burnet's Landing. Dr. Crump bought the place and gave it the name it now bears.
Pittsburg Landing was named after Pitts Tucker, who kept a liquor-shop there before the Rebellion. Thousands of people visit this little town every year to see the beautiful cemetery and to travel over the great battle-field.
We will now leave the subject of settlements, and in the next chapter notice the proceedings of the first courts.
Stani
White Out
JAMES'FERRY
GIN
Hardin's
Cr.
Indian
CHARDIN'S FERRY
Jas. Hardin's House
HARDIN'S
LAND
NELSON'S FERRY
RUDD'S FERRY
Steele
Cr.
Turkey
Swift
Cr.
Cr.
1
3
MC CORD, CIN, O.
MILES
5
MAP OF HARDIN COUNTY IN 1820.
CHAPTER VII.
THE FIRST COURT.
E now come to the year 1820, four years from the time the first cabin was built, and we see a county without boundaries -not only this, it had not been named. And the pioneers had lived up to this good time without having organized the first court. Judging the time then by the present, it seems strange that they lived so long without a court to punish the bad; but perhaps they possessed that grand ornament that a nation of old once had. When the question was asked why they had no written laws, they answered back, " Good man- ners need no laws."
It was on the 3d day of January, 1820, that a few of the settlers, having decided to make a county out of what was then almost a wilderness, met at the house of James Hardin, near Cerro Gordo, and organized a Court of Pleas and Quar- ter Sessions. Col. James Hardin was chosen Clerk
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
and Daniel Smith, Sheriff. David . Kincannon, James Barnes, Samuel Harbor, Isham Cherry, and Joseph McMahon were elected as the Quorum Court, to serve one year, and six constables were also elected.
On the following day court met again, and the officers elected on the day before gave bond and entered on the discharge of their duties.
An election was next held for other county offi- cers, which resulted as follows: Henry Mahar was elected Ranger; Joseph McMahon, Trustee; James Barnes, Register; Stephen Roach, Coroner; and Isham Cherry, Chairman of the Court
The constables each gave bond in the sum of six hundred and twenty-five dollars. A venire of twenty-five good men were appointed as jurors at the next term of the court. The Clerk's bond was ordered placed in the hands of the Chairman for safe-keeping, and the court adjourned to meet the first Monday in April.
APRIL COURT.
At the April term the last will and testament Michael Berry, deceased, was produced in open
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
court and duly proven by the oath of Miss Betty and Miss Mary Berry. This was the first will pro- duced in Hardin County.
A tax was next levied as follows :
On each 100 acres of land 18¿c.
On each town lot . 37}c.
On each free poll . 12}c.
On each slave between the ages of twelve and
fifty years . 25c.
On each retail store or peddler. $5 00
On each tavern-keeper 5 00
The following justices were appointed to take a list of taxable property in the county : Samuel White, in the upper settlement on Swift Creek and its waters; Isham Cherry, on the west side of the river, in what is now included in the Ninth, Tenth, and Fifteenth Districts; David Kincannan, in what is now the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Sixteenth Districts; Edmund W. Gec, in that part of Hardin that has since been given to Deca- tur County ; James Huddleston, in the north-east corner of the county as far south and west as In- dian Creck; Joseph McMahon, in the territory lying between Indian Creek and the dividing ridge between said creek and Turkey Creek; J. W. Martin, in the settlements on Turkey Creek and
1
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
its waters; and Ninnean Steele, for the town com- pany.
It will be seen that the county was first divided into settlements, or neighborhoods, and not into districts, as now.
Before the next tax was assessed by the court, the militia was organized and a tax-assessor ap- pointed for each captain's company. Perhaps it would not be out of place to state here that the first captains of the militia in this county were Warnal, Williams, Jones, Mahan, English, and Paine; and that the first constables elected were Lewis Fortner, Elisha Smith, James H. Steele, John G. Williams, and Shelton Smith; and that the Hon. Joshua Haskell was the first Circuit Judge, and J. W. Judkins the first Circuit Court Clerk.
JULY COURT.
This term was mostly devoted to appointing commissioners to view and mark out roads, re- ceiving wolf-scalps, and appointing jurors for the next term.
OCTOBER COURT.
At the October term J. W. Judkins was sworn
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY .
in as Deputy Clerk, and produced a seal, which was admitted as the first seal of Hardin County.
James R. McMeans, who had been appointed Solicitor-General, resigned, and the vacancy was filled by the appointment of James Scott.
John G. Williams was allowed thirty dollars for building a court-house.
A suit pending between James Williams and Charles Jones was the first civil suit ever disposed of in the county; while the State against Reuben Clark was the first case ever dismissed at the court's cost.
Court continued two days and adjourned. This completed the Court of Pleas and Quarter Ses- sions for the year 1820.
CHAPTER VIII.
COURT PROCEEDINGS, CONTINUED - FIRST COTTON GIN-FIRST SURVEYOR - FIRST SCHOOL-HOUSE -- FIRST CHURCH-HOUSE- DEATH OF JAMES HARDIN-FIRST HOTEL -FIRST STEAMBOATS-SETTLEMENT AT SAVANNAH-FIRST PERSON HUNG-THE Two PARTIES-SETTLEMENT AT CERRO GORDO-FIRST METHODIST PREACHER.
HE first lawyers made their appearance at the January term, 1821. Isaac S. W. Cook, Esq., and James W. Combs, Esq., produced their license to practice law, took the oath prescribed by law, and were ad- mitted to practice in Hardin County.
At the April term, 1821, J. W. Judkins was paid five dollars for the first county seal.
In the year 1821 James F. McMahan was granted liberty to keep a ferry on his own land opposite Cerro Gordo.
Some time during the year 1821 Col. James Hardin was granted liberty to keep a ferry on the river at the mouth of Swift Creek. The same
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
court ordered that the following prices be charged for ferriage: For man and horse, 25 cents; for sin- gle man or horse, 12} cents; for wagon and team, $1; for each head of cattle, 6} cents; for each head of hogs or sheep, 3 cents.
In 1822 James Barnes, Hiram Boone, J. G. Wil- liams, A. W. Sweeney, and Noah Lilly, a commit- tee that had been previously appointed to select a place for the county capital, reported to the July court that they had located the center of the county at Hardinsville, and had also purchased fifty acres of land there. Court, which was then in session at James Hardin's house, adjourned to meet at Hardinsville next day at ten o'clock, which was July 2, 1822.
A committee was next appointed to view and mark out a road to James's Ferry on the river, for the benefit of those living across the river in the northern part of the county.
In 1823 R. T. Patton was granted leave to keep a ferry on the Tennessee River.
In 1823 a public road was cut out from Har- dinsville to Rudd's Ferry, where Savannah now stands, and Jordan Nanny was the first overseer.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
In 1824 a road was cut out from Hardin's Ferry in the direction of McNairy County Court-house, and James Morrow and Simpson Lee were ap- pointed overseers.
In March, 1825, a jail was finished at Hardins- ville at a cost of two thousand dollars.
Thomas Shannon was granted liberty to keep a ferry on the river where Saltillo now stands, and he gave John A. Rawlings and J. W. Judkins as securities.
The first school commissioners were appointed by the court June 24, 1825. They were Joel Casey, James Barnes, David Robinson, J. G. Williams, and Jes e B. Gant. These men were appointed for the whole county, and served for two years.
It was, perhaps, about the year 1821 that Lewis II. Broyles brought five hundred dollars' worth of goods down the river on a barge from East Tennes- sce, and started a store in a log house near James IIardin's. The first thing he sold was two wool hats, at one dollar apiece, to Mrs. Nelly Thacker, for her two boys, William and Shepherd. Mr. Broyles merchandised here until 1822, when he moved his store to Hardinsville.
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. F*45
Daniel Smith, as we have already stated, was the first Sheriff. In 1822 J. W. Judkins was elected Sheriff, with Robert Steele his Deputy; and in April, 1824, Lewis N. Falkner was elected Sheriff.
In that early day there seemed to be men quali- fied to fill any trade or profession that was neces- sary to the welfare of the settlers.
In the year 1822 a man by the name of Tom- kins built a cotton-gin on Whitlow's Creek, and soon after Thomas Hammon built another one near the same creek, that run by horse-power.
Not far from this time Ninnean Steele and Alex- ander McClintock moved in with their families and settled on Steele's Creek. They were of Irish descent, and were excellent mathematicians. Alex- ander Mcclintock was the first surveyor in the county.
In the year 1824 the pioneers built their first school-house not far from the Clifton ford, on In- dian Creek, on the south side of the Clifton and Savannah road, and on what is now known as the Whitlow land. It was eighteen feet square, of logs, with no seats but the sleepers of the house, no floor but the solid earth, no chimney-the fire
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
was built on the ground in the center of the house; no glass windows, like the school-house of to-day. The first man that taught school in this ancient academy was Thomas Stockton, and his pupils- many of them grown men and women - were Stocktons, Hardins, Brazeltons, McMahons, Dob- binses, and McConnells. The text-books used were Pike's Arithmetic and Webster's old Spelling- book, dated 1820. The contents of those old spell- ing-books were quite different to the present style of spellers, and one is now scarcely seen.
In the year 1825 a Baptist church was built near the grave of Blackwell. It was a log structure, twenty feet in length and the same in width. The first man that preached in this rude tabernacle was the Rev. Charles Riddle, of the Hard-shell persuasion.
In the year 1826 Col. James Hardin died, and his grave can now be seen on the south side of the Savannah and Clifton road, about two hundred yards north-east of where Thomas Shelby lived. Col. Hardin had proved a useful man to the county of which he might properly be called the father.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
Previous to his death Col. Hardin had exchanged his log house for a handsome brick mansion. His widow remained here until 1832, when she and all her sons, sons-in-law, and their families moved to the "New Purchase," in Kentucky, and never returned.
L. H. Broyles moved his store to Hardinsville about the year 1823, and John Kendal put up a log house and kept the first hotel in the county in that town. Soon after a man by the name of Swaney started a saddler-shop at Hardinsville, and Bowman opened a hatter-shop.
When the boundaries of Hardin were first estab- lished a small portion of Wayne, where Clifton now stands, and about two districts of what is now the southern part of Decatur, were included in this boundary. Several years later the Legislature of Tennessee gave off the north-west corner of Har- din to Wayne, and in 1856 the two districts in the northern part were given to Decatur.
The first steamboat that started up the river was the Eagle, which sunk on her first trip at the head of Eagle-nest Island. Shortly after the steamer Rocket came up from New Orleans, and for some
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
time made regular trips from that city up the Ten- nessee River.
FIRST SETTLEMENT AT SAVANNAH-HANGING OF MRS. HUGHES-THE TWO PARTIES- SETTLEMENT AT CERRO GORDO-FIRST METHODIST CHURCH-FIRST PHYSICIAN.
The seat of justice remained at Hardinsville seven years, and during that time a brick court- house was built by Mr. James Barnes. The first settlers speak of this house as being a beautiful building, and perhaps it was, compared with the buildings in that day. Hardinsville was supposed to be the center of the county, and it was then be- lieved that this place would ever be the county capital, but it was afterward found to be too far east, and a new location had to be selected, which resulted in Savannah, then called Rudd's Ferry. In the year 1821 a dwelling-house was built on the bank of the river near the present landing at Savannah, and a ferry established there by James Rudd. In the year 1830 the seat of justice was moved here, a court-house was erected of round gum logs, and the place received the name it now bears.
Where the town of Savannah now stands was
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
in that early day a thicket of gum saplings, and the first houses there were built of this timber and called pole-cabins.
It was during this age of Savannah that two noted fighters, Gipson Hardin and Elisha Smith, met to test their strength. A ring was made, sec- onds chosen, and the two braves went to battling. A vast crowd of people were present to witness the battle, and they were all so eager to see that many crowded upon the roofs of the houses, and the result was they crushed the little pole-cabins to the earth. Mr. Hardin proved to be the better man, but Savannah was in ruins!
After the seat of justice was removed to Savan- nah L. H. Broyles bought the court-house at Har- dinsville for a store-house, and John Kendal moved to Savannah, erected a hewed log house, in which he kept hotel until his death; after this the hotel was controlled by his widow for a few years, when she died ; then by her son John until the civil war. After the war Mr. John Kendal erected the Kendal House, which now stands on the bank of the river.
The first brick building built in Savannah was erected by Col. Stephens, and was used some time
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
by him as a dwelling and saddler-shop. This build- ing is still standing on the north side of the Public Square, and is now known as the Irvin store- house.
David Robinson came in soon after Col. Ste- phens, took charge of the ferry, and erected the brick building now known as the Cherry mansion. Mr. Robinson was at that time, perhaps, the rich- est man in the county, for he not only owned a portion of the land where the town now stands, but a large body of land on the west side of the river, opposite the town.
A more handsome and a larger court-house was built in 1832, which stood until the civil war, when it was burnt; but the county records were saved by the Hon. J. D. Martin, a citizen of the town, who snatched them from the flames and kept them concealed until peace was declared. After the Rebellion the present court-house was built at a cost of ten thousand dollars.
The first person hung in the county was Mrs. Hughes, for killing her husband. The gallows was erected between the present Kendal House and the river at Savannah. Thomas Gray was
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. .
then Sheriff, but from some cause did not officiate at the hanging, and so hired Jesse Jones, his Dep- uty, to tie the rope. Joseph Kendal, a colored boy, drove the cart from under the victim. It is said that over a thousand people were present to wit- ness the first execution of a murderer in Hardin County. Mr. Gray at once resigned his office for fear he would have another woman to hang, a thing he did not want to do.
As we have already said, David Robinson was a very active member of the County Court in his day, and it was through his influence that free ferriage was granted the justices living on the west side of the river-a law that has been sanctioned by the courts to the present day.
In the first election days there were two parties in existence-one was called the "Hardin party," with Col. James Hardin as its leader, and the other was called the " Robinson party," with David Robinson as its leader. The former was composed principally of one connection, while the latter was not composed altogether of Mr. Robinson's rela- tives. These two parties lasted for several years, and at times were very hostile toward each other.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
Each desired to rule the county; but they had their day, and finally the members of the former assumed the name of Whig, and most of the latter, Democrat.
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In the year 1830 John White and Elisha Bryant settled with their families on the east bank of the Tennessee River, and erected a dwelling-house, grocery-store, cotton-gin, and kept a ferry. The place was called White's Ferry until 1849, when it . was named Cerro Gordo, after a town by that name in Mexico.
In 1830 the Rev. John Watson, from South Car- olina, organized the first Methodist Church in the county, in a small log house near Hardin's Creek, in the First Civil District.
The first physician that administered to the sick _ in Hardin County was Dr. Brown, of Columbia, Tenn. He was followed by Drs. McMahan and Watts.
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CHAPTER IX.
REVIEW.
ROM 1815 to 1840 the history of Hardin County has been given in previous chap- ters. In 1816, you remember, there were but twenty-six persons living in Har- din; now, according to the census of 1840, we find the total population to be 8,240. Of this number 7,910 were whites and 330 were slaves.
In 1840 there were 77,037 acres of improved and occupied land in the county, valued at three hundred and eighty-two thousand dollars.
The progress in education had been very slow up to this date, notwithstanding private schools had been in existence since 1824. The first school commissioners were elected as early as June, 1825, but nothing of account was done in the way of public schools until 1839. At this date the county contained twelve civil districts, and there were five school directors elected for each district, who enumerated all the white children over six and
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
under sixteen years old, in their respective dis- tricts, on the last day of June in each year. In 1840 the Thirteenth District was included in the Twelfth, and the first school directors in it were Major James Montgomery, Solomon Brazelton, Davidson Alexander, and two others, names un- known.
The school law then required that a school be kept at least three months by a qualified teacher, in order to entitle a district to its share of the public funds. The law nowhere specified what the teacher's qualifications should be, or who was to judge concerning them. Robert H. McEwen, then Superintendent of Public Instruction, sup- plied this omission in the law by giving the com- missioners the power to examine teachers, and give certificates to such as should be found to pos- sess proper moral and intellectual qualifications.
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