USA > Tennessee > History of Tennessee, its people and its institutions > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34
53. The Treaty of Lochabar .- It was barely two years after the treaty of Hard Labor before Virginia held another treaty with the Cherokees, in order to purchase more lands on her southwestern frontiers. It was held at Lochabar, and was negotiated by Col. John Donelson, afterward distinguished in the settlement of Middle Ten- nessee. By that treaty, the southern terminus of the line was moved west thirty miles, so as to begin six miles east of Long Island of Holston. The northern terminus was moved west from Chiswell's Mine to the
1 Butler's History of Kentucky, Appendix, p. 390.
42
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
mouth of the Kenawha. This line was west of the Watauga River, which was then supposed to be in Virginia, and, in consequence of the treaty, many pioneers settled lands on that river which they ex- pected to hold by their improvements as first settlers, under the laws of Virginia. This treaty of Lochabar in 1770 marks the date of the first settlement south of the Holston River.
CHAPTER VI.
NOTABLE COLONIAL EVENTS IN WHICH TENNESSEE HAS AN INTEREST.
54. As a Part of Virginia .- As previously related, Tennessee was included within the limits of Virginia from 1584 to 1663, a period of 79 years. The country was unexplored and unsettled, and there is no evidence that the foot of any Englishman touched the soil of Ten- nessee during this period. The ancestors of the present Tennesseans, however, were living in Virginia and Carolina, and were preparing, even then, to push their settlements to the west, and to conquer the wilderness "across the mountains." Tennesseans, as their descend- ants, inherit a share of their colonial history. 1
55. What Tennessee Inherits from Virginia .- Of the many famous events which occurred in Virginia while Tennessee was still within her limits, we can mention but a few .? The first white child, Virginia Dare, was born at Roanoke Island, August 18, 1587. The first permanent English settlement was made at Jamestown in 1607. The interesting events occured which have thrown a halo of romance around the names of Capt. Jolin Smith, Pocahontas, John Rolfe, Powhatan. In 1619 was held the first legislative assembly in America, and slavery was introduced. Ten years after the separation of Virginia and Carolina, in 1673, occurred Bacon's rebellion, which was the first armed resistance to British oppression. The importance of two of the events above named, demands their treatment in separate para- graphs.
1 For Virginia, see the histories of the United States, and of Virginia. For North Carolina, see Wheeler's History, Moore's History, and Moore's School History.
2 North Carolina, within whose limits Roanoke Island is situated, was then a part of Virginia.
-
------
43
NOTABLE COLONIAL EVENTS.
56. The First Legislative Assembly .- Sir George Yardley, an English knight, has been called "The Father of Representative Gov- ernment in America," on account of the prominent part which he took in securing for the colonists the right of holding a colonial legis- lature composed of representatives elected by themselves. The colon- ists were governed by a commercial company composed of stock- holders, who were then called "adventurers." This company received a charter from King James I, under which they claimed Virginia, and established colonies, reserving the right to make the laws and to appoint all officers for the government of the colonists. Sir George Yardley was one of these stockholders, or "adventurers." In 1609, he came over to Jamestown as one of the council appointed by the London Company. He was soon recognized as the friend of the colonists. In 1616, he became governor in the absence of Sir Thomas Dale. He was superseded by Capt. Samuel Argali in 1618, and went to England to represent the cause of the colonists. He was so suc- cessful in his mission, that the London Company voted to grant Virginia the right of self-government, and appointed Sir George Yardley as governor-general. He returned to Jamestown, and entered upon the duties of his office April 19, 1619. Early in June, he " sente his summons all over the country, as well to invite those of the council of Estate, that were absente, as also for the election of the Burgesses." Then came the first general election. From each of the eleven boroughs, or hundreds, or plantations, two delegates, called Bur- gesses, were elected. July 30, 1619, this famous assembly convened in the old church at Jamestown, representative government was an accomplished fact, and Virginia kindled the torch of liberty in America. From such ancestors, the pioneers who settled Tennessee learned the value of self government, and, in later years, framed at Watauga the first government west of the Alleghany Mountains, and the first con- stitution made by native Americans. 1
57. Slavery .- In the same year, 1619, the first African slaves in America were bought by the colonists at Jamestown. It is frequently mentioned as a reproach to the South that slavery was introduced in a Southern Colony. The answer is ready. In 1619 there was no
1 See American Historical Magazine, Vol. I, No. 1, pp. 3-21 (January number. IS96 ); Genesis of the United States, by Alexander Brown; The First Republic in America, Alexander Brown, chapter 24; Will of Sir George Yardley in American Historical Magazine, Vol. I, pp. 98-101 (January number, 1896 ).
44
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
English colony except Virginia. Slavery could not, therefore, be introduced in any other colony, for the reason that there was no other colony. In this year a ship, which is sometimes called a Dutch ship, landed at Jamestown with a cargo of slaves. From the best testi- mony, it was an English ship engaged in the Dutch trade, and, there- fore, alluded to as a "Dutch ship." The unfortunate Africans, about twenty in number, were objects of pity. Confined in the hold of the ยท vessel, and cruelly treated, their condition appealed to the sympathy of generous men. The humane heart of Sir George Yardley was touched. He bought some of them, and his colonists bought the remainder. The unfortunate Africans found homes and friends, and hailed their entrance into slavery with joy, perhaps more keen than that with which their descendants subsequently hailed their emanci- pation. Slavery subsequently spread to each of the thirteen colonies ; the commercial sections becoming the dealers, and the agricultural sections the purchasers.
58. As a Part of North Carolina .- When Virginia was divided, in 1653, Tennessee became a part of Carolina, and so remained until 1693, a period of thirty years, when Carolina was divided, and Ten- nessee became a part of North Carolina.1 It was a part of North Carolina when the first English settlements were made within its limits, and when its real history begins. North Carolina is, there- fore, usually regarded as the parent State. Tennessee was a part of North Carolina when the Lords Proprietors attempted to enforce the famous Constitution of John Locke, in 1693. Pupils should examine this famous model of government. They will find a conspicuous ex- ample of the wisdom of their ancestors which was superior to that of the most renowned philosopher of liis day. Tennessee shares with North Carolina in the honor of the battle of Alamance, fought May 16, 1771, which was the precursor of the Revolution; and in the glory of the Mecklenburg resolutions of May 20, 1775, the precursor of the Declaration of Independence; and in the glory of the battle of King's Mountain, the most picturesque of battles, and in other battles of the Revolution. Pupils should study the annals of our parent States, and treasure the history which Tennessee inherits.
1 For charters see Ramsey, Haywood, etc., and Ben Perley Poore's Charters. Also see State Histories of Virginia and North Carolina.
45
TOPICAL ANALYSIS.
TOPICAL ANALYSIS OF DIVISION II. THE COLONIAL RELATIONS.
I. THE EUROPEAN CONTEST FOR POSSESSION OF AMERICA.
I. Importance of Contemporaneous History.
2. Spanish Claims.
3. Spanish Explorations.
4. Claims of England and France. -
5. Effects of the Reformation.
6. Effects of Spanish Armada.
7. Queen Elizabeth and Raleigh.
8. English Begin Colonization. (a ) Lane's Colony. ( 6) White's Colony. (c) Jamestown.
II. CONFLICT OF TITLE.
A. The Three Claimants; Prosecution of their Claims; French and English Active ; Spain Inert.
I. The French-
(a) Extent of their Claims.
(b ) Begin Colonization.
(c) Explore Mississippi Valley.
(d ) Approach Tennessee from the West.
(e ) Not a colonizing people. Build forts and attempt to hold the country by military occupation.
2. The English-
( a) Progress of their Colonies.
(6 ) Build Counter-forts.
( c) Fort Loudon.
(d) Other Forts.
(e) Temporary Settlement at Fort Loudon.
(d ) Massacre of Fort Loudon.
B. Treaty of Paris, 1763, Decides the Contest in Favor of England. III. ENGLISH TREATIES WITH THE INDIANS.
I. The King's Proclamation of 1763.
2. The Treaty of Augusta, 1763.
3. The King's Proclamation not Observed.
4. The Treaty of Hard Labor, 1768.
5. Treaty of Fort Stanwix, 1768.
(a ) Indian title to land conveyed.
6. Effects of Treaties of Hard Labor and Fort Stanwix. 7. Treaty of Lochabar, 1770.
IV. NOTABLE COLONIAL EVENTS IN WHICH TENNESSEE HAS AN INTEREST. I. As a Part of Virginia-
(a) Virginia Dare.
(6) Early History of Jobn Smith, Pocahontas, etc.
(c) The first Legislative Assembly.
(d) The Introduction of Slavery.
( e) Bacon's Rebellion.
2. As a Part of North Carolina-
( a) Constitution of John Locke.
( 6 ) Battle of Alamance.
(c) Mecklenburg Declaration.
(d) King's Mountain and other Battles of the Revolution.
DIVISION III.
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE FROM THE TIME OF ITS SETTLEMENT BY THE WHITES TO THE DATE OF ITS ADMISSION AS A STATE.
CHAPTER VII.
THE PIONEER.
59. Anglo- American Excursionists Visit Tennessee .- Although Tennessee had been included as a part successively of three English colonies, yet none of them had thought it worth their while to explore or settle the country. The settlement was due to no concerted or governmental act, but to the agency of the most "unique and pict- uresque character of history"-the American pioneer. The term "pioneer " may be extended to include the first persons who explored or visited the country. It is especially used to designate those who made the early permanent settlements. While there had been no attempt at settlement, or permanent occupation by the English pre- vious to the establishment of Fort Loudon, in 1756, yet there had been casual visitors, traders, hunters, and tourists, who had made excursions into Tennessee.1 The names of many of these have been lost to history, but a few have been preserved by the early historians.
60. The Traders .- Perhaps the first English travelers who vis- ited Tennessee were attracted by the hope of gain in trade. In 1695, a trader from Virginia, named Doherty, visited the Cherokees. In 1730, Adair, from South Carolina, made an extensive tour, visiting the Cherokees and other tribes. Dr. Ramsey says of Adair: "He was not only an enterprising trader, but an intelligent tourist. To his observations upon the several tribes which he visited we are indebted for most that is known of their early history. They were published in 1775." In 1740 a party of traders from Virginia visited the Cherokees. This party employed Mr. Vaughan as packman. There were, doubtless, many other traders of whom history makes no
1 See Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee, pp. 62-77; Haywood's History of Ten- nessee, pp. 38-51 ; Monette, Adair, Imlay, Roosevelt's Winning of the West, Vol. I, PP. 101-165.
-------
47
THE PIONEER.
mention. Many advantages resulted from this irregular trade. It was found to be lucrative, and led to important results. The returning traders gave glowing accounts of the wonderful resources and fertility of the western country, and the abundance of game, which excited a lively interest among the eastern colonists.
61. The Hunters .- Following the traders, came the hunters, sometimes in company with a trading party, and sometimes in separate bands. Historians have recorded a few of these hunting excursions. "As early as 1748," says Dr. Ram- sey, quoting from Monette, "Dr. Thomas Walker, of Virginia, in company with Colonels Wood, Pat- ton, and Buchanan, and Captain Charles Campbell, and a number of hunters, made an exploring tour upon the western waters. Passing Pow- ell's Valley, he gave the name of ' Cumberland' to the lofty range of mountains on the west. Tracing this range in a southwestern direc- tion, he came to a remarkable depres- sion in the chain; through this he passed, calling it 'Cumberland Gap.' On the western side of the range he found a beautiful mountain stream, which he named 'Cumberland River,' all in honor of the Duke of Cumberland, then Prime Minister of England." In 1760, a Virginia company of hunters, composed of " Wallace, Scags, Blevins, Cox, and DANIEL BOONE'S TREE. fifteen others," spent eighteen months in a hunting excursion along Clinch and Powell rivers.
62. Daniel Boone .- In 1760 the famous Daniel Boone visited Tennessee at the head of a party of hunters. It is conjectured by- Dr. Ramsey that this was not Boone's first visit to Tennessee, although it is the first that has come to the knowledge of historians. In testi- mony of this visit, Dr. Ramsey gives in his history an inscription cut by Daniel Boone on a beech tree, "standing in sight and east of the
48
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
present stage road leading from Jonesboro to Blountville, and in the valley of Boone's Creek, a tributary of Watauga." This tree and inscription is shown in the annexed picture, engraved from a photo- graph in the Tennessee Historical Society. There is no doubt of the genuineness of the inscription, but doubts have been expressed as to whether it was carved by Daniel Boone. Daniel Boone visited Ten- nessee again in 1771, and remained until 1774.1 Many other hunting parties prepared the way for the advent of the pioneers of permanent settlement.
63. The First Negro .- In1 17682 an expedition of hunters trav- ersed the country from the banks of the Holston, in East Tennessee, to the Ohio River at the mouth of the Tennessee River, passing along the banks of the Cumberland River, and giving the name to Stone's River. The party consisted of Colonel James Smith, William Baker, Uriah Stone, for whom Stone's River was named, and Joshua Horton. The last-named member of the party, Joshua Horton, had with him "a mulatto slave," eighteen years old, whose name is not given. Judge Haywood states that Mr. Horton left this mulatto boy with Colonel Smith, who carried him back to North Carolina. 3
64. The Approach of the Pioneer .- In 1763, the period of nearly five generations of men had passed since the settlement of Jamestown in 1607. A new generation now dominated the colonies who were Americans by birth, and distinctly American in thought, character, and habit. This differentiation in colonial character was, however, largely restrained by the influence of English governors, by constant contact with English laws and institutions, and by the influx of fresh immigrants who continued to pour in from the mother country. Along with this stream of immigrants came the "Scotch Irish." This latter element inherited the clannish spirit which prompted them to keep together. They early evinced the desire to found set- tlements in which they should be the controlling element. This ten- dency, together with their resolute character and adventurous spirit, constantly prompted them to move further west. Thus, the Scotch
1 Imlay, pp. 343, 344. See Imlay's Index, under "Boone." Francis Bailey, an Englishman, visited Tennessee and Kentucky in 1796-97, and wrote a journal of his travels. This journal was published in England in IS46, entitled "A Tour in the Unsettled Parts of North America." He gives an interesting account of the country, and records a meeting with Daniel Boone on the Ohio River.
2 Haywood says it was in 1,66, but as "the Indians had then lately ceded " their lands by the treaty of Stanwix, which was concluded in 1768, this expedition could not have been earlier than that date.
3See Haywood's Civil and Political History of Tennessee, p. 49.
49
THE PIONEER.
Irish immigrants formed a large element in the vanguard of the west- ern march of colonization, which their descendants continued to push further and further westward. This hardy band of pioneers was now ready to cross the mountains. The way had been prepared by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, by which the title of France had been ceded to England, and by the various Indian treaties above named.
65. The First Settlers in Tennessee Largely Scotch-Irish .- The Holston and Watauga were not colonized, as the Cumberland after- ward was, by strong companies moving in concert, under organized leaders. Their first settlers came in single families or small par- ties, with no concert of action, and without any recognized leader. The Virginia frontiers had now reached the headwaters of the Hol- ston River, and straggling immigrants followed that stream beyond the borders of the province, and formed the first settlements in Ten- nessee; supposing their settlements to be still in Virginia, some families even crossed the Holston. In 1769 or 1770, William Been, 1 originally from Pittsylvania County, Virginia, penetrated as far south as the Watauga, and erected a log cabin at the mouth of Boone's Creek, where his son Russell, the first native white Tennessean, was soon afterwards born. His settlement was greatly augmented by the arrival of small bands of Regulators, whom the tyranny of the royal governor had driven out of North Carolina. But whether they came from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Pennsylvania, the first settlers of Tennessee were, in the main, the same type of people- an aggressive, daring, and hardy race of men, raised up in the faith of the Presbyterian Covenanter, and usually comprehended under the general designation of Scotch-Irish, that people forming their largest element.
66. Origin of the Scotch-Irish .- Ireland, in the time of Henry VIII, was so strongly Catholic that all the power of that monarch was not sufficient to establish the Episcopacy on the island. His effort to do so resulted in a long. bitter, and bloody war, which was not finally terminated until near the close of Elizabeth's reign. When it did close, the province of Ulster, containing nearly a million acres, was found to have been almost depopulated by its devastations. James IV, of Scotland, succeeded to the throne, and in him the two king- doms were united. He conceived the idea of colonizing Ulster with Protestant subjects. These he chose chiefly from his old subjects, the
1William Been signed his name as given in the text. His son, Russell, the first white child born in Tennessee, signed his name, Russell Bean.
50
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
Scotch Covenanters, though many Englishmen settled in the southern part of the province.
67. Character of the Scotch-Irish .- These Scotch emigrants were stern, strict, liberty-loving Presbyterians, who believed in the West- minster Catechism and taught it to their children. They resented the pretensions of the Crown to be the head of the church, and believed with John Knox that the King derived his authority from the people, who might lawfully resist, and even depose him, when his tyranny made it necessary. They believed in education, and followed a sys- tem under which every preacher became also a teacher, a circumstance that had a marked influence on the educational history of Tennessee. The colony prospered wonderfully. But these Scotch-Irish as stead- fastly resisted the Episcopacy as did the Irish Catholics, and were destined to suffer a like persecution. As early as 1636 some of them set sail on board the "Eagle Wing" for America, but unfavorable weather sent her back to port in a disabled condition, and the experi- ment was not again repeated for half a century.
68. The Great Ulster Exodus .- Their persecutionscontinued, with the exception of a short respite under the reign of William of Orange. Finally, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, the great exodus began. It reached its flood-tide near the middle of the eighteenth cent- ury. For some time prior to 1750, about twelve thousand Irish emi- grants had annually landed in America. In the two years following the Antrim evictions in 1771, as many as one hundred vessels sailed from the north ports of Ireland, carrying from twenty-five to thirty thousand Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, mostly to America. Their experience in Ireland had peculiarly fitted them to lead the vanguard of western civilization. Their hereditary love of liberty, both civil and religious, was strengthened by a long course of persecution and oppression. Moreover, the constant presence of danger from their turbulent neigh- bors had made them alert, active, resolute, and self-confident.
.
69. The Scotch-Irish Settle on the Frontiers .- The Scotch-Irish reached the interior of America in two streams. The earliest and largest poured into Pennsylvania through the ports of New Castle and Philadelphia, whence it moved southward through Maryland and Virginia, up the Potomac and Shenandoah valleys, and along the Blue Ridge into North and South Carolina. There it met the counter stream flowing in from 'the south, mostly through the port of Charleston, but in smaller numbers through those of Wilmington and
51
THE PIONEER.
Savannah. All along the frontiers, from Pittsburg to Savannah, they interposed themselves as a conscious barrier between the sea-board settlements and their Indian foes. 1
70. The Scotch-Irish in America .- The Scotch-Irish were every- where a masterful people. In Pennsylvania they were not regarded with favor. In 1725 the president of the province described them as bold, though rude and indigent strangers, who frequently sat down on any vacant land without asking questions. He expressed the fear that, if they continued to come, they would make themselves proprietors of the province. They were always jealous of their liberties, and ready to resist oppression with blood. In North Carolina they have made two counties famous - Mecklenburg for the first Declaration of Inde- pendence, and Orange for the battle of the Alamance. 2 .
CHAPTER VIII. THE WATAUGA ASSOCIATION.
71. The North Holston Settlement .- The first settlements in Tennessee, as we have seen, were but extensions of the frontier set- tlements of Virginia. They lay north of the Holston River, in what is now Sullivan County. Lying east of the Indian line established by the treaty of Lochabar, they received the protection of Virginia, under whose laws they lived, and whose authority they supported, until the Walker-Henderson line of 1779 showed them to be in North Carolina. The leading family of the North Holston settlement was the Shelbys. Gen. Evan Shelby, who settled at King's Meadows, was a famous woodsman, and figured prominently in the Indian wars on the border. His son, Col. Isaac Shelby, distinguished himself at the battle of King's Mountain. He afterwards went to Kentucky, and became the first governor of that Commonwealth.
1 In 1738 the Synod of Pennsylvania, upon the application of John Caldwell, the grandfather of the great statesman, John Caldwell Calhoun, sent a commission to the Governor of Virginia with a proposal to people the valley west of the Blue Rigde with Presbyterians, who should hold the western frontier against the Indians, and thus protect the colony, upon condition "that they be allowed the liberty of their consciences and of worshiping God in a way agreeable to the prin- ciples of their education." -- Scotch-Irish in America, First Congress, p. 117.
2On the subject of the Scotch-Irish in America, and particularly in Tennessee. see the Life of George Donnell, by President T. C. Anderson. See also the pro- ceedings of the Scotch-Irish in America, at their various congresses, the first of which was held at Columbia, Tennessee, in 1879.
52
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
72. The Carter's Valley Settlement .- There was another settle- ment north of Holston, known as the Carter's Valley Settlement, in what is now Hawkins County. It was, also, believed to be in Virginia, but was beyond the Indian line. Its people acknowledged the jurisdiction of Virginia, but being on the Cherokee lands, were deprived of its protection. Carter's Valley took its name from John Carter, one of its first settlers, who afterward became prominent in the Watauga settlement. These two settlements lived, during all the historic life of the Watauga Association, under the laws of Vir- ginia, and had no other connection with the South Holston settle- ments than that of near and friendly neighbors, who stood in common
NIA
NORTH HOLSTON SETTLEMENT
CLINCH RIVER
LE
VA
LONG ISLAND
ARTER
PURCHASE
CHIMNEY -
MT
WATAUGA
INDIAI
SETTLEMENT
NORT NOLLICHUCK
SETTLEMENT
'BROWN'S
IST PURCHASE'
NOLLICHUCKY
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.