Washington County,
Tennessee, has the distinction of being the first political division
in the USA named in honor of George Washington. This is only one
the many facts to be learned from this booklet on the early days
in Washington
County,TN, excerpted from several sources, including the
rare book: History of Tennessee, originally published by
Goodspeed Publishing Co. in 1887. Utilizing
colorful tales, factual data and individual biographies,
the booklet is printed one-sided on 60# paper with the print enlarged
for easier reading. A vinyl sheet has been added to protect the
front cover.
Tthe booklet provides
a wealth of information, covering the first settlers, such as Capt.
William Bean and John Sevier; early churches; Martin Academy (later
Washington College), first college west of the Alleghany Mountains;
Early officials; the State of Franklin; the murder case of Mary
Doherty and the mutilation case of Russell Bean; attorneys; the
first paper advocating the abolition of slavery, other newspapers;
the railroad; Jonesboro (county seat and oldest town in the state);
Limestone, Tilford, Urbana, Johnson City (largest town, formerly
called Haynesville); commercial interests and other items of interest.
This
biography section of this booklet is a goldmine of information
for genealogy seekers, usually giving the names of parents, spouse,
in-laws, children, siblings, etc., as well as military service,
politics, residence and occupation, in the course of which it
often adds tidbits to the history of the area:
Jacob
Baxter, John L. Blair, A.B. Bowman, Joseph B. Bowman, Stephen
A. Bovell, J.J. Brown, Walter P. Brownlow, Robert Burrow, John
C. Campbell, J.F. Copp, J.W. Crumley, James W. Deaderick, James
E. Deakins, Valentine De Vault, Dr. A.S.N. Dobson, Col. Robert
H. Dungan (Confederate officer wounded several times), Felix W.
Earnest, R.L. Gillespie, W.B. Glaze, J.L. Grant, John Fuller Grisham,
Capt. S.T. Harris (Union soldier captured in the Civil War), J.J.
Hunt, Gen. A.E. Jackson (a relative of Pres. Andrew Jackson, and
a general in the Confederate army), Samuel Keebler, John A. Keebler,
W.C. Keezel, Samuel Jacob Kirkpatrick, C.K. Lide, H.G. Long, J.P.
Lyle, J.F. Lyle, William G. Mathes, Ez. Salmon Mathes, John A.
Mathes, R.M. May, Azor Miller, Samuel H. Miller, Dr. J.H. Mongle,
W.A. Nelson, Col. Thomas H. Reeves (Union Army), W.R. Reeves,
Edward Rogan, Henry Hunter Ruble, Elbert A. Shipley, Wendell D.
Snapp, G.W. St. John, Benjamin F. Swingle, George W. Swingle,
William Tyler, G.W. Walter, Dr. Niles N. Warlick, James A. West,
E.H. West, Landon White, and Thomas J. Wilson.
The final part of the booklet
contains brief excerpts from Counties of Tennessee by Austin
P. Foster, Tennessee, a Guide to the State, compiled and
written by the Federal Writer's Project of the WPA in 1939, and
for background, a brief article on the State of Franklin from
an old encyclopedia. The WPA book tells of President Andrew Jackson's
early days in Jonesboro and adds some other colorful tidbits to
the story of this historic county.
Wouldn't this make a unique
gift?
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