While this tax list is for 1801, it should be pointed out that a great majority of the men listed as owning land did not obtain a clear title to their land until after 1806, when the compact of that year was entered into between the state of Tennessee, the United States, and North Carolina. By the provisions of Tennessee law the settlers south of French Broad River were given the opportunity of purchasing the lands which they claimed by right of pre-emption and occupancy which had been recognized in the Cession Act of 1789 and Article XI, section 31 of the Constitution of 1796. They were to be charged only $1.00 an acre instead of the minimum price of $2.00 an acre established for other unappropriated lands by the compact of 1806. These Tennessee grants are on file in the Land Office at Nashville, and very few of them are of record in the Blount County Courthouse at Maryville.
There are two additional columns in the original entitled “Billiard Tables” and “Stud Horses.” No individuals were listed as owning any of the former, and only two individuals were designated of Alexander’s Company as owning any of the latter: John Lowry, attorney, and John Sharp, each owning one.
Almost all of the company lived in the town of Maryville.
| Name | Land | Free Polls | Black Polls | Town Lots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, Oliver 1 | 300 | 1 | ||
| Alexander, Benjamin | 1 | |||
| Alexander, John 2 | 150 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alexander, John | 100 | 1 | ||
| Burk, William 3 | 233½ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Berry, Thomas | 200 | 1 | 1 | |
| Bolu 4, James | 100 | 1 | ||
| Brown, Isaiah | 1 | |||
| Blackburn, Gideon 5 | 505 | 1 | ||
| Cunningham, David | 1 | ½ | ||
| Cunningham, Miles | 1 | ½ | ||
| Culton, Robert | 190 | 1 | ||
| Drew, John | 640 | 1 | 1 | |
| Danforth, Josiah 6 | 7640 | 1 | 3 | |
| Donahoe 7, Charles 8 | 1 | |||
| Denning, Matthew | 1 | |||
| Donaldson, Robert 9 | 200 | 1 | ||
| Fitzgerald, Patrick | 1 | |||
| Garrison, John | 1 | |||
| Glass, William | 300 | 1 | ||
| Gardener, John 10 | 1 | |||
| Hart, Joseph 11 | 1 | |||
| Hargas 12, William | 1 | |||
| Hart, Alexander | 200 | 1 | ||
| Hooks 13, Robert | 150 | 1 | ||
| Lowry, John atty 14 | 500 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Lowry, John mercht 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Logan, Alexander | 400 | 1 | ||
| Montgomery, John 16 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Montgomery, James S | 1 | |||
| McClanahan, James | 1 | |||
| Minnis, John 17 | 640 | |||
| McBath, William | 200 | 1 | ||
| McFaddian 18, Joseph | 80 | 1 | ||
| McNeely, Samuel | 1 | |||
| McNutt, Alexander | 130 | 1 | ||
| Ogleby, David | 100 | 1 | ||
| Paxton, Samuel 19 | 200 | 1 | ||
| Panther, Alexander | 1 | |||
| Pedigrees 20, Matthew | 1 | |||
| Russel, John | 1 | |||
| Russam, John | 33½ | 1 | ||
| Rhea, John atto | 900 | |||
| Stone, Edward | 1 | |||
| Sharp, John | 400 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Thairman 21, Joseph | 1 | |||
| Taylor, John | 2 | 1 | ||
| Woods, John 22 | 123 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Wilkinson, John 23 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Wilson, James | 1 | |||
| Wallace, William 24 | 400 | 1 | 1 | |
| Whiteaker 25, John | 200 | 1 | ||
| Wier, Joseph Junr | 1 | |||
| Wier, Joseph Senr 26 | 300 | 1 | ||
| Weir, James Senr 27 | 300 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wier, James Junr | 100 | 1 | ||
| Wier, John | 300 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Source
Creekmore, Pollyanna, Early East Tennessee Taxpayers, II. Blount County, 1801; published in the East Tennessee Historical Society Publication, vol. 24, pp. 125-154, Knoxville, Tennessee : East Tennessee Historical Society, 1929-1989. Images are from the Early Tax Lists of Tennessee. Microfilm, 12 rolls. The Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.
Footnotes
- One of the first justices of the peace, 1795; wood ranger, 1796; stray master, of Blount County. Minutes, September 14, 1795, June 12, 1796, September 12, 1797.[↩]
- Commissioned lieutenant in cavalry regiment, Hamilton District, 1796; captain, 1796, Blount County. Moore, Commissions, 4.[↩]
- Sheriff of Blount County, 1800-02; early tavern keeper. Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, East Tennessee edition (Nashville, 1887), 833; Minutes, June 14, 16, 1796.[↩]
- Bellew, Billieu, Billue[↩]
- Early Presbyterian preacher, teacher, and missionary; pastor of New Providence Church, Maryville. For a full account of his varied career see Verton M. Queener, “Gideon Blackburn,” East Tennessee Historical Society’s Publications, No. 8 (1934), 12.28; McTeer, New Providence Church.[↩]
- A native of Massachusetts; married September 2, 1790, in Washington County, Va., Sarah Roane, reputedly a sister of Archibald Roane, second governor of Tennessee; contractor for one of the first Blount County courthouses; owned much property in Maryville where he kept a tavern; engaged in considerable land speculation and was involved with Richard G. Waterhouse in the famous suit over a 19,000 acre tract in Rhea County, Tenn. Lewis Preston Summers, Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800 (Abingdon, 1929), 1259. Hereafter cited as Summers, Annals. See also Minutes, June 14, 1796, September 15, 1797, August 26, 1800; Penelope Johnson Allen, “Leaves From the Family Tree,” Chattanooga Times, January 20, 1935.[↩]
- Donohoo[↩]
- Member of family originally from Augusta County, Va., who first settled in Sevier County, about 1788; sheriff of Blount County, 1816-1820; married Margaret Weir, daughter of Joseph Weir of Blount County; removed to Monroe County. Allen, “Leaves from the Family Tree,” loc. cit., February 4, 1934; Goodspeed, History of Tennessee, 833.[↩]
- Commissioned ensign, Blount County militia, 1800. Moore, Commissions, 4. [↩]
- “Merchant of Maryville; trustee, Maryville Female Academy. Wilson’s Knoxville Gazette, July 20, 1812.[↩]
- Revolutionary war soldier; born in Loudoun County, Va., June 1761; early elder and clerk of session of New Providence Church; removed to Indiana where he died June 20, 1841. McTeer, New Providence Church, 53-55.[↩]
- Hargis[↩]
- Hooke[↩]
- Probably one of those who received North Carolina grant, dated June 8, 1797, for 200 acres of land “in our county of Green [sic] now called Blount,” on Crooked Creek, south side of Holston (Tennessee) and French Broad rivers, registered 1799. Deeds, I, 132.[↩]
- Early merchant of Maryville; trustee, Porter Academy, 1806. Edward Scott (comp.), Laws of the State of Tennessee (Knoxville, 1821), I, 934.[↩]
- Trustee, Porter Academy, 1806. Ibid.[↩]
- Progenitor of the Minnis family of Blount County. For an account of some members see Anderson, Pickens Family, passim.[↩]
- McFadden[↩]
- Born about 1754 in that part of Augusta County, Va., which became Rock-bridge; from Blount County he removed to Adair County, Ky., in 1802, and then to Giles County, Tenn. W. M. Paxton, The Paxtons . . . (Platte City, Mo., 1903), 232-34. Samuel Paxton’s church letter signed by Gideon Blackburn is printed in this volume.[↩]
- Pettigrew[↩]
- Thurman[↩]
- Revolutionary soldier born in Orange County, N. C., April 6, 1766; served in the Battle of King’s Mountain; represented Blount County in general assembly; kept tavern at Maryville; commissioned ensign, Blount County militia, 1799; earlier be had served under Sevier in the Indian campaigns of the 1790’s; died June 8, 1838. Rev. War Pens. File; Minutes, December 16, 1796; Moore, commissions, 6; obituary in Knoxville Register, June 20, 1838.[↩]
- Early lawyer; name is perpetuated in Wilkinson Pike; compiler of A Collection of the Laws, or Legislative Acts in Force in the State of Tennessee . . . (Knoxville, 1811), and A Biblical Nomenclature . . . (Knoxville, 1820) ; represented Blount County in general assembly.[↩]
- One of the first justices of the peace; commissioner to fix the county seat. Minutes, passim.[↩]
- Whittaker[↩]
- Revolutionary War soldier who took part in the Battles of King’s Mountain and Guilford Courthouse, while living in Washington County, Virginia; married in Augusta County, Virginia, on February 19, 1783, Margaret Sharp, who was born December 22, 1763; died March 11, 1820. Rev. War Pens. File.[↩]
- Original member New Providence congregation; died March 11, 1821. McTeer, New Providence Church, 29.[↩]