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By webmistress, May 19, 2011

<a href=”http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47057lk.html” target=”_blank”>Click here</a> to view the detailed listing from the U. S. Census Bureau.

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By webmistress, May 19, 2011

Grainger County is in the northeastern part of Tennessee (surrounded by present day Union, Claiborne, Hancock, Hawkins, Hamblen, Jefferson, and Knox counties). After its creation in 1796, Grainger County became a frequent destination, both permanent and temporary, for pioneers heading west into other parts of frontier America.

Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Trail (now U. S. 25E) and the Knoxville-Abingdon Stage Road (now U. S. 11W) pass through the county. Two major rivers, Holston and Clinch, brought hundreds of travellers from Virginia into East Tennessee on their way to every state west of the Mississippi River.

The Migrations Project, created by Patrick Hays, aims to provide information about migrations from place to place to assist genealogical researchers. If your ancestors ever came through Grainger County, you may find them in local records. If you don’t find them here, but you know that they migrated to, from, or through Grainger County, you are invited to add the details to the Migrations Project using the Submit your Data button below.

When you are searching, remember that much of the area now in Union and Claiborne Counties was historically part of Grainger.

For more information about the Migrations Project and how it works, including detailed information about how to submit your data and search the database, see the FAQ for Using Migrations. For links to some other pages useful in migrations research see the Project’s Links Page.

To reach other Migrations Project county pages within Tennessee, click here to view all the names submitted.

Access the Migrations Project National Database

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By webmistress, May 18, 2011

In researching, your Webmistress has often wondered about many of the given names that seem to have made their way through many Grainger County families.  They don’t appear to be biblical or to be married-in surnames.  Most of them don’t appear to have descended through generations of forebears before showing up in Grainger County.

Do you know the source for any of these names?  Do you have names you’ve wondered about in Grainger County families?

• Corum/Coram
• Creed
• Fielden
• Leander
• Prior/Pryor
• Tandy
• Torrance
• Xen

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By webmistress, May 17, 2011

This handout was developed for school teachers by the TN State Library & Archives, but it is equally excellent for everyday use by family and local historians.

Click to view the PDF file.

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By webmistress, May 16, 2011

• Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL)
• Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)
• 19th Century Newspapers
• Civil War Era Database
• Civil War Sourcebook
• TSLA Photograph Database
• Tennessee Landmark Documents

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By webmistress, May 14, 2011

Today marks a new era in the history of Grainger county. Dirt was broken for the Morristown and Cumberland Gap railroad which starts at Morristown and intersects with the Knoxville and Cumberland Gap and Louisville railroad at Luttrell.

Early this morning all the people of Grainger county gave up the plane and harvest field for one day, and with wives, children, old men and young, all came to Rutledge to spend a day in celebrating the event of so much importance to this county. There was by estimate at least five thousand people present from Grainger and surrounding counties.

After the lapse of about forty years, this country realizes her mistake in refusing to aid public enterprises. A proposition was submitted to Grainger county to take stock in the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad, now the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia railroad. The opposition to the subscription told the people that the road must go up the Bean Station valley and the result was the road was not built up this beautiful valley.

It was too late after they discovered their mistake. They resolved that if another opportunity presented itself they would not let it pass. The people of this county have seen with counties grow and prosper and they have seen towns flourish and hence the great demonstration of today…

The vast crowd moved to a place about one fourth of a mile east of Rutledge to a beautiful grove where a stand had been erected and the ladies of Rutledge had in a beautiful manner decorated it with flowers. After music by the band, Mr. Lon Shields, in a few appropriate remarks introduced W S Dickson, the handsome young mayor of Morristown, who came to congratulate the people on securing a road and who was not jealous of the prosperity of his mother county.

General J G Martin, president of the road was next introduced and he made a splendid speech. He said he had asked the people of Grainger county in good faith for its subscription and the same had been given and he now on his part was going in good faith, build the road, just as fast as men and money could, from Morristown on to Luttrell and other points….

After speaking was over the vast crowd repaired to  spot in a field a sort distance away where the ground was to be broken. There was drawn in the line three of the oldest citizens of Grainger county, Absalom Miller, 89, Jimmy James, 85 and Absolom Manley, 80. They had been chosen to break the dirt. Promptly at 3 o’clock, with pick raised, Jimmy James, said this was the proudest day of his life, he had been raised in Grainger county and to be called on in his old days to break dirt for a railroad company, was reaping of the desire of his life and he had but one other desire and that was to ride on the railroad.

At the end of Mr. James’ remarks, with breathless silence, these three old veterans drove their picks into the earth and there went up a tremendous shout from the crowd. After the dirt was broken the picks were handed over to J L Mitchell, J P Grant and J F Biddle, who were forty years old and they dug the earth. After them came three young men, twenty-one years old, who represented the bone and sinew of the county. Then came three young boys, ten years old, who represented the rising generation.

Thus it was the pick, was handed from old age to young hands. As the young boys took the picks the band struck up a beautiful piece of music and the air was rent with cheers. Mothers waved their handkerchiefs and strong men their hats. The boys turned the picks over to the contractors, who went to moving dirt in earnest.

The contract for the road is let and under construction from here to Morristown and will be completed just as soon as it can. The heaviest work is on the Morristown end. The grade from here to Luttrell is easy. The work for this end of the road is not yet let, but will be in a short time. It is expected that within twelve months from now the trains will be running on the road.

Knoxville Daily Journal — Thursday, July 10, 1890

Transcribed by Robert McGinnis and used by permission.

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By webmistress, May 13, 2011

The following table contains the 21 residents of Grainger county who were incarcerated in the Tennessee State Penitentiary during the period 1831 (its opening) and 1850. The roster is part of Record Group 25 at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

If you have corrections for this list, please contact the Webmistress.

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By webmistress, May 13, 2011

The following table contains all post offices known to exist in present-day Grainger, Claiborne, and Union counties through 1971. Grainger County’s list contains 90, some appearing more than once under similar names. Claiborne County’s list contains 104, and Union County’s 68.

The list was compiled by Mike St. Clair. He relied on two sources:

1. The first was the source for most of the entries. That is a list of post offices for all counties of the state at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, with the original source being records at National Archives of postmaster appointments between 1832 to 1971 (microfilms # M1131 and M841). These entries say “TSLA” in the source column. You can access that much larger list of over 6,000 post office names at the TSLA Web site.
2. The second source is the United States Geologic Survey’s on-line GNIS system, and it accounted for 12 entries that are missing from the TSLA list. Those entries say “USGS” in the Source column. The USGS entries do not include any dates.

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By webmistress, May 8, 2011

The office of sheriff is one of the county offices established by article VII, section 1 of the Constitution of Tennessee, and it is regulated by the general statutes found in title 8, chapter 8 of Tennessee Code Annotated.

The qualifications for the office of sheriff are more stringent than for most county offices. These qualifications are detailed in T.C.A. §8-8-102. Many of the duties of the sheriff are specified in T.C.A. §8-8-201. The sheriff’s salary is determined in accordance with T.C.A. §8-24-102.

The statutes authorizing the sheriff to petition the court with criminal jurisdiction for the employment of deputies and assistants and the setting of salaries for deputies and assistants are found in T.C.A. §8-20-101 et seq. Also, the sheriff may appoint such personnel as may be provided for in the budget adopted for the sheriff’s department. T.C.A. § 8-20-120.

For additional statutes relating to the sheriff, refer to the combined general index of Tennessee Code Annotated, volumes 14, 15, and 16, under specific topics relating to law enforcement, county jails and workhouses.

The following acts have no current effect but are included here for reference purposes since they once applied to the Grainger County Sheriff’s Office.

1. Private Acts of 1825, Chapter 269, fixed and regulated the compensation of the Grainger County Sheriff to $800 per annum.
2. Private Acts of 1825, Chapter 290, authorized the sheriff of Grainger County to appoint an additional deputy.
3. Private Acts of 1833, Chapter 246, authorized the sheriff of Grainger County to appoint an additional deputy.

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By webmistress, May 8, 2011

Some counties in Tennessee have made various activities illegal within their boundaries by the enactment of private legislation. Some of these were billiard playing, operating dance halls, shooting fireworks, and things of a similar nature.

The act briefly summarized below fell into this category in Grainger County. Also referenced below is an act which repealed prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

1. Private Acts of 1947, Chapter 430, regulated the possession, storage, use, manufacture or sale of pyrotechnics in Grainger County. This act was repealed by Private Acts of 1959, Chapter 116.