Samuel in Greene Co.

Samuel in Greene Co. Greene County, Tennessee

Contrary to what I have posted here before, I do not now (October 16, 2002) believe that the area around Shooks Creek was part of Greene Co., TN after 1787. It is true that Knox Co. was formed from Hawkins and Greene Counties. Parts of Greene were cut off to provide Knox and Jefferson in 1792. For some years I was using maps showing the change in Tennessee county lines on a 'rootsweb' site. As I read the maps, the part of what is now Knox along Shooks (now Burnetts) Creek, where our Samuel had his land, had been Greene County. The implication was that I needed to use Greene records to cover Samuel, even if he did not move.

Earlier, however, I had read that there was no proper U.S. or state jurisdiction south of the French Broad River, and I have recently seen a 2000 publication of the Newberry Library showing a much more detailed description of county changes: Tennessee; Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, John H. Long, Editor. Based on it, the Shooks area was not Greene Co. when I think Samuel was there.

That is, the research is relevant only to other Samuel Montgomerys or if our Samuel moved within Tennessee.

The Knoxville Gazette, April 10, 1794, shows some land patents. The list is dated "Knoxville, April 4, 1794."

     Here is the first paragraph (converting f to s as appropriate):
     "A NUMBER of PATENTS for Land in the Counties of Jefferson
     and Knox, formerly part of Greene, belonging to the
     undernamed persons have been registered in the Register's
     office of Greene county, and are now in my possession.  The
     owners of them are desired to pay the fees thereon, and take
     them away."

Then follows about 40 names including "Samuel Montgombrey" (sic). Some of the surnames are those appearing on other lists with Samuel, e.g., Galliher and Swagerty. But I do not recognize any of the full names. There are no Dunlaps or Shooks.

Further, we have Tax Lists for Greene County, Tennessee, of 1787/88. A "List of the Taxable Property taken by _____________ Abr'm McKay" for the Year of 1788 (only) shows Samuel Montgomery with 200 acres.

RESULTS OF A SEARCH
IN THE (GREENE COUNTY) COX COLLECTION

Records of SAMUEL MONTGOMERY
in Greene County, Tennessee

Records from the Greeneville-Greene County Library rec'd 11-27-00
DCM annotation in {curly brackets}

(1) Greene County, TN 
Minutes of the Court of Common Pleas, 1783-1796

From the inroduction: "The Court of Common Pleas was composed of
justices of the peace . . ."

August 1789, deed of conveyance proven by oath of SAML MONTGOMERY

August 1789, deed from CORBAN LANE to SAML MONTGOMERY for 150 A
of land
{see below.  No way of telling location from these records}

February 1794, SAML MONTGOMERY is appointed overseer of the road
from Greeneville to Sinking Creek.  Issd.
{Sinking Spring is not on my TN map, but my geo-locator
identifies such a place about 4 miles NE of Johnson City.  A
historian in Knoxville once told me that overseers usually lived
near the road they were assigned.  That is, from this entry, S.M.
lived NE of Greeneville.}

February 1795, COPELAND is appointed overseer of the road from
Greeneville to Sinking Creek in the room of SAML MONTGOMERY. 
Issd
{The minutes show many entries of this type, some saying
explicitly that the second party resigned.  So, maybe S.M.
resigned at this time.  Why?}

May 1795, SAML MONTGOMERY on a jury

May 1795, Ordered that a road be laid off from Babbs Mill to the
county line near THOMAS RODGERS and that [17 men including] SAML
MONTGOMERY being duly sworn do view and mark the same and report
next court.  Issd.
{My locator shows nothing like Babbs Mill.}

August 1796, deed of conveyance form SAML MONTGOMERY to JOHN
CUNNINGHAM dated December 12, 1795 for 220 A of land was duly
proven . . .
{no location}

(2) Greene Couty, TN
Deed Abstracts, 1785 - 1810

Indenture   1789, SAML MONTGOMERY as witness

Indenture 4 Aug 1789 CORBIN LANE and SAML MONTGOMERY 100 pounds
pd, 150 acres adj . .
.

Indenture 4 Oct 1798 SAML MONTGOMERY, Montgomery Co., KY, one
part and CONNER other part . . .
{I have run across a S.M. of Kentucky before.  Could he have
lived NE of Greeneville and left the tracks we've seen?}

In short, these records do not look like our Samuel.  The entry
above as overseer in 1794 implies that the named Samuel lived far
from the home of our Samuel on Shooks Creek.

To the family of Samuel Montgomery
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