The notice below announces a 2002 reunion of multiple families at the “Old Grandview School.” Surnames included the following:
Smith – James – Dinkens – Jolly – Garrison – Reed – Ford – Loden – Brewer – Edwards – Monday – Morris
“and any family that is related to any of these names.”
from Elizabeth Robnett, Bledsoe County Historian
The first settlers moved into the Sequatchie Valley around 1805, soon after the first treaty was signed with the native people. The valley was, at that time, mostly part of Roane County. Some of the early settlers bore the surnames Wilson, Oxsheer, Tollett, Standefer, Griffith, and Anderson. Louise Maxwell Anderson is believed to be the first white child born in Sequatchie Valley in September, 1806.
The oldest county in the Sequatchie Valley, Bledsoe was named for a member of the prominent Bledsoe family of Sumner County. The most likely candidate for this honor is Anthony Bledsoe, a practical surveyor and Revolutionary war patriot.
Bledsoe became a county in 1807, during James Sevier’s last term as Governor. James Standefer and John Tollett were appointed in 1811 to select a place for the county seat. Alexander Coulter donated forty acres “to erect the town of Madison.”
Much of the land acquired by early settlers was a result of laws passed by the Tennessee State Legislature 1806-1809, which allowed a settler to claim the land he was living on as well as other unclaimed lands. Some of these early claimants in Bledsoe County were John Billingsley, John Hankins, and John Narramore.
Sometime between 1816 and 1818, the county seat was moved to Pikeville.
Bledsoe County was and is comprised of many small communities often bearing the name of a church, store, or post office. These are very often family names.
In 1832, Matthew Rhea listed four place names on his map: Pikeville, Big Springs, Madison and Rainey.
In 1836, by an act of the Tennessee State Assembly, Bledsoe County was divided into 10 Civil Districts. The gentlemen responsible for the districting were Isaac Stephens, Samuel McReynolds and Samuel L. Story.
In 1856, the northern part of Bledsoe County became part of Cumberland County; in 1858, portions of southern Bledsoe County were given up to form Sequatchie County.
from Elizabeth Robnett, Bledsoe County Historian
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1795 | John McClellan and Charles McClung explore the northern part of Sequatchie Valley. |
| 1796 | Tennessee becomes the 16th state |
| 1801 | Roane County, which contained most of Bledsoe, is created. |
| 1805 | Cherokee Nation surrenders claims to the area that is now Bledsoe County |
| 1807 | Bledsoe County established |
| 1811 | Madison becomes the county seat |
| 1812 | War of 1812 |
| 1816 | Town of Pikeville established; county seat relocated |
| 1821 | First Bledsoe Courthouse |
| 1830 | Pikeville incorporated as a town |
| 1838 | Trail of Tears crossed Bledsoe County about 5 miles south of Pikeville |
| 1856 | 1st, 2nd, and 3rd civil districts taken from Bledsoe County to become part of Cumberland County |
| 1857 | 10th Civil District taken from Bledsoe to become part of Sequatchie County |
| 1861 – 1865 | Civil War. Tennessee secedes from the Union, and joins the Confederate States of America |
| 1866 | Tennessee re-admitted to the Union |
| 1891 | Pikeville-Banner begins publication |
| 1909 | Courthouse fire destroys some records |
from Elizabeth Robnett, Bledsoe County Historian
This time period created much confusion and dissension among the citizens. Bledsoe County voted against withdrawal from the Union and while the state itself voted for secession, much of the eastern part of Tennessee remained loyal to the Union.
Despite the fact that Bledsoe voted against secession, several Confederate companies were organized. The Tulloss Rangers were organized by John Bridgeman in July 1861 and named to honor James A. Tulloss of Pikeville for his contributions to the company. In August, 1861, Weatherston S. Greer also organized a company with men from Bledsoe, Rhea and Roane Counties. Other Confederate units were organized by William J. Hill, Alexander H. Roberson and Oliver P. Schoolfield.
Most of the Bledsoe men who joined the Union forces enlisted in upper east Tennessee, Huntsville, Athens and at Camp Dick Robinson in Kentucky.
During the Civil War the men of Bledsoe County were found fighting for both Confederate and Union units. While no complete list of participants exists, a partial list of Civil War soldiers from Bledsoe county is included here. You can also view the 1890 Veteran’s and Widow’s Census of Bledsoe County, which happily includes some Confederate entries.
Click here to visit the TNGenWeb special project, Tennessee and the Civil War.
from Elizabeth Robnett, Bledsoe County Historian
Pikeville had its beginning as a small frontier village that grew up around a large spring. It was known as Thurmans and, although Madison was the county seat at that time, court was held at Thurmans. In 1816, Charles Love of Virginia sold 30 acres of land on Sequatchie — or Crow — Creek for the town of Pikeville.
There are two stories about the naming of Pikeville, one is that it was named for General Zebulon Pike, an American soldier and explorer. The other is that it was named by John Bridgeman who came from North Carolina, naming the settlement Pikeville, in honor of his native home: Pike, NC.
Sometime between 1816 and 1818 the county seat was moved from Madison to Pikeville. Its central location and access to the stage stop on the route from Knoxville to Huntsville, Alabama probably contributed to the growth of the village. Pikeville was incorporated as a town in 1830 and remains the only incorporated are in Bledsoe County. By 1860 Pikeville boasted a population of 200 folks.
Fall Creek Falls is located in Van Buren County, but it is a great place for visitors to the Bledsoe County area to find lodging and soak in the flavor of the region.
In addition to natural beauty, watefalls, and hiking, the park is the site of several annual events.
Click here to visit the Tennessee State Parks Web site for Fall Creek Falls.
The historical marker of R.E. Winsett, gospel music producer and hymnodist, is part of the Tennessee Music Pathways.
Winsett composed many sacred songs, including his most well-known, Jesus Is Coming Soon, which was recorded by several artists, including the Oak Ridge Boys. Born in 1876, Winsett began writing hymns when he was only seven years old. His 1908 collection of hymns, Songs of Pentecostal Power, became his first widely-distributed hymnal. His songs became one of the cornerstones of Southern sacred music. His Best of All hymnal is considered one of the top-selling hymnals of all time.
The marker is located at 3095 Main St, Pikeville, TN 37367.
Source: https://www.tnvacation.com/point-of-interest/re-winsett-pathway-marker
The Bledsoe County Courthouse stands on the site of the first courthouse, which was completed by 1821.
During the Civil War, in August 1862, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg led his Army of Tennessee north from Chattanooga to invade Kentucky. A Confederate veteran later stated that “General Bragg and his army used the … courthouse as a hospital” in August and September.
The John Bridgman House, located adjacent to the courthouse, was the home of a civic and business leader who constructed the Federal-style dwelling about 1830. In 1861, his son, John M. Bridgman, organized a company of Confederate infantry in Bledsoe County called the Tulloss Rangers. Federal troops occupied the house in 1863.
Source: https://www.tnvacation.com/civil-war/place/4556/pikeville-during-the-civil-war-history-around-you/
Pikeville is known as the “Pumpkin Capital.” Tennessee’s state tourism agency provides links to several businesses and places of interest in and around Pikeville. Click here to view the links.
Please note TNGenWeb does not endorse off-site links. They are provided for information only.
Available issues of this regional newspaper, published in Marion County from 1896-1952, are available free for viewing and searching at the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America Web site.
Click here to view the images.
Thomas H. Hill established the Sequachee News in 1893. Hill and his son, William C., published and edited the paper until the former’s death in 1915. William continued as publisher and editor until his death in 1952. Reportedly, the News did not miss a single issue in its six decades of continuous publication.
The News was published in Sequatchie, Marion County. In July 1896, the name was changed to the Sequachee Valley News to reflect its service to the surrounding valley. The paper was temporarily published from Whitwell, Tennessee, in spring 1897, then from South Pittsburg in late 1898, before returning to Sequatchie for the remainder of its time. In South Pittsburg, the News merged with the South Pittsburg Banner. The Banner’seditor, Charles B. Woodfin, continued to edit the South Pittsburg section for the News.
The primary focus of the paper was local news, interspersed with ‘news'(advertisements) from local businesses. The News printed dispatches from correspondents in towns and small communities throughout the county including Sequatchie, Whitwell, Jasper, South Pittsburg, and Victoria. These reports were often signed with unusual noms de plume such as Wide-Awake, Bluebell, A Little Bird, and Granny Bearwich. Occasionally reports were sent from towns further afield, apparently from Sequatchie residents who had moved away from the area. In the late 1890s, the paper temporarily expanded to six pages, with the front page devoted to poetry and serialized fiction but returned to the four-page format shortly after.
The News did not declare allegiance to any particular political party, but it did print announcements of meetings and conventions for both Democratic and Republican parties. While the News did not explicitly support one party, it carried advertisements urging readers to subscribe to (or combine subscriptions with) other strongly Democratic newspapers such as the Nashville American, the Louisville [Kentucky] Courier-Journal, and the St Louis World. The News’editors occasionally made brief statements in support of temperance, but otherwise the paper was predominantly apolitical with an apparently neutral voice. However, in 1899, the News showed its support for the Regents of the White Shield (R.W.S.), an organization which promoted white supremacy in the South. In the two weeks prior to the July 4th holiday, the News ran a half-page advertisement on its front page for the R.W.S. Independence Day picnic in Sequachee. The week after the picnic, the front page declared the event had been an outstanding success. The guest speaker, Major William H. Hunter of Birmingham, Alabama, Supreme Recorder of the Order, had been introduced to the crowd by presiding officer, Thomas H. Hill, publisher and editor of the News. Hill published the virulently racist speech in full on the front page and later, in August, again in a two-page special R.W.S. supplement.
Confusion over the various spellings of the town’s name was addressed in the October 26, 1899 issue of the News. Under the heading, “Sequachee, Sequatchie, Sequaw-chee,” the editors offered a lengthy explanation of the name’s origins and concluded, “[…] as long as the News has any respect for itself or its convictions, it will spell the name of its town Sequachee, and in no other way […].”
The Sequachee Valley News ceased publication after William C. Hill’s death in 1952.
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