Transcribed by Jane Norton Powell in 2005 for the USGenWeb Archives.  No copyright infringement is intended.  Click here to view the original page.

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Source:  Goodspeed, History of Tennessee, Haywood County, 1887

The history of the organization of the court of pleas and quarter sessions, at the house of Richard Nixon, on the 8th of March, 1824, has been given with the organization of the county. This was the first court organized in the county, and its existence, under that name, continued until December, 1835, when it adjourned sine die.

As shown by its records, it had jurisdiction over both civil and criminal business. At its first term a venire facias was issued to the sheriff, commanding him to summon Edmund Howard, Charles Howard, William H. Henderson, Alfred Kennedy, John M. White, Jonathan Nixon, Thomas 0. Nixon, Levin Wenberry, Julius Sanders, John Johnson. John R. McGuire, Hugh Black, John Black, Jonathan Jones, John Jones, Nathan Bridgeman, Samuel W. Farmer, Hardy Blackwell, Wyatt Twity, Willie Patrick, Richard W. Nixon, William H Dyer, Henry A. Powell, James York and Thomas Ghent, to serve as grand and petit jurors at its second term, to be held in June following. At the June term the per diem of grand and petit jurors was fixed at $1. Samuel W. Farmer, Willie Patrick and Alfred Kennedy, having failed to appear in obedience to the foregoing summons, were each fined $5. The fine of Mr. Kennedy was afterward remitted.

The early resident practitioners in this court were Thomas Taylor, John R. Leigh, John Read, Gen. William H. Loving, J. W. Strothers, John B. Ashe, John W. Harris, William R. Hess, William B. Grove, Edmond Richmond and Noah W. Dill.

The court of pleas and quarter sessions being abolished, the justices of the peace, who last composed it, held a perm of probate court in March, 1836, and on the second day of May following they opened the first term of the county court proper. At this term the first magistrates elected by the people, as provided for by the new constitution of 1834, appeared, and were duly qualified before Gen. William Conner, acting justice of the peace under the old constitution. There names are as follows:

• Robert Perkins,
• Joseph G. Kelso,
• Bejn. G. Alexander,
• Sach. Payne,
• R. W. Clements,
• John Savery,
• Joel Watkins,
• John W. Hartson,
• J. T. Jacocks,
• David Outlaw,
• Josh, Farrington,
• William E. Owen,
• N. P. Perkins,
• L. S. Taliaferro,
• Matthew Owen,
• Fred W. Tyas,
• B. Castelow,
• E. G. Young,
• Ware Henly,
• John T. Felts,
• B. H. Strange,
• Isaac M. Johnson,
• Azariah Thompson, and
• Westwood A. Jones.

This court, ever since its organization, has held its regular sessions, including the civil war period, and at present (1886) it consists of twenty-seven magistrates, one of whom presides as Chairman.

All the minute books of the circuit court of Haywood County, prior to October, 1837, seem to have been lost.

The court of pleas and quarter sessions, at its first term, issued a venire facias for certain persons to serve as grand and petit jurors for the circuit court to be begun and held on the first Monday of June, 1824. This certainly fixes the correct date. But Mr. Williams, author of “Old Times in West Tennessee,” says:

“The First circuit court, was held on the fourteenth day of June, 1824, at the house of Col. Richard Nixon, Joshua Haskell, judge, and Blackman Coleman, clerk.”

This is undoubtedly correct, except that the first Monday could not have been the fourteenth day.

The minute books of this court, commencing with the October term, 1837, are nearly all preserved. At that date Hon. John Read, one of Brownsville’s early attorneys, was the presiding judge, and continued as such up to 1860, when he was succeeded by Hon. Samuel Williams. Since the civil war this court has been presided over by Hon. W. P. Bond, Hon. Gideon B. Black and Hon. John T. Carthell.