COUNTY
ORIGINS
 Named for Patrick
Henry, Henry County is located in Western Tennessee, one of the
state's three Grand Divisions. It is bordered on the north by
Calloway
County, Kentucky; on the west by
Weakley
County; on the south by
Carroll
County; and on the east by
Stewart
and
Benton
Counties.
The western part of
Tennessee was occupied by and belonged to the
Chickasaw
Indians, who ceded it to Tennessee in 1818. An act of the
General Assembly of the state of Tennessee which was passed on
November 7, 1821, created Henry county from the western part of
Stewart county. In 1819, James B. House and Adam Rowe settled on
the Obion River, then a part of Stewart County. They were the
first of many to come. By 1830, the population of Henry County
was 12,249.
A second act passed
November 16, 1821, appointed Sterling Brewer, James Fentress,
and Abram Maury as commissioners to locate and purchase at least
50 acres for the county seat. The court of pleas and quarter
sessions were to be held on the first Mondays of December,
March, June, and September. Court was to be held at the house of
Henry Wall until a courthouse was built.
County
Formation
The lands of today's
Henry County were in the possession of North Carolina until 1790
when they were ceded by North Carolina to the Federal
Government. These lands then became a part of the Southwest
Territory. In 1796, this area became the new state of Tennessee.
Stewart County was formed, in 1803, to provide a form of
government for all of Western Tennessee. In truth, the western
part of Tennessee was occupied by and belonged to the Chickasaw
Indians. It became available for occupation only after Andrew
Jackson and Isaac Shelby , representing the United States
government, entered into a treaty in 1818 by which all land to
the Mississippi River was purchased from the Chickasaw. This
Jackson Purchase of 1818, gave Tennessee the ability to issue
land grants in the Western District of Tennessee.
An act of the
General Assembly of the state of Tennessee which was passed on
November 7, 1821, created Henry county from the western part of
Stewart county. In 1819, James B. House and Adam Rowe settled on
the Obion River, then a part of Stewart County. They were the
first of many to come. By 1830, the population of Henry County
was 12,249. A second act passed November 16, 1821, appointed
Sterling Brewer, James Fentress, and Abram Maury as
commissioners to locate and purchase at least 50 acres for the
county seat. the court of pleas and quarter sessions were to be
held on the first Mondays of December, March, June, and
September. Court was to be held at the house of Henry Wall until
a courthouse was built. In 1835, the state legislature took the
southeast part of Henry County, that part east of the Big Sandy
River, and added it to land from Humphreys County to form the
new county of Benton. After this event, in 1836, Henry County
was subdivided into 17 civil districts by commissioners
appointed for that task. In 1850, the districts were reorganized
and increased to 20 and then in 1870 the number of civil
districts was increased to 25.
Immigration
The early settlers
of Henry County came into the Western District of Tennessee
primarily from North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and
Alabama. They either came directly from these states as the land
first became available to the public or they came indirectly
from other areas in Middle or Eastern Tennessee. Both land and
water routes were used.
Land Routes
& Traces
With the peace
treaty of 1814, Secretary of War William H. Crawford
commissioned the surveying of roads or traces throughout the
District. The old Natchez Trace ran from Nashville to Alabama
and on to Natchez on the Mississippi River. The Natchez Trace
diverted south at Reynoldsburg from Glovers Trace which
connected directly to Nashville. The Trace followed the ancient
Harpeth and West Tennessee Trails thru Benton County's Cypress
Creek and Chalk Level community and continued due south, ending
at Chickasaw Old Town, near Tupelo, Mississippi. Another branch
of the Trace continued west through Eva, crossing Beaverdam,
Burnside and Charlie Creeks and on through Camden and Glover's
Gap (named for Chickasaw Chief William Glover). After 1823, this
trail led further into the Western District.
Paris
Paris, the county
seat was incorporated September 30, 1823. The 50 acres for the
location of Paris were a gift from the estate of Joseph Blythe
and from Peter Ruff. A History of Henry County Tennessee by E.
McLeod-Johnson, states that this original land contained "
104 lots, the public square, and the streets and alleys. It is
thought that the sale of lots lasted 2 days with the first lot
being bought by David Culp.
Sulphur Well
While prospecting
for salt, John and William Randle and James Miller struck
sulphur water. Because of the large quantity of sulphur water
and the prevalent thought that sulphur water was very healthy, a
resort developed at this site. It no longer exists.
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