Joel S. Enloe
Early Settler in Obion County, Tennessee
Biography 1998, Dorothy Chance

The second Sheriff (and Tax Collector) of Obion County from 1826-1836,  Joel S. Enloe, was born December 26, 1796 in York County, South Carolina.   It is not known whether Enloe accompanied the Harper/Hutchinson Wagon Train of 1824 from York County which arrived in Obion County on February 17, 1825, though it is certain that he was a close friend of those who did establish the town of Troy.

The Enloe ancestor first arriving in North America was Hendrick Enloes who was born in 1632 in Amsterdam, Norde Holland, Netherlands and died May 17, 1708 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  He and his wife, Christiana Wright were the parents of 5 children.  Their son, Abraham, and his son, Abraham, lived their lives entirely in Maryland.  This second Abraham’s widow, Mary Deason Enloe, moved with her Deason relatives to York County, SC sometime after her husband’s death in 1758, as did her son, Enoch Enloe, born in 1741.  Enoch’s son, Benjamin, was Joel S. Enloe’s father.   Benjamin and his wife, Mary McElwee moved with their family westward, and both are laid to rest in Kentucky.  Thus Joel was a 6th generation of his family to live in what is now the United States, following the path of the great migrations westward in search of land and prosperity.

An interesting story about this family is told about Enoch Enloe’s brother, Abraham.  He and his wife, Sallie Edgerton Enloe, moved from Rutherford Co. NC to Swain County, NC.  In their household was a young girl, Nancy Hanks. Though disputed rigorously, the legend that Abraham Enloe was the natural father of President Abraham Lincoln persists to this day.  If true, Benjamin Enloe would have been Lincoln’s first cousin, Joel, his 1st cousin, once removed.

Joel married Mary Winters on April 23, 1825 in Obion County, TN and they were the parents of 7 children, Benjamin, b. 1826;  Abraham B., April 6, 827;  Elizabeth, b. 1829;  John, b. 1831;  Joel, b. 1832;  Mary, b. 1836 and  William, b. 1841.

The second son, Abraham B. Enloe became a prominent lawyer in Troy.  A.B.first married Margaret E. Hutchinson and upon her death, married Sarah Amanda Brice of Fairfield Co., SC.  All of this family are connected with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.  A. B. Enloe became a representative to the Lower House of the Tennessee Assembly in 1876.

A. B. Enloe is described by his wife’s nephew, James Moffatt Brice, in his book I Had A Real Good Time.  “Major Enloe was a mighty man, a great lawyer, tall, strong, gifted with power and strength of character expressed in every line of his fine, strong, Roman face . . . So we have to say of Major Enloe that he was a hard drinker, but the world was full of hard drinkers then, this being nearly half a century before the passage of the 18th Amendment . . .   People generally, even the lawyers, had a healthful awe of Mr. Enloe.”

Joel Enloe lived the end of his life living with his son Abraham and died August 7, 1880.  He is buried in the Troy Cemetery.

Addenda

From: Sharon <sharonc (at) aol.com> From history of Union City:

“The Second County Seat, Union City, stands on part of the 5000 acre grant extending from Grove Creek east of Houser Creek on a North Carolina conveyed Grant No. 68 to Martin ARMSTRONG in the early 1800’s. Joel S. ENLOE, sheriff of Obion County, sold this track on January 20, 1830 on an execution of judgment rendered in a Nashville court against the heirs of Mr. Armstrong. George W. GIBBS purchased the property. “