In 1969, Snyder E. Roberts, wrote a book, Roberts of Roane County, Tennessee, and in the first chapter he wrote a brief history of Roane County. His slant was somewhat toward the genealogical interests. The late Mr. Roberts was a noted local historian and genealogist, and the following has been excerpted by his daughter [Pat Roberts McDonald]:

Christopher Fisher in 1760, and no doubt numerous other white explorers, hunters, and traders passed through present-day Roane County, and came in varied contacts with the native Cherokee Indians.

Col. John Donelson passed through Roane County on his famous voyage down the Tennessee River in the ship, Adventure, on his way to settle near present-day Nashville. On March 5, 1780, his flotilla reached the mouth of Clinch River (now Kingston) where it was joined by several boats under the command of Capt. Blackmore who had steered his small fleet through the Indian gauntlet from Fort Blackmore in VA down Clinch River to its mouth.

White settlement in Roane County followed the establishment of the well-known Campbell‘s Station on the western boundary of present-day Knox County in 1787, and the building of a road in 1788 from there that passed through Roane County to the Cumberland settlement.

This advance by the whites was resisted by the Indians necessitating the building of a fort at the confluence of Tennessee and Clinch Rivers. On Nov. 30, 1792, Gen. John Sevier reported to Gov. William Blount that the fort at South West Point had been completed.

In 1799, petitions were presented to the TN General Assembly at Knoxville requesting that Knox County be partitioned to form two new counties. One from the area North of Clinch River to present-day Roane County. Although the petitions were ineffectual (the petitions were read and referred to a committee), the legislature of 1799 did pass an act establishing the town of Kingston near South West Point.

When the town of Kingston was established October 23, 1799, John Smith T. and his first cousin, Merriweather Smith (1769-1838) were two of the seven Commissioners appointed to lay out and regulate the town.

A successful petition was presented to the General Assembly in 1801 for the erection of Anderson County and a county to be called “Gallatin” (name after Albert Gallatin, US Secretary of the Treasury.) The “Gallatin” was quickly changed to Roane in honor of Gov. Archibald Roane. The boundaries of the new Roane County were entirely North of the TN River.

The county was organized for civil and military purposes into six companies commanded by: Captains Thomas Coulters, Richard Oliver, Gray Sims, George Ingram, John Walker, and Hugh Francis. This organization provided a system for tax collecting, and protection from incursions by the Indians. These six districts in which all men between the ages of 18 and 50 years were enrolled totaled some 300 men, only 9 of whom could not write their names.

After the Treaty of Tellico with the Indians in 1805, the Cherokees made cessions to lands around South West Point. With the danger of Indian incursions greatly reduced, the US garrison of troops at South West Point was removed to a point on the TN River 6 miles from the present city of Dayton, TN.

In 1807, Kingston was the “Capitol for a Day” when the TN legislature met there in session and adjourned to meet in Knoxville. Also in 1807, Roane County was partitioned for the first time for the purpose of erecting Rhea County. Morgan County, named for Gen. Daniel Morgan, was formed in 1817 with land mainly from Roane County.

After the Hiwassee Purchase in 1819, the TN legislature extended the southern boundary of Roane to a line including present-day Loudon County. Numerous changes dealt with the adjustment of the county boundary to include, or exclude, various farm lands. The final major boundary adjustment occurred in 1780, when the TN General Assembly erected Christiana County, (after one month renamed Loudon), around the town of Loudon. This act took approximately five civil districts from Roane County. Roane County was subdivided into 16 civil districts in 1860. Although no map of the civil districts is extent, it is possible to determine the approximate locations of these districts by associating the names of people in census records, post offices, mills, etc.

The rivers and creeks that traverse Roane County have played an important part in the history and development of Roane County, and are of great assistance in locating property, mills, etc. The TN River flows in a generally East-West direction, and its tributary, Clinch river, flows Northeast to Southwest, bending around the present-day Oak Ridge area, and emptying into the Tennessee at Kingston. Emory River flows North to South with headwaters in the Cumberland Mountains, and empties into the Clinch River one mile upstream from Kingston. Poplar Creek empties into Clinch River 12 miles upstream from Kingston. The drainage area of Poplar Creek is 136 miles.

Since TN was admitted as a state in 1796, and Roane made a county in 1801, it is obvious that fighting men were not directly provided for the Revolutionary War. Many former Revolutionary War soldiers came to Roane County shortly after the War, and helped to fight battles with the Indians. The list of pensioners is impressive, and the list of non-pensioners extensive.

In the War of 1812, Roane County was well-represented with military personnel. Gen. John Brown raised a regular US Army regiment composed predominantly of Roane county men.

When the election was held on May 6, 1861 for the people of the state to decide upon the question of secession, and the question of representation in the Confederate Congress and the adoption of provisional Constitution of the Confederate Government, the results in Roane County were as follows:

For secession 454
Against secession 1568

The first Union regiment of TN was organized by Col. Robert King Byrd, of Roane County, at Camp Dick Robinson, KY on August 1861. This 1st US Reg. Under Col. Byrd was composed of many Roane County men. Col. James T. Shelley organized the 5th US Reg, TN, Inf. This Regiment was composed of soldiers from several TN counties. Confederate Regiments with many Roane County men in each were the 43rd TN Reg. Under Col. J. W. Gillispie, the 36th TN Reg. under Col. R. G. Fain, and the 16th TN Reg. under Col. John M. Lillard.

As early as 1806 an Act was passed by the Legislature providing for the establishment of Rittenhouse Academy. There is no conclusive evidence, however, to show that the school was put into operation until 1822. In January 1862 the Rev. Samuel Roberts was employed as principal, and then the record of the school ends when it was closed until after the War. Several Indians were enrolled in this school, including the celebrated Chief John Ross.

The activities at Fort South West Point between 1792 and 1807 constitute an important part of pre-Roane County and early Roane County history.