Warren County, Tennessee was formed in 1807 from White County, lies southeast of Nashville in the middle portion of the state. It is divided into two distinct topographical regions, the flat to gently rolling land west of McMinnville, and the steadily east of the city that erupt into the Cumberland Mountain chain near the border with Van Buren County. The county is watered by two primary rivers the Barren Fork of Collins, which comes from Cannon County eastward to a terminus near McMinnville into the Collins, and the Collins River, which flows north from Grundy County, running through Warren County a few miles east of McMinnville.
    Warren County was home to two sets of Curtises, both of whom arrived from North Carolina prior to 1825 and both of whom were apparently unrelated. One clan, led by John Curtis Sr. and wife Elizabeth, settled, near the western edge of the county on Barren Fork, while the other, led by the widow Sarah Curtis, settled on the Collins River near the present Smyrna Church of Christ. Both families will be covered in this report.
    John Curtis Sr. has first been located in Randolph County. North Carolina, in 1790, one of a large contingent of Curtises then residing there. By 1797, however, John was in Lincoln County in the same state, and it was there that his daughter, Sarah, married Isaac Anderson on October 2 of that year. In 1800, John as well as the Andersons was living in Lincoln County.
    By 1802, John Curtis Sr. was living on hominy Creek in Buncombe County, North Carolina, which was to be his home for nearly a decade. With him came his wife, Elizabeth; his children -James, John Jr., Nancy, Charlotte, and Polly. Another son, Edward was living in Burke County, North Carolina in 1800, and by 1807 was living in Warren County, Tennessee. The Andersons, Isaac and Sarah, and their children, followed John to Buncombe County.
    John Sr.’s years in Buncombe were attested to by a series of land deeds. On February 2, 1802, he sold Johnathan Oxford 100 acres, lying on both sides of Beaverdam Creek, a fork of Hominy. On September 22 1802, the State of North Carolina granted him 200 acres bordering Aly Wilemon’s camp and John’s home. This tract he sold to Joel McCreary on October 16, 1802. On September 7, 1804, John purchased, 80 acres from James Dunsmore; the land lay on both sides of Flat Creek, bordering Adam Dunsmore, Towery Ledford. Isaac Anderson was a witness to the deed. On November 12, 1804, John sold land to Samuel Chunn of Asheville, the land lying on both sides of the south fork of Hominy. On November 29, 1805, John’s son, James Curtis, purchased land from James Leaky; Isaac Anderson and John Leakey were witnesses.

    The 1810 Buncombe County census shows the Curtises:

    By 1812, John Curtis Sr., James Curtis, their wives, and their children, were in Warren County, Tennessee, there joining Edward Curtis and Isaac Anderson on Barren Fork, Again, their acquisition of land has been recorded. First came Edward Curtis, who on. October 7, 1807, entered a claim to 320 acres as assignee of David Ross who had been granted the land by North Carolina on February 19, 1787. The tract was surveyed on September 23, 1808, and formally granted to Edward on March 6, 1816. It was described as being in District 2 of Warren County on the waters of Barren Fork, 9th range, 7th section, bounded by a schoolyard and running to the mouth of Looney’s Springs.
    John Curtis Sr. and James Curtis first disposed of their lands in North Carolina. in a dead recorded in Buncombe County, John Curtis “of Warren County, Tennessee” sold land to William Kyle of Buncombe County on September 8, 1814. On September 5, 1818, James Curtis “of Warren County, Tennessee” sold his land in Buncombe to John. Leakey of Buncombe (Leakey had lived in Warren County in 1812).. James’ deed was witnessed by Edward Curtis and George Ledford.
    On November 14, 1814, Edward Curtis sold 100 acres, including the plantation where he then lived, to Elisha Hammer Sr. in Warren County. Edward was then doubtlessly living on the 320 acre tract originally granted to Ross.
    Other Curtis deeds followed. On December 18,1818. George Mitchell of Wilson County, Tennessee, sold John Curtis land on Barren Fork in District 2, running to a post oak in David Ross’ line. Edward Curtis and John Curtis were witnesses. On April 7, 1820, John Curtis Sr. gave to his son, John Curtis Jr., 100 acres on Barren Fork originally granted to the heirs of Moses Davis. John bought more land from Alex Laughlin on March 31, 1824, with John Jr. as a witness. On September 4, 1824,, there was surveyed for John 50 acres lying on the south side of Barren Fork bounded by the lands of Edward Curtis, John Rains, and James Leak. James Curtis entered a claim to land in July, 1824; it, too lay on the south side of Barren Fork. It was surveyed in June, 1825, with, James Curtis and George Curtis (James’ son) as chain carriers. John Curtis Jr. entered a claim to 50 acres on the south side of Barren Fork on January 2, 1826, James and John Curtis were granted other parcels of land in 1827, the most genealogically significant being a 4-acre grant made to John Sr. on September 8. The grant, made as a result of an 1823 act of the Tennessee General Assembly entitled “An Act to Promote Morality & Religion,” gave title to Benjamin Hawkins, Asahel Rains, John Curtis, and Samuel Riley as trustees of the Barren Fork Baptist Church. The land was described as bordering Curtis and Riley. and containing the Barren Fork meeting house.

    The 1820 Warren County census shows the Curtises:

    John Curtis Jr. apparently died in 1828. He made a will on September 1, 1828, providing that the 136 acre tract where be formerly lived should. be sold for the benefit of his widow, Rachel Curtis, and their children. Another tract, some 270 acres, was to be retained by Rachel and the children. Rachel Curtis and William Young were named executors.
    John Curtis Sr. died in late June or early July, 1830. He made a will on April 3, 1829. In it, he made bequests to his wife, Elizabeth; his children-James, Edward, Nancy, Polly, and Charlotte; and to the heirs of his daughter, Sarah, and his son, John. Alexander Petty and Edward Curtis were named executors. Isaac Young, William Young, and J. Harris were witnesses. The will was admitted to probate on July 5, 1830, with Petty only as executor.
    Edward Curtis disappeared. He may have died between April, 1829, and July 1830, or may have moved away. An Edward Curtis appears on the 1830 census of Fayette County, Tennessee, but appears to be too young to be John’s son. We do know that at some time he sold 200 acres of land to Benjamin Marbury. Marbury noted in a deed to William West on November 27, 1829, that he had purchased 200 acres on Barren Fork from “Edward Curtis, Esqr. ”
    James Curtis moved to Gibson County Tennessee, by 1830 with his sons George (b.,1800-1810), Edward (b. NC, 1808), and Noah (b. TN, 1815). He remained there until the 1850s when he moved to Hot Springs County, Arkansas. The 1860 census shows that he was born in North Carolina in 1781. Married twice, it appears, he also had children named Lydia (b. 1824), Susan (b. 1834), James (b. 1836), Solomon (b. 1838), and Charlotte (b. 1840) .
    Sarah Curtis, wife of Isaac Anderson, apparently died about 1815. Isaac married Polly Rogers in Sumner County, Tennessee, on October 25, 1816. Isaac made a will in Warren county on March 8. 1847, naming his wife, Polly, and his children as beneficiaries, The children were Matilda (wife of William Smoot), Nancy Brown, Louisa Matthews, Elizabeth Anderson, Charlotte Anderson, Luhaney Caton, and Susannah Eoff. Deceased children included James Anderson (who left a son, Elijah) and John Anderson. Grandchildren included John Brown and Mary Smoot. Based on the 1850 and 1860 censuses, apparently only John Anderson and James Anderson were Isaac’s children by Sarah Curtis. These people can be traced by following the 1850-1910 censuses.

    The 1830 Warren County census shows John Sr.’s clan:

    John Curtis Jr.’s family comes to light through a series of deeds made in the 1840s. On October 5, 1841, Ervin Curtis sold to Larkin Rains his one-sixth interest in the estate of Rachel Curtis, being 270 acres in District 10 on Barren Fork, north side, bounded “to a tract of land belonging to Elizabeth Curtis.” (On December 25, 1835, Rachel Curtis and Ervin Curtis had filed claims against the estate of William Brewer, deceased). On, February 7, 1846, Robert Curtis and Jackelennor Curtis sold to Larkin Rains their one-third interest in Rachel’s 270 acre estate. Rachel sold her interest to Rains the same day. Interestingly enough, Rains had sold his interest to Isaac Rains on January 31, 1845. Larkin was married to Elizabeth Curtis, b. TN 1819, daughter of John Jr. and Rachel. Larkin died in 1853. His and Elizabeth’ children included William K. Rains (1835), John Rains (1836), Rufus K. Rains (1842-1907), Rachel C. Rains (1845), Matilda Rains (1847), and Delphia Rains (1849). They also had Monon (1851) and Birdie 1853).
    By 1850 no Curtises were left in Warren County who descended from John Sr. Perhaps some significance to the disappearance of John Jr.’s sons should be attached to the fact that Robert Curtis was scheduled to appear before the Warren County Circuit Court on some charge in May, 1846. He, nor his brothers, are found in Warren County records after February, 1846. The indictment was handed down in January, 1846. The Andersons and Rains continued to reside along Barren Fork, with heirs there today.
    Nothing definitive is known on John Curtis Sr.’s ancestry. There seems little doubt that he was related to a large group of Curtises who first settled in Randolph, then later Burke, counties in North Carolina. He was very likely the uncle of Amos Curtis (b. Randolph County, NC, 1782, d. Clay County, NC, 1860s) and Benjamin Curtis (b. NC, 1788, d. Buncombe County, NC, 1860), both of whom, settled on Hominy Creek in Buncombe County by -1882 six or seven years after John Sr. left. Indeed, a grant to Benjamin in 1818 located his land on Curtis Creek in Buncombe County. There is also little doubt that John Curtis Sr. was kin to the Ledfords of Buncombe, Clay, Macon, Burke, and Randolph Counties in North Carolina. They were with John wherever he lived in North Carolina and with Amos Curtis in North Carolina and Georgia. We do have a record showing that Prudence Curtis (b. 1791) married Frederick Ledford in North Carolina. In later times there was an Amos Ledford and a Curtis Ledford. Ledfords and Curtises can be found as far back together as the 1782 tax list of Northumberland County, Virginia.

Sarah Curtis
    While John Curtis Sr. and his sons were trading in land on Barren Fork in the 1820s, there appeared in Warren County another Curtis family. On November 22, 1824, there was surveyed for Jay McGregor a tract of 99 acres on Collins River. The land bordered the lands of Patrick Hennessee, Elijah Dodson, William McGregor, and Jacob Martin) and included on its east side “a spring -made use of by the Widow Curtis.” A survey of 20 acres for William McGregor done on September 18, 1826, was carried out with Jacob Martin and Chesley Curtis as chain carriers.

    The 1830 census shows this new group of Curtises, who were not listed in 1820:

    More about this family comes to light through a series of deeds made in the 1840s. On March 21, 18410, Wiley McGregor sold to Henderson McGregor a large tract of land once owned by Jacob Martin. He also sold “one other tract of thirty acres adjoining the above and Ezekiel McGregor and William J. Stubblefield purchased of the heirs of. Sarah Curtis on which I now live.” The deed books also show that on April 6, 1847, Chesley Curtis sold to Wiley McGregor his interest in a tract of land which he had gained by descent. According to that deed he held equal and undivided interest in the tract, along with Elizabeth Melton, Amy Freeman,_____ Huckden, Margaret Freeman, Patsy Sanford, Delilah Curtis, Sarah Curtis, Priscilla Curtis, Charnel H.(Hight) Curtis, and William Curtis. The land lay in District 4 on Collins River, bordered on the north by Ezekiel McGregor, on the west by William Stubblefield,and on the south and east by Wiley McGregor (the tract once owned by Jacob Martin,, whose daughter, Rebecca, born TN, September 14, 1806, married Chesley Curtis in 1825). The 1836 tax list showed that Sarah Curtis owned 30 acres valued at $150.00. (In 1838, the tax list had the 30 acres in William Curtis’ name).
    Thus the deeds show that Chesley Curtis and the others were heirs of Sarah Curtis. Some of the other heirs sold their interest in the 30 acres to Wiley McGregor. Vinson Sandford and wife Patty did so on September 8, 1847. Sarah Curtis (Jr.) did so. on September .20, 1848. Charnel H. Curtis did so on June 20, 1849. Elizabeth Melton did, so on July 1, 1849, in a deed attested to in Lincoln County, Tennessee. No deeds have been found for the other heirs.

Here’s some records on this family:

    1836 tax list, District 4, Sarah Curtis (30 acres), William Curtis, Chesley Curtis, Charnel H. Curtis

    1838 tax lists, District 4, William Curtis (30 acres), Chesley Curtis, Charnel H. Vinson Sandford

    l840 census:

1844, March 11 - election to sell school lands near Harrison’s Ferry. Held at the home of Audley Harrison, District 4. Voters:
Vinson Sandford, William Curtis, Wiley Curtis, Charnel Curtis.

    Census records give us more information on the heirs of Sarah Curtis. First of all, the 1850 census gives us very little. Chesley Curtis, Charnel H. Curtis, Vinson Sandford, all are missing. Two of Chesley’s sons, Moses and Aaron, are shown. So is William Curtis, but his is data is wrong, based on later censuses. Here’s what it shows:

Why this is in error is unknown. Later censuses correct the ages. Also why theother Curtis members were missed is not clear. They were also omitted from the 1850 agricultural census, leading me to believe that they had moved, at least temporarily, from the county. I’ve not found them in any state in 1850 as of this time.
    One note before continuing. Note that among the voters in District 4 in 1844 was Wiley Curtis. He was also a witness to a deed made by Sarah Curtis Jr.-in 1848. He lived among Sarah’s heirs until his death in 1865. Born in Tennessee in 1815, Wiley may have been a nephew of Sarah Curtis.
    The 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses give us these birthdates for Sarah Curtis’ heirs: