Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA We may well conclude that the committee did not become valueless nor cease to render service until Washington District was annexed to North Carolina, and both the court and committee of safety gave place to the regular government of the State. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA The members of the Court and of the Committee of Thirteen were all picked men. When the articles of the association were adopted every man of the Watauga settlement signed them. All of them were remarkable men and two of them, Robertson and Sevier, were among the greatest pioneer developers in the history of the United States. Roosevelt says that Robertson and Sevier were two of the three greatest leaders of development west of the Alleghany mountains, the third being George Rogers Clark. Dr. Archibald Henderson naturally adds a fourth, his ancestor, Richard Henderson. The following is a brief statement regarding the five men who composed the court: Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA James Robertson was born in Brunswick County, Virginia, June 28, 1742, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. From early in his youth he displayed the qualities and characteristics which made him great. He was quiet, reflective, conservative, wise, a firm believer in the basic principles of civil liberty and the right of local self government. He was an unusual combination of initiative without rashness and of prudence without timidity. His sound judgment, indomitable courage, great energy, perseverance and knowledge of men's character, together with his acquaintance with the wiles and stratagems of the Indians made him the natural and undisputed leader. He has been called variously The Father of Tennessee (by Andrew Jackson), The Father of Middle Tennessee, and The Father of West Tennessee. He richly deserved each appellation, for he was the leader of the community which began the history of East Tennessee. He was the founder of the Cumberland Settlement from which Middle Tennessee developed; and he was the Indian agent in West Tennessee, where he died September 1, 1814. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA In his Civil and Political History of Tennessee, page 39, Haywood says of Robertson: Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA He merited all the eulogium, esteem and affection, which the most ardent of his countrymen have ever bestowed upon him. Like almost all those in America, who have ascended to eminent celebrity, he had not a noble lineage to boast of, nor the escutcheoned armorials of a splendid ancestry. But he had what was far more valuable, a sound mind, healthy constitution, a robust frame, a love of virtue, an intrepid soul, and an emulous desire for honest fame. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA Roosevelt says of him: Footnote Winning of the West, Vol. I, pp. 223-224. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA page 81 Robertson first came to the Watauga in 1770, he had then been married for two years, and had been learning his letters and spell from his welleducated wife; for he belonged to a backwoods family, even poorer than the average, and he had not so much as received the rudimentary education that could be acquired at an old-field school. But he was a man of remarkable natural powers, above the medium height, with wiry, robust form, light-blue eyes, fair complexion and dark hair; his somewhat sombre face had in it a look of self-contained strength that made it impressive: and his taciturn, quiet, masterful way of dealing with men and affairs, together with his singular mixture of cool caution and most adventurous daring gave him an immediate hold even upon such lawless spirits as those of the border.76 [p.81] Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA CABIN OF JOHN SEVIER, ONE OF THE PROMINENT MEN OF THE TIMES WHO SETTLED IN KNOXVILLE ABOUT 1807 Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA page 83 [p.83] John Sevier was born in Rockingham County, Va., September 23, 1745. His ancestors were French Huguenots whose name was Xavier. His educational advantages were limited but he availed himself of them most diligently. He came to the Watauga in 1772 about a year or two later than Robertson's arrival. In almost all respects except highmindedness and courage he was a decided contrast to Robertson. He was a gentleman by birth and breeding. While not a learned man he was extremely intelligent and was a friend and correspondent of many of the most prominent and able statesmen of the times, including Madison and Franklin. It was said that he was the handsomest man in Tennessee during his lifetime. He was tall, fair, with blue eyes and brown hair, of slender build and erect military carriage. He was fluent and gallant, generous and convivial, of a gay and pleasure-loving temperament, yet his manners were polished and he had great natural dignity. He was impulsive, yet, in his campaigns with the Indians, prudent and judicious. He was especially fond of two things, popularity and Indian fighting; and he was successful in both roles. He fought thirty-five battles and all victoriously; and he was undoubtedly the most popular man in Tennessee during his lifetime. He died near Fort Decatur, Alabama, September 24, 1815. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA John Carter came from Virginia, and was one of the pioneers of Tennessee. He established what was known as Carter's Valley Settlement in 1771 or 1772, but soon left to reside in the Watauga Valley where, by reason of his intelligence and patriotism, he became a leader and was made Chairman of the Committee of Thirteen and also of the Court. He was both wise and popular. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 THE LEADERS OF WATAUGA Charles Robertson was made a trustee of the Watauga Association. When their lands were leased from the Cherokees and, later, when they were purchased, the conveyance was made to Charles Robertson. He was distinguished for his great good sense and wisdom as well as his essential goodness. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS Zachariah Isbell was popular, trustworthy, having the confidence of the entire community, a fearless soldier and for many years was engaged in the military operations of the country. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS Very few people know what the Watauga Old Fields were. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS The explanation of the meaning of this expression made by N. E. Hyder in the American Historical Magazine for July, 1903, is both important and interesting. He says: Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS page 84 Watauga Old Fields, Carter County, Tennessee, made famous as being the first permanent settlement of the Anglo-Saxon race west of the Alleghany Mountains; the place where the first self-constituted court of five was organized and exercised its power; where the first courthouse and jail were erected, and the rendezvous at Sycamore Shoals of the heroes of King's Mountain, has a history that antedates all this perhaps by a thousand of years. Judge Andrew Greer, an Indian trader and the first settler in these Old Fields (attracted by their beauty and fertility), asked the Cherokee chiefs about them and was told that they were always there. They had neither knowledge or tradition of when or by whom they had been occupied. It is the intention of this paper to record a [p.84] few things concerning these Old Fields and their inhabitants as gathered by personal observation and investigation. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS The land embraced in and surrounding the Watauga Old Fields is as old as any in the United States as evidenced by forests of fir, pine, stunted oak and tamarack such as are now found in latitudes much farther north. Petrified wood is found in abundance. Through these forests must have roamed the reindeer and elk. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS That it was inhabited at a very early period is proven by the stone tools, ornaments and weapons both of the paleolithic and neolithic ages. The Watauga Old Fields proper extended from the mouth of Stony Creek down the river to the mouth of Buffalo Creek at the bend of the river, about eight miles. And wherever there was a level or bottom piece of land along any river or creek in Carter County, there was an old field or deserted village, as proven by finding stone implements, broken pottery or kitchen-middens and stone mills of various sizes from one-half bushel down to one-half pint. A large cemetery was known to be about one-half mile northeast of Elizabethton from which had been taken beads, stone axes, arrow points, pottery (whole) and a few copper implements. But the high water of 1901 exposed other cemeteries in these Old Fields with like deposits in them and rough stone knives, or scrapers, pear shaped. Two peculiar stones have been found, one a rough sandstone about twenty inches long and five inches in diameter with a groove around the center polished like the groove around the stone axe; the other is the tool that was used in cutting these grooves and polishing stone implements of utility, war and ornament. It is in the shape of a common oil stone used by carpenters to sharpen their plane bits and other tools and is about six inches long by three-fourths of an inch thick and so hard that tempered steel will scarcely scratch it. From the careful burial of their dead we are led to believe that they had knowledge of the Oriental world either through history or tradition, for in all Oriental countries peculiar honors have always been paid to the remains of the dead. These graves that have been washed open in the Watauga Old Fields where tradition made no mention of a grave, have all been placed east and west, a perpetual monument to Masonic integrity. Their burial custom according to Masonic usage shows that they were civilized and practiced the ancient and mystic rites of the Masonic order. In these graves are found clay coffins nearly two inches thick and curved to fit the dead body (many fragments as large as the hand are yet to be seen). From the depth of the implements, pieces of bone and clay coffins we infer that the dead body was placed near the surface of the earth and the coffin constructed around and over it either of moistened or baked clay and then mounded with dirt or sand. Tennessee the Volunteer State 17691923: Volume 1 WATAUGA OLD FIELDS There is no evidence here of forts, houses or places of worship. Ashes and coal have been dug out several feet below the surface of the earth. That the country was densely populated is proven by the number of these Old Fields themselves and the large cemeteries already exposed. That they were an agricultural race is shown by the Old Fields themselves and the rude implements of husbandry found. The inhabitants were industrious for they had the rough implements and material of nearly every craft of ancient times. That they were warlike is shown by their weapons. That they had tribal organization is shown by the large cemeteries. A few tumuli found in the gaps of the higher mountains show that they were superstitious. Who they were and whence they came and what became of them will perhaps remain a mysteryfor all ages to come. They are as completely lost as the lost tribes of the children of Israel, unless they are a part of these tribes. Reasoning from his gregarious customs, implements or husbandry, pottery, etc., we may connect him with either the Incas of South America, the Toltecs of Central America or the Aztecs of Mexico. This is a reasonable inference, but not conclusive. Whether he was a white or a colored man is a matter of mere conjecture. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com