I have just returned from a visit to Greene County Tennessee and have tried to put everything that I learned down on paper while it's still fresh on my mind. The County and Greenville were both beautiful this time of the year and I can't understand anyone ever wanting to live anywhere else. This was my first visit to Tennessee and I really enjoyed it. The Smokey Mountains are something else and I just couldn't get over all of the beautiful 19th century homes that are still standing and many are still being lived in. Of course I'm sure they have been rebuilt, restored and maintained over the years but it tells me that the Greene County people take a lot of pride in there heritage. The people were friendly and the air was fresh and clean and I really look forward to returning someday to the land where my ancestors lived so many years ago. If you have the time, then please read the family history below and please let me know what you think. My Henderson ancestors from Greene County Tennessee were God fearing , Scotch-Irish Presbyterians that first settled in Rheatown sometime around 1802. Their Grandparents came to America in 1740, from Fordell Fife Scotland and lived in the vicinity of Waynesboro. Staunton Virginia. Rheatown was situated on the old stage coach road. The soil was rich and there were seven large springs and a creek running through the settlement. It was not only the oldest and largest settlement in Greene County at the time, but has also been referred to as the second oldest settlement in the East Tennessee area, Jonesborough being the oldest. Their land was located on the north side and the south side of McCarty Mountains, later known as Quaker Knobs. The exact location of the land was on the north side of the graveyard at the Quaker New Hope Meeting House on Quaker Knob Road and just on the south side of that same mountain "knob" on Campbell Gap Road where all of the new trailer homes are loca! ted today. There is an old abandoned two story home at that location that must date back to the 1830s to maybe 1850s and I feel certain that it must have been one of the Henderson homes. They were farmers and also had a store as well. The store was probably located in Rheatown but could also have been located a few miles west at Afton. Joseph and Eleanor Henderson eventually acquired about 520 acres of land in the hillside community of Rheatown, where they raised four sons and a daughter. Alexander, George, Ann "Hall", Joseph Jr and Robert. Joseph lived out his life there, hunting and working the farm, supporting his family and raising his kids. He died in his early 70s in the year 1834. No tombstone has ever been found. Gravesite location is unknown and we haven't been able to find any record of his wife's death. (Eleanor Hutchison Henderson). Their son Alexander Henderson died in 1839 at the age of 44 and is buried in Mt Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Greenville. We looked for the tombstone but were unable to identify it. Very few pre-Civil War tombstones have survived in Greene County. In the will of Alexander, there was no mention of a wife or children. He did mention his slave Jessie, whom he left to his brother, Joseph Jr. of Henderson Station. Their son George Henderson married Rachel Mauris in 1820 and lived on the south side of Quaker Knobs on Campbell Gap Road. This was some of the same land that Joseph and Eleanor had acquired many years before. George also owned property on Holley's Creek. Rachel Mauris was one of 10 daughters of John Mauris and Martha Stephenson. John Mauris was a Justice of the Peace of Greene County, Tennessee beginning in 1794 and served in that office for many years. George and Rachel had a large family of 9 children, all born in Greene Co, TN. Samuel, Andrew, Betsy Ann "Britton", Joseph H, Martha Eleanor "Reader", Amanda Jane, Melinda "Cox", Lucinda "Kincannon", Robert Lee. George and his family left Greene County sometime around 1848 and moved to Bradley County Tennessee. By 1860 they were living in Hamilton County Tennessee ..probably Chattanooga. George Henderson died in 1875 Booneville Arkansas. We have been unable to identify the year of death or find the final resting place of his! wife: Rachel Mauris Henderson. Their daughter Anna H. Henderson married Henry Doak Hall in the year 1820 Greene Co, Tennessee We just haven't been ably to find out hardly anything on her. Children were: Ellen, Mary, William and Jane. Henry Hall subsequently m. Elizabeth Hamilton and Jane Hunt, had more children and lived in Washington Co, but was buried in Sullivan Co. (site now covered by Boone Lake). We don't know what happened to Anna. Their son Robert Henderson married Rebecca Hall in 1840 Greene Co, Tennessee at the age of 34. They had the following children: Sarah E, William H and Martha Henderson. I believe that Robert probably owned land at one time or another in Rheatown and Henderson Station (Afton). During the 1840s, Robert and his family were members of the Mount Bethel Church. I don't know much more about Robert or his family at this time but continue to search for new information. Their son Joseph Jr. Henderson married Sarah D. White in Blount Co, Tennessee 1824. His age was 24 at the time. Joseph and Sarah also had a large family . 7 children.. Martha, Ann G, Ellen, William H, Findly, Alexander O and Mary Henderson. He accomplished a lot during his life in Greene Co. They lived in Rheatown, on the north side of the graveyard at the New Hope Quaker Meeting House. This was the same property that his father "Joseph Sr" had purchased with Samuel Frazer in 1802. Sometime around 1836, Joseph purchased a "Grist Mill" from a Mr. Marsh, which was located on the old stage coach road, just 3 or 4 miles to the west of their property at Rheatown. There was a stone dam in the creek for this grist mill. (Sinking Creek).This later became known as the Henderson Mill and a Mr. John Johnson operated the mill for Henderson until 1866. During the early nineteenth century many small farming communities were established, usually near a source of fast-moving water to provid! e power for the mills. No matter how self sufficient the settlers were, they had to have access to a mill in order to grind their corn into meal and wheat into flour. Since the roads were little more than trails, it was vital that the mills be within 4 or 5 miles of the homesteads. These small farming communities usually consisted of a country store, church, corn and flour mill and several scattered farmsteads. On milling day, sometimes the farmers would bring their whole families to the nearest mill and they would spend time in the country stores while they waited for the hours to pass for the miller to grind their grain into flour, meal and grits. These country stores played a vital part in community entertainment, where neighbors could get together and talk politics, crops, religion and maybe even allow the young people the rare and golden opportunity for courtship, under the watchful eye of their parents, of course. You might even find a "still" in some of these communities. My understanding i! s that a bushel of corn made two gallons of pure whiskey, sometimes called "white lightnin". Joseph built a new home "log cabin" on the old stage coach road at sinking creek and this is where he raised his family, had a country store, made his fortune and lived out his life. Joseph decided to sell his land at Rheatown in 1845 to Thomas Beals 371 acres, near Rees land. This land was on the north side of the graveyard of the Meeting House. Rheatown had it's problems at the time. It was stowed away in the hills and during the rainy season, for 4 to 5 months of the year, buried in mud and cut off from the rest of the county. The roads in Greene County were bad, sometimes referred to as gullies, sink-holes, swamps and the terrain was rough. Then when the railroad decided to bypass Rheatown by about a mile, that pretty much was the beginning if the end for the town. In 1858, Joseph sold to The East Tennessee , Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company, land for the right of way for the railroad to run through his property. He agreed to build a depot on his property. It was ca! lled Henderson Station and was very close to his grist mill. The creation of the village of Afton (Henderson Station) was pretty much due to the activity and enterprise of Joseph Henderson and for a while before the Civil War, he must have been considered a very successful and rich man, but all of that was to change for our Henderson family and many, many other Greene County residents that supported the Confederate cause during the Civil War.. During the Civil War, the vast majority of Tennessee was Confederate, however, the majority of Greene County and East Tennessee were Union supporters and as we all know, Andrew Johnson became president after the assassination of Lincoln in 1865. He was president from 1865-1869. It was brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor , as one fought for the Union the other fought for the Confederate cause. Both Union and Confederate sympathizers lost practically everything they had. Four years of fighting left Greene County in a desperate condition. Many families were left homeless and many families would never see their loved ones again. All the reserve supplies and raw materials were depleted during the war. Seeds to plant, horses to ploy the soil, livestock, food, shoes, there was need for everything. After the Civil War, severe measures were imposed on those who supported the Confederate cause. My Hendersons were strong supporters of the Confederate cause. In fact Confederate Company "D' was formed in Henderson Mills, Greene Co, Tenn on 26 Sept 1863 and one of Joseph's sons (A.O.Henderson) was part of that regiment. After the War, money invested in Confederate bonds or slaves was gone. Confederate money was worthless. With the reinstatement of federal taxes and pre-war debts, the situation worsened. The southern agriculture was in ruins, the southern transportation (railroads) were in ruins which made it very difficult to ship crops to the marketplace. So my Hendersons of Henderson Station got in a financial bind during this post war period and couldn't pay their creditors. Joseph attempted to sell his property to his sons and the court agreed to it but for some reason President Andrew Johnson overturned the court's decision. In 1866, a court case filed by Joseph Henderson in Greene County TN. Several people listed as creditors against Joseph Henderson included these people: Robert Henderson. Court decided to sell land on 15th day of April 1867 amounting to 516 acres. These people purchased the land: William H Henderson; J F Cecil; Finley Henderson; and A. O. Henderson. The selling price was $17500.00. However, Andrew Johnson overturned the sale. General Index to Real Estate Conveyances Greene County TN Book 35 p. 573 Then in 1868, Henderson's effects were sold at auction and Andrew Johnson bought the property (while still President of the United States), which consisted of the town of Afton. Deeded it to his daughter Margaret Johnson Patterson and husband Judge D.T. Patterson. $2,250.00. (David Trotter Patterson) After the Civil War, Martha Johnson Patterson owned the place and she called it Home. She didn't really live there much. After the death of her father, she left her husband at "Home" and she lived in the house located on Main Street in Greeneville. I don't know who owes the Old Henderson Home now but I do believe that it must have been remodeled and built up to what it is today by the Pattersons. I would like to someday be able to correspond with the present owners so that I could learn more about the history of the home and Henderson Station. "Afton". Andrew Johnson was later Impeached or at least they tried to impeach him, similar to Clinton. There is no doubt that he was a great man, but that being said, I don't agree with the way he treated Greene County Confederates after the war, especially my Hendersons of Henderson Station. As far as I can tell, Joseph died sometime between 1866 and 1868. We have been unable to locate his final resting place or tombstone. . Larry G.

Larry excellent job. And yes the Smokey Mountains are beautiful any time of the year. They are wonderful when they are in bloom and stay that way for months at different elevations. Deanna Deanna Weymuth learning disabilities resource teacher at Paseo High Academy, KCMSD Kansas City Wizard's Fan www.sound.net/~dew/