For those of your that have expressed interest in the bit about the Wautauga Settlement. By 1770 there were a few settlers that had become so disenchanted with the taxes and government inequities that they started moving westward over the Appalachian Mountains and settled in the are of what was the valleys of the Wautauga, Holstein and Nolichucky valleys. There were a few gaps in the mountains that they used to cross, mainly narrow buffalo and game trials. But, they found places and got through. One of those was James Robertson, who left in 1770 from Wake Co. He went into the valley of the Wautauga River. He settled on the Indian "old fields" where the town of Elizabethton, is now. He wrote back home telling of the rich land and lack of problems with the Indians (the Cherokees had their hands full at this time, warring with the Chickasaws and the Cherokees, lost) By the time they had recovered from the defeat, the settlers were well entrenched. Some of the first settlers, were (Capt) William Bean, the believed, first settler. He was from Virginia and caused many of his family and friends to come to the area. Others were the Browns, Bones, Carters, Crocketts. James Robertson is said to have had 16 people in his party to settle. His three brothers, Charles, Mark and Jonathan. His brother in law William Reeves, and their families. Others that were there: Jesse Benton, William Blevins, John Cox, James Denton, Joseph Duncan, George Gray, Andrew Greer, Joshua Houghton, David Hughes, Michael Hyder, Isham Irby, Henry Lyle, Edward Lucas, John Jones, Henry Massengill, John and Baptist McNabb, George Reeves, Henry Rice, Isaac Ruddle/Riddle, Archibald Taylor, Mathew Talbot, Joseph Tipton, Richard White, John Williams, and others just given as the Rhea's, Law's, Longs, Kincaid. Some of these are Wake Co., names but, I do not know for a fact that they were, of Wake Co. The first leader of the settlements were Wautauga, James Robertson, John Carter, of Carter's Valley, Evan Shelby, Sr. of the Holton, and Jacob Brown, of the Nolichucky. Valentine Sevier was another of the first leaders. He was father of John Sevier. William Clawson/Closin and William Clark were two pioneers of the Nolichucky settlement. All these settlers formed the "Wautauga Association" They had their own leaders and government because, they were too inaccessible to the rest of NC. This has been called the first free government in America. It was formed and administered by the Overmountain Men. There was one big problem. They thought they had built their settlement in the VA boundaries, but discovered that all but one (the Holston settlement, above Bristol Tn.) were in Lord Granville's land. The Regulators in NC were a group of frontiersment, who joined to protest the government taxes and corruption. They wanted the officials to met with them to change things. The officials refused and the regulators took things into their own hands, causing damage to the courts, records, attorneys and judges. Gov. Tryon called out the militia and so, became the Battle of Alamance. (May 16, 1771) It lasted two hours. Nine men were killed on each side and many wounded. The regulators fled. Many of them over the mountains. Thus, increasing the population of the settlements. Some of the first list of Taxables of Washington Co., in 1778-1801, that are Wake Co., surnames were: Abbott, Atkins, Brown and Carter, Stuart, Robertson, Drake, Reeves, Womack, Ward, Walton, Wilson. Some Orange/Chatham surnames are Hightower, Dunkin, Wilson, Webb, Russell, Lucas, Thompson, If you're still interested, more later. Sue Ashby Wonderful sources and history of the area are: "The Overmountain Men" - Pat Alderman "Seedtime on the Cumberland"- Harriet Simpson Arnow "Flowering of the Cumberland"- Harriet Simpson Arnow "Kings Mountain and it's Heroes"- Lyman C. Draper