The book that Mary referred to, THE PREEMPTORS, MIDDLE TENNESSEE'S FIRST SETTLERS, was compiled by Irene Griffey in 1989 from an original book at the North Carolina Archives. The original was kept by David Shelby for the commissioners, Anthony Bledsoe, Isaac Shelby and Absalom Tatum, who had been appointed by North Carolina to survey the boundaries of the military reservation. The reserve covered what is now northern Middle Tennessee. Originally the land was to be set aside to give to soldiers of the Revolution. Before the survey was started settlers began moving into the wilderness area near the present Nashville, Davidson County and surrounding counties. In the beginning years, the settlers established a number of small fortified communities across Middle Tennessee. They suffered through one of the coldest winters ever known in the region, built cabins, cleared land, planted crops, brought in live stock, got married, had babies, were killed in Indian battles and died from disease and hardship. These settlers petitioned North Carolina for a right to lay claim to the land on which they had settled. North Carolina decided that the pioneers, for their heroic efforts, would be given preemption certificates for land within the reserve. Preempt means they had prior right over the military claimants. Griffey's book is a transcription of the preemption rights. The commissioners were authorized to give certificates for 640 acres to each head of family and each single male of the age of 21 years who had been living on the land before the first day of June 1780. The certificates were given to the settler found living on the land when the commissioners made their survey in late 1782 and 1783. In many cases this was not the original settler who had been there in 1780, but a latecomer who had purchased the preemption rights. I have a copy of the book and if you email me off-list [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) I will check the index for one surname and send you any information I find. Only those who lived in Middle Tennessee by 1783 will be listed. Please just ask about one surname at a time. If you send the request to the Davidson Co. list I will not respond.

Debie: I tried to e-mail you at the address you have below to request a look-up in your book but the e-mail came back. Could you e-mail me at my home address? [email protected] Thank you, Pat Stevens ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 9:35 AM Subject: [TNDAVIDS] Preemptors book > The book that Mary referred to, THE PREEMPTORS, MIDDLE TENNESSEE'S FIRST > SETTLERS, was compiled by Irene Griffey in 1989 from an original book at > the > North Carolina Archives. The original was kept by David Shelby for the > commissioners, Anthony Bledsoe, Isaac Shelby and Absalom Tatum, who had > been > appointed by North Carolina to survey the boundaries of the military > reservation. The > reserve covered what is now northern Middle Tennessee. Originally the > land > was to be set aside to give to soldiers of the Revolution. Before the > survey > was started settlers began moving into the wilderness area near the > present > Nashville, Davidson County and surrounding counties. > > In the beginning years, the settlers established a number of small > fortified > communities across Middle Tennessee. They suffered through one of the > coldest winters ever known in the region, built cabins, cleared land, > planted > crops, brought in live stock, got married, had babies, were killed in > Indian > battles and died from disease and hardship. These settlers petitioned > North > Carolina for a right to lay claim to the land on which they had settled. > North > Carolina decided that the pioneers, for their heroic efforts, would be > given > preemption certificates for land within the reserve. Preempt means they > had > prior right over the military claimants. Griffey's book is a > transcription > of the preemption rights. > > The commissioners were authorized to give certificates for 640 acres to > each > head of family and each single male of the age of 21 years who had been > living on the land before the first day of June 1780. The certificates > were > given to the settler found living on the land when the commissioners made > their > survey in late 1782 and 1783. In many cases this was not the original > settler > who had been there in 1780, but a latecomer who had purchased the > preemption > rights. > > I have a copy of the book and if you email me off-list [email protected]_ > (mailto:[email protected]) I will check the index for one surname and > send you > any information I find. Only those who lived in Middle Tennessee by 1783 > will be listed. Please just ask about one surname at a time. If you send > the > request to the Davidson Co. list I will not respond. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Debie, I had the same problem.........my address is [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard and Pat" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 11:05 PM Subject: Re: [TNDAVIDS] Preemptors book > Debie: > I tried to e-mail you at the address you have below to request a look-up > in > your book but the e-mail came back. Could you e-mail me at my home > address? > [email protected] > Thank you, > Pat Stevens > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 9:35 AM > Subject: [TNDAVIDS] Preemptors book > > >> The book that Mary referred to, THE PREEMPTORS, MIDDLE TENNESSEE'S FIRST >> SETTLERS, was compiled by Irene Griffey in 1989 from an original book at >> the >> North Carolina Archives. The original was kept by David Shelby for the >> commissioners, Anthony Bledsoe, Isaac Shelby and Absalom Tatum, who had >> been >> appointed by North Carolina to survey the boundaries of the military >> reservation. The >> reserve covered what is now northern Middle Tennessee. Originally the >> land >> was to be set aside to give to soldiers of the Revolution. Before the >> survey >> was started settlers began moving into the wilderness area near the >> present >> Nashville, Davidson County and surrounding counties. >> >> In the beginning years, the settlers established a number of small >> fortified >> communities across Middle Tennessee. They suffered through one of the >> coldest winters ever known in the region, built cabins, cleared land, >> planted >> crops, brought in live stock, got married, had babies, were killed in >> Indian >> battles and died from disease and hardship. These settlers petitioned >> North >> Carolina for a right to lay claim to the land on which they had settled. >> North >> Carolina decided that the pioneers, for their heroic efforts, would be >> given >> preemption certificates for land within the reserve. Preempt means they >> had >> prior right over the military claimants. Griffey's book is a >> transcription >> of the preemption rights. >> >> The commissioners were authorized to give certificates for 640 acres to >> each >> head of family and each single male of the age of 21 years who had been >> living on the land before the first day of June 1780. The certificates >> were >> given to the settler found living on the land when the commissioners >> made >> their >> survey in late 1782 and 1783. In many cases this was not the original >> settler >> who had been there in 1780, but a latecomer who had purchased the >> preemption >> rights. >> >> I have a copy of the book and if you email me off-list >> [email protected]_ >> (mailto:[email protected]) I will check the index for one surname and >> send you >> any information I find. Only those who lived in Middle Tennessee by >> 1783 >> will be listed. Please just ask about one surname at a time. If you >> send >> the >> request to the Davidson Co. list I will not respond. >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >