In a message dated 4/25/2002 3:14:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > Can anyone tell me the individual names(surname ?) of the folks who > ventured into theSmith (later Dekalb) county area ,as a group, and helped > settle the Liberty, TN area(about ?1797). Believe the group was from MD, but > were they all from MD? Did the group pick-up(add on additional persons) more > settlers along their trek to this new frontier. > Judy, I too am very interested in this question. I will add that the group came from both Maryland (primarily Worcester Co) and Delaware (Sussex Co, border to Worcestor Co, and parts of which were considered Maryland until after 1750 when a border dispute was settled). During the recent roll call, for example, one of the posts mentioned Parker, Burton, Dale with Sussex Co DE origins if I recall correctly. As I descend from members or cousins of one group of those families (Whaleys, Brattens, Truitts, Given/Gavan, probably Dale), I've collected some information on the internet. One is from a Bratten Website. They other is from Goodspeeds at the DeKalb Co website. From a very interesting history of the Bratten families, which goes on after the following paragraph to mention more families and then the Bratten branch that migrated to Ohio: http://www.gendex.com/~guest/69751/BrattonHomePage/scotbrat.txt " TENNESSEE (1797-1866) As mentioned above, William Bratten married Elizabeth Dale and in 1797 the westward migration of the Dales and Brattens occurred. In the History of Dekalb County, Tennessee, Hale, Nashville, (1915), the following excerpts appear concerning Adam Dale, brother of Elizabeth Dale. "The Oldest Village:" "On his arrival at the site of Liberty (Tennessee) from Maryland in 1797, Adam Dale, who came by way of East Tennessee and over (the) Cumberland Mountains, Mr. Riley Dale says, must have been impressed with the country, for he sent back a report in some way to his friends which induced the coming of a colony consisting of William and John Dale, Thomas West, William and George Given, Thomas Whaley, Josiah and T.W. Duncan, James and William Bratten, Henry Burton, the Fites, Truits, Bethels, and many others, some of whom were young married couples." This excerpt on Liberty from Goodspeeds has tons of names: http://www.tngenweb.org/dekalb/gdsphist.htm "The settlement of Dekalb County dates back to the year 1779, at which time Adam Dale settled on Smith Fork, in the immediate neighborhood of the present town of Liberty. Dale was a Marylander in search of a home, and was attracted to Tennessee by the abundance of cheap land, and to the above locality by the fertile land and healthy climate. Being satisfied with the outlook he at once sent work back to his friends in the East, and two years later a colony of forty families, composed of his relatives, friends and acquaintances, left Maryland to join the pioneer in his frontier home. The colony came down the Ohio River, up the Cumberland to Nashville, and from that point made their way overland to the Dale settlement in wagons. There were no roads in those days and the journey from Nashville required several weeks' time, passages for the teams having to be cut as they went along, the forests and canebrakes being impenetrable. Reaching Smith Fork they settled in and around what is now Liberty, and being of a hardy, industrious nature, were in an incredibly short time comfortably housed and domiciled. Among those who composed the colony were William and John Dale, Thomas West, William and George Givens, Thomas Whaley, Josiah Duncan, James and William Bratton, Henry Burton, The Walks, Fruits and others. Between 1800 and 1820 many new comers settled in various parts of the county, among whom were Jesse Allen, Allan Johnson, Martin Phillips, Britton Johnson, James Lockhart, John Martin, James Davis, Giles Driver, I. H. Hayes, Tobe Martin, John Robinson, George, Samuel H. and John Allen, John C. Kennedy, Milton Ward, John Wooldridge, John Frazier, David Taylor, Nicholas Smith, D. League, John Maynor, Henry Cameron, P. G. Magness, Zachariah Lafever, Jacob and Abraham Overall, Robin Forester, Ruben Evans, Matthew Selleers, James Powell, James Tubb, Jack Reynolds, Reddick Driver, Thomas Given, William Boyd, Thomas Duncan, Thomas Durham, Davidand William Adcock, William Floyd, Hezekiah Bowers, James Powell, John Vantrees, Jonathan and Stewart Dorse, E. Turner, James Goodner, Wm. Grandstaff, Thomas Simpson, William Wright, Benjamin Garrison, Anderson Pickett, Isaac Jones, James Jones and Edmund Turner, Sr. Adam Dale erected the first mill, which was a log, water-power corn-mill, on Smith Fork, near Liberty, built in 1800. The patronage of the mill came from the immediate Dale settlement, for the benefit of which it was established." I have a couple of followup questions myself on these folks, but will do so in a separate post. My best regards, Janet Hunter

Hi Janet et al., Another source for early Smith-Dekalb settlers is the Liberty Baptist Church records which are on the net. I research the CANDLE family (mostly of Bedford/Campbell County, VA), but some Candlers were in early Smith County. John Candler (c1775-1853) and his wife Martha joined the Liberty Baptist Church in 1810. They lived on Smith's Fork. I got a copy of some of their land records and it mentions some of the people named (below) as neighbors. I have tried to get early land records from Smith County without much luck. I did find an 1814 land deed in the STATE archives in Nashville for land on Smith Fork. I believe it is true that the early Tennessee settlers did not have much fondness for record keeping. [email protected] wrote: > > In a message dated 4/25/2002 3:14:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > > Can anyone tell me the individual names(surname ?) of the folks who > > ventured into theSmith (later Dekalb) county area ,as a group, and helped > > settle the Liberty, TN area(about ?1797). Believe the group was from MD, but > > were they all from MD? Did the group pick-up(add on additional persons) more > > settlers along their trek to this new frontier. > > > > Judy, > > I too am very interested in this question. I will add that the group came > from both Maryland (primarily Worcester Co) and Delaware (Sussex Co, border > to Worcestor Co, and parts of which were considered Maryland until after 1750 > when a border dispute was settled). During the recent roll call, for > example, one of the posts mentioned Parker, Burton, Dale with Sussex Co DE > origins if I recall correctly. > > As I descend from members or cousins of one group of those families > (Whaleys, Brattens, Truitts, Given/Gavan, probably Dale), I've collected some > information on the internet. One is from a Bratten Website. They other is > from Goodspeeds at the DeKalb Co website. > > >From a very interesting history of the Bratten families, which goes on after > the following paragraph to mention more families and then the Bratten branch > that migrated to Ohio: > http://www.gendex.com/~guest/69751/BrattonHomePage/scotbrat.txt > > " TENNESSEE (1797-1866) > As mentioned above, William Bratten married Elizabeth Dale and in 1797 > the > westward migration of the Dales and Brattens occurred. In the History of > Dekalb > County, Tennessee, Hale, Nashville, (1915), the following excerpts appear > concerning Adam Dale, brother of Elizabeth Dale. "The Oldest Village:" > "On his arrival at the site of Liberty (Tennessee) from Maryland in > 1797, Adam > Dale, who came by way of East Tennessee and over (the) Cumberland Mountains, > Mr. Riley Dale says, must have been impressed with the country, for he sent > back a > report in some way to his friends which induced the coming of a colony > consisting of > William and John Dale, Thomas West, William and George Given, Thomas Whaley, > Josiah and T.W. Duncan, James and William Bratten, Henry Burton, the Fites, > Truits, Bethels, and many others, some of whom were young married couples." > > This excerpt on Liberty from Goodspeeds has tons of names: > http://www.tngenweb.org/dekalb/gdsphist.htm > > "The settlement of Dekalb County dates back to the year 1779, at which time > Adam Dale settled on Smith Fork, in the immediate neighborhood of the present > town of Liberty. Dale was a Marylander in search of a home, and was attracted > to Tennessee by the abundance of cheap land, and to the above locality by the > fertile land and healthy climate. Being satisfied with the outlook he at once > sent work back to his friends in the East, and two years later a colony of > forty families, composed of his relatives, friends and acquaintances, left > Maryland to join the pioneer in his frontier home. The colony came down the > Ohio River, up the Cumberland to Nashville, and from that point made their > way overland to the Dale settlement in wagons. There were no roads in those > days and the journey from Nashville required several weeks' time, passages > for the teams having to be cut as they went along, the forests and canebrakes > being impenetrable. Reaching Smith Fork they settled in and around what is > now Liberty, and being of a hardy, industrious nature, were in an incredibly > short time comfortably housed and domiciled. Among those who composed the > colony were William and John Dale, Thomas West, William and George Givens, > Thomas Whaley, Josiah Duncan, James and William Bratton, Henry Burton, The > Walks, Fruits and others. Between 1800 and 1820 many new comers settled in > various parts of the county, among whom were Jesse Allen, Allan Johnson, > Martin Phillips, Britton Johnson, James Lockhart, John Martin, James Davis, > Giles Driver, I. H. Hayes, Tobe Martin, John Robinson, George, Samuel H. and > John Allen, John C. Kennedy, Milton Ward, John Wooldridge, John Frazier, > David Taylor, Nicholas Smith, D. League, John Maynor, Henry Cameron, P. G. > Magness, Zachariah Lafever, Jacob and Abraham Overall, Robin Forester, Ruben > Evans, Matthew Selleers, James Powell, James Tubb, Jack Reynolds, Reddick > Driver, Thomas Given, William Boyd, Thomas Duncan, Thomas Durham, Davidand > William Adcock, William Floyd, Hezekiah Bowers, James Powell, John Vantrees, > Jonathan and Stewart Dorse, E. Turner, James Goodner, Wm. Grandstaff, Thomas > Simpson, William Wright, Benjamin Garrison, Anderson Pickett, Isaac Jones, > James Jones and Edmund Turner, Sr. > Adam Dale erected the first mill, which was a log, water-power corn-mill, on > Smith Fork, near Liberty, built in 1800. The patronage of the mill came from > the immediate Dale settlement, for the benefit of which it was established." > > I have a couple of followup questions myself on these folks, but will do so > in a separate post. > > My best regards, > Janet Hunter > > ==== TNDEKALB Mailing List ==== > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, political > announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, > etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for removal. > Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett [email protected] > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237