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- the history and genealogy of East Tennessee
Johnson County, Tennessee
Here's some Family Bible records from Johnson County. They were published in East Tennessee Roots v3n4 pp 170-74.
They are part of those so-called 'WPA' records, done back in 1936. Did the copyist read the record accurately? Did the typist type it accurately? Just keep in mind there's no way to verify accuracy.
Now, here's a few things to remember about Johnson County:
- It was created in 1836, from Carter County. And...
- Carter County was created in 1796, from Washington County. And...
- Washington County was created in 1777, as the first county created here by North Carolina.
What does all this mean?
Someone can only have lived in Johnson County since 1836. Anyone who lived there prior to 1836 lived in other counties: from 1796-1836 in Carter County, and from 1778-1796 in Washington County. Therefore, those are the counties you need to search.
Johnson County 1850 Slave Schedules
Also, we've transcribed the Johnson County 1850 Slave Schedules, back in Volume 5 of East Tennessee Roots:
There's six Bible records included:
Robert Donnelly Family Bible - pp 170-71.
It appears Robert Donnelly was born 27 Apr 1760 and died Aug 1832 in his 73rd year.
Surnames: Allen, Brown, Crosswhite, Donnelly, Jenkins, Jennings, Kiser, McQueen, Moore, Morley, Rominger, Shaver, Sullivan.
Robert W. Keys Family Bible - p 171.
Surnames: Cornett, Hawkins, Keys, Ramsey, Smith, Thomas, Wills.
Nathaniel Morrison Famiy Bible - pp 171-72.
Surnames: Beaty, Morrison, Thompson, West.
Kemp Murphey Family Bible - pp 172-73.
Surnames: Brooks, Murphey, Wills.
Rachel Ann McQuown Family Bible - pp 173-74.
Surnames: Berry, Crockett, McQuown, Scott, Wills.
Mary Walker Family Bible - p 174.
Surnames: Murphey, Walker.
And here's a list of those 1850 Johnson County, TN, slaveowners' surnames:
Blevins, Bowers, Bradley, Brown, Cabel, Cole, Doran, Dugger, Grindstaff, Johnson, McQueen, Moore, Moreland, Perkins, Shown, Smith, Smithpeter, Stout, Rainbolt, Reese, Robinson, Sutherland, Taylor, Vaught, Wagner, White, Widby, Williams, Wilson, Wright.
Warning!
Wrong info on the Johnson County, TN, page at familysearch dot org. These three are in the section, "History":
1- Yes, Johnson County's area was part of the state of Franklin, and the county known as Wayne County. No, FamilySearch doesn't have any Wayne County, Franklin, records - and neither does anyone else - because there aren't any. Any records from the Franklin era, and the territory included in present-day Johnson County area, will be found in Washington County.
2- Their link to Wayne County, Franklin, at Tennessee County Facts goes instead to Wayne County, TN - a West-Tennessee county that has nothing to do with Johnson County.
3- It's true that Johnson County was created in 1836 from Carter County, and that Carter County was created in 1796, by the state of Tennessee. But Carter in 1796 was not created as a 'reconstituted' version of Wayne County, Franklin. By 1796 Franklin had been a fading memory for nearly a decade. Carter County was created in 1796 from Washington.
