Early Settlers in the WestWatauga Settlement/Association

Who came to Tennessee and Kentucky? (before the war) The first colonial people to come into

what is now TN and KY were called longhunters.

Longhunter- someone who stays gone for months, collecting animal skins, and drying meat to sell back to the colonist

They came in parties of two or three men looking to hunt

Longhunters would tell other colonist about the abundant amount of land west of the Appalachian Mountains

Why were people leaving? Regulators, farmers from NC, would

disagree with taxes being raised. This will bring about rebellions Regulators and NC Militia will clash in

1771 in a Battle known as the Battle of Alamance

Militia will win, they are more organized This is believed to be a reason that

many wanted to leave NC and go west

Dr. Thomas Walker Organized the first known English expedition

through Cumberland Gap Named the gap after the Duke of

Cumberland, the son of King George II Worked for the Loyal Land Company and set

out to claim 800,000 acres of land Ended up not staying on the land, interest

wouldn’t be renewed again until Daniel Boone came through the Cumberland Gap

First Permanent Settlers 1769, William and Lydia Bean William was a longhunter Their son Russell Bean, is believed to be the

first European child born in TN This region that they settled in would become

known as the Watauga Settlement Most settlers who came west would travel

with their families and even full communities

The Watauga Association 1772 many settlers were living in the

Watauga settlement. Decided they needed a government to

establish law and order Settlers met at Sycamore Shoals, to

form the Watauga Association They created the Watauga Compact

The Washington District When the American Revolution began

settlers in TN were in favor of the rebellion

The five who led the Watauga compact honored General George Washington by naming their land the Washington District

Watauga Petitions North Carolina created a state

government to replace the colonial government of England

Washington District petitioned to become part of the new state

Washington District became North Carolina’s Washington County

Thomas Sharp Spencer Considered one of the first settlers in

Middle Tennessee He was a longhunter Known for his strength, encountered

many Indians who would attack him on his hunts

Daniel Boone Was a longhunter, served in the French and

Indian War Would take settlers through a trail that ran

through the Cumberland Gap-a notch in the Appalachian Mountains located near the intersection of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.

This trail would become known as Wilderness Road

It would serve as the pathway to the western United States

Wilderness Road Complications The actual trail was created by herds of

buffalo that roamed around in the area Native American tribes would start to use

this trail to attack each other When Boone set out to take his family to

settle west, the Indians attacked the group Killing two, including Boone’s son James

The travel was dangerous, but people would still want to settle west

James Robertson Explored lands called Sycamore Shoals

close to the mouth of the Watauga River Called the area “The Promise Land”

because he thought it would provide a good home and life

Brought his family along with 16 other families to live in the Watauga Settlement

Known as the “Father of Tennessee”

Transylvania Company Takes place after Boone’s attempt to settle in

Kentucky Boone will be hired by Richard Henderson, Judge of

North Carolina because he has great knowledge of the Cumberland Gap area

They want him to find a new trail Henderson will approach the Cherokee to

negotiate a land purchase to eliminate aggression Henderson will purchase land between the

Cumberland and Kentucky rivers, a total of about 20 million acres

This is known as the Transylvania Purchase Would be nullified, or voided

The Transylvania Purchase Cherokee leaders rented the land to the

settlers in exchange for goods Dragging Canoe, son of the Cherokee

Chief, Little Carpenter, will disagree with this purchase and will warn that he will begin fighting

Cherokee War of 1776 After colonies rebelled, British encouraged

the Cherokee to make war on the Washington District

Numerous Cherokee, led by Dragging Canoe, planned to attack

Not all Cherokee wanted war. Nancy Ward (Cherokee) warned settlers

about the initial attack Most of the battles would be small groups of

settlers and warriors

Nancy Ward Cherokee Woman Worked toward peace between

Cherokee and settlers Saved Lydia Bean, Wife of William Bean

from execution She is buried in Polk County, Tennessee

John Sevier Elected as one of the five leaders of the

Watauga Association Helped defend Fort Watauga against an

assault Chosen to help govern the Washington

District during the American Revolution Served six two-year terms as

Tennessee’s governor

The Robertson/Donelson Party After the Transylvania Purchase, James

Robertson will lead a group and John Donelson will lead another group to settle in TN

Robertson took the men, Donelson had the families of the men

They planned to travel by boat down the TN River to the Cumberland River

Donelson’s group would be the first settlers attacked by Dragging Canoe in present day Chattanooga

The Battle of the Bluffs Native American strikes against those in Middle TN were

regular 1781, Dragging Canoe and the Chickamaugans planned to

ambush the settlers at Fort Nashborough. Two Indians fired at the fort, which caused James

Robertson and about 20 other men to chase after them. They were led right into a trap where 5 settlers were killed

and two wounded They managed to get back into the fort where Mrs.

Robertson let the settler’s dogs loose to attack the Indians The Native Americans made off with at least 19 of the

settlers horses The battle lasted about 2 hours