Roane County was formed in 1801, and named for Archibald Roane who was the second Governor of Tennessee. Upon the creation of the Southwest Territory in 1790, the territory’s governor, William Blount, initially wanted to locate the territorial capital at the mouth of the Clinch River, but was unable to obtain title to the land from the Cherokee Indians that had the land at that time. With the county having a total area of 395 square miles, it also has a population count of 53,382 residents.
It was organized as Robertson County in 1796, at the same time as Montgomery County, which had also been part of the Miro district. The county seat, Springfield, was laid out in 1798. The county after James Robertson, who was one of the founding fathers of the state at the time of is establishment. The county has a total area of 476 square miles to hold a population count of 71,813 residents.
Rutherford County was formed in 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties, and named in honor of Griffith Rutherford who lived from 1721 to 1805. Rutherford was a North Carolina colonial legislator and an American Revolutionary War general, who settled in Middle Tennessee after the Revolution. He was appointed President of the Council of the Southwest Territory in 1794. The county has a total area of 624 square miles with a population count of 332,285 residents.
Sevier County was formed on September 18, 1794, from part of Jefferson County, and has retained its boundaries ever since. The county takes its name from John Sevier, governor of the failed State of Franklin and first governor of Tennessee, who played a prominent role during the early years of settlement in the region. Since its establishment in 1795, the county seat has been situated at Sevierville which is the eighth-oldest city in Tennessee. The county has a total area of 598 square miles and a population count of 98,250 residents.
Shelby County was established by European-American migrants in 1819 and named for Isaac Shelby, the former governor of Kentucky who had helped negotiate the land acquisition. From 1826 to 1868, the county seat was originally located at Raleigh. It wasn’t until after the American Civil War and the growth of Memphis that the seat was moved there. The county has a total area of 785 square miles with a population count of 937,166 residents.
Stewart County was created by European Americans in 1803 from a portion of Montgomery County and was named for Duncan Stewart, an early settler and state legislator. The first court session met in 1804 and it was settled by pioneers that migrated from Virginia after the American Revolutionary War that native ameicans were pushed out of the area. The county has a population count of 13,561 residents calling the county of 493 square miles home.
Sullivan County was created in 1779 from a portion of Washington County, and named for John Sullivan who was a general in the Revolutionary War. Long Island of the Holston located in Kingsport was the site of Fort Robinson, constructed in 1761 following the fall of Fort Loudoun further to the south, making the Sullivan area one of the earliest settled areas of Tennessee. The county has a total area of 430 square miles and a population count of 158,348 residents.
Sumner County was organized in 1786, just 3 years after the end of the American Revolutionary War when Tennessee was still located in the western part of North Carolina. The county was named after Jethro Sumner who was a senior officer of the continental army during the American Revolutionary War . The county was also established primarily for agricultural purposes such as growing tobacco, hemp and blooded livestock. Sumnr County has a total area of 543 square miles with a popultion count of 191,283 residents.
the county was established on October 29, 1823, from parts of Shelby County, which borders Tipton County in the south. The land was former Chickasaw Indian territory. The county was named for Jacob Tipton who lived from 1765 to 1791, whose direct ancestor allegedly was Sir Anthony de Tipton, whom in 1282, is said to have slain the Prince of Wales at the Battle of Snowdon. The county has a total area of 473 square miles with a population count of 61,581 residents.
Trousdale County was formed in 1870 from parts of Macon, Smith, Sumner, and Wilson counties. It was named for William Trousdale who lived from 1790 to 1872. Trousdale was a Brigadier General in the Mexican War, Governor of Tennessee from 1849 to 1851, and U.S. Minister to Brazil from 1853 to 1857. Hartsvillians had initially sought the creation of their own separate county in 1849, but the effort failed. The county has a total area of 117 square miles and a population count of 11,284 residents.
