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.