Originally published in the "Bicentennial Bites" article series by Billie R. McNamara in The Standard-Banner in celebration of Tennessee's 200th statehood anniversary (1996).
From the end of the Revolutionary War to the beginning of the Civil War, thousands of pioneers passed through present-day Jefferson County, Tennessee, from their homes in the Carolinas, Maryland, and Virginia, travelling westward to Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and beyond. This is primarily because two major waterways -- the Holston and French Broad Rivers -- flow through Jefferson County on their way to a convergence in neighboring Knox County, where they meet to form the Tennessee River.
Voyagers on the Tennessee River could easily reach northern Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, and innumerable points west. Early Jefferson Countians appear to have been real trailblazers. Older Jefferson County families can trace descendants through every state in the U. S. People from all over the United States (and as far away as Canada) have visited Jefferson County in search of their family history, since most of those who came through here left a record of some sort.
In previous segments, you read of the Spanish explorers that travelled through East Tennessee. Besides the Spanish, who were the first known white men to visit our area? Two Englishmen, James Needham and Gabriel Arthur, leading a party of explorers from Fort Henry, Virginia, are believed to be the first. This party discovered a passage through the Appalachian Mountains (near the current juncture of the Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia borders) in 1673 and made its way into present-day East Tennessee.
Some historians have written that Yuchi Indians showed the way, since the mountains traversed by Needham's and Arthur's party had no marked path. All but one of their horses died before the party finally emerged from the mountainous wilderness near the present-day town of Trade, in Johnson County, Tennessee. Incidentally, Trade received its name because it became a popular meeting place for traders, trappers, and Indians wishing to sell or buy goods.
The party travelled farther into East Tennessee before it found a friendly Cherokee village. After spending time at this unidentified village, Needham and some of the Cherokee started back to Virginia to get trade goods. Arthur stayed with the Indians. Before he could reach Fort Henry, Needham was murdered by an enemy Indian; Arthur was held captive by the Cherokee for nearly a year.
As Needham and Arthur were crossing the eastern mountains, French explorers Marquette and Jolliet travelled down the Mississippi and reached Tennessee's western border. After these visits, French and English traders and adventurers explored all over present-day Tennessee. Commerce with the Cherokee began as traders travelled past the villages on their way, by river, to Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina. Virginians learned early that they could make a fortune trading with the Indians. For guns, ammunition, cloth, beads, and other items the Indians wanted, traders would receive hides and furs they could sell to London merchants for huge profits.
Beginning in 1689, a French voyager married to a Shawnee lived for three years with his wife's people on the Cumberland Plateau (near present-day Nashville). Thus, Martin Chartier was probably the first white man to establish residence in Tennessee. Chartier did not stay in Tennessee, nor did he figure in its history.
Almost all historians agree that the earliest detailed surveys of East Tennessee were made by Dr. Thomas Walker and his associates, beginning in 1748. Contrary to the belief of many people, Daniel Boone was not the first white man to discover the Cumberland Gap! Dr. Walker's party discovered the Gap in 1750. At that time, much of "Tennessee" was claimed by both the British and the French. Their dual claim covered most of western North and South Carolina, much of Georgia, and all of East and Middle Tennessee. In the next segment, we will discuss the problems this caused.
