| County |
Established |
Named
in honor of |
| Obion |
1823 |
Obion River, chief
watercourse in the county. The
name Obion is of uncertain
origin. Some say it is an Indian
word meaning "many
prongs." Others say it was
the name of a French-Irish
officer who explored the country
at an early but unknown date. |
| Overton |
1806 |
John Overton, pioneer
attorney in Nashville, close
friend of Andrew Jackson, and
judge of the state Supreme Court,
1804-09. He was co-founder, with
Jackson and General James
Winchester, of the city of
Memphis, which he is said to have
named. |
| Perry |
1819 |
Commodore Oliver
Hazard Perry, who served in the
naval war with Tripoli. In 1809,
he built and commanded a fleet of
gunboats. In 1813, commanding the
fleet in battle, he sent the
famous message, "We have met
the enenxy and they are
ours." |
| Pickett |
1879 |
Howell L. Pickett, state
representative from Wilson County
in 1879. He later moved to
Arizona and practiced law at
Tombstone. |
| Polk |
1839 |
James
Knox Polk, born in North
Carolina, 1795; member of the
Tennessee House of
Representatives; representative
in Congress; speaker of U.S.
House of Representatives;
governor of Tennessee; eleventh
president of the United States.
He died in 1849, after
successfully conducting the Mexican
War,
adding three states to the Union,
and introducing several fiscal
reforms. |
| Putnam |
1854 |
Israel Putnam, veteran
of the French and Indian War,
commander in the Detroit
Expedition against Pontiac, and a
major general in the Revolution.
He fought at Bunker Hill and
Harlem Heights and commanded
American forces at the Battle of
Long Island. |
| Rhea |
1807 |
John Rhea, Revolutionary
War veteran who fought at King's
Mountain; delegate to the North
Carolina Convention which
ratified the U.S. Constitution;
member of the 1796 Tennessee
Constitutional Convention; member
of the state House of
Representatives, 1796-97; member
of the U.S. House of
Representatives, 1803-15 and
1817-23. He was one of the early
leaders in higher education. |
| Roane |
1801 |
Archibald Roane,
governor of Tennessee 1801-03;
member of the 1796 Constitutional
Convention; judge of Superior
Court of Law and Equity,
1796-1801; judge of Supreme Court
of Errors and Appeals, 1815-19. |
| Robertson |
1796 |
James Robertson, leader
in establishment of the Watauga
settlement in East Tennnessee. He
explored the Cumberland country
in 1778; led an expedition in
1779 to found Nashborough, which
later became Nashville. He is
known as "The Father of
Middle Tennessee." |
| Rutherford |
1803 |
Major General Griffith
Rutherford, a member of the
Revolutionary Army, appointed by
President Washington as a member
of the Legislature for the
Southwest Territory, which later
became the state of Tennessee. |
| Scott |
1849 |
General Winfield
Scott,
veteran of the War of 1812 and
successful commander of the
southern thrust into Mexico City
during the Mexican War. He served
as chief of staff of the army
until 1862 and was military
adviser to the president until
his death. |
| Sequatchie |
1857 |
Named in honor of the
valley in which the county lies.
This, in turn, was reportedly
named for the Cherokee chief who
journeyed to Charleston, South
Carolina, in the first half of
the 18th Century to sign a treaty
with the Colonial government. |
| Sevier |
1794 |
John
Sevier,
colonel in the Revolutionary
Army, commander at Kings
Mountain,
and veteran of 35 battles in the
Revolutionary and Indian Wars. He
was governor of the state of
Franklin. He represented
Tennessee in Congress three times
and was the first governor of
Tennessee, 1796-1801 and 1803-09. |
| Shelby |
1819 |
Isaac
Shelby,
appointed, along with Andrew
Jackson, as U.S. commissioner.
Together they arranged the
purchase of the Western District
from the Chickasaw Indian Nation
in 1818. |
| Smith |
1799 |
Daniel Smith, colonel in
the Revolutionary Army. He
surveyed and made the first map
of Tennessee. He was secretary of
the Territory South of the River
Ohio and later senator from
Tennessee 1798-99 and 1805-09. |
| Stewart |
1803 |
Duncan Stewart,
Revolutionary War veteran and one
of the first settlers in the
area. |
| Sullivan |
1779 |
Major General John
Sullivan, distinguished officer
in the Revolutionary War; member
of the Continental Congress,
1774-75 and 1780-81; attorney
general of New Hampshire,
1782-86; president of New
Hampshire, 1786-87. |
| Sumner |
1786 |
Major General Jethro
Sumner, officer in the French and
Indian War. He served in defense
of Charleston, 1776; fought in
the battles of Brandywine and
Germantown; and served in the
army at Valley
Forge.
His last service was in the
defense of North Carolina against
Cornwallis. |
