1836 Civil Districts, Anderson County, Tennessee

State of Tennessee)
Anderson County)

Whereas we John Gaines, William Brummett, James
H. Nickle, Joseph C. Moore and Samuel C. Young
Having been appointed by the General Assembly of
the State aforesaid Commissioners to lay off said
county into districts for the purpose of Election
Justice of the Peace & Constables and we met at
the house of John Gibbs Esq. on the 18th of
January 1836. Joseph C. Moore being absent and
was qualified as the law directs by John Gibbs Esq.
we on Examination of the Certified Voters as well
as Tinitory having Regard to our oaths and the law
do now lay off a district in the upper End of said
county designing to proceed westward which we call
No. 1 bounded to wit: Beginning on or at the
corner of said county where Knox & Grainger
Counties joins the same then down the meanders of
the River Clinch to the lower end of Kanon Gilberts
plantation then running out from the River to the
Indian land then to the head of mill Creek then
down mill creek to William Piles leaving Piles in the
first district then crossing the Big Valley below
Reuben Craig's then across the lain between him
and Langmire's crossing the Ridge to Benjamin
Roders leaving him in the Second district then to
cross the Nut Ridge to the widow Rights leaving her
in the first district then down her spring Branch to
Hines Creek then a direct line to John Weavers,
leaving down the Chestnut then a direct line to the
Knox County line opposite John Weevers then with
the Knox County line to the beginning and the
Election to be held at the house of John Lay,
Signor.

No. 2nd. - Begining on the corner of the first
district at the lower end of Kinas Gilbert's plantation
then down the meanders of the River to the line of
Lot E in Henderson & Company's Clinch River
Survey then with said line to the Knox County line
then with said line to the corner of the first district
then with the same to the Begining the Election to
be held at the House of John Gibbs, Esq.

No. 3rd - Begining at the line of Lot E in
Henderson & Co. Clinch River Survey Running with
the same a cross the Big Valley to the Knox County
line then with the Knox County line down the
Chestnut Ridge to the corner line of Henderson &
Co. Survey then with the same to Clinch River then
up the River to the Begining the Election to be held
at the House of Elijah Adkins.

No. 4th - Begining on the River Bank on the corner
line of Henderson & Co. Clinch River Survey
Runing down the various meanders of the River to
the Knox County line then with said line Running up
the Copper Ridge to the line of Henderson & Co.
then with said line to the Begining the Election to
be held at the House of John O. Neal, Esq.

No. 5th - Begining on the River at the corner of the
Campbell County line then with the same to the
Top of Cumberland Mountain then a long the top
of said Mountain to the point dividing the waters of
Cole Creek from the waters of the Mountain Fork
of Poplar Creek then with the dividing Ridge
between Poplar and Cole Creeks to the Top of
Walden's Ridge at the Henderson & Co line then
with said line to the River Clinch then up Clinch to
the Begining the Election to be held at the House
of James Ross. On Thursday Joseph C. Moore met
and turned the Commissioners he having been
sworn as the Law directs before Heron Slover Esq.
and concerned in what the other Commissioners
had done to their entered upon the duties
Required of him by Law

No. 6th - Begining on the River Clinch on the
Anderson & Co's lower line with said line to the
top of Waldens Ridge then to the Top of
Cumberland Mountain Runing with the dividing
Ridge that divides Cole Creek and the Mountain
fork of Poplar Creek then down the mountain to a
point from thence a line to Walden's Ridge will
include all the setters on the Mountain fork of
Poplar Creek above James Duncan's leaving the
setters on the plantation of James Duncan and
Samuel Hicks in the 7th district then a direct line to
the top of Waldens Ridge then a direct line to John
Keys Runing through the Gap of the Pine Ridge at
Henry Farmer's mill Pan then a direct line to the
River below William Cross's leaving him in the 6th
district then up the River to the Begining the
Election to be held at the house of John Keeblers.

No. 7th - Begining at John Keys Runing with the
line of the 6th district to the top of the mountain
then with the top of said mountain to the Morgan
County line then Runing with the county line to
Poplar Creek then up the Creek to the Begining the
Election to be held at the House of John Hoskins.

No. 8th - Begining at John Keys on the Brushy Fork
of Poplar Creek then down the same to the Roane
County line then with the same to the Top of the
Pine Ridge then with the Top of the said Ridge to
the Top of said Ridge near Reuben Goldsons then
with the Road passing Reuben Goldsons then with
the Black Ferry Road to the River Clinch then up
the River to the corner No. 6th below cross then
with the line of said district to the Begining the
Election of be held at the House of Douglass
Olivers, Sr.

No. 9th - Begining on the River Bank at the Corner
of No. 8th Runing with the line of the 8th district to
the Roane County line then with the same to the
River then up the River passing the various
meanders of said River to the Begining the Election
to be held at the House of Henry Peters, Sngnor.

Translating the original description to a modern map, we have the following (see map to the right):

• Point D is "the Begining" (sic) or "Corner of No. 8th".  It was the location of Blacks Ferry.
• "Corner of No. 8th ... to the Roane County line" goes from point D to point A to point B.  At the present time, I really don't know how the District 8 line ran from point D to point A.  The line from Point D to Point A followed Blacks Ferry Road.  But I haven't yet found an Anderson County map that's old enough to show the original route of Blacks Ferry Road.  Point A can be identified accurately on a modern map because it's the place just north of Y-12 where Scarbrough Road goes through the gap in Pine Ridge, just before Scarbrough Road intersects with Illinois Avenue.  The line from point A to Point B follows the crest of Pine Ridge to the Roane County line.
• "With the same (the Roane County line) to the River" goes from point B to point C.
• ".. up the river to the Begining" goes from point C to point D.

District 9 was in the southwest corner of the county.  A conceptual map of the southwest corner of the county is to the right.  The conceptual map differs from a real map in that the lines on a real map do not run exactly due north-south and east-west, and most of the lines are not really straight because they follow geographic features such as ridge tops and rivers.  The four corner area where Anderson County, Knox County, Loudon County, and Roane County meet is in the middle of the Clinch River, so in the real world there is not much of a sense of Anderson County sharing a corner with Loudon family.

No. 10th - Begining on the Top of Cumberland
Mountain where Campbell County Crosses the
same Runing with the said line passing the various
courses of said county to the Top of the mountain
then Runing with the Top of said mountain to the
Begining the Election to be held at the house of
William Phillip on new river.

Given under our hands this 22nd day of January
1836.

      John Garner
      William Brammett
      J. H. Nickle
      Joseph C. Moore
      Sam'l C. Young