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 INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES V
  or TENNESSEE
Prepared by
j The Tennessee Historical Records Survey Project
Division of Professional end Service Projects
Work Projects Administration
`. Tennessee State Library, Sponsor
‘ EO. 17 CROCICETT commr (Ammo)
  =a==•<**=•=*>•¤=•==•<>•==•=·
—.l Nashville, Tennessee
. The Tennessee Historical Records Survey Project
` I August 1940

 The Historical Records Survey
Sargent B. Child, Director
Madison Bratton, State Supervisor
Division of Professional and Service Projects
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner
Blanche M. Ralston, Chief Regional Supervisor
Betty Hunt Luck, State Director
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION 5
F, C. Harrington, Commissioner Q
Malcolm J. Miller, Regional Director Q
Harry S. Berry, State Administrator §
FS
j ii

 t
E U
j F DREW ORD
  Y
E The lnxpngory of the County Archives of Tonnossoo is ono of o number
E of hibliogrnnnios o?_hlE¥orl?El-hatoriglglErbggrggfriroughout the United
g States by workors on the Historical Rooords Survey Program of tho Work
rf Projects Administration. The publication horowith presented, an
inventory of the archives of Crockett County, is number l7 of tho
Tonnossoo series,
r The Historiool Records Survey Program was undortakon in the wlntor
Q of lO35—36 for the purpose of providing useful employmont to needy un—
QE employed historians, lawyers, touohors, and research and clerical
Q workers. In carrying out this objective, tho project was organized to
E compile inventories of historical materials, particularly the unpub-
K lished govvrnmont documents and records which arm basic in the
E administration of local government, und which provide invaluable data
F; for studonts of political, economic, and social history, The archival
guido herewith prosontod is intended to moot the requirements oi doy-to-
day administration by tho officials of the county, and also the nomds of
lawyers, business mon and other citizens who require facts from rho
public records for tho proper conduct of their affairs. Tho volume is
so designed that it can bo used by the historian in his research in
unprintod souroos in tho Sumo way ho uses the library card catalog for
printed sources,
Tho inventories produced by tho Historical Records Survey Program
attempt to do moro than give merely a list of rocords-—thoy attempt
r} further to sketch in thc historical background of the county or other
§i unit of government, and to describe proclsoly and in detail the
2 organization and functions of thc government ogwncios whoso records
hhoy list, The county, town, and othor local inventories for tho entire
j. country will, when completed, constitute an oncyclopodin of local govern-
Q mont as well as a bibliography of local orohivos.
w
L.
The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records
f" Survoy Proyram, oven in 1 single county, would not bo possible without tho
f Support of public officials, historical ono loywl specialists, and many
I othor groups in the community, Thoir coopurotlor is grntofully
y acknowlodgod,
1
K Tho Survoy Program wom organizod by Luther H. Evans who served ns
Director until his appointment oo Director of thw Lojislutivo Rof~ronco
S~rvioo of the Library of Congress. Ho was succooled on March l, lQ40,
" by Sargont B. Child, who had sorvod in the capacity of Field Supervisor
A $iHOV fhv inauvurotion of thr Survey, The Survoy Program operates as n
i Nution~wldo sarios of looolly sponsorod proj*ots in tho Division of
Pfofoorlonal and Sorvice Projects, of which Mrs, Florence Kerr, Assisinnt
Commlssionwr is in ohmrgo.
F. C. Harrington
Commissionwr

 R
l
{ iv
' Pmzmcs
Tho fiold invcntory of thc orchivcs of Crockett County was
curricd Forward by workors of thc Fodcrul Historical Records Survey in
. Tcnncssoc from January l95C to Juno 1938. Tho inventory was rcchockcd
in tho wintcr of 1938-59, The archives listcd in this book sro those
uvsilsblc on March li, IQBQ. The Crockett County inventory was made,
and thc hook prcparod during thc administration of T. Marshall Jonos as
Stuto Supervisor of tho Survey Project boforc hc rcsigncd in February
1940 to bccomo Ututc Supcrvisor of the Roscarch und Rccords Section of
tho Division of Professional und Scrvicc Projocts•
The Fodcrsl Historical Rocords Survcy was inaugurated in Tcnncsscc
curly in 1936; it expired, pursuant to act of Congress, August Bl, 1939.
By tho provisions of thc Emergency Roliof Act of l939, it bccamc necessary
for the projcct to become locally sponsorcd. This was donc, and the
prsscnt projoot, thc Tonncsssc Historical Records Survey Project, spon~
sorcd by thc Tcnncssoo State Library and oosponsorcd by thc counties and
municipalities of thc Ststc, suocoodod tho Fodoral Survoy on Soptambor l,
1939.
Whilo thc new order hss in no way brought uhout s loworing of tho
standards of thc Fodcrsl Survoy, it has boon partially, although not
wholly, rcsponsiblo for ccrtoin rearrangements of oditoriol concepts.
For example, thc Tennessee Survcy has instituted a scrics of spocisl
publications to mako available certain mstcrial accumulated in the
Ststc Officc editorial procodurcs which may bo of gcnorsl interest.
Too, thc county archives invcntorics sro assuming s somewhat diffcrcnt
form.
Tho Tennessee Survey Project is now engaged in prcparing o compro-
hcnsivs statement of thc gcncral law rogulsting county govcrnmcnt in
thc Stoto. It is oxpcctod that this book will serve as u handbook on
thc organization, structure, und evolution of county govcrnmcnt in
Tcnncssoo, und will mukc it unnccossary to ropcut ocrtqin items of
gcncrul information in thc various invcntorios, The cssuys in this
Invcntory nrc, thcrcforo, limitod to spooisl lcgislution conccrning
Crockott County or an exposition of thc manner in which tho goncrul
law has been in offcct altcrod, and only such consideration of tho
gcnerul law as is noccssary to stwtt tho facts ol oxistcnct of thc
officcs, tho dutcs of thoir crcation, their prcscnt status, tht munncr
in wrhich filled, und the; torms.
Tho urrunqomcni of offices ond cntrios in this Invcntory is A rosult
GF m rrocoss ot trial and orror and tho pattern followed is ono scttlcd
Upon in oorlicr puhliootlons; howovcr, th· ‘`,. complex nuturo of some officcs,
pnrticulorly thost with divlrgunt functions, prccludcs on sbsolutcly
l0HiGHl arrangement. In gonorul, tho urrangcm ·‘.ii nt of officcs consists of
yfouping thoso oF a similar natuyt.° For cxsnplc, tho quurtcrly county
GGWTT, tho governing body, is Followoo by thc county judge, thn chic? .
¤X®©utivn oFfio»r; the courts sro placed togothur, Vollowcd hy th* jury

 V .
Prcfuco
commission und tho low cnforccmont officcs, `Within tho officts, rolstod
and similar rccords sro groupsd under sppropriots subject hosdinqs.
TUC €QXSQfp£X_g£ EQ2 County érchivcs of Tcnncssoc will, whon com-
plctcd, consist of u sct of ninaty;?ivE"volr}u$;d€ith”E'soparuto number
for ouch county in tho Stats. Tho numbor sssignod this Inventory, 17,
morcly indicates tho dlphahrtical position of Crockett among thc counties
of tho Stinto,
Tho fiold inventory in Crockett County wss mods by Clursnco B.
Hilliums snd John T. Moors, under thc immcdisto suporvision of Jumos E.
Davis and tho gonorsl supervision of Mary Alico Burke. Tho rocord
ontrios wors proporod undcr thc supervision of Vylva Holland; thc
historical und lcgsl sootions, William Miller; thc alphaboticsl index,
Robert Cassell, sssistod by Paul hinsnt; and tho housing and osro ssssy,
floor plans, and chart, Rosooo Aloxandor; tho typing und stsncil cutting
wsrc dont by Margaret Abcrnuthy, Halen Allon, and Patsy R. Floyd.
Tho Survoy Projcot grstofully scknowlodgos the holp und coopcrstion
of ull thu officials of Crockott County undcr whosc administrations thc
invsntory and rochook wcrs msdc,
Tho Tonnossoo stuff has profitod in all phsscs of its work by thc
constructivc sdvico and criticism of thc Washington stuff. Tho lnvcntory
in manuscript form was sditod by Msbol S, Brodie, assistant archivist in
charge of public rocords invontorios, of tht stuff of thc Lihrury of
Congrcss nrojcct in tho District of Columbia. Tho Crockctt County
Inventory was prspurod during the time Dan Lacy, Assistant Dirsotor of
tht Survoy Program, scrvod as Rcrionul Sup~rvisor•
Tho publications of tho Historical Records Survcy projccts in all
Stotvs src limitod in numhor and in conssquonco are plsccd in oontrolly
locstod dosignutod dopositorios, lnquiriosrsquosting tho locctions of
thc nnorost dopositorios should ho uddrcssod to tho Stats Supervisors
OT to tho Division of Trofsssionsl and Sorvicc Projocts, Work Trojoots
Administration,'hcshincton, D. C., for thr sttontion ot thc Dirootor of
thc Historical Hooords Survey Projocts.
Madison Brutton, Htsto Supervisor
The Tornossco historical Rocords Survoy Projnot
Nashville
Aujqust lfi, 19:10

 .. 1 ..
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Page
lg l.{j.S`bOI`j.CG].   ••¤•¤••¤¤¤¤•¤•¤¤¤¤•••e•••••••••••¤•¤•¤¤•••••••• 3)
Map of Crockett County ........................................ 12
2. The Present Governmental Organization of Crockett County ........ 13
Ciltlrll of CI"OCk€}L`b COU.Y1`by Government •¤•••••••••••••••••¤•¤•••••  
Counties of Tennessee with Years of Creation .................. 17
5, Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Records ................. 19
Floor Plans of Crockett County Courthouse ... ..... ............. 22
4, Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Notes ................... 24
Crockett County Offices and their Records
I. QU.&I"t@I°ly' C(.)u·Ilty COuI°’i] •••••••••••••••¤•••v•¤¤•••••¤¤•••¤•¤••••••  
Original Papers. Court Proceedings. Road Records, Official
Bonds. Financial Records,
II. County Judge — Chairman of the County Court ..................... 31
III. County Court Clerk ........¤.. ...... ..................... ¤..¤ .... 54
Automobile Registrations: record of owners; reports. Licenses
Granted: merchants and ad valorem; special privileges,
Professional Recistrations, Vital Statistics: marriaces- births-
EJ Lv 3 5
deaths. Bonds. Financial Records. Miscellaneous.
IRT.   IDI!IIGI||IlI||¤O¤|IO0!|I¤•¤|||¤l¤|¤I0•O¤OI0O!IOOIIlIICI  
Real and Personal Property: warranty deeds; trust deeds and
chattel mortgages; releases; judgments, Military Discharges.
Financial Records.
V,   ••••••••••••••••¤•¤••••¤••¤¤•¤aaa¤¤•¤•¤•¤¤¤••o••••¤c••••  
      ••••·••••¤•¤••¤u¤••¤•¤••¤••¤¤¤••¤o••••o•••••¤••••l•  
Original Instruments, Dockets: civil; criminal; civil and
criminal. Court Proceedings. Jury Service. Financial Records.
Countersigned Licenses, Miscellaneous.
      llIIIIIIOIDIUOUUOIIIOIOO00OOOIOBIIQIOOIIOIIOIIIII  
      IIIIIOIOIIQHDOOOIOQCOliQOH¤¤|¤¤¤lO0I09IO|II¤O||II|  
Original Instruments. Dockets, Court Proceedinzs, Enrollments.
Financial Records,
IX• pI`Ob9·»ti€ Court ••.¤•••••••••••••¤¤•••¤»••eq•••¤•••••••••••••••••••  
Original Instruments. Docket. Court Proceedings. lnherianmesz
wills; bonds and letters; inventories; settlements; insolvent
estates; inheritance tax, Insanity Proceedings. Drainage
Records, Financial Records.
X. Juvenile Court ...................................».............. 59

 -2 -
Table of Contents · .
Page
XI, Justice of the Peace ................................. .......... .. 60
Trial Papers. Dockets: civil and criminal; civil; criminal.
XII-   |OUIDCOIIICII|l0I\|OI¤||Ill|Ol•|OI6IIOOIDIIGDOIIOUBIIIIIQIO  
    OQOOIOOQII!IIIII!}OiDQGOQIDGUOQI¤DIGDOIDFOIIIOIIIGDIIOOIIOI  
XIV-¤ COl'lS`tZ?.`tb].@ ¤••¤••¤••¤•••••••••¤•••••¤••••¤•.•·•••¤•••¤•¤•¤•••¤•••••  
XVI     OIIIIGIlOIOIII00¤U|¤I¢¢lI||¤OOOIOIQUIUOIBKIGUBIOGIIGOI  
XVIQ     QOODIIOIIOOIOOODIIOIIOIIIIIODOOOBOUOIQIIGOOI  
    QQ!IO}OI•OOO!DIOOOIOIOUGDIOIUDIOIII¤OI•|•Il0¤lOI¤|O•O•OIII  
Tax Records: realty, personalty, and polls; drainage; delinquency;
dog tax. Receipts and Disbursements. Warrants. Bond Issues.
Reports and Correspondence. Pedigree Record.
XVIII. Delinquent Poll Tax Collector .................................... 71
XIX, Budget Commission and Purchasing Commission ...................... 72
XL       lIOIO••¤\IIOBIICI•OIIlOOI¤OIOOODOOBIIGOC-C  
Minutes. Record of Teachers, Record of Pupils, Warrants
Issued. Textbooks, Reports and Correspondence,
      IIQOOOIIIIIOGIIOIOOQOIIOIO||IOOI0•lDODO¤¤¤lIIIIII  
      QItQIIQOIIIOBIIIQBODOOGIOQIIOOUIVOIOIQII¤O°U¤¤II  
General Index. Family Records. School Records. Closed Cases.
Miscellaneous.
XXIII. Highway Department ....... .... . ....... . ................ . .... ...... BO
Personnel Records. Financial Records: supplies and equipment;
warrants; ledger accounts. Miscellaneous.
XXI·‘f• T·rOI`khOUS€ COIIHHj.SSj.OIl ••••¤•¤••••••••••••••••••••¤•o••¤¤•¤¤•o••••••  
XXV. Poor Commission .................................................. B8
XXV-Il   IllIIll!IDOIIIIDIIOOOOOUIODIIIDDIQGIIDODO||¤0IO0OUI°¤I|0|||  
XXVII· Agriculture Department ........................................... 89
County Farm Agent: cotton acreage reduction; corn-hog contracts;
soil conservation; miscellaneous. Home Demonstration Agent.
- I   lllllIOOIIIIIOOOIOOIOIIGQOOI0l¤I|IIO||·U|II¤OIl|·I•Il  
Chronological Index ••••••••••¤••••·••••••¤•••••••••••••¤•¤•••••••  
Alphabetical Index ............................................... 98

 Id,
- 5 -
(First ontry, p. 28)
l. HISTORICAL SKETCH
Crockett Countv is near tho center of West Tcnnossco, about oqui—
distant from thc northern and southorn boundaries of thc Statc and in tho
second ticr of counties cost of thc Mississippi Rivcr,
Its economy and social and physical characteristics arc largely those
common to thc region: it is rural, low and lovol as Tennessee counties go,
wot and muddy in season, safely Democratic, and relics on cotton as its
chief moncy crop. It dlffcrs from ncurby counties in that it is mower
and smaller, has o smallcr percentage of Iogrocs, and is, as for as thc
Bureau of the Census is concerned, completely rural, having, in lG50, not
a singlo town with as many an u thousand inhabitants.
Crockett County was organizod {arch 12, 1872,1 under on act of l87l;2
A series of acts had olrcady contemplated the organization of thc county,
and one of them, on act of l8Q5, ‘·'' creating a new county out of fractions
of Dycr, Gibson, Haywood, and Mngison Countios,“ subject to thc approval
of thc votcrs in affected aroas,Q was temporarily placed in forcc. Com-
missioners vcro appointed to holo on olcction on March 15, lG46, to do-
tcrmino tho will lr’. of thc votcrs,G and, if an affirmative votc rosultod,
to conduct an Clcction for county officials in April.7 ·
Rho cloction supposedly rosnltcd in favor of o;taFlishing c now r‘.
county and thc quartcrly court is cupposcd to novo not in Juno and do-
clarod thc county open for businooc. Because of constitutional lini—
totions on thc size and Uoundarics of countio: and tho locction of county
Scots in relation to tho county boundaries, thc now county was doomcd
from the bGginning, and its cxistcnco was yoputcdly held to bc in viola-
tion of thc Constitution by thc circuit judgo whcn ho arrived tc opcn thc
circuit court in October and gave an informal opinion on thc m¤tt&r.d
I. Yinutc Book, vol, A, pp, 15, lé, in linutcs, entry 5 in this In-
vcntorw,
P. Actc 1871, ch, 152, Passed Novombcy ?Zrd; "~jrov@d Ucccmbcr lQth,
:a.   TEE?-46, ch.  
4. Ibid., soc, l.
5. Tgiol, scc. 4.
G, TTJTE., suc?. 5,
7. ERE`., Secs. 4,  
. 8. THE—Ehort political history of Crockctt County in 1346 has boon
`TGTY imp€1“f6·c‘k2]_y preserved, Thu location of thc ZHl`!l\.l`lZ®S Zuid Bf.] O`bh·’3I`
rccords of thc commissioners and thc court, if {boy novo boon prcsorvod,
is not known, and sonrcbos in tho courthouscc of thc four counties from
which ·.,‘ Crockett was cycotci did not rcvcal nny infornction on thu subjcct.
Such as is known or roportcd about thc 1846 county is in thc personal
T@@Oll€Ciion$, apjonrlnj in newspaper scrapbooks in thc Utotc Kibrcry Qt
Nashville, of como of tho participants; in certain undocumented orochuros,
HMG in ccrtain State histories of u general naturc, such as A. T. Qostcr,
QQQ§#%g§ Of Tcnncssoc, Nashville, 1923, lO5, 104. Concornin; tho missing

 - 4 -
Hjstqyical €?ctch (First entry, p. 28) _
The 0ri&ni2&Ti©n of Crockett County was unconstitutional probably be-
cause it wax impossible for the county to contain at least three hundred
and fifty square miles and yet not awprouch the courthouse of one of the
old counties nearer than twelve miles and moh rcducc thc area of cna of
thc Old counties to less fhan six hundrci and tv©u%y—iiv© square miles,
limitations imposed by the Constitution of 1C34.Q
The desire for a new county p¢rsistc@ and the difficulty in reaching
tho county seats of thc old uouuties, which, in hhs casa of Brownsville,
in Hayw00& County, and TT©nt0n, in Gibson County, imvelvnd crossing swamps
and umbridgcd rivers, remained, ihe pr0¤©m©nts of a new county triad un-
gucccssfully to amend the C0nstituti©nlO so as to permit the creation 0f a
county, and in lC5l passed an act creating the county again, condihicnad
0n the adoption of the amwndm0nf.l1 They tried again in 1366, this time
by simile Stmiutc,l? and again their efforts were unsucc@ssful.l$ Tho
Constitution of 1870 permits the crcakion of nav counties with a minhmxu
area of tvc hundred &nd scvwmty-five square miles und allows the bounnurics
of 0 nov county to come within not less ihan eleven miles or the courthousc
of a purtitioncd ©0unty.l? Under th©s© loosened restrictions, another
cnabling act was passcd,lb but in siitv of the facts that considerable
records, if may be of some significance that S short mimccgraphcd history
of thc county of obscure origin gives the names of the 1846 Oflicialc,
Whether this information was actually taken from the minutes of +hv com-
misnioncrs or thc court or fron a contemporary mevsgapcr aoeeunt, thc
c@ik©rs have been unable 10 determine.
Q. Const. 1854, art, 10, sec. Q. The following table, comnilcd from
TTelimi§¥?§_?05ET§Ei0n Tcicrt, General Population Statistics and Trends
K§EEEEF§¥§iiJTYf Tennessee State P1ann{hE*@0mmissi0E: HauhvillEi—Y??E:’EEc.
I—L, Table 1, hc;?§F¥g;i?YK;T;%{ 1on Report, General
Population Statistics and xrcnds quarc miiés of the
TEE?—EEEE¥iE?mE§Y—EYr}$E?ETEYEEEEtt County vas formed, shows that it ¤&s im-
possible to 0Fg¤nizc Crnckcth as m constitutional county under the Consti-
tution 0C 18Q%:
County lG5O 1QQU 1850 gijg
  VEET1     GO EE . 0
Gibson 55%,C &&4,Q 628.6 7lQ.4
Haywood Véi.7 60@.l 57E.E 652.0
Madison G4G.6 CZC,é C52.C 755.7
10. »GiS 1S£7-QS, resolution 25; Acts l§i;:§Q) resolution ll; gggi
gg}-52f"F?<$Eiii*§E 17. mm W
lIT"—Qcts 1853:52, ch, 195..
I2- §;Ei·T§E§iEEQ ch. IQ,
}$» .HhHL HE§$;EEH under fhis act is not known, but the 1866 act w&s
P?t€?klY U¤©0nSkituti0na] because of still another violation; it failed
fc PVOTiU€ fny 2 r©?cr©n&um in thc areas affected, as rcquirci ¤y &h®
C©nSi1+uhi©n.(C¤mst, 185Q, art. 1G, sec. @).
li. Ucn i. H€7Gj`¤?ETW10, scc. 4,
        Ch, 80, .m;,— 7, 1270.

 - 5 -
A Historical Sketch (First entry, p, 28) _
pioneering had been done and that there had been long experience in trying
to establish Crockett County, the surveying must have been defective, for
in December an amendment authorized the commissioners to change the bound-
aries set out in the original act so as not to infringe upon the constitu-
tional limits of Dyer, Gibson, and Madison Counties.16 Probably because
this amendment was a delegation of a power found only in the legislature,l7
and consequently unconstitutional, the act of 1870, too, was not effective.
Even under the enabling act of 1871,18 which was placed in force, the
county still had an area of less than two hundred and seventy-five square
mi1es.19 It was probably on the basis of this deficiency that a suit
attacking the constitutionality of Crockett County was instituted in
Madison County chancery court, but this time the court declined to inter- I
fere,2O probably basing its refusal on the fact that in the case of Ford
v. Farmer et al.,2l involving Putnam County, and other cases, the Supreme
Court had held_that a county, once completely organized, although not
before, is a political corporation of the State and that the courts have
no power to inquire into the validity of the act although they must force
the boundaries back if the constitutional rights of an old county have
been infringed upon.22
Under all acts, except that of 1851, Crockett County was named "in
honor of and tc perpetuate the memory of David Crockett, one of Tennessee's
distinguished sons."2$
The leadinc spirit in the long fight to establish Crockett County
seems to have been a Mr. Isaac M. Johnson, pioneer merchant and justice
of the peace. Reputedly it was he, who as a Haywood County justice of
the peace, swore in the commissioners in 1845 and was himself elected
county court c1erk.24 The old county was organized at his home, near
present Alamo.25 By the act of 1845, the commissioners were required to
15. Acts 1870-71, End ex. ses., ch. 25.
17. Const. 1870, art. 8, sec. 15.
18. Acts 1871, ch. 152.
19. Preliminary Eppplation Report, General Popu1jtipn_§tajijjgg§_gpg
Trends, Sec. I-A, Table 1.
20. Minute Book, vol. A, p. 545, in Minutes, entry 5 in this Inventory.
21. 9 Humphreys, 152 cited by Acts 1855-54, ch. 520.
22. See Acts 1855-54, ch. 520; C 1895, 100, fn., citing 2 Humphreys,
42s; 1 Coldvfgi-1-,--2_§.1,_@5; 5 s¤eaa,"<1%§`i swan, 256; 7 Baxter, ce.
25. Acts 1845-48, ch. 25,_secT 1; P.A. 1865-66, ch. 19; Acts 1869-70,
2nd ses., ch. 89, sec. l; Acts 1871, ch.—152, sec. 1. The act of 1851.
Qcts 1851-52, ch. 195, sccT~l$ merely gave the county its usual name with-
out reciting the reasons therefor. Whether habit, uncomprising determi-
nation, or the fact that the memory of Davy Crockett's martyrdom at the
Alamo continued fresh in the mind of man so soon after the Civil War and
given the State and Nation a new generation of military heroes was respon-
sible for the county retaining its historic name is not known.
24. See fn. 8.
25. Acts 1845-46, oh. 25, scc. 6.

 - 5 -
I Historical Sketch (pjygt entry, p. 28}
lay out a permanent county seat and this they are supposed to have done,
placing it near the temporary place of meeting and naming it Cagevillc,
after one Lycurgus Cage, a partner in the mercantile firm of Johnson and
Cage.26 In any cvent, the town of Cageville was established by some
authority, for two of the subsequent enabling acts directed that Cageville
should be the temporary county seat.27 The act of l87l fixed the name of
the county, when it should be located and established, as "Alamo" in order
"to perpetuate the name of the place where David Crockett fell fighting
for the liberties of itxas."28 The commissioners and the court met at
Cagevillezg and on August 6, I872, the commissioners reported to the court
that they had, the previous day, after considering several offers to donate
land for the site of the county seat, accepted an offer from "the citizens
of Cageville“ and had ordered its name changed to Alamo.5O
Crockett County was laid off and the referendum and the election of
county officials were held by the board of commissioners appointed by the
enabling act.51 The commissioners organized at Cagevillc, December l9,
l87l52 and, in January, conducted a census of the voting population in the
fractions to be taken from Dyer, Gibson, Haywood, and Madison Counties.55
The referendum was held February l9, l87254 and resulted in an overwhelming
victory for the new county.55 The commissioners then laid the county off
into civil districts and held elections for county officers.Z6 On March
l2, I872, after the justices of the peace were duly sworn and qualified,
the quarterly court was organizcd.57 Crockett County was, after the long
fight, a functioning political corporation. Under the supervision of the
board of commissioners, the court proceeded to the business first in order--
the election of a chairman, and, in abundant justice, Isaac Johnson, who had
led the good fight, was elected.58
The court held its early sessions in the Masonic Hall at Cageville--
Alamo.59 In September I872 a committee was appointed by the court "to form
26. See fn. 8.
27. Acts l85l—52, ch. l95, sec. l; Acts 1889-70, 2nd ses., ch. 89, sec.5.
za.   ian, Ch. iss, sec. 11. .
29. HinutE_§Ebk, vol. A, pp. 69, 70, in Minutes, entry 5 in Hns·Inventoqw
BO. Ibid., 69, 70, 79, 80. _ ` »
Bl. Ibid., l, 19, 69, 70, 79, 80; Acts l87l, ch. l32, secs. 5-15. Al-
though called "county commissioners" by th;—various enabling acts, the com-
missioners were concerned chiefly with organizing the county and ceased to
function after the county was safely a going concern. They should not be
confused with the true boards of county commissioners which are permanent
administrative agencies in several counties.
52. Minute Book, vol. A, p. l; in Minutes, entry 5 in this Inventory.
53. Ibid., l-3.
54. Ibid., 4, 5.
55. Ibid., 5-7.
56. Ibid., 8-l5.
37. Ibid., l5, I4.
58. Ibid., I4.
39. Ibid., 28, 35, 59, 7l, 84.

 I   "
Q - 7 -
A Historical Sketch (First entry, p, 28}
a plan and accept designs and plans thereof for the building of a brick or
wood Court House and Jail to be erected in A1amo."4O Arrangements were
made, however, for building a jail before a courthouse, thc county com-
missioners being authorized to contract for the building of a "good and
substantial" place of incarceration.41 In January l875 the court requested
State aid for the building of a courthouseéz and again appointed a courthouse
committee.45 In April, Isaac Johnson's home was again established as the
scat of government. For providing office space in his house for the county
court clerk, the register, the circuit court clerk, the sheriff, and the
clerk and master, the chairman was to receive five dollars per month.44
The courts continued to meet in the Masonic Hall,45 although the "County
Courts Office" and the "County Court Clerks Office" are mentioned in this
connection later in the year.46 For a time, in 1874, the court met "in
Klyce's Coach Factory."47 Finally, in January 1874, the court appointed
the commissioners a special committee to receive and adopt any designs
and plans for a courthouse and to contract for its construction, the
building to be completed by January 1, 1875,48 In addition to the office
space rented from the chairman, Klyce's showroom was rented for ssoo for
a year.@9 The quarterly court held its first session in the courthouse
apparently on January 4, 1875.50 Once in, the court proceeded to levy on
a "court house" tax.5l
The courthouse occupied in 1874 or 1875 is still in use. The build-
ing was remodeled in 1954, after the court appropriated taco to assist in
a Civil Wbrks Administration project to rehabilitate the structure.52
Crockett County roughly forms a rectangle, the longer side lying in
a northwest—southeast line. The odd shape of the county and its wedge—1ike
position between the surrounding counties evidence the difficulties in-
volved in making the county conform to constitutional requirements. It
is delimited on the northwest by Dyer County,55 on the northeast by Gibson
County,54 on the southeast by Madison County,55 on the southwest by Haywood
40. Ibid., 79.
41. Isldl, 1co.
42. Itldl, 141, 142.
4s. IBIHZ, 155.
44. IEEE), 212.
45. IEIHl, zse, sor.
4s. IEEE., sis.
47. Ibid., 348, 578.
48. Ibid., 549.
49. IEEE], ssa, Aprii term, 1a74.
50. Ibid., 556.
51. Ibid.
52. Minutes, vol. I, p. 206, entry 5 in this Inventory.
55. Acts 1871, ch. 132, secs. 1, 4; Acts 1887, ch. 194; Acts 1889, ch.
ics, ssc, 1;"IEIk isss, Ch. 22.
54. Acts 1871, chT—132, secs. 1, 4; Acts 1879, ch. 157, sec. 15; Acts
isss, ¤IK`I2ij"Ee¤. 1; Acts issv, Ch. 128; Acts issa, ch. sc, Sec. 1; Acts
1897, ch. 157, sec. 1.
*-55. Acts 1871, ch. 152, secs. l, 4; 5;.A. 1911, ch. 97, sec. 1.

  
w
D. - 8 -
Historical Sketch (First entry, p. 28)
County,56 and on the west by Lauderdale County.57 For the most part, the
northeastern and southwestern boundaries of thc county follow the Middle
Fork and the South Fork of the Forked Door River, respectively, but on
each side there are indentations in the boundary away from.thc rivers and
toward the center of the county, evidently parts of the complicated scheme
of surveying to keep the boundaries eleven miles from Brownsville and
Trenton, the seats of Haywood and Gibson Counties. In the northwest, the
boundary curves slightly inward, away from Dyersburg, the seat of Dyer
County.
The two rivers, one on each side of1tecounty,aro the centers of cx-
tcnsive bottom and swamp land which, with the rivers themselves, con-
tributed to the isolation from the county seats of the parts of Gibson
and Haywood Counties taken in the formation of Crockett County. Be-
tween these two marshy stretches is the arable area of Crockett County.
The county is a part of the area loosely called the West Tennessee
Plateau, so—ca1lcd not because of its altitude but because, compared with
the rest of the State, the area is, generally, broad and level and is not
marked by the sharp and contrasting Physical contours found in other parts
of the State. Low hills, however, appear in several parts of the county,
particularly in the southeast. At Bells, in the south, the altitude is
55l feet, and at Gadsden, in the east, 417 feet.58V The county has an area
of approximately two hundred and sixty-seven square miles.59
Generally speaking, the best lands are in the southwest and northwest,
the poorest in tho southeast, Conversely, the staples, cotton and corn, are
less prominent in the east t