Creation of County
Acts of 1794 (First Session) - Chapter 11
WHEREAS, THE INHABITANTS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, WHO LIVE ON THE SOUTHOF THENCE, BROAD RIVER, LABOUR UNDER DIFFICULTIES IN ATTENDING AT COURTS AND MUSTERS, IN HAVING THE RIVER TO CROSS, AND OTHER INCONVENIENCIES ATTEMDING THE PRESENT EXTENSIVE BOUNDARIES OF SAID COUNTY:
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GOVERNOR, LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SOUTH OF THE RIVER OHIO, That the county of Jefferson be divided by a line as follows, to wit. Beginning on the Eastern boundary of this Territory; from thence a direct line to the ridge that divides the waters of Little Pigeon from the waters of Big Pigeon river; thence along the same to the head of Muddy creek; thence a direct line to the lower end of an island in French Board river, formerly known by the name of Hubbert's island; thence a direct line to the mouth of Crosswell's mill creek; thence with the Knox county line to the top of Bay's mountain; thence along the said mountain to where French Broad river runs through the same; thence along the said; and with the extreme height thereof, to the place where the dividing ridge that divides the waters of French Broad from those of Little river intersects the same; thence with said ridge to the Pigeon mountain; thence along said mountain to the Indian boundary, and with the same to the Eastern boundary of the territory; thence to the beginning. And all that part contained in the said boundaries, shall thenceforth be erected into a new and distinct county, by the name of Sevier.
SECTION 2. That Jospeh Wilson, Robert Polk, Samuel Magahee, Samuel Newell, and Thomas Buckenham are hereby appointed commissioners; and authorized to lay off, and appoint a place the most centrial and convenient in said county, for the purposes of erecting a court house, prison, and stocks.
SECTION 3. And for the due administration of justice in said county, BE IT ENACTED, That the court for the said county of Sevier shall be held constantly by the justices of said county on the last Mondays in January, April, July, and October in every year; and the justices for said county of Sevier are hereby authorized and empowered to hold the first court for the same at the house of Isaac Thomas; and all subsequent courts for said county, on the days above mentioned for holding courts therein, at any place to which the said justices shall from court to court adjourn themselves, until a court house shall be built for the said county of Sevier; and then all causes, matters, and things depending in the said, and all manner of process returnable to the same, shall be adjourned to such court house; and all courts held in and for said county of Sevier, shall be held by commission to the said justices in the same manner, and under the same rules and restrictions, and shall have and exercise the same powers and jurisdiction as are or shall be prescribed for other courts held for the several counties in this Territory.
Passed: September 27, 1794.
Acts of 1795 - Chapter 14
Be it enacted by the Governor, Legislative Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of the United States of America South of the river Ohio, That from and after passing of this act, the line that divides the aforesaid counties of Jefferson and Sevier, on the south side of French Broad river, shall begin on said river at the lower end of Hubbard's island, thence a direct line to where the dividing ridge that divides the waters of Flat creek from the waters of Peerey's creek intersects said river, thence with said ridge to the ridge that divides the waters of Flat creek from the waters of Muddy creek, thence with that ridge to the ridge that divides the waters of Little Pigeon from the waters of French Broad and Big Pigeon to the eastern boundary of this Territory.
Passed: July 11, 1795.
Private Acts of 1796 - Chapter 35
WHEREAS the lines between Sevier and Blount counties have not been sufficiently ascertained, to prevent disputes between the citizens of said counties
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, That the line dividing Sevier and Blount counties, begin at where the said lines intersect on the top of Bay's Mountain, thence taking the ridge that divides the water of Little River from the waters of French Broad, and with said ridge to the eastern boundary of this state.
Passed: July, 1796.
Acts of 1809 - Chapter 91
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That from and after the passing of this act, that part of Blount County included within the following lines, to wit: Beginning at the extreme height of the round top mountain near William Davie's in Weir's cove, from thence running due south until the said line intersects the Indian boundary line, thence along said line until it intersects Sevier county line, thence along said line to the beginning, be, and the same is hereby annexed to and shall in every respect whatever compose part of the said county of Sevier: Provided, the aforesaid location may not include any of the citizens of Tuokylechy cove in the county of Sevier; And provided also, that nothing in this law contained, shall prevent the sheriff of Blount from making such collections as he is authorized to make under the laws in force, previous to the passage of this act.
Passed: November 22, 1809.
COMPILER'S NOTE: This Act was cited, along with several others in the land dispute contained in the case of Hitchcock v. Southern Iron and Timber Company (1896), 38 SW 593.
Acts of 1849-50 - Chapter 82
WHEREAS, it appears to this General Assembly by the petition of a number of the citizens of the counties of Knox and Sevier, that the dividing line between the said counties from the mouth of Criswell's Mill creek, to the top of Bay's mountain, or the butt thereof, has never been run as was provided for by the above recited act. Therefore,
SECTION 1. That John W. Legg, county Surveyor of the county of Knox; John Mullendore, county Surveyor of the county of Sevier; and Enoch Undersood, of the county of Sevier; be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners to run and mark said line, according to the provisions of the above recited act of 1794.
SECTION 2. That after said commissioners shall so have run and marked said dividing line, they shall make two fair plain plats or plans of survey of said line, one of which shall be by them filed with the clerk of the county court of Knox county, and the other with the clerk of the county court of Sevier county, which shall be by said clerks recorded in their respective offices, under the direction of said county courts for which surveys so to be performed by said commissioners when the labor is done and performed, they and each of them shall be entitled to the sum of dollars each, for their services to be paid out of the county treasury.
Passed: February 4, 1850.
Private Acts of 1879 - Chapter 119
SECTION 1. That the County line between Blount and Sevier Counties be changed as follows:
Beginning on the Blount and Sevier County line, near Millstone Gap in Bluff Mountain; thence a direct line to Shook's Gap, in Bay's Mountain; thence with the top of said Mountain, to the Sevier County line.
SECTION 2. That the County Surveyors of the Counties of Blount and Sevier, together with J. R. Chandler and E. S. Thompson, of Sevier County, and Hugh Cox and Andrew McTeer, of Blount County, are hereby appointed Commissioners to run and mark said County line.
SECTION 3. That said Commissioners shall take an oath, before some Justice of the Peace, that they will faithfully, honestly and impartially perform the duties of said Commission; and they shall perform the duties above designated within six months after the passage of this Act.
SECTION 4. That said Commissioner shall make two plats of the survey, and shall accompany them with such report as may be necessary to explain said survey; and said plats of survey shall be signed by the Commissioners, and one copy filed in the Register's office of each County of Blount and Sevier, which shall be registered by the respective Registers thereof.
SECTION 5. That the Commissioners shall mark the line on such standing timber, with such fore and aft marks an side lines as they may deem necessary to make said line plainly known; and said County Surveyors shall be paid the sum of three dollars per day -- while they are employed at said service, to be paid by their respective Counties.
SECTION 6. That the fractions of either of the above named Counties that may be added to the other County by the change of the County line as above provided for, shall continue to be liable for their pro rata of all debts contracted by their respective counties prior to said change, and shall be entitled to their proportion of any stock or credits belonging to the county from which said fractions are taken.
Passed: March 14, 1879.
Acts of 1941 - Chapter 459
SECTION 1. That the line between the Counties of Sevier and Blount in the State of Tennessee be and the same is hereby changed so as to include within the boundaries of Sevier County and in the present Ninth District thereof that part of Blount County in the Thirteenth District bounded and described as follows, to-wit:
Beginning on an iron pin on right-of-way of highway and runs S. 6. deg. 30 min. W. 128 feet to an iron pin, 3.57 min W. 90 feet to an iron pin, 3.20 min. W 305½ feet to an iron pin, S. 64 deg. W. 320 feet to an iron pin. All the foregoing calls run along north side of roadway leading toward Levalor State Highway N. 36 deg. 30 min. W. 258½ feet to Cunningham line with same, N. 32½ E. 231 feet N. 38 deg. 30 min. E. 414 feet to beginning of right-of-way, S. 70 deg., E. 187½ feet to the beginning, containing 4½ acres, more or less, being the lands of S. E. Williams of Blount County in the Thirteenth Civil District.
SECTION 2. That this Act shall take effect from and after its passage, the public welfare requiring it.
Passed: February 14, 1941.
