A local genealogical association is hunting people whose ancestors were in Warren County prior to the 1820 census. Prove it this month and be honored in July.
Warren County Genealogical Association is working on a statewide effort to encourage local residents and citizens of other states to search for lost ancestors and to bring tourism dollars to Tennessee by identifying the earliest settlers and other notable past residents.
“We want to honor Warren County First Pioneer Families,” said local genealogical director Cheryl Watson Mingle. “If they can get their applications in by June 28, they can be part of the ceremony on July 20.”
Genealogy is one of the fastest growing hobbies and Tennessee’s earliest settlers are the ancestors of tens of millions of 21st century Americans. Historians have referred to Tennessee as the “seedbed of the West.” Many brave Tennesseans who fought in the Battle of New Orleans, at the Alamo, or on either side during the Civil War, have numerous descendants in all 50 states.
National leaders from Tennessee include Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, Cordell Hull, and more recently Howard Baker, Bill Frist, Al Gore, and Lamar Alexander.
Well-known authors, including Mark Twain, whose father ran a hotel in Gainesboro, Tenn., and Alex Haley are also a part of Tennessee’s past.
The Carter family recording their first record in Bristol, Tenn., on Aug. 1, 1927 and Elvis Presley moving to Memphis in 1946 are two events that forever changed the history of Tennessee.
Winchester, Tenn., native, Sir John Templeton, was one of Wall Street’s most successful investors, and in 1987 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. His relatives might like to visit the Templeton Library in Sewanee, Tenn., or the Templeton College in Oxford, England.
Residents who can prove their local lineage will be named a Warren County First Pioneer Family and given a certificate suitable for framing. Proof includes official record with birth, marriage, death, probate or will, church, cemetery, funeral or obituary, land records, tax records, court, military records, census, newspaper, Bible for each generation, etc.
For individuals who can obtain the necessary information and submit it to the local genealogical association before June 29, certificates will be presented to them at a recognition ceremony to be held July 20 at 2 p.m. at the Warren County Administration Office Building on Locust Street.
Applications and more information can be obtained on the Warren County Genealogical Association’s website at http://tngenweb.org/wcgatn or on its Facebook page.