History

The first European settler of what eventually became Morristown was farmer Gideon Morris. It is recorded in Goodspeed’s “History of Tennessee” that Gideon, along with an unspecified number of his siblings, arrived in the area of present-day Morristown from the Watauga Settlement, a short-lived semi-autonomous settlement located in northeast Tennessee that was originally leased from the resident Cherokee tribes during the 1770s.

Records in North Carolina indicate that the Morris clan moved to the Watauga Settlement from North Carolina.

The settlement founded by Gideon has, as far as is known, always been called Morristown. No known records exist demonstrating land grants in the area to anyone aside from Gideon and his extended family. Jefferson County, located due west of Hamblen County, possesses a record in the Jefferson County Court House of the results of the execution of Gideon Morris’ will, which includes property deeded to John Morris in 1817 for a 400-acre (1.6 km²) tract of land originally granted to Gideon by the State of North Carolina, and presumably comprising only a portion of the original grant due to the known size of the Morris family at that time. The record further details the fact that Gideon lived on the 400-acre (1.6 km²) tract of land until his death, and the inference that he was buried in the Morris family graveyard ends the record.

The Morris family graveyard was located near the original family home. It is located on what is now called East Louise Avenue, south of Main Street in east Morristown, southeast of the Morristown-Hamblen Library. Today it consists of a single acre (4,000 m²) enclosed by a fence of iron, and has a simple sign affixed to its gate with nothing more than ‘Morris’ on the plate. The oldest date recorded on the burial slabs is for one John Morris, born in 1770. His wife, Rachel, is recorded nearby as having been born in 1786. Another notable stone marks the resting place of Mary Spoon, listed as born in 1779 and died in 1882, which would make her over one hundred three years old at the time of death.

Gideon was known to have had three sons with him when he arrived in the area of present-day Morristown. Their names are recorded as John, Gideon, and Shadrack.

One daughter of Gideon’s by name of Elizabeth, is listed in official records as having married a man with the name of Hurst, and their son was James Hurst. At the present time, the name Hurst is fairly common in Hamblen and surrounding counties, with many of those bearing the name in prominent positions in those counties.