w A Brief History of Hancock County

The quiet little town of Sneedville is Hancock County’s county seat

A Brief History of Hancock County

By Randy Ball

Discover Hancock County Contributor

Hancock County has a rich and colorful history. Hancock County was formed from parts of Hawkins and Claiborne Counties. The act to create Hancock County was introduced in 1844, but some Hawkins County residents protested and Hancock County finally came into being in 1846. The county was named for Revolutionary War patriot John Hancock. Knoxville attorney William Sneed represented those interested in forming the new county in the litigation, and the county seat was named Sneedville.

The Hancock County Courthouse stands in the middle of downtown Sneedville

Hancock County shares much of Hawkins County’s early history. Hawkins County was originally in North Carolina. For a brief period it was Spencer County in the lost State of Franklin, when an effort was made to form a state in what was to become northeast Tennessee. Eventually Tennessee was separated from North Carolina and Hawkins County, Tennessee (including most of what would become Hancock County) was born.

Native Americans were the first to occupy the area. A letter dated 1673, explorers reported the presence of “white” people living in the county when the first explorers came to the area. These were the Melungeons, a mixed-race people who had settled in the Newmans Ridge/ Vardy area. Their origins have been speculated on since they were found living here.

Jimmy Martin, the King of Bluegrass, was from Sneedville The old Sneedville jail is now home to the Hancock County Historical and Geneological Society

Their origins have been speculated on since they were found living here.

The first European/American influx included Dr. Thomas Walker of the Loyal Land Company of Virginia in 1750 and Elisha Walden with a group of long hunters in 1762 on Blackwater Creek.

The first settlers of European descent settled in the Greasy Rock community, near present day Sneedville. Some of these early settlers included Joseph Lamb, Jonas Lockmiller, John Ray, Enos Matthais. William McCully and Daniel Stavins.

Hancock County has been primarily a farming area. There have never been any railroad tracks in Hancock County, which hampered its early industrial

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The Sneedville, Tennessee post office

A quiet morning on Main Street in Sneedville

The view from Newmans Ridge Old and new bridges at Kyles Ford

Dozens of beautiful country churches are found in Hancock County. This is Big Springs Missionary Baptist.

development. Zinc was discovered near Treadway and the mine employed over 200 people in its most productive times.

• The first state-owned public television station, WSJK-TV Channel 2, was built in Hancock County.

• At 223 square miles, Hancock County is the eighth smallest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The 2010 census counted 6,819 people, which makes Hancock County the 4th least populated county in the state.

• Sneedville is the only incorporated town in Hancock County.

• Other communities include Kyles Ford, Mulberry Gap, Treadway, Alanthus Hill, and Xenophon.

• Hancock County is a beautiful place, with the mountains and the Clinch and Powell Rivers; but its greatest asset is its friendly, down to earth people.

Six generations of the Stewart family have been cooper. Alex Cooper became famous late in life as a craftsman. The saga of the Melungeons is an important part of the county’s history. This old image shows the Vardy school in its hayday.

The King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin

Legendary Melungeon moonshiner Mahala Mullins operated from her cabin on Newmans Ridge