Greetings Martin family researchers,

When I posted about having a land deed for Obadiah Martin from 1796 in Tennessee, I heard from a few fellow researchers who said there is some confusion regarding whether the land in question was in Tennessee or Virginia. Obviously, if the land was in Virginia, we would not be a First Family of Tennessee. So, I set out to investigate more. I still believed the land was located in Tennessee, but needed proof. The question of whether this land was owned by my relative Obadiah Martin (1738-1820) is not in question. The deed clearly identifies Obadiah being from Orange County, NC and all land deeds and other documents support this being Obadiah (1738-1820). The only question is whether this land is located in Virginia or Tennessee. I believe the series of land deeds outlined below prove the land is located in Claiborne County, TN.

1. During that era there were many boundary changes between Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Without better boundary markings for the property, it is very difficult to determine it’s exact location. However, the 1796 land deed I found was in the archives of the Tazewell Court house, Tazewell, TN, Claiborne County. The deed is registered in Claiborne County, TN and signed by William Rogers, Registrar for Claiborne County, TN.

2. In May, 1817 Obadiah Martin of Claiborne County, TN gave 1610 acres to his son-in-law John Riley for love and affection. The land is located in Powell Valley, Claiborne County, TN and is the exact land as described in the 1796 land deed to Obadiah and the original land deed from 1783 (see below).

3. I found the original land deed for the exact section of land dated Jan. 16, 1783 land grant: William DuVal grantee. William received 1610 acres in Powell Valley on the north side of Powell’s River – the remaining description is word for word exactly that in the 1796 land deed to Obadiah Martin. The land is located in Washington County, VA. In 1787 the land of Washington County, VA included land in what is now Tennessee.

4. The deed mentions William DuVal as the assignee of John Harvie who was the assignee of Arthur Campbell. Arthur Campbell was heavily involved in the expansion of the settlement into the Tennessee Valley and instrumental in establishing a new territory. In 1785 that territory was established from North Carolina and Virginia and called the State of Frankland.

5. On Dec. 13, 1785 Arthur Campbell obtained 98 acres in Powell’s Valley adjoining his tract of 1610 acres by the bank of Fourmile Creek, on the bank of Powell’s River.

• Fourmile Creek is located at mile 95 of Powell’s River and is in Tennessee, near Tazwell. The TN/VA border is located at mile 105.

So, bottom line, I believe there is more than enough evidence to prove that the 1610 acres Obadiah Martin purchased in 1796 was located in the Powell Valley in Tennessee.

I admit there is still a nagging question about whether Obadiah originally thought the land was in Virginia. The Virginia, Tennessee boundary was marked by different surveyors in different years creating a discrepancy of close to 12 miles from east to west. The State of Virginia was perturbed by this and questioned the boundary many times for almost a century.  The boundary dispute was eventually brought to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893; the court reached a unanimous 8-0 verdict in favor of Tennessee and the boundary issue was finally settled. As a result, Virginia lost several miles of land along the VA/TN boundary. This difference could account for some of the confusion regarding the location of Obadiah’s land in Powell Valley. After all, the land is located at approximately the 95-96 mile marker of Powell River, and the boundary to Virginia is at the 105 mile marker. It’s close enough to cause confusion.

This has been an interesting investigative journey for me.  I learned quite a bit about early Tennessee settlements and the challenges these brave settlers faced. It also gave me a deeper understanding about the movement of settlers and found distant Martin cousins I probably would not have found if I did not undertake this project. When I travel now I continually see names of communities and roads that are familiar to me. It’s pretty cool to see my family history marked throughout multiple states in the southeast.

Happy researching!

Deborah

Resources

1. Albemarle County Deeds 1782-1784
2. Virginia County Records Deed Book, pp. 140-142
3. Kentucky Secretary of State, Virginia Treasure Warrants
4. Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful
5. Claiborne County TN Register of Deeds, Vol. E Sept. 1816 – April 1822 Pg. 175. TN State Library & Archives, Nashville