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History - Part I
History - Part II
1809 Intruders
1810 Petition
Giles County, Tennessee
TNGenWeb
1809 Elk River Intruders


The Cherokee Land Session of 1806 resulted in a rash of new settlements in the newly-ceded territory, which included much of present-day Giles County, but continued to exclude most of the southwest quadrant still untreated with the Chickasaw. Nevertheless, many of the settlers were westward of the Congressional Reservation Line, resulting in a number of clashes between soldiers and settlers, the latter known as Intruders. (1)

Although the following is a compiled list and does not specify the settlement, a variety of records document that at least some of these men had settled in what would become Giles county rather than Alabama. Other sources (2) indicate that the first round-up by soldiers in 1809 netted 166 settlers, of whom 93 were from the Simms Settlement. As can be seen from the list that follows, a number of Giles countians were among those corraled by Meigs' soldiers, although many other intruders were not rounded up (estimated at 2,250 by Simms' Settlemeent petitioners in 1810). By September of the following year, at least 49 of the original Simms settlers, including five widows, had returned when 466 men and women petitioned the President to permit them to remain on their improvements pending the signing of a treaty with the Chickasaws (See 1810 Simms'es Settlement Petition)

Many of these names and those on the 1810 Elk River Intruder Petition are also on the 1812 Giles county tax list, and a sampling has been indicated by the use of the symbol † after the name.





Intruders List, 1809
(List of those removed from Chickasaw Indian Lands)
Ref: Record Group 75, Cherokee Indian Agency, Tennessee Records, National Archives)

Wm. Adams†
Wm. Allen
Wm. Arborugh
W. Ar[?]
J. Ball
James Ball
Wm. Barlet
Wm. Beard
Wm. Bell
Jno Black
Wm Black
Wm. Blair
Wm. Bolen
Wm. Bradley Jr. Wido.
Wm . Bradley Sr. Wido
Joseph Branson
Abraham Brown†
George Brown Jr.
George. Brown Sr.†
Wm. Bullman
James Burleson
Jos. Burleson
Wm. Cale
Wm. Carnahan
Wm. Cavet
Jno. Cipler
Lovel Coffin
Wm. Cogrey
Thomas Colburn
Wm. Colton
Wm. Combs
Wm. Conner
Wm. Cook
Wm. Cooper
Thomas Copeland
Wm. Coplin
Andrew Coppin
Wm. Cowan
Jonathan Cuchn
Wm. Cummins
Edw. Davis †
Wm. Devan
Francis Doherty†
Rolla Dotson †
Obadiah Driscal
Thomas Dodd ††
Wm. Ellis
Wm. Erwood
Joseph Evans
Larkin Everet
Edmond Evers
Wm. Fearle
Jane Ford
Wm. Freeman
E. Frost
Simon Foy ††
Wm. Gamer
Wm. Gibbons
Isaac Gipson
John Wm. Gray
Wm. Greehaws Jnr.
Wm. Greene
Anne Greene Wido.
Wm. Greenehaws
David Greer
Wm. Grissam
Lum Hanks
Geo. Harper
Wm. Hatton Wido.
Wm. Hawkins
Wm. Hays
Wm. Henry
Wm. Hicklen
James Hodge
Jno. Hoge
James Hood
Wm. Hood Jr.
Wm. Hood Sr.
Wm. Hornbeck
Wm. Horton
Wm. Howard
Wm. Isham
Andrew Jackson
Thomas Jenkins
Wm. Jonakin
Luck Kile
Wm. Kile †
Jno. Kine
Wm Lackey
John Lauls
Wm. Leagg
Wm. Leaggs
Wm. Lipum
Clab. Lovet
Joseph Maple †
Wm. Massey
Jno Mayhers
James McCarey
Asa McGee
Roland McKenney†
Wm. McMahon
Henry Milley
Wm. Mitchel
Jno. Manasco
Alen Moore
Amos Moore
Henry Morgan
Wm. Moss
Wm. Mullen
Wm. Murphy
Benjamin Murrel
Wm Myers
James Neil
Presly Norman
David Norris Wido.
Michael O'Donnce
Genj. Osborn
Jno. Payne †
Wm. Payne †
Wm. Perkins
Isaac Perret
James Perret
Wm. Piall
Wm. Poor
Lum Prist
James Radish
Thomas Radish
Wm. Radish
Wm. Rare
Wm. Rare
Wido. Raudon
Wm. Reevs
James Reynolds
Jno. Reynolds
Reubin Riggs †
Wm. Roberson
James Robertson
Wm. Robertson
Wm. Rogers
Wido. Roland
John. Sellon
Wm. Sim's
Eliza Sims
James Sims
Keziah Sims Wido.
Mathew Smith
Wm. Smith
Robert Stewart
Jno. Sulliven
Wm. Thresher
Archibald Trimble
Wm. Trimble
Cavin Twitty
James Twitty
Jno. Wainwright
Wm Waters
Larkin Webb†
Wm. Wilburn
Charles Williams
Charles Williams
Wm. Williams
Lully Williams Wido.
James Williamson
Jno. Willson
George Winterbowa
Wm. Young




(1) See The Early History and Boundaries of Giles for more detailed and History of the Intruders for more details about the Intruders.

(2) "Sims Settlement, Our Squatter Ancestors, 1806-1818," Ruth Dixon, Bob Priest, P. 5; and Settlers And Intruders On Cherokee Indian Lands, 1801-1816 by Janell Swearingen, 1989

The second source above includes transcriptions from what appear to be several original lists. Those lists differ in a number of respects from this compiled list, and some of those differences follow:

Reuben RIGGS of Giles Co, TN stated in his 1832 Revolutionary War pension application that he removed to Giles County in 1808 from Grainger Co, TN.

Luck KILE appears on a list titled "Intruders In Sims's Settlement May 27th 1809" as "Widow Lukey Kile." Also on this Sim's list is William KILE, who appears on both the 1810 Intruders' petition, and the 1812 Giles County tax list, and is identified by both Goodspeeds and McCallum as an early Giles County resident. McCallum states that "James FORD, James WILLIAMS, Parish SIMMS, Thos. DODD, Simon FOY, and Thos. KYLE, with their families started from Hawkins County in East Tennessee in the Spring of 1807 with four boats, when the boats had ascended Elk about opposite SIMMS' settlement three of the boats with the SIMMSES, KYLE and others went out to view the country, and concluded to stop there and settled what was long known as SIMMS' settlement, in Limestone Co., AL," but that James FORD ascended the Elk to settle just above the mouth of what is now known as Ford's Creek, and that "Two or three months after FORD came, Major Wm. KYLE came and settled on the south side of the river, opposite Prospect." Thomas DODD and Simon FOY are both on this Sim's list as well as the compiled 1809 list, with Simon LOY(?) and Thomas DODD listed adjacent to each other, respectively. James FORD may be the above Jane FORD mistranscribed since the Sim's list includes James FORD listed near Edward DAVIS and Roland McKINNEY who follow.

Joseph MAPLE, Edward DAVIS and Roland McKENNEY (McKINNEY(also on this list) are all on the 1812 Giles County tax list, as is a John SIMS, and Early Giles land records show that the four all lived between Fords and Wells Creek on the Elk River.

Rolla DOTSON is Raleigh DODSON and believed to have been Raleigh, Jr., s/o Raleigh and Mary DODSON of Hawkins Co, TN. He is found on both the 1810 Intruders Petition and the 1812 Giles County, Tax list, but not thereafter. In 1815, a Mary DODSON is found in Giles court records as widow of Raleigh, but this is thought to have been his father's wife. Raleigh Jr. is also thought to have been the Raleigh DODSON who died in Williamson County in 1836 (See Dodson Families of Giles County)

William COMBS appears on a list titled "May 29th 1809 Intruders Limestone Settlement" states: "Mr. Combs (wife lying in)." Presumably Mrs. Combs was pregnant, and it is not certain whether "Mr. Combs" was the same as William COMBS due to the possibility that Mr. and Mrs. COMBS may have been John and Jean JACKSON Combs who married 15 Jul 1807 in Grainger Co, TN. Their son, Carlton Wilbur COMBS, stated in a letter written in 1885 that he was born on 17 Jun 1809 in Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama. He stated that just prior to his birth, his parents were living "in a cane brake on Duck River, in what is now Maury County and near where Columbia is now situated." Having long lived outside of Tennessee, and given his statement regarding Nashville, it appears he did not know the area well, so the accuracy of his statement as to where his parents were living is in question. He did state that his parents experienced "unexpected difficulties," that the "Indians were not only too thick but made themselves entirely too familiar with anything and everything about the premises, to which they took a fancy, especially in the lines of provisions," and that this "made it necessary for father to go somewhere where there was a settlement of white human beings to procure supplies. The nearest place to them at that time, as I suppose, of the desired sort was Huntsville, Alabama. Nashville is nearer now but I think it probably at time were there no Nashville as Knoxville was then the capitol of Tenn. At any rate his went to Huntsville, leaving mother in this wilderness place with only a niece (Sarah, daughter of Uncle Phillip Combs) with her. After father left, the Indians became more bold and more aggressive and although the doors were kept securely pinned bolted and barred, the Indians on one occassion undertook to batter them down. But whether to scare the inmates or for plunder, I do not remember that I ever knew. But they did not remain here very long time for soon they found a home in or near Huntsville and while there on the 17th day of June, 1809 as before stated, I first saw light. So you can see I am a native Alabamian, by accident." (Carlton Wilbur Combs Letter of 1885) William HORNBECK of the above compiled list may be the "Mr. HORNBECK" of the Limestone Settlement list. The 1810 petition includes an Elye HORNBECK who may have been the same who married 25 Oct 1806, Jefferson County, TN, Sarah COMBS, sister of John and the above-noted Phillip COMBS. (Researcher C. Hammett)



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Last Updated Monday April 16 2001

Copyright 2001 TNGenNet Inc., a nonprofit public benefit corporation (transcription gifted to TNGenNet, Inc. Feb 2001 by Mrs. Sarah Smith; edited and formatted by C. Hammmett, who likewise gifted same)


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