Wilson Co., TNGenWeb

Wilson County FAQ's

What effect did the Old Hickory Dam placed on the Cumberland River have on Wilson County? The Cumberland River is a large part of the northern boundary of Wilson County. The construction of the dam created Old Hickory Lake and access to the lake can be made from Wilson Co. (Further research is being made into the moving of family cemeteries to other locations.)
What effect did the Percy Priest Dam placed on Stones River have on Wilson County? Stones River runs just south of the Wilson line and several creeks and branches from the county flow into it. The forming of Percy Priest Lake required moving some family cemeteries. A complete listing of graves moved and the relocation sites are listed in the following report found at the Tennessee State Library and Archives: "J. Percy Priest Reservoir Project Completion Report - Cemetery Relocation - Davidson, Wilson and Rutherford Counties, Tennessee", U. S. Army Engineer District, Nashville, Corps of Engineers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1966, Vol. 2.
Why did many Wilson countians move to southern Illinois in the 1800's? It has been suggested that southern IL was a major trading place located right between two major rivers (Ohio and Mississippi) with good farmland, mill work, etc. Those dissatisfied with Wilson Co. (and no doubt other TN counties and other states) were looking for something better. This would have been especially true after the Civil War and the changes and destruction it brought.
Were there Indians (American natives) living in Wilson County? From the book "The History of Wilson County, Tennessee - Its Land and Its Life", 2nd Edition, Frank Burns, editor, Lebanon, TN, 1987" are the following excerpts:
"No Indians lived in what was to be Wilson County when the white settlers came. Perhaps none of the then extant (existing) tribes had ever lived here, though there were well-worn Indian trails and at least one semi-permanent camp where women and children as well as warriors and hunters found shelter. ....Wilson County was not peculiar in the manner of non-occupancy when the white people came. The same is true practically of the whole region composed of the great loop of the Tennessee River - Central Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama. All of this land had been set up as a hunting preserve by the Iroquois confederacy, the Six Nations of the Great Lakes region. The Cherokees-more closely related to the Iroquois than to the Mobilian tribes around them-were entrussed by the Six Nations with the task of patrolling the preserve and getting rid of trespassers....two tribes lived here at different times, but made no mark of them is known to exist in the county.... First there were the Natchez....The Shawnees had a large city at Nashville ....They were expelled in 1714....for almost a straight century no other intruders gained a foothold." (pages 11-12)
What is the oldest public cemetery in Lebanon, TN? Cedar Grove
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