East Tennessee is part of Appalachia. At the end of the French and Indian War, colonists began drifting into the area. In 1769, they first settled along the Watauga River. During the Revolution, the Overmountain Men defeated British loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The State of Franklin was formed in the 1780s, but never admitted to the Union.
About 1782 the Big Pigeon settlement on Kendrick's Creek was visited by two primitive Baptist preachers, Jonathan Mulkey and William Reno/Reneau.
In 1786, William Whitson
[Jr.] and Abraham McKay were elected to meet with the Primitive Baptist
church association held at Kendrick's Creek,
(Sullivan County, Tennessee) to petition for permission to establish a church at Big Pigeon.
In 1787, Dorcas Jobe, Abraham Jobe, the Whitsons, the Whites and others petitioned
for the assistance of two ministers to establish a primitive Baptist Church. Rev.
Isaac Berton and Rev. William Reno of Buffalo Baptist Church in Washington
County met at the home of James English on the Big Pigeon River and formed a
confession of Faith.
December 6, 1787
Greene (later Cocke) County, Tennessee
Big Pigeon Church Minutes 1787 - 1874, pp. 1 and 2
The Constitution Now being in its Infincy and no Meeting hours or purticler
place of worship we Assembled or met at houses Conveanent in the
Neighbour-hood both for Publick worship and for Church buisness.
The indians
soon after breaking out and being troblesom so that we were Obligd to bee
Confind in fortes which rendard us incapibel of Conducting our buisness in a
regular Manner but Proseading as Followeth.
Meet at Samuel Jobs on big Pidgen River and after prayer proseaded to
buisness the Church at this time being Distetute of officers and Not Capibel to
Conduct hir own buiness for want of the same; a motion being Made by Bro.
Reno for an Elder and the Church to take the same under Consideration.
A
Motion Made to the Church for the Receiving of James Cave into Union as
he had Movd to this place not having the Opertunity of procureing himself a
letter of recmenedation; and from the testimony of some of the Breathren who
ware formelley aquainted with him and from his own Acknowledgment was
receivd into fellowship proposed to the Church to take under Considerration for
a Deacon to bee Apointed in the Church.
The members built forts for protection from the local indigenious people. The forts included
William Whitson's fort on the Big Pigeon river near the big spring on Campbell McNabb's
place below the Denton Mill
McKay's fort on French Broad river
Huff's fort on French Broad
Wood's fort on French Broad river
In 1794 they built a meeting house, which was on the north bank of the Big Pigeon out of large hewed logs.
Tennessee was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796. It was initially part of North Carolina.
