Independence Day: Reminders of Revolutionary War veterans easy to find in Blount County

As you celebrate Independence Day today, look around. Reminders of the men who fought for the freedoms we often take for granted almost two and a half centuries later are scattered throughout Blount County.

They aren’t simply weathered military markers placed in cemeteries with a designation of “Rev. War” and dates of service as well as dates of birth and death. Neither are they confined to the names chiseled in stone on the courthouse lawn on a monument erected in 1976 by the Mary Blount Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution “In memory of soldiers and patriots of the American Revolution who settled in Blount County.” They are names familiar to anyone who takes a drive, goes to church, attends school or reads The Daily Times — a small sampling includes Duncan, Craig, Everett, Tipton, Keeble, Clark, Eagleton, Houston, Henry, Cusick, Wilkinson and Walker.

Honoring veterans

Myrtle James, historian and past regent of the Mary Blount Chapter DAR, said, “In 1975, our chapter had found 152 Revolutionary War soldiers in Blount County. The monument at the courthouse was dedicated by our chapter in 1976.” Continuing research shows that the number has grown since then, although James did not have a firm figure to share.

One of the tasks of the organization is to research and place markers on the graves of Revolutionary War veterans in Blount County. As of 2021, around 70 such markers had been placed in Blount County cemeteries. The list is available to the public at www.tndar.org/~maryblount/wp/historic%20-markers.

Some of the men recognized include:

• John Duncan, born 1752, Virginia, and died April 29, 1836, Maryville, buried in New Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery. The Mary Blount Chapter placed a government marker in May 1924. The inscription reads, “Colonel Morgan's Regiment, Virginia Line, Revolutionary War.”

His descendant, Duncan Crawford, a local attorney and avid historian, spoke about John Duncan in May prior to presenting a program to the Blount County Genealogical and Historical Society on the history of Maryville and New Providence Presbyterian Church.

“My third-great-grandparents were married inside Fort Craig,” he said. “Their names were John Duncan and Peggy Alexander. They are listed in (historian) Will McTeer’s book as being charter members of the church. That’s where I got my first name, Duncan.”

• John Duncan received nearly 600 acres of land for his Revolutionary War Service. “The Duncan Farm lies out between Montvale Road, Court Street and Wilkinson Pike,” Crawford said. “The Duncan house would have been on top of a hill overlooking the rock quarry now.”

• Robert Everett/Everitt, born circa 1750 in England, died May 1827, Blount County. Although a gravestone was set at Piney Level Baptist Church, the veteran’s remains are buried on what was once his property near Laws Chapel. According to the Mary Blount DAR’s information, when the property sold, the new owners demanded that the gravestone be moved or it would be destroyed. In 1979, the family moved the stone to Piney Level and placed it next to a grandson buried there. The Mary Blount Chapter had originally placed the marker in 1941 with the inscription, “Pvt., Hawes VA Regt, Rev War.”

• William “Fightin’ Billy” Tipton, buried on his farm near Tipton’s Station, close to the Knox/Blount County line. The inscription on his stone reads, “Wm. Tipton, Va Line, Rev. War.”

According to additional information provided by Mary Blount DAR, Tipton was born Feb. 13, 1761, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and died 1849 in Blount County. He enlisted in the Continental Line in 1778, serving under Col. Richard Parker in the First Virginia Regiment. After being severely wounded during the Siege of Savannah, he mustered out after two years of service. In 1834, Tipton applied for a pension, stating that he had been on the Invalid Pension Roll since about 1782, and he was forever unfit for duty following the wounds received.

Information provided by descendant Helen Abbott, a Blount County native, published in the Nov. 1, 2015, issue of The Daily Times, says that “Tipton amassed hundreds of acres of property, selling some land to relatives and others; but in his will, he bequeathed 1,765 acres named as Cades Cove property. Tipton never lived in the Cove.”

• Elijah Nelson, born 1744, died 1836 in Blount County, buried at Piney Level Cemetery. The inscription on his marker, placed by the Mary Blount DAR in 1976, reads, “Pvt VA Artillery, Revolutionary War.”

Nelson’s daughter, Sarah, married Robert Renfro, whose descendants include the late Coach Jim Renfro for whom the Maryville High School football field is named, and Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell. (In full disclosure, another of his descendants is this reporter).

• John Sims, born March 3, 1761, died Aug. 28, 1840. His grave, at Mt. Zion Cemetery in neighboring Monroe County, was dedicated and marked on April 30, 2016. The 5th-great grandfather of Myrtle James, Sims held the rank of private and served three years in the Cavalry, North Carolina State Troops, Continental Line.

“Memorable epoch”

The Revolutionary War was waged from 1775 to 1783. In 1776, Congress passed the resolution of independence on July 2, with the final text of the Declaration of Independence approved on July 4. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, future President John Adams wrote, “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

Instead of July 2, Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4, the date of its approval rather than the day it was adopted. Learn more about the Declaration at www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-history.

The Stephen Holston Chapter, Tennessee Sons of the American Revolution, is sponsoring an Independence Day Celebration at 10 a.m. July 4 at James White’s Fort in Knoxville. The Mary Blount DAR and other DAR chapters along with the Elizabeth Paxton Houston Chapter, Children of the American Revolution, will participate. James said, “It is always a very historic event with the SAR in appropriate dress of the era, honor guard and everything.”

James said she is proud of the work members of DAR and other such organizations accomplish.

“Through our DAR we have honored veterans, thanked active military personnel, preserved history and supported education,” James said. “We have exposed young people to the joy of American history and have participated in worthwhile projects to protect precious resources. We work together and share our commitment to home and our patriot ancestors through service to others. What we do matters and I believe that our cause has never been more important to America’s future than now.”