Tennessee Harrisons and History

The Yazoo Land Deal

Compiled by: Josephine Lindsay Bass
216 Beach Park Lane
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920

jbass@digital.net

I think I have most of the story now, some pieces are still missing, like what did happen to Michael. Land speculation was common in those days, large and small, and did help to settle the country, but there were abuses then as now. The Yazoo was a real scandal. It would require some serious research to determine who, what, and how, but a look at the claims file may help us place some of our ancestors.

The Yazoo Land Company was formed by a group of North Carolina men, who bought from the Cherokee Indians the Great Bend area in Alabama north of the TN River. They planned to create their own county and call it Houston. [S224 in the Repository]
This area was claimed by both SC and Georgia, and the proprietors needed someone of influence in SC to have an interest in the company. The directors, Joseph Martin, John Donelson, Richard Caswell, and William Blount, invited Col. Wade Hampton to invest. Soon after he bought Yazoo stock, SC ceded its claims to the company.
Hampton sent four men to survey the territory, after which he established a land office at Muscle Shoals, AL. Eighty settlers moved in immediately, and a fort built for their protection was called Fort Hampton. There was a great hue and cry from the people of SC about the state's giveaway to the Yazoo Co. and the legislature was forced to repeal its actions. It ceded the land to the US government, but neither the US nor SC reimbursed the Yazoo stockholders. (The issue was not settled for another 30 yrs.)
Capt Beatty and Capt Estill were all in the Battle of Kings Mtn with John Craig and Gideon H. Michael H. was the attorney for Capt.Beatty, Capt Estill,and Zacariah Cox who had formed The Tenn. Land Co., land speculators from TN and Georgia. They had tried to settle the area 2 times before with the backing of Govs. Blount, and Sevier.
1810 Tax Lists Madison Co. AL: Michael, Joseph, Gideon, and Daniel. Michael dropped off after 1813, Gideon after 1811, Daniel after 1810; Joseph still on after 1815; Benjamin and Robert added in 1813.
Michael Harrison of Madison Co., AL who married Margaret Ragan in Rockingham Co. VA. (Likely Son of old Capt. Daniel of Rockingham Co. VA - Not Proven). Obit pub. in Athens Newspaper: Margaret Harrison, widow of Col.Michael H. died 23 Mar 1830, Athens, Limestone Co. AL, in her 65th year; Left 4 daughters.
Michael was sheriff of Jonesboro, TN & Wash Co. 96th Dist., in 1789. He removed to Madison Co. in 1807, and purchased 200 acres each for himself, Gideon, & Daniel.
History of Madison County, AL:(WPA 1940) At the time of the survey and sale of the public lands in this county in 1809 many tracts had been sold by this company. About the oldest of which was the sale of a tract of 1000 acres including the town of Huntsville to one Martin Beatty in the yr 1808 for the sum of $1000. Conveyances were likewise made to Freeman Jones 420 acres; William Campbell 640 acres; Gideon, Daniel and Joseph Harrison 200 acres each, and to Henry Segeffy? 10,000 acres all of which sales were made at the rate of one dollar per acre. From 1805-1809 a population of 4,000 had arrived. In 1816 there were 10,000 white and 4,200 colored and in 1820, the pop. reached 19,000 white and colored. The county was making about 10,000 bales of cotton a year.
1808 Deed - Zachariah Cox to Martin Beaty, Madison Co. Miss. Territory. This is the earliest deed recorded in Madison Co. Michael Harrison came before the court to acknowledge signing, sealing and delivering the deed on 4 Oct 1810.
Terr Papers of US, Vol XVIII, Terr of MS 1817-1819 page 195: Petition to Congress by the inhabitants of the Territory that no encroachments on the AL Territory will receive any countenance from Congress. Among signers are: Vincent H., Robert H., Middleton H. and Mathew Hicks.
Are they against Michael or with him ?????
Territorial papers of the U.S. Mississippi Territory (Jackson, MS Archives). [S433 in the Repository]
- p. 741 June 1809 - written on back of letter "I am told there is a Yazoo Claimant named Harrison who refused to move" signed Albert Gallatin. Regarding moving intruders off Indian lands in Madison Co. AL.
- Vol 6 p. 20, 28 Sep 1809: William Dickson to Sec of Treas Treasury ?? of Sales of Public Lands. In answer to yours of 12th ? - I have to state that Michael Harrison continues in the occupancy of the land he improved in Madison County without having relinquished his claim or taken a permission - the same tract has been recently entered by another person in this office, I do not hear of his having any adherants. [no pull??]
- p.25 - 29 oct 1809: To the President of the US- It having been understood last autumn that a number of intruders had settled on public lands in Madison County (Bend of TN) Ms Terr. These persons were notified to remove - most complied - some 300 or 400 families - and a Mr. Michael Harrison who appears to be the only Yazoo Claimant on the land promised to remove - but after the lands had been advertised for sale, he published an advertisement here enclosed dated from Madison Co. giving notice of his claim. Shall he be removed by force -
Jan 1809 Census: Michael Harrison
M/over 21= 7; M/under 21= 0; F/over 21= 3; F/under 21 = 6; Salves = 2 Total 18 in household.
(These are not Michaels children! Are they Kin with rifles - Backup???? or no place to live????)
In 1795, Georgia, which claimed half of the state of AL and MS (all land west of the AL and Coosa rivers) held a mammoth sale in which land was offered at less than one cent an acre. The Yazoo investors were right there, and more than 25M acres went to three land companies. At a second sale, 35M acres were sold. Wade Hampton, John B.Scott, and John L. Nightingal formed the Upper MS Company and bought all the territory embracing the northern Miss-TN border, covering the width of the state, or 550,000 acres at six cents an acre. Wade soon bought out the interests of the others and became sole owner. There is no question that some maneuvering took place. Records show many sales back and forth among Hampton, Scott, Nightingal, and others, and it is difficult to determine exactly who did own the land at what time.
The Georgia sales were greatly opposed by both the Indians and the Spanish authorities in Louisiana Territory, and were heavily criticized by Pres. George Washington and Congress. In 1796, a new Georgia legislature repealed the sale on grounds that corrupt methods were employed by the former legislature. All but one of its members were shareholders in the purchasing companies, and it was charged that the stock was given as bribes to sanction the land sale. Georgia also ceded the land to the U.S. Government, which made treaties with the Indians.
The Miss Terr. was formed across the Southern and Northern portions of AL and MS, leaving the Indians the central section. However, Georgia did not reimburse the Yazoo investors. The purported Yazoo frauds severely damaged Wade Hampton's reputation. The Charleston City Gazette charged that Col. Hampton was the head and hand that contrived the Master fraud.
Hampton sought a seat in Congress in 1795 to urge that Yazoo claimants be indemnified by the federal government. The controversy raged on in the House for 20 yrs. The opponents of reimbursement were led by John Randolph of Roanoke, who shaking his bony finger at Wade Hampton during one session, remarked that he hoped a Yazoo claimant and a villain would be synonymous.
The issue went to the Supreme Court which, in the case of Fletcher vs. Peck in 1809, declared the Yazoo claims valid. Georgia refunded investors in 1810, but it was not until 1814 that an act finally was passed by the US Congress to pay the claimants $5M. The long controversy was ended and Wade Hampton's purse, if not his honor was restored.

Somehow I don't feel Michael and friends made out so well.

Compiler: Josephine Lindsay Bass

E-Mail Address: jbass@digital.net

Tennessee Harrisons and History

The Yazoo Land Deal

The Harrison Genealogy Repository http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~harrisonrep