Carroll County Tennessee
Topography and Migration
Patterns
- Geographically, Carroll County is ideally situated with beautiful forest land,
lakes and streams. The climate affords all four seasons of nature's beauty.
- 7 counties border Carroll: Benton on the East, Henderson on the South, Madison
on the Southwest, Gibson on the West, Weakley on the Northwest, Decatur to the
Southeast and Henry on the North.
- District Changes: District #1 and 2 from Atwood south to the Madison County line
became District #1, 2, 20, and 21 by 1880, Atwood being in District 21 by the
time the 1880 census was taken.
- Migration: Surveyors arrived in the area by 1795. They poled
up the South Fork of the Obion River to what is now known as
Christmasville which became post number two. Other posts in the area caused these
surveyors to use Indian trails to get to Jackson, Trenton and Union City. The
Christmasville Road is still known in these other cities.
- Settlers from Virginia and North Carolina came through the Cumberland Gap and
used the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers to get to Middle Tennessee. Later, many came
to Reynoldsburg to ferry the Tennessee River. Settlers from South Carolina often
came by land to Muscle Shoals, Alabama and crossed the wide and flat Tennessee River to filter
into the lower counties. Eventually they drifted north to Reynoldsburg and ferried into
Carroll County. Many settlers were Revolutionary and War of 1812 veterans who moved
to receive land grants. Some grants were in Kentucky and families that had split in North
and South Carolina were reunited in the Western District of Tennessee.
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