Carroll County Tennessee Genealogy & History

Huntingdon
Carroll County TN

Samuel Ingram and John Gwin each built a dwelling house on the site of Huntingdon before it became the seat of justice for the county, and John Crockett, the first merchant of the place, built his storehouse on what is now the public square, before the town was surveyed. Other early merchants of Huntingdon were Robert Murray, Ennis Ury and Amer Lake & Co. The first physicians were Jacob White, Robert Nicholson, Gabriel Norman and Dr. Hogg. Thomas Ross located the first tanyard in the town. The merchants during the thirties were those already named, and Clark & Morrison, Everett & Bullard, Edmund Grizzard, G. W. Grizzard and others. After 1840 Thomas K. Wiley and Thomas Hall became merchants of the place, and they and some of those already named continued in business until the beginning of the civil war, when all mercantile business was suspended and remained so until the war closed. When peace was restored, A. R. Hall, Allen & Dougherty, Joseph McCracken and A. C. MeNeal & Co. were the first merchants to resume business.
The present business and business men of the town are as follows: Dry goods, Joseph McCracken, S. N. Williams, Priest & Son, J. C. McNeal and Carter & Priest; family groceries, Lee Brothers, E. G. Ridgeley, J. Finley, Frank Johnson and W. T. Warren; drugs, C. P. Priestley and Dr. John Threadgill; hardware, Samuel Hendricks. In addition to the above there is the milliner store of Mrs. Mollie Grizzard, two jewelry stores, two livery stables, two undertaker’s shops, one tin shop, one meat shop, one wagon and other mechanics’ shops, and three drinking saloons. The hotels are the Easen House, Ownsby House and Brown House. There is a grist-mill, sawmill, planing-mill, stave factory and shingle-mill all combined, and the proprietors, Wilder & Dalton, do an extensive business. There is also the steam cotton-gin of J. F. Leach & Co. which gins and puts up from ten to twelve bales of cotton per day.
The benevolent societies are the Masonic Fraternity, K. of H. and Golden Cross. The religious denominations are Southern Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian and Christian. The latter has no church edifice. The colored people have three churches: Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian and. Baptist. The first newspaper published in Carroll County, was the Huntingdon Advertiser, the first number of which was published at Huntingdon, July 8, 1839, by W. W. Gates, who advocated the principles of the Whig party. After the suspension of this paper another one, known as the Courier, was established about the year 1849 by C. R. P. Byers. A few years later the Carroll Patriot, was established by Wm. H. Hawkins, and published until the beginning of the civil war. In 1868 The West Tennesseean was established by Dr. A. W. Hawkins, and afterward merged into the Huntingdon Courier, and published about two years. The Tennessee Republican, was established in March, 1870, by E. G. Ridgeley, and its publication is still continued. About the same time or a little later The Vindicator was established by Grizzard & Algee, who published it about two years, and then T. H. Baker published The Democrat for a short time. Huntingdon was incorporated November 14, 1823, re-incorporated January 2, 1850, and the charter was so amended in March, 1883 as to require the mayor and marshal to be elected by a popular vote instead of by the aldermen as was the former custom. Hon. George T. McCall is the present mayor. The town has a pleasant and healthy location on high rolling ground, and its population is about 800.
Click here for list of Unclaimed Letters July 1, 1839 Huntingdon Post Office