preemption for Robert Gordon a soldier in the Commissioner's Guard. Feby 4 1785 640 acres on Cumberland River below the mouth of Sinking Creek for John Dunahoe assignee of Ebenezer Man. February 28 1785 640 acres on Cumberland River above Red River adjoining a military claim located by Jonathan Dreak for John Deason. April 19 1785 640 acres in the forks of Stones River and Cumberland beginning at the lower corner of the public land for John Donalson. May 6 1785 640 acres on Drake's Creek for Lardner Clark assignee of Henry Wadkins. June 8 1785 640 acres on Cumberland River joining the public survey of Drake's Lick, for James Crabtree assignee of John Brown assignee of Charles Bowen. June 24 1785 640 acres on the Main Harpeth River beginning at Capt. Anthony Sharps' corner, for John Craig. June 24 1785 640 acres on Bigg Harpeth beginning at John Donalson's corner for George Galespie assignee of Stephen Wray, assignee of William Bradshaw assignee of George Scott. June 24 1785 640 acres on Arrington's Creek for James Elliott assignee of Sampson Wilson. June 24 1785 640 acres on Big Harpeth beginning at Alexander Nelson's corner for William Elliott assignee of Ralph Wilson. June 24 1785 320 acres on Harpeth Waters adjoining Drake's preemption, for John Elliott assignee of Sampson Williams a soldier in the Commissioner's Guard. June 24 1785 640 acres on Cedar Lick Creek beginning at Sam Mosby's corner, for Aguila Carmack assignee of Martin Harden. June 24 1785 640 acres on Goose Creek for the heirs of John Callaway. September 9 1785 640 acres on the waters of Bledsoe's Creek to adjoin the lands of Roger Topp and David Wilson for James Lee a chain carrier. September 9 1785 640 acres on Barton's Creek below the meat cribs, for Benjamin Drake. September 13 1785 640 acres on the south side of the Cumberland River beginning about one mile below the second creek on the south side of Cumberland above the Virginia line for Lardner Clark and Adam Wicuff assignees of John Gibson. December 2 1785 640 acres on the south side of Cumberland River one mile from Nealey's Pond, for Stockley Donaldson and William Terrell Lewis assignees of Morgan Ogburn. Jany 17 1786 640 acres on Marrowbone including the Improvement late the property of James Ray taken by attachment at the suit of Stephen Ray, for Justinian Cartwright. March 30 1787 640 acres on the North side of Little Harpeth as per entry No 473 June 7 1783 for James Crockett assignee of Richard Gross. Oct 5 1786 480 acres on Whites' Creek about one mile above Henry Turneys, as per entry No 532 July 17 1784, for Alexander Caveat assignee of James Nowland a corporal in the Commis-sioners Guard. July 24 1787 640 acres on Bledsoe's Creek beginning nearly a mile west of Deshea's preemption as assignee of Andrew Lucas, for Richard Hogan. May 7 1789 640 acres on Heaton's Station Creek including the improvement made by William Ellis as per entry No 591 August 23 1784 for Alexander Caveat assignee of the heirs of Geo. Bidwell assignee of the heirs of John Lumsden. May 7 1789 640 acres on the south side of Cumberland on a branch of brown's creek on the south road including a spring and improvements about 5 miles from the french lick and a mile from an improvement that Saml. Barton claims and Improved in the year 1780 by Nicholas Gentry as per entry No. 243 February 6 1784; for John Gentry Heir of Nicholas Gentry September 16 1789 Territory south of the River Ohio, Davidson County 640 acres in the forks of the second big creek above the mouth of Stone's River to John Donalson assignee originally of William Burgess as per entry No 573 entered August 12 1784. December 12 1792. Davidson County I do hereby certify that this day Robert Nelson came before me a Justice of the Peace for the said county and made oath that he would faithfully and truly execute the office of Deputy Surveyor in Davidson County without favour or partiality and agreeable to the Laws enacted by the Assembly of North Carolina. Sworn before me Jany 23 1786 Saml. Barton. A RELIC OF THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD IN TENNESSEE. [Read before the Tennessee Historical Society by Gen. G. P. Thruston.] In examining some old records the writer recently came across the written statement made by him in March, 1870, Before the reconstruction committee at Washington, of which Gen. B. F. Butler was chairman. An effort was then being made by the extreme radical Republican element to set aside the civil government and place the State of Tennessee again under military rule, and the writer appeared before the reconstruction committee to oppose this scheme. In looking back through the perspective of years the whole plan of reconstruction at the South now seems an abomination. From the very start it was a predestined failure owing to the bitterness, prejudice, and ignorance that existed on both sides of the sectional line-the natural result of the war. Unhappily, some such failure was inevitable. How unwise and strange it now seems that the leaders of the Republican party at Washington should have attempted to inaugurate new State governments in the South with the aid of the military, and the other supposed available loyal material then at hand, to wit: the freedmen recently enfranchised and given the right to vote, a few so-called loyal white men, and a few ex-Federal soldiers and Republicans from the North, thus practically ignoring and setting aside the influence of the more intelligent classes, the whole array of property holders and the real social and political leaders of the various Southern sections. The evils of the new situation were soon found to be almost as intolerable as the ills and horrors of the recent civil war. After the election of Governor W. G. Brownlow to the Senate of the United State by the provisional Legislature in 1869, the Speaker of the State Senate, Hon. D. W. C. Senter, became Governor of Tennessee. At that time the political situation in Tennessee was chaotic. The intelligence of the middle and western sections of the State had been, in the main, disfranchised for disloyalty by the enactments of the Legislature. Later, in 1869, Governor Senter was nominated for rc-election by the conservative wing of the Republican party, and Col. W. B. Stokes was nominated for the same office by the radical Republicans and the so-called ultra loyalists, whose partisans held many of the most important offices in the State. To aid in his election Governor Senter appointed Commissioners of Registration of liberal views in place of Brownlow's commissioners. The floodgates of registration were thus practically thrown open, and the election resulted in the success of a large number of Liberals and Democrats, thus giving the ante-bellum political leaders and Democrats, representing the Confederate element, control of the political machinery of the State and the larger cities. The struggle was a bitter one. There were honest, earnest partisans on both sides. It was, indeed, often difficult to decide as to the right, but, in the main, the election in Tennessee resulted in the triumph of justice and intelligence. Early in 1870, soon after the victory of the liberal element in Tennessee, strenuous efforts were made by the defeated radicals and partisans of Brownlow, and by the Republicans of East Tennessee, to have the new State administration set aside by the authorities at Washington, and a military Governor again appointed to administer the affairs of the State of Tennessee. There was much excitement upon the subject in Nashville and elsewhere throughout the State. Brownlow, Maynard, Stokes. Fletcher, Arnell, and most of the members of Congress from Tennessee were urging a return to military rule, and in this effort they had the confidence and the political sympathy of the then dominant national Republican leaders at Washington, like Thad. Stevens, Oliver P. Morton, and Ben Wade. Occasional Kuklux outrages throughout the State were also stimulating the schemes of the extremists. It was a critical period in the history of the State. On the 19th of March, 1870, a mass meeting of citizens was held at the courthouse in Nashville to protest against the new scheme of military rule, and to appoint commissioners to go to |