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Archiver > GATOWNS > 1998-07 > 0900122539


From: "Virginia Turnbull" <>
Subject: Re: [TOWNS] Tellico Plains...
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 22:02:19 -0400


Hi,
I live in Clay County, NC sort of between Murphy (Cherokee County) and
Hayesville (Clay) and all of perhaps 5-8 miles from Union and Towns
Counties, Georgia.
I can well understand why families headed west from this general area
ended up in or near Tellico Plains, TN. That's where the old road west from
here ran. According to the reading I've done, the original road is the
road that is called "Joe Brown Highway" west of Murphy. It runs through
Hanging Dog and crosses the Unaka Mountains at Unicoi Gap (which is quite
famous in Cherokee history) then drops down into Coker Creek, Tn. Coker
Creek is still in the mountains, and Tellico is just west of the mountains,
There was a gold strike in Coker Creek, although I can't remember the dates
(it may have been after the migrations under discussion) and perhaps it was
settled by earlier migrations or maybe people just wanted to move out of the
mountains a bit more. There's some good-looking river bottom land over in
Tellico that I suspect would have been very appealing as farm land.
Seems like I remember reading that the road was originally planked and
that there was a toll booth at Unicoi Gap.
Just an observation for whatever (if anything) it's worth.
-----Original Message-----
From: Barbara Ann Peck <>
To: <>
Date: Friday, July 10, 1998 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: [TOWNS] Tellico Plains...

>In reply to Kirk--
>
>Just great!! Now that our other Barbara has done such a great job with the
>Towns USGenWeb site, we really need good discussion topics on the list.
>Thank you!!
>
>I can speak for just one family, the Selfs--descendants of your primary
>host, Tim Seawolf-Self's, 4th gg--a parallel line to Tim's--lived in Union
>County before part of it became Towns. They are also associated with
>Lumpkin. While Tim's family stayed in the Union/Towns area, this other
>branch went to Monroe County, Tellico Plains to be exact.
>
>I hope we get more answers to this question. Anyone who wants to reply,
>please do so to the list. The histories of our three counties--Towns,
>Union, and Clay (NC)--are so intertwined that anyone with ancestors in one
>county will probably have other ancestors in the other two. Migration
>patterns are fascinating, and we have often seen families that appear to
>move together!
>
>Barbara
>
>http://www.selfroots.com
>Co-host, Towns County List
>
>

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