Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-09-18
cLARksvILLE.

An extract from the Chronicles forthcoming
book, picturesque Clarksville."
Moses Renfore was undoubtedly the
first white man who ever undertook to
effect settlement within the limits OF
what is now Montgomery county; and
if history speaks the truth, the first man
who, with his family, ever located in
what is known as Middle Tennessee.
In the Fall Of 1879, Col, James Rot-
ertson and band of pioneers had
marched through the wilderness from
Watauga-upper East Tennessee--and
taken possession OF the French Lick
Springs, where Nashville now stands;
but in their expedition was neither
maid, vile, nor widow, chick nor child,
but only stout hearted men able to
swing the axe and aim the rife. In
December Of the same year, most re-
markable expedition set out from Fort
Patrick Henry, ON the Holston River,
in East Tennessee. destined for this new
land OF promise. That expedition was
commanded by Capt. John Donelscn,
who kepta diary OF the journey, or
rather OF the voyage. Several fat boats,
filled with emigrants-men, women
and children, and a few slaves-made
the perilous attempt to reach the French
Lick by water. They dropped down
the Holston until they came to the
Tennessee; then down the Tennessee
for hundreds Of miles until they reach
ed the Ohio; then they pulled their boats
--slow work it must have been-up the
Ohio River to the mouthof the Cum
berland, and then up the Cumberland
to French Lick, where they found
Robertson and bis band awaiting
them. ta3 M
For more than two-thirds Of the en-
tire distance they were compelled to
pass through acountry filled with hos
tile savages. Near where Chattanooga
now stands-then an Indian village
they had fight with the Indians, in
which twenty-eight Of their number,
mainly women and children, were
killed and scalped. Their whole voy-
age was one Of hardships almost incou-
ceivable at the present day. They were
more than four months on the way,
and never saw friend in all that
while. At length, as the historians
tell us, on the 18th day Of April, 1880,
they came to their slow journey up the
Cumberland "to the mouth of little
river running in on the North side, by
Moses Renfroe and his company called
Red River, up which they intended to
settle. Here they took leave Of u.s.
Moses Rentroe aud his company then
are, or were the original settlers OF
Clarksville, and as the remainder OF the
expedition did not reached the French
Licks tor twelve days alter for him
may be fairly claimed the honor Of hav-
ing been the first white man who with
his family ever set foot on the soil of
Middle Tennessee with the intention OF
locating. "His company" consisted so
far as we can learn, OF two married sons
with their families, two married daugh-
ters, and two men, Nathan and Soloman
Turpin, who were in some way con-
nected with the family of Renfroes.
A bold undertaking it was old Moses,
and stout hearts those girls of his must
have possessed when they landed alone
here in the wilderness, six hundred
miles from their old home in North
Corolina, three hundred miles from the
nearest white settlements in East Ten
nessee, and fifty miles from the little
infant colony at French Lick, where
all the families that crossed the noun
tains that year except bis own establish
ed themselves. TEg $500 -
The old man was destined to pay
dearly for his hardihood. For a little
while he seems to have remained at or
about the present locality Of Clarksville;
then going few miles up Red River,
he built log house, called for years af-
terwards Renifoe's Station. Within