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Boundaries - Historical Notes

Tennessee Code Annotated
Tennessee Attorney General Opinions

The following is a summary of acts which authorized boundary changes for Hickman County.

  1. Acts of 1809, First Session, Chapter 7, stated that on the first Monday of next March an election would take place in Hickman County to elect five commissioners to establish a permanent seat of Justice in the county. The commissioners, after being sworn by the oath in this law, would select a place as near the central portion of the county as possible and proceed to acquire at least 30 acres of land at that point which they would lay off into streets, alleys, and lots, reserving 2 acres in square form for the public square. The lots were to be sold and the money used to build the courthouse, prison, and stocks in the county seat, and, if the funds were insufficient, the quarterly court could levy a tax to complete these structures. The commissioners would be compensated at the court's direction and the town herein provided for would be called Vernon.
  2. Acts of 1809, First Session, Chapter 31, created Humphreys County and mentioned Hickman County several times in the description of the new county. However, it seems there were no territorial changes in Hickman County as a result of this act.
  3. Private Acts of 1819, Chapter 108, appointed David Lowe, Joel Walker, John T. Primm, and Joseph Lynn, as commissioners, to run and mark the boundary line of Hickman County so as to reduce its land area below the constitutional limit of 625 square miles. The commissioners would appoint a surveyor, not a Hickman County resident, to run and mark the line aforesaid, beginning at the point stipulated in the act. The commissioners would assist the surveyor as chain bearers while running the line. After said line has been run and the reduction in the area made, the commissioners would select a site as near the center as possible for the county seat, purchase at least fifty acres and lay the same out in streets, alleys, lanes, and lots, reserving two acres in the most convenient place for the public square. The commissioners must be sworn and bonded and then would sell the lots under the minimum conditions established in the act, using the proceeds to build a courthouse and prison in the town. Nothing herein would be construed as removing Vernon from consideration as the county town. The line run by William B. Ross as the dividing line between the counties of Dickson and Hickman would remain as such, and the town herein directed to be laid off would be called Canton. If the commissioners could not agree on a location then Col. Robert Weakley, of Davidson County, Major James Fentress, of Montgomery County, and Col. Archer Cheatham, of Robertson County, would be called in as umpires to settle the question.
  4. Private Acts of 1819, Chapter 149, Section 2, declared that all of that part of the county north of Wayne County and south of Hickman County was annexed as a part of Wayne County to be governed by the same regulations as were other parts of the county.
  5. Private Acts of 1821, Chapter 150, appointed Henry Harden, Edward Nunley, David Curry, and James McNealy, as commissioners, to superintend the running and marking of the boundary line of Hickman County so as to reduce the area of that county to its constitutional limits. The commissioners were to employ a competent surveyor to run the line starting at the point designated in the act and to make a chart of it. The commissioners would assist the surveyor as chain bearers and markers. The center of the county was to be located using the method prescribed in this act and the commissioners would acquire 50 acres, laying the area of into streets, alleys, lanes, and lots which would be sold to finance the construction of a courthouse, prison, and stocks on the two acres reserved for the public square of the city to be named Centerville. Sterling Brewer, Dickson County, James Fentress, Montgomery County, and George Isham, Lawrence County, were designated umpires to settle any controversy which might arise. The county and circuit courts would meet at Centerville as soon as facilities were available.
  6. Private Acts of 1822, Second Session, Chapter 145, named James Young and William Carothers, Senior, as two more commissioners who would have same authority as the others appointed to select a county seat for the county. If they could not agree, the quarterly court, a majority being present, would choose one or more added commissioners to break the tie. The county court would adjourn to Centerville at any time after the lots were sold, and all writs and process returnable to Vernon would be changed to Centerville.
  7. Private Acts of 1822, Second Session, Chapter 210, allowed Molton Dixon to charge the county of Hickman the rate of $3.00 for each day necessarily engaged in running the lines and centering the same, and employed in making out maps for Hickman County.
  8. Acts of 1845-46, Chapter 62, Sections 4 and 6, changed the lines between Hickman County and Perry County by attaching to Perry County the territory described therein. An election was to be held for all qualified voters living within that territory to vote for or against being attached to Perry County.
  9. Acts of 1853-54, Chapter 92, altered the lines between Hickman County and Maury County so as to include the farm and residence of Phillip Hoover in Hickman County. He was to have all the rights and privileges as all other citizens of the county.
  10. Acts of 1855-56, Chapter 55, changed the boundaries between Hickman and Lewis counties so as to include the lands and dwelling of Jesse G. Thompson in Lewis County.
  11. Private Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 85, Section 24, placed the land and residence of William P. Kelly wholly within the fourteenth civil district of Hickman County.
  12. Private Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 129, Section 6, changed the line between Hickman County and Maury County so that the portion of land belonging to Phillip Hoover which was located in Maury County would thereafter be included in Hickman County.
  13. Private Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 100, Section 7, altered the county line so as to include those citizens residing on Russell’s Creek in Perry County.
  14. Private Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 135, Section 11, changed the county line between Hickman and Lewis counties so as to include the plantation belonging to Simeon Smith out of Hickman County over into Lewis County.
  15. Public Acts of 1866-67, Chapter 28, detached the lands of Clement C. Dyer from Hickman County and attached them to Perry County.
  16. Public Acts of 1867-68, Chapter 60, Section 7, realigned the boundaries between Hickman County and Perry County so that the properties of Amos S. Keltan would be entirely within Perry County.
  17. Public Acts of 1868-69, Chapter 31, restored all the lands taken from the counties of Maury, Hickman, Lawrence, Wayne, and Perry to form Lewis County back to the original county and repealed the act creating Lewis County and those conflicting with this act. Lewis County was later reconstituted.
  18. Public Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 30, reconstituted Lewis County and repealed the above act. Details for administrative and judicial procedures were included which reinstated all the Lewis County officials and courts as they formerly existed.
  19. Public Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 88, repealed Section 2 of the act which restored Lewis County to the counties from which it was taken, restoring the line between Perry County and Hickman County as it formerly existed, and the property and polls within the area would be listed for the year 1870 in Hickman County.
  20. Public Acts of 1871, Chapter 103, rearranged the boundary lines between Hickman County and Lewis County so that all the lands owned by Jesse M. Grinnell, near the mouth of Indian Creek in Lewis County, provided the legal and constitutional rights of Hickman County were not interfered with.
  21. Public Acts of 1883, Chapter 59, changed the boundary lines between Maury County and Hickman County so that a small portion of land belonging to R. C. Gordon, as particularly described in the act would be included wholly within Maury County.
  22. Public Acts of 1883, Chapter 87, moved the residences and lands of N. E. Andrews and Clay Andrews, which were located on Plunder's Creek, in the sixth civil district of Hickman County out of Hickman County and into Dickson County.
  23. Public Acts of 1889, Chapter 37, transferred the real properties belonging to A. W. Weatherly out of Hickman County and into Lewis County.
  24. Public Acts of 1889, Chapter 133, took the lands of James F. Buttrey, about 112 acres in all, out of Hickman County and placed them into Williamson County, the said lands being bounded on the east by the county line.
  25. Private Acts of 1901, Chapter 285, provided that the county surveyors of Hickman County and Perry County with one chain carrier from each county, none of whom were allowed to have any personal interest in this matter, or the officials connected with it, would meet within 90 days from the passage of this act and resurvey and mark the line between the counties extending north from where the same crosses Cane Creek to its northern terminus, beginning at the point where the line is known to cross Duck River, or at some other point well known north of the creek. The parties would be sworn and bonded before commencing this undertaking. If the two surveyors failed to agree they would choose a third surveyor and a majority of the three would determine the line. Proper reports and accurate maps must be made as the program progressed.
  26. Private Acts of 1901, Chapter 300, detached the lands belonging to Moses Tidwell and J.L. Brown from Hickman County and attached the same to Dickson County.
  27. Acts of 1903, Chapter 53, moved all the lands owned by Charles Cagle out of Perry County and into Hickman County.
  28. Private Acts of 1913, Chapter 152, changed the boundaries between Hickman County and Williamson County so that the residences and lands of Z. J. Sullivan and John A. Greer were removed from the fourth civil district of Hickman County and placed in the first civil district of Williamson County.