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DeArmond Family
           & DeArmond's Gap

 

From: Roots of Roane County, TN by Snyder E. Roberts, pg 155

Before discussing DeArmond genealogy, it may be in order to point out that the DeArmond family has at least three claims to fame in early Roane County history:

According to available documents, JOHN DEARMOND, JOHN HACKETT and JOSEPH O'HAVER were the first white men to set foot on the present site of Kingston in 1785

According to Capt. W. E. McElwee, JAMES DEARMOND was the hero in the Battle of Crab Orchard with the Indians in 1792

One of the most outstanding landmarks in Roane County is beautiful DeArmond’s Gap in Waldens Ridge, which was named for John and James DeArmond.

JOHN DEARMOND – FIRST ON KINGSTON SITE

In the March 1808 session of the Roane County Court, Attorney ROBERT WHYTE (later State Supreme Court Justice) represented JOHN HACKETT in a suit in which "John Hackett humbly showeth that he claimeth two tracts of land, one being in the point of the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers of 240 acres. The other adjoining the above tract upon Clinch River, including the Town of Kingston, containing 300 acres." In order to prove the boundaries of the above tracts, ROBERT WHYTE introduced an affidavit of JOHN DEARMOND as follows:

"John DeArmond after being sworn deposeth and sayeth that in the year of 1785, about the first of September, that he was present and saw John Hackett mark an ash tree above the mouth of a spring branch on the bank of Clinch River which was a corner tree of the two tracts of land claimed by the said John Hackett. This deponant farther sayeth that he was a chain carrier for the two tracts of land, and with JOSEPH O"HAVER who was also a chain carrier."

John Hackett’s claim was probably disallowed, or compromised, but the important point is, John DeArmond was on the Kingston site in 1785. (Shelby’s troops by-passed Kingston site in 1779).

DEARMOND’S GAP

The Indians recognized the strategic importance of DeArmond’s Gap. The Indian trace on the west side of the Tennessee River leading northeastward from the Chattanooga area passed through DeArmond’s Gap. Up Little Emery River, into the Cumberlands, and northward to Kentucky. The Indians built a town between the southern entrance to the Gap and Emery River one mile to the south. This was the Indian town burned by Col. Shelby’s troops in 1779. Gov. William Blount and John Sevier were familiar with DeArmond’s Gap and the alternate route of Emery road that passed through it, Early settlers used the gap for passage, as did most of the German-Swiss settlers on their way from Kingston to Wartburg in the 1846-48 period. DeArmond’s Gap was the route utilized by a narrow-gauge railway from present Oakdale to the Emery Iron Works at Old Oakdale (now Elverton).

More recently, the H&NE Railway used the Gap for its line from Harriman to Petros. The Southern RR presently passes in front of the Gap, and once had a station there called "DeArmond’s Crossing." Today, the 4-lane highway from Harriman has a clover-leaf interchange in front of the Gap with highway No 27 passing through the Gap northward to Wartburg, and highway No 61 passing eastward along the foot of Walden Ridge to Oliver Springs.

 

It was on this site in front of DeArmond’s Gap, overlooked by the colorful majestic mountains that Territorial Governor William Blount had hoped to build the Tennessee Territorial Capital (instead of Knoxville) on his 5000-acre grant, but the Indians would not cooperate with a favorable treaty.

JOHN DEARMOND GRANT

JOHN DEARMOND obtained a North Carolina warrant No. 516 dated April 28, 1780 on which he was issued grant No.635 dated April 2, 1787 for 200 acres in Greene County (now Roane) on the north fork of Emeries River (now Little Emory) bounded on the south by William Blount’s 5000-acre survey, for which DeArmond was to pay 50 shillings for each 100 acres. The tract was surveyed by JOHN HACKETT in 1787, and recorded by Hackett November 8, 1791; however, the deed was not registered in Roane County until 1816 (Book E, p 36). In the meantime, JOHN DEARMOND sold the 200-acre tract to his son, JAMES DEARMOND in 1809 (Book D, p 220).

JOHN and JAMES DEARMOND were signers of the 1801 petition to form Roane County. James probably settled on the tract after his service with the militia at Fort South West Point. JAMES DEARMOND and his son, JOHN, entered additional land to the north which was underlain with coal. In 1880, JOHN DEARMOND was paying taxes in Roane on valuable tracts of 556 acres and 111 acres. It was at his home the German-Swiss settlers stopped while on their way to Wartburg in Morgan County.

JAMES DEARMOND

James DeArmond was born July 3, 1771 in Mechlenburg County, NC; the son of John and Esther Flenniken DeArmond. James died March 1, 1831, and is buried in the DeArmond family cemetery near the old homeplace James married (1802 in Roane) SUSAN SHADDEN. (1786 VA—1869 Roane). James and Susan had the following children:

ESTHER DEARMOND (1803) m ROBERT S. BRASHEARS, son of Bazzel Brashears. Robert and Esther were among the founders of Bradley County, TN, and the city of Cleveland. He died in 1854, and she returned to Roane with her two children.

MARGARET DEARMOND (1804) died unmarried in January 1884

MARY DEARMOND (1804) twin to Margaret, died unmarried in June 1884.

ELIZABETH DEARMOND (1806) married (1836 in Roane) her second cousin, THOMAS F. DEARMOND of Louisiana

JOHN DEARMOND (see below)

WILEY DEARMOND (1810-1878)

GRIZZA DEARMOND (1812) m SAMUEL JACKSON DEARMOND (1816-1897), a second cousin from Louisiana. S. J. DeArmond owned and operated a large successful business in Kingston for many years. He is buried in Bethel Cemetery at Kingston.

MATILDA DEARMOND (1814) m (1842) JAMES G. DEARMOND, a second cousin from Louisiana.

ISABEL DEARMOND (1816)

DRUCILLA DEARMOND (1818-1851) m PAUL C. FROST (1823) who was the son of the famous East TN pioneer Baptist preacher, the Rev. JOSHUA FROST. Drucilla is buried in the Peoples Cemetery near Claxton School in Anderson County.

CALHOUN DEARMOND (1820) unmarried

MAHALA DEARMOND (1822) m (1866) WILLIAM B. NICHOLS

ELIZA JANE DEARMOND (1824) m (1854) OWEN W. FLUCKER of LA

JAMES DEARMOND (1826) died in infancy

SUSAN ANN DEARMOND (1829) m (1849) JAMES G. DEARMOND, widower of her sister, Matilda.

ANDREW JACKSON DEARMOND (1830)

JOHN DEARMOND

John DeArmond (1808-1896), the son of James, married (1860), CALEDONIA BOWERS, who was the daughter of a Methodist minister. She is entitled to a special line in history because her name tops the list for the longest full name in all records for Roane County. In the Roane 1850 census, her name is shown as "Veronica A.C.N.F.Z.M.C." Marilyn McCluen’s woman’s curiosity spurred her on to learn the full name, and this is what she learned: "VERONICA ADELONICA CALEDONIA NITROCRAOS FLOZAEDAR MANDOZIA CORINTHUS." The father may have been a Greek and Spanish scholar. John and Caledonia lived their lives at the old DeArmond home place and are buried in the family cemetery. There children were: