FRITTS FAMILY 

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

The pioneer Henry Fritts family came from NC and settled in Roane County about 20 miles up the meanders of Clinch River, or approximately 8 air miles from the town of Kingston. The original home site purchased was in an area of considerable historical significance, and their early neighboring families produced leaders in various fields of endeavor.

The deed of conveyance from THOMAS N. CLARK to Henry Fritts describes the land as being between Clinch River and Buttermilk Road on, or near, Paw Paw Creek. This creek flows (see map below) into Clinch River at a point below an island of approximately 30 acres which was owned at various times by MATTHEW NAIL, REUBIN WILLIAMS, JOHN JONES, JOHN B. WALLER and others. Later the island was covered by the backwaters of Watts Bar Lake.

The Buttermilk Road was either a segment of, or a road parallel to, the Great Stage Road from Campbell Station in Knox County to Kingston in Roane County. When high waters threatened at the confluence of the TN and Clinch Rivers, and at the confluence of the Emery and Clinch Rivers at Kingston, travelers would by-pass the flood problems by leaving Buttermilk Road and crossing the Clinch at Paw Paw Ford at a point below the large island. The travelers would proceed by, or near, the present site of the K-25 Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant to the old Emery Road as it passed through the historical Clack's Gap in Pine Ridge. From Clack's Gap, the travelers would pass on to either Little Emery River and through the DeArmond's Gap in Waldens Ridge on their way to KY, or to the Big Emery Gap in Waldens Ridge (at Harriman) and turn left to Crab Orchard on their way to Nashville. (See Map below)

PAW PAW PLAINS

Early neighboring families of the Fritts in the Paw Paw area included: WALLER, PICKEL, RAYBURN, MONTGOMERY, EBLEN, WILLIAMS, HAGGARD, CASNER, GRUBB, BURK, MATLOCK. The community grew and was known as Paw Paw Plains. Later the County maintained a public school bearing the name Paw Paw Plains. Paw Paw Ford was approximately four miles from Wheat on the Waller's Ferry Road leading to Lenoir City.

HENRY FRITTS FAMILY

The Fritts (Fritz) families are of Germanic ancestry. Greg Fritts, of Toledo, Ohio, has written a comprehensive 550-page book Fritts Family Heritage on the Fritts families of the US and includes the Roane County branches of the family. Henry Fritts (1770) mentioned above, who settled on Paw Paw Creek had the following children:

  1. John (1792-1993) mar (1819) Milly R. Montgomery
  2. Christiana (1794-99)
  3. George (abt 1796) mar first (1825) Ulsey Blevin, and 2nd (1839) Sarah Spoon
  4. Jacob (1800-1878) mar (1818) Sarah Sexton
  5. Peter (1801-1883) mar (1825) Parmelia J. Williams
  6. Phillip (1803-1864) mar (1830) Frances J. Williams
  7. David (1804-1865) mar (1829) Catherine Cook
  8. Catherine (1809)
  9. J. Henry (1813-aft. 1880) mar (1831) Mary Ann Williams
  10. Isaac (1816-1892) mar Fannie Fortner

Henry Fritts married secondly (1835) Patsey Liles and they had two sons:

  1. Jeremiah (1836-1909)
  2. Ransom (1839-1912) mar Nancy J. Powell
GEORGE WASHINGTON "WASH' FRITTS
son of J. Henry and Mary Ann Williams Fritts

George Washington "Wash" Fritts (1836-1906) married (1855) Martha Helen Bunn, and moved to Oliver Springs, and had a family of eight children:

  1. J. C. Robert (1856-1913) mar (1878) Bettie Vann (1854-1896)
  2. Rev. William Moore (1858-1931) mar (1875) Sarah C. Norton (1859-1928)
  3. John H. (1860-1939) mar (1885) America Mason (1869-1941)
  4. Mary A. (1867-1913) mar (1884) Horace M. Fritts (1857-1937)
  5. Henry E. (1869-1885) - killed by train at Oliver Springs
  6. James W. (1872-1915) mar (1893) Laura Peters
  7. Martin (1874-1916) mar Flora Richardson (1887-1960)
  8. Phillip J. (1878-1956) mar (1899) Harriet Beene (1881-1943)
"PREACHER BILL' FRITTS
son of Wash and Mary Ann Fritts

Reverend William Moore Fritts (1858-1931) married (1875) Sarah C. Norton. He was a very active Baptist preacher in the Oliver Springs area. He helped to establish the Beech Park Baptist Church and was pastor of numerous churches. He was the father of eight children.

James R.Fritts  m Rebecca Shelton, John W. Fritts m Martha Halburnt, Beulah Fritts m Henry Liles, Wm. Newton Fritts m Cora Bivins, Daisy  Fritts m George Ledford, Mae Fritts m Fate Jette, Anne Fritts m Virgil Cross, Ottis E.Fritts  m Herbert S. Hall

Carl Fritts has a home page at

http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/atl/c/d/cdfritts/genc.html

 

paw1.gif (27389 bytes)

Paw Paw Creek today --red lines.  Purple is Interstate

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