Leota Bennett grew up in Roane County, and has researched her lines for many years. She has kindly made several contributions to this web site to share with visitors. If you find any clerical errors, please contact Pat McDonald. If you find connections to the families shown here, please contact Leota. It would be appreciated if you would not submit her notes to other sites without her permission.
Roane County’s Hembree Families
The Hembree Name and Migration Pattern
Prepared by Leota Bennett E-Mail: rabit@preferred.com
February 25, 2003
My grandmother was Flora Oda Hembree. She lived in Roane County, TN. She was born on the Hembree family farm at Wheat, TN. After she married she lived at Kingston, TN. She and her sisters often told how our family came from Ireland. As they began to move around in the new country, it was easy to mistake others by the same name as a possible family member. About the end of the Revolutionary War, the brothers decided that they would at an “H” to the front of their name. That way as they went their separate ways, their families would always know when they met a Hembree they were related. So if a Hembree ever met another person by the name of Hembree anywhere, they would know they were related to each other. My grandmother’s family lore is provable using assorted records. My grandmother and her sisters referred to some of their ancestors as being French Huguenots. A French Huguenot connection has not been proven.
The name Hembree is an American name variation. The original surname appears to be from England or Ireland. The spelling changed in the late 1700’s. There are several variations of the name prior to 1800 in early American records where the name is often found as Emory, Emry, Emery, Embree, Embry, Embrey, etc. By 1820 the name had settled down to Hembree with only a few of the other variations. By the 1840’s the name was usually found as Hembree. This supports my grandmother’s family lore of how the name came to be Hembree.
The family came to American from Ireland or England. They may have gone by way of Barbados then to Virginia, and the Carolinas. Settling by 1750 to 1770 in western North Carolina and western South Carolina. They are found on the 1790 census records in several places in South Carolina including Spartanburg, Old District Ninety-Six (Old Historic District 96), Abbeville District, etc. The name by this time sometimes had the prefixed “H” and others do not. By the 1800 census more names are found using the “H”. It is possible that in daily use the “H” was used while public records were gradually being changed. As the families migrated westward the name is found at Hembree.
The Two Primary Hembree Family Farms
Two Hembree family groups remained in Roane County when the other Hembree families migrated to other places. They lived on two Hembree Homesteads in Roane County, TN where family members lived for many years.
The first homestead farm is the farm near Cardiff, Roane County, TN. This is the farm where Joel Hembree and his wife Hannah Petite Hembree settled. Col. Joel Hembree was born 1793 in South Carolina. He moved to the Cardiff farm at Roane County, TN with his father Joel Hembree. Hembree Cemetery #1 is listed for the farm near Cardiff. This is where Col. Joel Hembree is buried. See cemetery web site below.
On a Tennessee road map of Roane County, find where Interstate 40 crosses US 27 between Rockwood and Harriman. There is a railroad north of and running parallel to US 27. Going toward Rockwood from Interstate 40, the Hembree family farm is about one-third of the distance. It is located on the north or left side of the highway just across the railroad tract. One of the Hembree Cemeteries is located there. Col. Joel Hembree and his family are in this cemetery. It is on private property in a large field within a fence. The Joel Hembree, father of Col. Joel Hembree, maybe buried at the cemetery in an unmarked grave. The farm there was excellent for growing crops and other farming needs. Roane County records show that slaves were found at this farm. Col. Joel had a stud license from the county courts. This farm is still a beautiful countryside.
The second Hembree homestead farm is located near the Clinch River in the old Bald Hill or Wheat Community in northeast Roane County near Historic Selkirk. Joseph “Joel” Hembree born 1775/1779 in North Carolina received a grant for 50 acres for militia service. He was married in 1809 at his father’s home in Spartanburg, SC. He was in Roane County with the land grant by 1810 or so. The service record says he was assigned to the frontier. Since Roane County at the time of his service was the frontier. He may have been in service at one of the area forts or elsewhere in the area. The land he chose was excellent for farming, well drained and crops easy to grow. Eventually his descendants owned 1100 acres in that area. He married in SC a Sarah Elizabeth Melton who lived to be over 100 years old. After the death of John C. Hembree in 1911, the family sold part of the land. Part of the farm remained in the family until the U.S. Government purchased the land during World War II. This farm is now part of the Manhattan Project K-25 plant reservation. Access to the family cemetery on this homestead is limited. It is now AEC Cemetery #10. Permission must be obtained to visit any of the numerous cemeteries on the Oak Ridge AEC Reservation. The security of the Manhattan project was very strict, and now because of radioactivity and our national security. It is near Historic Selkirk.
On the web site USGS TN Roane County Cemeteries located at:
http://www.cem-maps.com/usgstnroane.htm
Click on the yellow area for Oak Ridge near a bend in the Clinch River where the words Jaynes or Hensley are located. A more detailed section of the map will be shown. Selkirk (Hist.) can be seen on the middle right hand side. Just above that you will see "Unnamed # 9". This is the Hembree Cemetery now AEC Cemetery #10 on part of Joseph “Joel” Hembree’s original land grant farm. His son, Eli Hembree, is buried at New Zion just above the family farm, and Eli's son, John C. Hembree is buried at the George Jones Memorial Cemetery at the upper center of the page near State Route 58. Many of the Hembree family members are buried at these three locations.
These two farms are about 15 to 20 miles apart. At one time there were other Hembree’s living in Roane County. A third farm where another of the Hembree's lived it was near the Tennessee River near where Roane, Loudon, Rhea and Meigs Counties come together. There is a Blue Springs Cemetery found on the map in that area. There may also be a small cemetery with Hembree graves in that area.
Continue to the descendants of Joel Hembree: