Sneedville
| Sneedville, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Main Street (TN-33) in Sneedville
|
|
 Location of Sneedville in Hancock County, Tennessee. |
|
| Coordinates: 36°31′55″N 83°12′51″W / 36.53194°N 83.21417°WCoordinates: 36°31′55″N 83°12′51″W / 36.53194°N 83.21417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Hancock |
| Settled | 1790s |
| Incorporated | 1850 |
| Named for | William Henry Sneed |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
| • Land | 2.3 sq mi (5.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,171 ft (357 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,387 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 1,347 |
| • Density | 600/sq mi (240/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 37869 |
| Area code(s) | 423 |
| FIPS code | 47-69460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1303706 |
Sneedville is a town in Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,387 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hancock County, located in the mountainous northeastern section of the state.
European-American settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary War, as migrants moved into the area from the Piedmont frontiers of Virginia and North Carolina. Such migrants had formed families in colonial Virginia. Among them was a multi-racial group of settlers who became known as Melungeon. They have been documented as having primarily European and sub-Saharan African ancestry, with a lesser amount of Native American heritage.
The county historical society asserts that French traders noted encountering the Melungeons in the late 1600s in the area that is now east Tennessee. Such early settlement is not supported by the research of Edward Price, a cultural geographer who wrote a 1950 dissertation on the Melungeons; Dr. Virginia DeMarce, a professional genealogist; and Paul Heinegg, a genealogist, each of whom has documented the migration of ancestors of the first families known as Melungeon from Virginia and North Carolina in the late eighteenth century.
Sneedville was originally known as "Greasy Rock." When Hancock County was formed from parts of Hawkins and Claiborne counties in the 1840s, Greasy Rock was chosen as the county seat. The town was renamed in honor of William Henry Sneed (1812–1869), an attorney from Knoxville who helped defend the new county when several residents sued in an attempt to block its creation.
Sneedville is located at 36°31′55″N 83°12′51″W / 36.53194°N 83.21417°W (36.532062, -83.214140).
...
Wikipedia