Sneedville, Tennessee
| Sneedville, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Main Street (TN-33) in Sneedville
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 Location of Sneedville, Tennessee |
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| 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 |
| • 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.
European-American settlement began in the 1790s, 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, with a lesser amount of Native American ancestry.
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 work 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, who have 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).
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