Dark gray background with foreground text that says Private Acts Compilations


Boundaries - Historical Notes

Tennessee Code Annotated
Tennessee Attorney General Opinions

The following is a summary of acts which authorized boundary changes for White County.

  1. Acts of 1809, Chapter 11, authorized William Phillips, now of Overton County, to employ some surveyor to run a line beginning at a point in the present dividing line of the two counties which point shall be east of the said Phillips land, ten poles, thence north ten poles to a point, thence west 40 poles to a point, thence south to the present dividing line between the two counties, so as to include the present farm and dwelling belonging to Phillips in White County.
  2. Acts of 1809, Chapter 41, appointed Turner Lane, of White County, and John A. Wilson, of Warren County, to run and mark the line between the said counties from the mouth of the Rocky River to the top of the Cumberland Mountain taking care to mark the same as near along the middle of the dividing ridge between the Rocky River and the Caney Fork River as possible. They may hire a suitable person to mark the line and each Commissioner named above shall have $2 per day for each day worked.
  3. Acts of 1819, Chapter 63, described a new dividing line between Jackson and White Counties beginning where the old line crossed the Cumberland Road and running as the line was described in the Act. All officers, civil and military, residing in the area added to Jackson County will continue in their respective offices and capacities. All judgments rendered but unsatisfied would continue in full force and effect. John Murry would be responsible for running and marking the said line.
  4. Acts of 1825, Chapter 281, made it the duty of the Surveyor of Jackson County to run and mark the line, described below, and to complete the same by January 20, next, beginning at three white oaks and 2 red oaks on the east bank of Hutchen's Creek, one of the corners on the line running west, fourteen miles and 160 poles to the southwest corner of Jackson County, which line, when run and marked, shall be the official dividing line between the two counties. Jackson County must pay the Surveyor a reasonable price for his services.
  5. Acts of 1826, Chapter 153, stated that the Quarterly Court at its first session in January next would appoint some suitable person to run the line between White and Bledsoe Counties beginning at the ford of Oby's River on the old Cumberland Road, running thence in a direct line to George Dawson's at the Cross Roads on the road leading from Sparta to Crab Orchard, including Dawson's house in Bledsoe County, thence a direct line to a point two miles northwest of Phillip Hoodenpyle's old place on the road between Sparta and Pikeville; thence a direct line to the ford of Brush Creek where Madison Road crosses so as to include Archibald Board's old place in Bledsoe County. The two counties would share the cost.
  6. Acts of 1829, Chapter 257, made it the duty of the Surveyor of Jackson County to run and mark the line beginning at the southeast corner of Smith County and running thence a direct line to the place where the Jackson County line, as run by William W. Woodfork, crosses Cane Creek, which line, when so run, shall be the dividing line between Jackson and White Counties. All entries made prior to the running of this line, as it is described herein, shall be as valid as if they had been made after the running of the line.
  7. Acts of 1833, Chapter 301, required the Surveyor of Jackson County to run and mark the line beginning at the southeast corner of Smith County and running thence a direct line to the place where the Jackson County line, as run by William W. Woodfolk crosses Cane Creek and, when this line is so run, it shall be the official line dividing the two counties. All land entries which may have been made in either county and which, by the establishment of this line may be in another county shall be as valid and binding as if located in that county from the beginning.
  8. Acts of 1837-38, Chapter 199, changed the dividing line between White and Dekalb Counties, running north from the four mile tree, on Dibrell's Road, so as to run with the line of the 8th District to the Jackson County line, leaving all the citizens residing in the 8th District in White County.
  9. Acts of 1853-54, Chapter 181, moved all the lands and possessions of Charles Denney out of Dekalb County and into White County. This Act was repealed by Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 211.
  10. Acts of 1855-56, Chapter 173, changed the line between White and Putnam Counties so that the line runs from J. B. Lowry's Mill on the Falling Water southward to Cole's Branch, leaving the said Lowry house in which he now lives in White County where he must pay all present and future taxes. Another Section of the same Act changed a portion of the line with Putnam County to run northwest from Emory Pennington's to strike the northeast corner of John H. Robison's farm; thence with Robison's line to the old line, so that all the lands of Gideon Brown would be located in White County.
  11. Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 47, detached the residence and lands belonging to William S. Mitchell from Van Buren County and attached them to White County.
  12. Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 100, provided that all the lands belonging to James M. Anderson be attached to White County but doesn't say from whence they came.
  13. Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 135, changed the lines between Putnam County and White County so as to place the home and the farm of Dudley Hunter wholly into White County. This Act was repealed by Acts of 1871, Chapter 74.
  14. Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 211, repealed Acts of 1853-1854, Chapter 181, which placed the lands of Charles Denney in White County. Section 5, same Act, transferred the property of Thomas C. Welch from White County to Cumberland County.
  15. Acts of 1867-68, Chapter 12, moved the lands and residences of Lafayette Jones and Andrew J. Jones out of Dekalb County and into White County.
  16. Acts of 1868-69, Chapter 5, repealed the second section of an Act passed December 2, 1967 which changed the line between White and Dekalb Counties except for the lands of Hiram Morris, George W. Darting, and A. P. Midenix. The only Act between Dekalb and White in 1867 is shown above which did not contain those names.
  17. Acts of 1868-69, Chapter 36, transferred the properties of Edward Blankenship out of White County and into Van Buren County.
  18. Acts of 1868-69, Chapter 43, moved the home and farm belonging to David Worley out of Dekalb County and into White County.
  19. Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 48, changed the lines between White and Dekalb Counties so as to include the properties of George W. Hutchings and John Edwards wholly in White County.
  20. Acts of 1870-71, Chapter 104, transferred the lands and residence of Asa Frazier out of Van Buren County and wholly into White County.
  21. Acts of 1871, Chapter 74, repealed Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 135 in its entirety and restored the line between White and Putnam County at that point to its original status, as if that Act had never been passed.
  22. Acts of 1879, Chapter 137, changed the line between White an VanBuren Counties so that the farm and home of A. J. McElroy were included wholly in Van Buren County.
  23. Acts of 1881, Chapter 165, moved all the property belonging to Herd Cope out of White County and into Dekalb County.
  24. Acts of 1883, Chapter 45, detached the residence and farm belonging to John Parks from Cumberland County and attached them to White County.
  25. Acts of 1885, Chapter 136, altered the lines between White and Van Buren Counties so as to include wholly within Van Buren County the old Lem Mitchell place and the lands of William Mooneyham, William Lawson, and the Widow Sparkman place on the Fork Mountain.
  26. Acts of 1887, Chapter 193, transferred the home and land of John Eldridge out of Dekalb County and into White County.
  27. Acts of 1887, Chapter 203, changed the line between White and Putnam Counties to commence on a bluff a few rods east of the mouth of Pigeon Roost Creek and to run east up the Falling Water River to where the said county line crosses the Falling Water River, making the bed of the river the dividing line.
  28. Acts of 1889, Chapter 113, changed the lines between Putnam and White Counties so that all the properties belonging to Silas Howell and William Howell were included wholly within White County.
  29. Acts of 1889, Chapter 264, moved the lands belonging to F. Rigsby and William Stratten out of White County and into Dekalb County.
  30. Acts of 1897, Chapter 306, changed the boundary lines between White County and Putnam County so that the land of D. S. Officer, as it was described by metes and bounds in the Act, became wholly a part of White County.
  31. Acts of 1897, Chapter 318, shifted the boundary lines between White and Warren Counties so as to include wholly within one of those Counties (the Act doesn't say which one) the Balif Mill tract of land which now belongs to Smallman and Swan. 32. Acts of 1899, Chapter 84, cleared up the discrepancy mentioned above by moving all of the Baloff Mill Tract of land out of White County and into Warren County.
  32. Acts of 1899, Chapter 226, detached a portion of the lands belonging to H. Little which was situated in Cumberland County and attached it to White County so that the entire tract would be located in White County.
  33. Acts of 1899, Chapter 366, relocated that part of the lands of H. C. Snodgrass, which was formerly a part of Cumberland County, into White County so that the whole parcel was situated now in White County.
  34. Acts of 1909, Chapter 62, moved the lands of W. L. Goldston and Peter Sparkman out of Van Buren County and into White County.
  35. Private Acts of 1911, Chapter 579, changed the line between White County and Warren County so that the line shall follow the center of the Caney Fork River at low water mark from the point in said river just below the mouth of the Rocky River where the two lines now intersect to the point in said river just above the N. C. & St. L. Railroad bridge where the two lines again intersect.
  36. Private Acts of 1915, Chapter 656, recited in the preamble that a dispute had arisen between White County and Putnam County as to the location of the boundary line dividing them at certain places, and, litigation has been threatened in order to determine the same, this Act fixes the lines of land, now the property of Ed Nowlin and Jack Duncan, the lands known as the Simp Saylor's Falls, or Lowery tract, now the property of Alonzo Burgess, and the lands of Silas Howell and William Howell, shall all be included within the territory of White County. This act declared unconstitutional in Putnam County v. White County, 140 Tenn. 19, 203 SW 336 (1918).
  37. Private Acts of 1925, Chapter 698, rearranged the boundary lines between White County and Putnam County so that the farm of Alonzo Burgess, which was conveyed to Cookeville, Tennessee as a site for a hydro-electric plant and is now being used for that purpose, consisting of some 90 acres, becomes a part of Putnam County, and the line of the Falling Water River moving eastwardly from the said farm with the south bank of the high mark of Falling Water River to the east end of the John Jones farm, being about 150 acres in all, designates the other acreage moved.
  38. Private Acts of 1927, Chapter 82, detached the lands of F. C. Henderson, bounded on the north by Keathly, on the east by Thurman, on the south by Hutchings, and on the west by Hutchings, from Dekalb County and attached the same to White County.
  39. Private Acts of 1927, Chapter 147, is an exact duplicate of Chapter 82, above.
  40. Private Acts of 1933, Chapter 562, moved the land owned by Fate Weaver, which is now located in the Fourth Civil District of Putnam County, out of that County and into the Eleventh Civil District of White County. This Act was repealed by the one below.
  41. Private Acts of 1941, Chapter 62, repealed Private Acts of 1933, Chapter 562, above.