Boundaries - Historical Notes

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

1. Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 47, moved the residence and farm of Dr. W. B. Wright out of Bradley County and into Polk County.
2. Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 135, changed the boundaries between Bradley County and Polk County so that the lands of James B. Cook, William J. Dowell, R. S. Warren, J. Y. Davidson, W. S. Norris, John Cate, F. M. Cate, Matthew McNabb, W. Breedwell, and William Singleton were all wholly included within the boundaries of Polk County.
3. Acts of 1866-67, Chapter 10, changed the lines between Bradley County and Polk County by extending it in a southern direction along the second range east of the basis line of the Ocoee District one-half mile further than it now runs so as to include wholly within Polk County the lands of Alexander Cavitt and J. D. A. Davidson.
4. Acts of 1866-67, Chapter 76, rearranged the boundary lines between Bradley County and Meigs County so as to include the farm belonging to W. Beard and S. Beard, formerly known as the Alexander Roger's farm, in the Ninth Civil District of Bradley County, and the First Civil District of Meigs County, wholly within the confines of Bradley County.
5. Acts of 1871, Chapter 66, created James County out of fractions of territory taken from Bradley County and Hamilton County as the same was legally described in the act.  The act appointed Nathan Hinche and George Wells of Bradley County, and eight other people from Hamilton County who would serve as Commissioners to organize James County.  An election would be conducted by the Commissioners in the affected portion of each county to ascertain the will of the people on whether they wanted to be a new county or remain as they were.  This act was expressly repealed by the Acts of 1890, Chapter 18.
6. Private Acts of 1890, Chapter 18, abolished James County and dissolved its area returning the land to Bradley County and Hamilton County from which it was taken.  Arrangements were made to return the records and to pay the debts of the dissolved county, and the 1871 Act, above, was expressly repealed. (For some reason, however, James County continued in existence until a later date despite the language of this Act.)
7. Private Acts of 1895, Chapter 191, changed the lines between Bradley and James Counties so that the lands belonging to M. V. Landau, W. B. Tallant, Robert Tallant, William Gresham, W. B. Smith, W. A. Guille, and the Hinch heirs were all detached from Bradley County, as they were described in the Act, and attached the same to James County.
8. Private Acts of 1907, Chapter 380, amended Private Acts of 1895, Chapter 191, so as to strike the name "Nathan Hirch" farm and insert the phrase the "Old Price Farm".
9. Private Acts of 1919, Chapter 607, amended Private Acts of  1870-71, Chapter 66, so as to detach from James County and attach to Bradley County all territory lying east of the west brow of the west range of the White Oak Mountains.
10. Private Acts of 1919, Chapter 695, abolished James County, dissolving its government and returning the land to Bradley and Hamilton County from which it came, and repealing Acts of 1871, Chapter 66, which created the County of James.
11. Private Acts of 1931, Chapter 812, detached the lands belonging to T. A. Marler, A A. Marler, John Russ, and a part of the Callie Hunter farm from the First Civil District of Meigs County and attached the same to the Second Civil District of Bradley County, consisting of approximately 300 acres.