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Law Enforcment - Historical Notes

Tennessee Code Annotated
Tennessee Attorney General Opinions

Militia

Those acts once affecting Williamson County, which related to the militia and to other
law enforcement agencies other than the sheriff, are mentioned below in chronological order.

  1. Acts of 1803, Chapter 1, was a new military code for the State which recited that the
    Militia of the several counties would be composed of free men and indentured servants between
    the ages of 18 and 45 with some exemptions being expressly made. Williamson County's militia
    was designated as the 21st Regiment whose annual muster and drill would take place at the Court
    House in Franklin on the second Thursday in October.
  2. Acts of 1811, Chapter 93, was a major amendment to the Militia Law of the State
    primarily concerned with administrative procedures. The Counties of Davidson, Williamson,
    and Rutherford would constitute the new 9th Brigade for which a Brigadier General would be
    elected by the commissioned officers. Williamson now had a second Regiment numbered the
    44th Regiment which would hold its annual muster and drill on the third Thursday in September.
  3. Acts of 1815, Chapter 119, was an entirely new and revised Militia Law of the State. The
    Williamson County Regiments were designated the 21st and the 44th and made a part of the
    Ninth Brigade of the Second Division. The remainder of this act, over fifty pages, covers all
    phases of the organization and operations of military units composing the State Militia ranging
    from official uniforms to courts martial.
  4. Acts of 1819, Chapter 68, was the next revision of the Militia Law. The units in
    Williamson County were the 21st and 44th Regiments, which joined the units in Davidson
    County and Rutherford County to form the Ninth Brigade of the Second Division. The 21st
    Regiment would muster on the fourth Thursday in September each year and the 44th Regiment
    would meet for drills and inspection on the first Thursday in October each year.
  5. Acts of 1825, Chapter 69, amended the Militia Law so as to affect several of the counties
    but the status of Williamson County's 21st and 44th Regiments remained as it was with no
    change.
  6. Acts of 1825, Chapter 87, repealed Section 56, Acts of 1815, Chapter 119, which had
    been revived as it applied to Williamson County by Acts of 1824, Chapter 154, of the Militia
    Law which related to the camp drills as the same had application to Williamson County.
  7. Acts of 1826, Chapter 18, Page 22, Section 28, set up the county drills for the Ninth
    Brigade. Williamson County's units would meet for drills on the Thursday and Friday following
    the first Monday and Tuesday in September.
  8. Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 21, made up an entirely new Militia Law for the state. The
    Militia would be composed of white male inhabitants between the ages of 18 and 45. The state
    was separated into regiments and lower units of organization. Williamson County now had the
    81st, 82nd, 83rd, and 84th Regiments whose musters were scheduled according to the Regiment
    numbers. Rutherford County and Williamson County now constituted the 13th Brigade of the
    3rd Division.
  9. Acts of 1837-38, Chapter 157, Page 223, provided for the militia to hold a county drill in
    every county in the state, annually in September. Williamson County's drills were to take place
    on the second Friday and Saturday in September every year. A regimental muster was required
    annually in October for each regiment.
  10. Acts of 1839-40, Chapter 56, Page 91, reorganized the county units of the State Militia,
    composed of white males between the ages of 18 and 45. No changes were wrought which
    affected Williamson County directly. Some Brigade musters were stipulated.
  11. Acts of 1861 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 1, enacted just prior to Tennessee's secession from the
    Union and started the transition from peace to a war time status, exhibiting considerable
    tightening in most of the regulations. The 13th Brigade was made up of Rutherford and
    Williamson County units.

Law Enforcement - Offenses

The acts briefly summarized below fell into this category in Williamson County.

  1. Private Acts of 1973, Chapter 46, would have repealed Private Acts of 1951, Chapter 527,
    but it was not acted upon by local authorities.
  2. Private Acts of 1951, Chapter 527, was superseded by a general law of local application,
    Public Acts of 1985, Chapter 293, which amended T.C.A. §§ 68-22-105 and 68-22-116
    regarding fireworks in Williamson County.

Sheriff 

The following acts have no current effect but are included here for reference purposes
since they once applied to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.

  1. Acts of 1809, Chapter 18, appointed David M. Ewinn, James Hicks, Ewen Cameron,
    George Hulme, and Richard Steel, as commissioners, to supervise the construction of a jail in
    Franklin in Williamson County, and whose duty it would be to let a contract to the lowest
    responsible bidder after having advertised according to the law. The County Court must levy a
    tax, not to exceed the State tax, to produce the funds to pay for the jail.
  2. Acts of 1829, Chapter 54, authorized the securities of George Hulme, the late Sheriff in
    Williamson County, to collect in the same manner as other taxes are collected, any taxes which
    may be due and uncollected for and during the time said Hulme was Sheriff.
  3. Acts of 1833, Chapter 198, provided that the Judge of the Williamson County Circuit
    Court would make an order for the costs of the jailor to be taxed in the case of the State versus
    James Short, which costs have accrued to November 1, 1833. The costs would have to be paid in
    the same manner as if Short had been tried and acquitted.
  4. Private Acts of 1935, Chapter 661, amended Section 10726, William's Code of Tennessee,
    as it applied to Williamson County by creating a new population class, called 3A, and by
    assigning Williamson County to the new classification which further provided that the Sheriff of
    the counties in that group would be paid $2,500 annually.
  5. Private Acts of 1945, Chapter 328, was the authority for the County Court of Williamson
    County to appropriate up to $1,200 each year out of the regular funds of the county treasury for
    the traveling, and other expenses of the Sheriff of the county.
  6. Private Acts of 1947, Chapter 643, stated that in Williamson County the Sheriff would be
    paid the sum of $4 per day for each day he opens and attends the General Sessions Court, but
    these payments cannot exceed the sum of $600 each year. The County