Samuel Wear

Early life

Samuel Wear was born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1753. He and his first wife, Mary Thompson, had four children.

Frontier life

During the War for Independence, Wear and his family settled in the Overmountain town of Henderson Springs, then in Washington County (and later Greene County). Wear fought with the Overmountain Men in the Battle of Kings Mountain in October 1780. During the area's estrangement from North Carolina, Wear's house was the headquarters for the local Sevier County militia, loyal to Franklin president, John Sevier.

Wear served as a state constitutional delegate and was the first county clerk of Sevier County under the State of Franklin, 1786–1787. Wear kept the county clerk position through the several local, regional, and federal governmental changes that followed, and still held the position when the area received statehood in 1796. In February 1788, Wear, fighting alongside Sevier against Tipton's forces, took part in the siege of Tipton's abode (at the so called "Battle of Franklin").

Indian relations

In 1782, Wear established a stockade, which was called "Wears Fort," at the entrance to a cove situated in present day Pigeon Forge, at the confluence of Walden Creek and the Little Pigeon River (what is now Pigeon Forge City Park). This is along the Cherokee footpath known as the "Indian Gap Trail," which passed through the valley en route to its junction with the Great Indian Warpath. Wear's fort was erected to protect the early settlers in that vicinity from Indian attacks; but its location along the trail made it a popular target for small bands of Cherokee warriors.

In 1786, Wear was one of the emissaries to the Cherokee who negotiated the Treaty of Coyatee, re-affirming the 1785 Treaty of Dumplin (which Dragging Canoe's Chickamauga faction had refused to recognize). The new treaty extended the area for white settlement almost as far south as the Little Tennessee River, along which the main "Overhill Cherokee" towns were located. After the conclusion of hostilities with Great Britain, however, continuing encroachment into lands the Cherokee believed to be theirs—by treaty with the Federal government—caused escalating violence in the area, especially south of the French Broad River.

Wear's Fort was attacked by Chickamauga in 1793. At the time, he was commander of the Sevier County militia, then operating under the Territory South of the River Ohio's territorial-governor, William Blount. Wear led a punitive march against the village of Tallassee shortly thereafter. The expedition killed at least fifteen Cherokee, and captured four females. In 1794, several Cherokee fired on Wear and his two sons just outside Calvins Blockhouse (near Maryville), although the Wears escaped unharmed.

Constitutional delegate

In 1795, as a constitutional convention delegate appointed by Sevier, Wear and four others met at Wears Fort and drafted the constitution presented to convention delegates in the establishment of the State of Tennessee. Thomas Jefferson stated that of all the constitutions written and adopted by new frontier states, the Tennessee Constitution was the "best written and most in line with the spirit of the United States Constitution."

War of 1812

Wear commanded the 1st Regiment, East Tennessee Volunteer Militia, from September thru December, 1813, under General James White. The volunteer corp, which was stationed at the new Fort Strother in the Mississippi Territory, fought in the frontier extension of the War of 1812 (known as the "Creek War"), but was disbanded and sent home after the Hillabee Massacre.

Later life and death

Wear died April 3, 1817 in Sevierville, Tennessee. He is buried in the Ft. Wear cemetery, Henderson Springs, Tennessee. A monument dedicated to Wear reads: "Pioneer, Soldier of four Wars; Colonial, Revolution, Indian,1812; One of the Heroes of Kings Mountain, and a Founder of the State of Franklin. This monument is erected by his decendents." [sic]

Legacy

Wears Valley is named for Wear. Although the original name of the valley was "Crowson Cove," after its first settler, Aaron Crowson, the valley was using its current name by 1900. The reason for the 19th-century name change is uncertain.