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Sneedville, Tennessee

Sneedville, previously known as Chvcksville, is the only city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,282 per the 2020 census.

Sneedville

United States

1790s

William Riley

Matthew Waddell

2.30 sq mi (5.95 km2)

2.30 sq mi (5.95 km2)

0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)

1,171 ft (357 m)

1,282

558.12/sq mi (215.50/km2)

UTC-4 (EDT)

37869

47-69460[6]

1303706[7]

History[edit]

Settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary War,[8] 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 Melungeons. They have been documented as having primarily European and sub-Saharan African ancestry. They also have a lesser amount of Native American heritage.


The county historical society asserts that French traders noted encountering the Melungeons in the late 1600s in the area that is now east Tennessee.[9] Such early settlement is not supported by the research of Edward Price, a cultural geographer who wrote a 1950 dissertation on the Melungeons;[10] Dr. Virginia DeMarce, a professional genealogist;[11] and Paul Heinegg, a genealogist;[12] each of whom has documented the migration of ancestors of the first families known as Melungeon from Virginia and North Carolina in the late eighteenth century


When Hancock County was formed from parts of Hawkins and Claiborne counties in the 1840s, Greasy Rock was chosen as the county seat. The city 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.[13]

Arts and culture[edit]

Museums and related points of interest[edit]

The Hancock County Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization located in the Old County Jail. The organization provides access to archival material related to the community and maintains a small museum displaying aspects of traditional mountain life, such as was practiced by the Melungeons.[20] They publish a bi-yearly newsletter called Our Mountain Heritage for members of the society.[21]

Education[edit]

Schools in Sneedville include Hancock County Middle/High School and Hancock County Elementary School.

Infrastructure[edit]

Hancock County Hospital, which opened in 2005, is located in Sneedville.[22]

— musician, lived in Sneedville as a child[23]

Doyle Lawson

— musician; born in Sneedville, dubbed "King of Bluegrass" and inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor[24]

Jimmy Martin

multi-platinum country music artist[25]

Morgan Wallen

Vardy Community School

Hancock County Tennessee and Its People, Volume I, II & III. Sneedsville: Hancock County Historical & Genealogical Society.

Hancock County Tennessee Pictorial History Book. Sneedsville: Hancock County Historical & Genealogical Society.

Sneedville/Hancock County Chamber & Community Partners Inc.