Sneedville, Tennessee

Sneedville is a town in and the county seat of Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,387 at the 2010 census.

Sneedville, Tennessee
Town
Main Street (TN-33) in Sneedville
Location of Sneedville in Hancock County, Tennessee.
Coordinates: 36°31′55″N 83°12′51″W
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountyHancock
Settled1790s
Incorporated1850[1]
Named forWilliam Henry Sneed
Government
 • TypeMayor-aldermen
 • MayorWilliam Riley
 • Vice MayorMatthew Waddell
Area
 • Total2.30 sq mi (5.95 km2)
 • Land2.30 sq mi (5.95 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
1,171 ft (357 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total1,387
 • Estimate 
(2019)[4]
1,349
 • Density587.29/sq mi (226.77/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
37869
Area code(s)423
FIPS code47-69460[5]
GNIS feature ID1303706[6]
Websitewww.hancockcountytn.com/Sneedville-City-Government.php

History

European-American settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary War,[7] 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 Melungeon. They have been documented as having primarily European, Portuguese 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.[8] Such early settlement is not supported by the research of Edward Price, a cultural geographer who wrote a 1950 dissertation on the Melungeons;[9] Dr. Virginia DeMarce, a professional genealogist;[10] and Paul Heinegg, a genealogist;[11] 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 town 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.[12]

Geography

Sneedville is located at 36°31′55″N 83°12′51″W (36.532062, -83.214140).[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), all land. The Clinch River passes within the city limits.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1870177—
1880157−11.3%
1890156−0.6%
1960799—
19708749.4%
19801,11027.0%
19901,44630.3%
20001,257−13.1%
20101,38710.3%
Est. 20191,349[4]−2.7%
Sources:[14][15]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,387 people living in the town. 97.4% were White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian and 1.7% of two or more races. 0.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,257 people, 527 households, and 310 families living in the town. The population density was 551.0 people per square mile (212.9/km2). There were 593 housing units at an average density of 259.9 per square mile (100.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.64% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.72% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population. Melungeons, a so-called "tri-racial isolate", are also present in this area, especially in the Vardy Valley, on the other side of Newman's Ridge.

Sneedville, viewed from Newmans Ridge

There were 527 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $13,281, and the median income for a family was $20,208. Males had a median income of $20,500 versus $15,461 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,173. About 32.9% of families and 36.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.9% of those under age 18 and 28.4% of those age 65 or over.

In 2010, Sneedville had the 10th-lowest median household income of all places in the United States with a population over 1,000.[16]

Arts and culture

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. They publish a bi-yearly newsletter called Our Mountain Heritage for members of the society.[17] Melungeons have a long history in Sneedville. One notable family, the Germans (anglicized Geronímane), emigrated from Guatemala to the Tennessee Valley area in 1831, and in 1849 Charles German constructed Sneedville's first professional business for farming and animal feeds, predating incorporation of Sneedville by one year.[18]

Education

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

Infrastructure

Hancock County Hospital, which opened in 2005, is located in Sneedville.[19]

Notable people
  • Doyle Lawson, a musician, lived in Sneedville as a child.[20]
  • Jimmy Martin, a musician, was born in Sneedville. He was dubbed "King of Bluegrass" and inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.[21]
  • Morgan Wallen, country music artist.

Crime

Sneedville and Hancock County have garnered a reputation for being a hotspot for drug trafficking, production, and distribution, with methamphetamine, oxycodone, and opioids causing a significant impact in the community.[22][23][24]

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See also

Further reading
  • 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.

References
  1. Tennessee Blue Book, 2005-2006, pp. 618-625.
  2. University of Tennessee, Municipal Technical Advisory Service. "Sneedville". Municipal Technical Advisory Service. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  3. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. Will Thomas Hale and Dixon L. Merritt, A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans, Vol. 3 (Lewis Publishing Co., 1913), p. 794.
  8. "Historical Hancock County". Home. Hancock County Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society. 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  9. Price, Edward T. (1953). "A Geographic Analysis of White-Negro-Indian Racial Mixtures in Eastern United States", Annals of the Association of American Geographers 43 (June 1953): 138–155, accessed 18 February 2013
  10. DeMarce, Virginia E. (1992). "'Verry Slitly Mixt': Tri-Racial Isolate Families of the Upper South – A Genealogical Study" Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, National Genealogical Society Quarterly 80 (March 1992): 5–35, scanned online, Historical-Melungeons, accessed 18 February 2013
  11. Paul Heinegg, Free African Americans in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware and Maryland, 1999–2005
  12. William G. Cook, "Hancock County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 18 February 2013.
  13. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  14. "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  15. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  16. "US Census". Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  17. "Hancock County Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society". Home. Hancock County Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society. 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  18. Kennedy, N. Brent. "Hancock County, Home of the Melungeons". Hancock County Tennessee Historical & Genealogical Society. N/A. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  19. "Hancock County Hospital". Hancock County Hospital. Wellmont Health System. 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  20. "Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver". Artists. Decca Records. 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  21. "Jimmy Martin". Bluegrass Masters. International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  22. Moore, Robert (January 13, 2019). "Hancock sheriff announces drug bust". The Citizen Tribune. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  23. Campbell, Tommy (July 29, 2019). "TAKING BACK HANCOCK COUNTY: Sheriff Brewer announces major drug indictments". The Rogersville Review. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  24. U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Tennessee (October 22, 2013). "Sneedville Resident Johnny Wayne Neeley Convicted For Oxycodone Trafficking Offenses". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
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