Thomas Kilgore
Thomas Kilgore | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1715 |
| Died | 1823 (aged 108) |
| Spouse | Lydia Yates |
| Parent | Robert Kilgore |
Thomas Kilgore (1715 – 1823) was a European settler and an American Revolutionary War veteran. Kilgore was the founder of Cross Plains, Tennessee, and the first European settler in Robertson County, Tennessee, arriving in the area in 1778.
Thomas Kilgore was born in 1715 in present-day Virginia. Kilgore served in the American Revolutionary War, and many have said that he fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain. However historians have disputed this claim, saying that Kilgore served as the Quartermaster for the Commission surveying the District for North Carolina Revolutionary War soliders.[1]
The Legislature of North Carolina passed a preemtion law in the 1770s, granting 640 acres of land in western North Carolina to people 21 years old or older who settled on the land.[2] This preemption law motivated Kilgore to claim land, and in 1778, he began his journey west with some ammunition, salt, and a few grains of corn.[3] Kilgore used the sun and North Star as his guide, and eventually reached Bledsoe's Lick. After resting their for a few days, Kilgore traveled 25 miles west where he found a cave next to the middle fork of the Red River, which he would use as a shelter because of its protection against Native American attacks.[4]
Kilgore returned to his settlement, now known as Kilgore Station, in the spring of 1779, along with a few families.[5] Thomas Kilgore died in 1823 at the age of 108 during a trip to Gallatin, Tennessee, he was buried at Villines Cemetery in Cross Plains.[6] In 2007, Kilgore Park, named for Thomas, opened in Cross Plains.
References
- ^ Lowe, J. Mark (June 30, 2010). "Finding our Thomas Kilgore, part two". Robertson County Times. Robertson County Times. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "EARLY TENNESSEE LAND RECORDS, 1773-1922" (PDF). Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "Early History of Robertson County, Tennessee". bellwitch.org. bellwitch.org. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "The Journal of Spelean History" (PDF). American Spelean History Association. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ "History of Cross Plains".
- ^ "Thomas Kilgore (1715-1823)". findagrave.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.