Shelby County was carved from historic Chickasaw hunting grounds. A series of early explorers claimed the territory for various nations. However, the signing of the Chickasaw Treaty with the United States (1818) opened the western district for settlement. Shelby County was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on November 24, 1819. The county was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, former Kentucky govenor and negotiator for the purchase of the western district from the Chickasaws. The county seat was established at the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff (Memphis), moved to the village of Raleigh, but returned to Memphis after the Civil War.
Overview of Shelby County History:
Native / Chickasaw Links:
- "History and Facts about Memphis & Shelby County" (from Memphis Shelby County Public Library's History Department)
- Read Shelby County history inTennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture online edition
- View the Shelby County TNGenWeb Bibliography for additional resources
- Watch the History of Chucalissa video, part of C.H. Nash Museum at the Chucalissa Museum and Archealogical Site
(Department of Anthropology, University of Memphis)- First People of Tennessee
- Visit Fred Smoot's presentation of, "The Chickasaw and Their Cessions":
- Visit Kerry Armstrong's Chickasaw Historical Research Page
Southern Business Guide (1879-1880)
(names, occupations and address of prominent Memphis businessmen)Goodspeed's History of Tennessee (1887) - History of Shelby County
Historic Maps of Shelby County (updated)
Indexes to The Appeal (Compiled by Joyce McKibben)
A Profile of African Americans in Tennessee History (from Tennessee State University)
Shelby County Biographies Online
Copyright © 2004-2010, Rose-Anne Cunningham. All Rights Reserved.