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ontinued from last Weeks Issue of Scott County News.
His place of residence was listed as Morgan County, TN. when he applied for a Revolutionary War pension in 1833. Scott County, TN. was formed from parts of Morgan, Campbell, Anderson and Fentress counties in 1849. An 1832 map of Tennessee surveyed by Mathew Rhea shows the parent counties of the area later to become Scott County and all of the land area south of the New river (which encompasses all of the Brimstone area as well as, the Glenmary area) lay in what was then known as Morgan County, TN.
The area known as Brimstone lies in the long valleys through which Brimstone Creek flows from its headwaters in the Rhoda Creek area northward where it empties into the New river between the settlements of Low Gap and New River. The valleys of Brimstone slope upward to Round Mountain, Signal Mountain, Gosnell and Flower Mountain on the eastern boundary and Wright Mountain and the Griffith Mountains bound the western side. The headwaters of Brimstone Creek flow from near the Hamby Gap through which travelers could get to the Emery section of Morgan County. The area of convergence of Rhoda Creek and Brimstone Creek is known as Rhoda Creek and may have been named after Joseph’s daughter, Rhoda.
The main road to Brimstone begins at Robbins, TN. near G&K Hicks Grocery. Other ways to the Brimstone Road are by way of Low Gap to Mt. Pleasant Church, through Glenmary on the Wolf Creek Road to the Indian Fork Road to the Leon Walker Bridge, and by way of haul roads across the mountains from the Bull Creek and Smokey Creek areas.
Documents on file with the Pension Department of the United States show that on April 20, 1833, Joseph Griffith applied for a Revolutionary War pension. The following is a transcript of the affidavit in connection with the application:
“State of Tennessee Morgan County. On the 20th day of April 1833 personally affirmed before me Thomas Jack a justice of the peace and one of the justices of the Court of pleas and quarter sysion for the county of Morgan aforesaid Joseph Griffith resident in the county of Morgan State of Tennessee. And at the house of the residence of the said Joseph Griffith who is a very aged & affirm man & who not having any record of his age, & who from old age infirmity of years is unable to get to court and who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congrys paysed June 7th 1832, that he enlisted as a private regular in the Army of the United States the day & date cannot now from old age & consequent loys of memory be now recollected but it was about six years before the surrender of (Comwlallice) at York. He entered and served in the 7th Regiment of the Virginia Line his time of enlistment was to be during the war.
Joseph Griffith: Land Grant Settler of
Brimstone – Continues In Next Weeks Issue of Scott County News.