Uninvited Visitors – David Wright, Artist
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Founding of the Cumberland Settlements The First Atlas 1779 - 1804 |
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Book Reviews
Founding of the Cumberland Settlements, The First Atlas 1779-1804, Showing Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots is a piercing,
almost breathtaking look at the Cumberland Country. This remarkable book and the accompanying disc that contains plats and descriptions of 1,500 North Carolina land grants represent an
incredibly detailed study of its type. Doug Drake, Jack Masters, and Bill Puryear have produced an Atlas, but it is also an easy to read narrative history, a biographical sketch book, a
trails and roads study, and an archive. It is a dossier of North Carolina land grants and a series of maps, cross referenced so that land grants, forts, stations, towns and cities, and
even the residences of the settlers can be located. Its graphs and tables can lead one to elusive and at times unremarked history. It is majestically and copiously illustrated by David Wright
and co-author Puryear. The combined, non-redundant indexes of the book and disc have a total of 18,000 entries.
The authors beautifully answer the question they posited: Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots. This is a valuable resource for anyone interested in early Tennessee and western history.
It will surely be on the shelves of public libraries and universities in Tennessee and beyond. It is a special treasure for all of us who live in the Cumberland country.
--Walter T. Durham, State Historian
Shirley Wilson Director, Sumner County Archives (retired)
Review of Founding of the Cumberland Settlements, The First Atlas 1779-1804
For many years I dreamed of putting together the early roads and land
grants of northern Middle Tennessee. Doug, Jack and Bill had no idea
when they began this project that they would be making a dream come
true for this County Historian. The value of this work may never be
fully calculated. Future historians, genealogists and researchers
will benefit from this wonderful book for generations to come. The
casual reader will be in awe of the history revealed in words, photos
and art, while a wonderfully thorough index will guide them.
Yolanda Reid
Robertson County Historian
With the arrival of Founding of the Cumberland, The First Atlas 1779-1804, Showing Who Came, How They Came, and Where They Put Down Roots, students, teachers, genealogists, and local historians finally have
a comprehensive reference source for the early settlement of Middle Tennessee. Jack Masters, Doug Drake, Bill Puryear and artist David Wright have harnessed their talents to produce a beautiful masterpiece of
maps, charts, artwork, biographies, etc., all thoroughly researched and indexed. Finally, the location of 1,500 North Carolina land grants and the early traces crisscrossing the Cumberland Country have been
platted for all to study. Their Herculean efforts and results will be appreciated for generations to come.
Rick Warwick, Historian, The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County
Review of Founding of the Cumberland Settlements, The First Atlas 1779-1804
Review of Founding of the Cumberland Settlements, The First Atlas 1779-1804
Once in a great while a book comes along that is so outstanding with so much time and dedication invested in it by its authors that it causes others to stand in awe. The unique talents of Doug Drake, Jack Masters
and Bill Puryear combined to produce this extraordinary book. I envision it as a classic, an accomplishment so great that many generations will enjoy it and that, hopefully, will inspire others to undertake the
same task in their part of Tennessee.