German and Swiss Colonization in Morgan County, Tennessee

Preface

It is frequent occurrence that certain phases of the development of history escape even the most observant writers of history. In some cases facts overlooked and unrecorded are of negligible importance. In others, these unrecorded incidents leave a flaw, as it were, in the logical trend of historical events. Likewise, incidents of seeming local interest in extent when properly interpreted and coordinated often prove of inestimable value in the light of historical account. It is with a view of presenting a new hitherto unmentioned event in the history of Tennessee that the subject of this thesis was selected.

It is generally known that the State of Tennessee has been comparatively free from immigration from foreign countries but the efforts to colonize foreign immigrants in this State and the extent to which colonization did take place have been left, in a large measure, undetermined. Recognizing this unrecorded phase of the history of the State of Tennessee, the writer has proceeded with the investigation of what seems to have been the first attempt, on a large scale, to colonize foreign immigrants in this State. Accordingly, such materials as were available have been gathered and put into form and, as such, comprise the body of this thesis.