The Legal Status of Women in Early Tennessee: Knox, Jefferson, and Blount Counties, 1792-1843

This thesis focuses on three East Tennessee counties, Knox, Jefferson, and Blount, to determine whether the legal status of women in the Southwest Territory changed when the territory became the state of Tennessee in 1796. The dates of the study, 1792-1843, begin with the formation of Knox and Jefferson counties when Tennessee was the Southwest Territory, continue through the state's early years, and end with the year a married woman's property act was first introduced into the legislature. The major sources of research include court records of the three counties and the legislative acts passed by Tennessee's General Assembly during the years 1796 to 1843. Areas of the law which affected women include feme covert conveyances, marriage settlements and contracts, divorces, dower, and inheritance. Examination of the statutes and court records pertaining to these areas of law reveals changes occurred gradually, but steadily, throughout the period.