ROBERTSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — One of the oldest counties in the state, Robertson County, was named for one of the earliest explorers of the land that became Middle Tennessee. If it wasn't for James Robertson, the state of Tennessee and the city of Nashville may not exist in the way it does now. He's known as the father of Middle Tennessee, but his legacy spans the state from east to west.

"James Robertson, to me, is one of the most influential and impactful people that we have in early Tennessee history," explained Jeff Sellers, director of education and public programs at the Tennessee State Museum

Born in 1742 in Virginia, James Robertson grew up in North Carolina before heading west.

"Late 1760s early 1770s, there's this wave of migration across the Appalachian Mountains, and Robertson is really wrapped up into that wave, and really becomes one of the very first settlers to settle on the other side of what they call the over mountain people," Sellers said. "He becomes one of the founders of the Watauga settlements."

The Watauga Association was one of the first self-governing bodies in America, established in 1772 in what is now Elizabethton, Tennessee. Robertson was instrumental in peacefully negotiating a lease of the land from the Cherokee.

"He really becomes very tactful in his ways that he can negotiate and work with the Cherokee. Early on, they respected him, and he respected them," Sellers said.

Sellers said Robertson was known for his even temperament and diplomacy.

"He was maybe on the quieter side, but no doubt he's one of those people that people just gravitated to as a leader," Sellers said. "He stood about six feet tall, which was kind of a taller person at the time, so he probably had a nice, imposing kind of figure to him as well. That kind of helped people to respond to him."

That also likely led people to follow him on his next expedition.

"In the fall of 1779, Robertson will lead the men overland, and he will take the overland journey all the way through central Kentucky and down to Bluff Station," Sellers said. It was known to be the most arduous and dangerous journey."

Meanwhile, frontiersman John Donelson traveled with women and children via river. He and Robertson established Fort Nashborough and signed the Cumberland compact in 1780, the early beginnings of what is now Nashville. A replica of the fort sits between 1st Avenue and the Cumberland River downtown. The settlement faced many attacks by Native Americans who battled the encroachment of their lands.

"It's Robertson who decides he will maintain his house here. He will not flee, like many of the settlers who went into Kentucky, where it was much safer for them. Robertson, and to her credit, Charlotte, his wife stays behind," Sellers said. "If he had fled, it's more than likely that Nashville would have been disbanded, and something else would have come other than what we know of as our city today."

Robertson lost several family members and narrowly escaped death himself. He became lieutenant colonel commandant for the Mero District, or present-day Middle Tennessee. President George Washington then appointed him brigadier general of the U.S. Army for the same region.

"It was a very tumultuous and violent period. It's important for us in contemporary times to realize what those early folks, both Native American and early settlers, endured and established here into our wonderful modern city," Sellers said.

Under Robertson's leadership, conflicts lessened, and the settlement prospered. In his later years, he was commissioned as what was called an Indian agent to negotiate with Native American nations on behalf of the U.S. government. In 1814, he traveled through treacherous weather conditions to meet with the Chickasaw and died at age 72 of an illness sustained during that dangerous journey to West Tennessee.

Robertson's remains were later moved to the Nashville City Cemetery, where his wife charlotte was also buried after her death almost 30 years later. The town of Charlotte, Tennessee and Charlotte Pike in Nashville are named in her honor. The couple had several children. One of their sons, Felix, was a prominent physician who served twice as mayor of Nashville.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/james-robertson/