Jacob Teenor made his way to the banks of the Tennessee River in Northern Hamilton County when there were still Indian neighbors. The Civil War swept most of the Teenors away from the river settlement.
Teenor was born in Virginia about 1780, and he made his way to Knox County. He was married there in 1803 to Esther Gibson. They were in Roane County at the time of the 1830 census. Their neighbors there included the Luttrells and Eldridges, who came down the river with them.
The Teenor children included Anne, Isabella, James G., Adam H. and John T. Anne married Alexander Stormer at Knox County in 1827. Isabella married Caswell D. Luttrell about 1832. The Hamilton County tax lists in 1836 included Adam H. Teenor in District 10 and Jacob, James G. and John T. Teenor in District 1. Alexander Stormer was also in District 1.
The ferry at the Teenor place was on the road that led from the county seat of Dallas to
Athens, Tenn. John Witt in 1834 made out a deed of trust to John T. Teenor to secure payment of a loan in behalf of the Board of County School Commissioners of Hamilton County. The $200 was secured by 70 acres in Rhea County and 50 acres in Hamilton County, including a three-fourth interest in Witt's Turnpike Road across Walden's Ridge. In 1835, Alexander Stormer had a transaction with James G. Teenor on $400 worth of a Teenor corn crop, corn from John Parrott and rents due from James M. Bean. John
G. and Adam H. Teenor were apparently in business under the name of J&A Teenor in the early 1840s. One $300 transaction from Samuel Igou to the firm involves livestock, harnesses and household goods, 300 bushels of corn and 400 binds of fodder.
James G. Teenor in 1841 acquired 120 acres on Wolftever Creek from David N. Bell. James G. Teenor had grants of 80 acres at 25 cents an acre in 1841 and 80 acres for 12 cents an acre in 1842. Adam H. Teenor had nine land grants totaling 520 acres. The price ranged from 12 cents to $1 per acre.
John T. Teenor married Mary Eliza Low in 1840 in Monroe County, and Adam H. Teenor's wife was Eliza. Adam Teenor apparently died in the 1840s, but Eliza lived on here with their children, Martha, John A., Jacob and Caswell.
Col. James G. Teenor and Nancy had Mary, Jacob W., John P., Adam H., George G. and
Thomas A. When George G. Teenor died in 1854 at the age of seven, he was buried at the Apison Cemetery. Col. Teenor died on Dec. 15, 1857, at the age of 50. He was buried alongside his son. His wife and children disappeared from the local records after the war. Jacob Teenor was 80 years old and living with the Caswell Luttrells in 1860.
John A. Teenor fought for the South with Co. B of Carter's First Tennessee Cavalry. He was on sick furlough in October 1864.
Eliza Teenor was still at Teenor's Ferry in 1870, but there were no Teenors listed here in
1880. Martha married Spell Monger. Jacob T. married Sarah Snow, a daughter of Capt. William Snow of Snow Hill who raised Snow's Rangers for the Confederacy. Caswell married Isabel Eldridge, daughter of Simeon Eldridge.
The Jacob T. Teenors moved along with the George W. Snows to Walnut Ridge, Ark. The Teenor children were Virginia who died young, Dudley Adam, Lena Polk, Mary E., George Lutrell, William T. and Joe Max. Dudley A. Teenor married Norcie Vernon, and their daughter, Blanche Page Teenor, was born in 1904 in Lawrence Co., Ark. Lena Polk Teenor married Thomas Cooper and had three daughters who all died young. Mary E. Teenor married Quincy Ivy, and they settled at Clarksville, Texas, with their four children. George Luttrell Teenor married Laura Agnes Pierce, who lived until 1956.
George L. Teenor died at Walnut Ridge in 1946. Their children were Sarah Etta, Emma Elizabeth, Van Alta and Marcus Lee. William T. Teenor was killed by lightning at Walnut Ridge March 4, 1887. He was 10. Joe Max Teenor was accidentally killed on a turkey hunt, and his grieving widow died within two weeks. Their three small children were reared by Dudley A. Teenor. Miss Mattie Teenor of Benton Co., Ark., in 1922 transferred her one-thirty-eighth interest in property in Hamilton County to her uncle,
Dr. J.C. Eldridge. She was a daughter of Caswell and Isabel Eldridge Teenor.