State.  But in the time of their importance, in the first formative period of the young west, all these Holston settlements must be treated together, or else their real place in our history will be totally misunderstood. [Footnote:  Nothing gives a more fragmentary and twisted view of our history than to treat it purely by States; this is the reason that a State history is generally of so little importance when taken by itself.  On the other hand it is of course true that the fundamental features in our history can only be shown by giving proper prominence to the individual state life.]

    Frontier Towns.

The two towns of Abingdon and Jonesboro, respectively north and south of the line, were the centres of activity.  In Jonesboro the log court-house, with its clapboard roof, was abandoned, and in its place a twenty-four-foot-square building of hewn logs was put up; it had a shingled roof and plank floors, and contained a justice’s bench, a lawyers’ and clerk’s bar, and a sheriff’s box to sit in.  The county of Washington was now further subdivided, its southwest portion being erected into the county of Greene, so that there were three counties of North Carolina west of the mountains.  The court of the new county consisted of several justices, who appointed their own clerk, sheriff, attorney for the State, entry-taker, surveyer, and registrar.  They appropriated money to pay for the use of the log-house where they held sessions, laid a tax of a shilling specie on every hundred pounds for the purpose of erecting public buildings, laid out roads, issued licenses to build mills, and bench warrants to take suspected persons. [Footnote:  Ramsey, 277.  The North Carolina Legislature, in 1783, passed an act giving Henderson two hundred thousand acres, and appointed Joseph Martin Indian agent, arranged for a treaty with the Cherokees, and provided that any good men should be allowed to trade with the Indians.]

Abingdon was a typical little frontier town of the class that immediately succeeded the stockaded hamlets.  A public square had been laid out, round which, and down the straggling main street, the few buildings were scattered; all were of logs, from the court house and small jail down.  There were three or four taverns.  The two best were respectively houses of entertainment for those who were fond of their brandy, and for the temperate.  There were a blacksmith shop and a couple of stores. [Footnote:  One was “kept by two Irishmen named Daniel and Manasses Freil” (sic; the names look very much more German than Irish).] The traders brought their goods from Alexandria, Baltimore, or even Philadelphia, and made a handsome profit.  The lower taverns were scenes of drunken frolic, often ending in free fights.  There was no constable, and the sheriff, when called to quell a disturbance, summoned as a posse those of the bystanders whom he deemed friendly to the cause of law and order.  There were many strangers passing through; and the better class of