| 1700s and Earlier |
| 8000 BC |
First known inhabitants of the
area that is now middle Tennessee build villages. |
| 1200 AD |
Large native villages cover
the area that is now Davidson County. |
| 1450 |
Native villages are
disappearing and the area that is now middle Tennessee is becoming a hunting area. |
| 1600s |
Charleville, a French-Canadian
fur trader, establishes a trading post at the French Lick. |
| 1714 |
Charleville's post is now
abandoned. Middle Tennessee is a hunting ground for the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and
Creek tribes. |
| 1769 |
Timothy Demonbreun, a
French-Canadian fur trader, arrives at the French Lick and begins hunting in the area. |
| 1775 |
The American Revolution
begins. |
| 1775 |
North Carolinian Richard
Henderson bargains with Cherokee leaders for claim to the land between the Ohio and
Cumberland rivers. |
| 1776 |
The Declaration of
Independence is signed. |
| 1779 |
At Henderson's urging, James
Robertson leads a small group of men to explore the Cumberland Bluff in the spring. |
| 1779 |
Col. John Donelson prepares
flotilla of flatboats to bring women and children to the area by water. |
| 1779 |
Robertson leads the first
group of settlers, mostly men and boys, to the Cumberland Bluff, arriving on Christmas
Day. |
| 1780 |
Donelson arrives with second
group of settlers on April 24 after a 1000-mile river trip. |
| 1780 |
The Cumberland Compact,
detailing settlers' rights, is signed by 250 men on May 13. |
| 1783 |
Daniel Williams moves to the
area from South Carolina with his family, becomes Davidson County's first Sheriff.
Elections for Sheriff are scheduled for every two years. |
| 1783 |
The North Carolina legislature
creates Davidson County in the area that is now middle Tennessee. |
| 1783 |
The Revolutionary War ends. |
| 1784 |
The North Carolina legislature
passes an act establishing the town of Nashville, naming it for General Francis Nash. |
| 1785 |
Col. John Donelson, one of
Nashville's founders, is mysteriously killed. |
| 1785 |
Dr. John Sappington is the
first physician to arrive in Nashville. |
| 1785 |
The first school, Davidson
Academy, is chartered. |
| 1785 |
Thomas Marston in Sheriff
of Davidson County. |
| 1787 |
David Wray is Sheriff
of Davidson County. |
| 1787 |
Real estate is assessed in
Nashville and taxed for the first time, at the rate of one dollar per acre. |
| 1788 |
Andrew Jackson arrives in
Nashville to serve as public prosecutor. |
| 1788 |
Bob Renfroe, a free
African-American opens a popular tavern in Nashville. |
| 1788 |
Thomas Hickman is Sheriff
of Davidson County. He would become a Justice in 1799. |
| 1789 |
Sampson Williams is Sheriff
of Davidson County. He may have been a brother of Davidson County's first Sheriff, Daniel
Williams. |
| 1790 |
William Porter is Sheriff
of Davidson County. |
| 1791 |
Sampson Williams is Sheriff
of Davidson County. |
| 1794 |
James Robertson leads the
Nickajack Expedition against the Creek Indians. |
| 1794 |
Nicholas P. Hardiman is Sheriff
of Davidson County. |
| 1796 |
Nashville's first church (a
Methodist church) is built on the public square near the Davidson County jail, courthouse,
and stocks. |
| 1799 |
Nashville's first newspaper, Henkle's
Tennessee Gazette & Metro Advertiser, is printed. |
| 1799 |
Wright Williams is Sheriff
of Davidson County. |