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The following is a reprint of
the chapter in James Hayden Siler's (Tom Siler's brother),
History of Jellico. He wrote it for a series of articles
in the Jellico Advance-Sentinel. The first paragraph of
his "AVANT-PROPOS" explains
this and reads as follows:
"This history first appeared as, and was intended for, a
series of articles in the Jellico Advance-Sentinel, written at
the request of the editor and published in the summer and fall of
1938. These sketches may, for that reason, appear a bit vague to
readers not familiar with the section, since they were originally
intended for 'local consumptions.'"1
This chapter follows and
presents three theories as to the origin of the name of
Jellico.
V.
Origin of the Name
Jellico
The origin of the name Jellico is shrouded in
some mystery, but is a fascination and interesting subject. The
town's name was changed, as we shall see later, from Smithburg to
Jellico in 1883, being renamed for the Jellico Coal, at that time
just coming to considerable fame. The coal had taken its name
from the fact that it was first mined in the Jellico Mountains
(Woodridge, Proctor, and Kensee.)
 First
mention of the Jellico Mountains is in C. S. Rafinesque's
Ancient Annals of Kentucky (1824) already referred to, in
which he delves into the historical geology of the region, "The
Black, Laurel, Pine, Log, and Gelico Mountains emerge
successively, after the Cumberland Mountains, and an inland sea
remains between them, surrounded by sandy hills."
Jellico
Creek, the watercourse that drains most of the western side of
the Jellico Mountains, rising in Scott County, Tenn., and flowing
into the Cumberland River about midway between Williamsburg and
Cumberland Falls, is first mentioned in 1813 as the "water
course" for a grant of land among the "Tellico Land Grants."
Thereafter, for the next twenty or thirty years the creek is
spelled in both land grants and deeds in the Whitley County
courthouse, with both a "G" and "j," with the "g" spelling
predominating. Such forms as Gilico, Gillico, Gelico, Gellico and
Gilco Creek (sometimes called River) appear. One of the "j"
spellings was Jalico. The "G" spelling even cropped out
occasionally in the 1850's, but since that time has disappeared,
giving way to the present accepted spelling. Both "g" and "j"
render the initial sound, of course, and the old clerks often
spelled phonetically, which account for the variations in the old
records.
We have
them, Jellico Creek mentioned as early as 1813-14, also spelled
with a "G", and Jellico Mountains mentioned in 1824 as "Gelico
Mountains."
Most
likely origin of the word has been the long suggested one that is
from the "Angelica," a plant which grows profusely in the Jellico
Creek region, from which early settlers made an intoxicating
drink. The Angelica is popularly known as the "Gelica" or
"Jelica" root. From this root would come quite easily the name
for the creek and mountains.
Another
theory has been that it is a corruption from Tellico. Mr. E. L.
Stephens, well-known attorney of Williamsburg, says that a tribe
of Indians known as the Tellico Indians once inhabited this
section and gave their name to the mountains and creek, later
corrupted to Jellico. Such initial consonantal change as that
from "T" to "J" or "G" is harder to imagine than others might be,
but is of course possible. Dr. L. C. Glenn, of the Department of
Geology of Vanderbilt University, who spent some time in this
section while writing his The Northern Tennessee Coal Field
writes "I have, however, always understood that the word Jellico
was a corruption of the Indian word Tellico, and I think when I
was in that region I discussed it once or twice with some of the
older citizens, and I recall that they either suggested or agreed
to Tellico being the original form. I THINK some very old maps
also have Tellico applied TO the mountain ridge now known as
Jellico."
The
Tellico Land Grants which comprise land in this section are so
called because the treaty by which the Cherokee Indians ceded the
land to the government was signed at Tellico Plains, Tennessee,
near the Smokies, and a gathering place of the Cherokees, quite
removed from Jellico. I have not been able to find any trace of
the Tellico Indians Mr. Stephens mentions, nor of any old maps
with Tellico Mountains, as Mr. Glenn suggest, although the search
has not been absolutely exhaustive.
A third
possibility has been that the name is from a family. The Jellicoe
family has been long prominent in England; Admiral Jellicoe of
the Battle of Jutland fame died only recently. Was there in early
days of this section a Jellicoe family who gave their name to the
creek and mountains?
Until
more definite proof can be amazed the question will have to
remain where it is. Here have been presented points pro and con;
the reader may make his own guess from the facts at
hand.
Note 1. Land grants in Whitley County have come under
several headings. There are a few Virginia Grants, which are the
oldest. The Tellico Grants (mentioned above) and Kentucky Land
Warrants are perhaps the most numerous. Others are Old Kentucky
Grants, Grants South of Green River, Grants on County Court
Orders, and Grants South of Walker's Line. The last mentioned are
interesting, because they are really for land in Tennessee. There
was a dispute over the Tennessee-Kentucky boundary which was not
finally settled until after 1820. One line separating the two
states was known as the Latitude Line, the other as Walker's
Line, the two being twelve miles apart. At the agreement reached
between the states Kentucky was given title to the soil, that is
, the right to receive the money for the patents, and Tennessee
to acquire jurisdiction. The grants on the Cappuchine, Clear
Fork, etc., may of the be found in Kentucky Land Grants, even
where those creeks may now be in
Tennessee.1
1Siler, James Hayden, Origin of the Name
Jellico, Chapter 5 in History of Jellico, Unpublished
manuscript, Pages 18-22.
What follows next is also by James Hayden
Siler. It is the text of a hand written memorandum to the Jellico
postmaster resulting from a 1938 request from Mr. R.R. Humphreis,
Foreman, Federal Writer's Project, Knoxville, Tennesse. Mr.
Humphreis had requested information about the origin of the name
of Jellico. Below is the last paragraph of the postmaster’s
letter to Mr. Humphries discussing that
memorandum.
"Regarding the
origin of the name of Jellico: I am submitting a memorandum from
Mr. James Hayden Siler, 602 Marshall Street, Jellico, Tennessee,
who is an authority on early families and early history of this
section. I am as deemed advisable. The second theory is generally
accepted by most people as the true origin of the name and I
might add that I favor the second theory. I have never made an
exhaustive research as has Mr. Siler but the opinion of the
pioneers of this section confirm his
findings."
- Letter
- Jellico
Postmaster to the Mr. R.R. Humphreis, Federal Writers Project,
Knoxville, Tennessee, January 1938
Next is the text of that memorandum. I have
reproduced it as accurately as I can make it out. It is hand
written and has been copied. The clarity is not too
good.
I. A post
office was established here October 29, 1878 under the
name of Smithburgh -- on August 6, 1883 the name of
the office was changed to Jellico
Source: Post-Office
Dept., Washington,
II. Who was responsible for the renaming of the town is not
known, but I feel sure that it was named from
the Jellico coal, just then coming into prominence (the coal
was not named for the town as L.C. Glenn in Northern Tenn.
Coal Field, Nashville, State Geological Survey, 1925 states)
First shipments of the coal were made in 1882 and 1883 with the
coming of the L & N and Southern Railroads.
III. The Jellico Coal was probably so named by some early
promoter or geologist from the fact that it was mined in the
Jellico Mountains. [they are in Campbell co., Tenn., &
Whitley Co., Ky.) -- the five large mines in the '80's in the
Jellico region, Kensee, Proctor(Red Ash), Wooldridge, Standard,
and "East Tennessee", were all in the Jellico Mountains. The
drainage for the Jellico Mountains is Jellico Creek, whick
rises in Scott Co., Tenn., and flows into the Cumberland River in
Whitley County, Kentucky below Williamsburg.
IV. Now, where did the Mountains and Creek get their names?
Theories: 1. Corruption of Tellico.
2. Named for the Angelica root which grows in the
region, & from which early settlers made an intoxicating drink
called "jelca" or "gelca" root.
3. Named for a family.
I will not discuss
these theories, except to state, subjectively, that I favor the
second theory after my research, but until definite proof may be
had I always give all three.
V.
Earliest mentions of the mountains and
creek:
"Gelico Mountains"
(C.S. Rafineoque, Ancient Annals of Ky., 1824)
Gilico,
Gellico, Gelico, Gilco, Jalico, Jelco, Jellico "Creek" and
"River" appear in deeds in the Whitley County Court House,
Williamsburg, Ky. Also in deed for land in Whitley Co., as
"watercourse." [See Jillson, W.R., "the Ky. Land Grants,"
Louisville, 1725.)--the earliest mention of the creek is in 1813
--Until about 1850 both "g" or "j" spellings appear, after which
the "j" has become standardized.
The
1903 date is utterly wrong--I feel that the Jerrico theory is
rather absurd and fanciful, and
unfounded.
Hayden
Siler.
- Memorandum
- James
Hayden Siler to Jellico Postmaster, January
1938.
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