My earliest ancestor in Greene County was Corbin Lane (abt 1740-1816). He was born in Maryland and was living in Bedford County, PA, before migrating to western NC and then onto the Southwest VA, Northeast TN frontier. He was a Revolutionary War patriot in Sullivan-Washington County, NC (now TN), having provided supplies or services in 1781-83. He moved to Greene County, NC (now TN), about 1780 and got a land grant. He had several land transactions in Greene County, TN. In Jan 1783, he sold 150 acres of land on a branch of Lick Creek in Greene Co. In 1787 he got another land grant. He left Greene Co about 1795 after Indian raids had died down in Southwest VA & and moved to Red Hill near what is now Gate City in Scott Co, VA where he died in 1816.

For my Lanes, my perception is that the Northeast TN area was a haven away from the Indian raids in Southwest VA. Once that danger disappeared most of the Lanes headed for Clinch & Holston River properties.

Andy Emert

My name is Andy Emert and I currently live in Virginia. Like many of us in this project, my roots run deep into East Tennessee and especially the Smokies. My first male Tennessee ancestor was Frederick Emert who came from Pennsylvania following his military service through most of the American Revolution. He, his family, and several others settled  deep in the Smokies along the Little Pigeon River in 1791.The area became known as Emerts' Cove and there he established the first church in the area. Several of my maternal ancestors were in East Tennessee some years before Tennessee statehood.