First Pioneers?

[emilia]

Who exactly were the first pioneers to arrive in the Nashville area and why was it particulary named after Francis Nash?

[David J Castello]

The first Europeans to reach the Nashville area were French fur traders in the mid-1700s. As reports filtered back East about the abundant game and fertile soil, approximately 400 settlers from North Carolina (the James Robertson party) decided to make the journey and arrived on Christmas Eve 1779. They named the settlement Nashborough after North Carolina Revolutionary War hero General Francis Nash. However, the Revolutionary War was still in full swing and the settlers soon found themselves smack in the middle what became a western front. The British incited the local Native Americans against the settlers and most fled north to Kentucky. 70 pioneers stayed behind and barely survived numerous attacks. After the war ended, they changed the name from the British sounding Nashborough to Nashville.

Best,
David J Castello
Nashville.com History Editor