Bedford County, Tennessee

Bedford County Education, Geography, and History

Bedford County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 45,058. Its county seat is Shelbyville.

Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, TN Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Bedford County Name

Named in honor of Thomas Bedford, Jr. (? - 1804), Revolutionary War officer, middle Tennessee land owner of Jefferson Springs in Rutherford County who contributed to the development of that area.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Bedford County

The county was created in 1807 when the citizens of Rutherford County living south of the Duck River and the Stones River successfully petitioned the governor to split Rutherford County into two. The new county was named after American Revolutionary War officer Thomas Bedford, Revolutionary War officer, middle Tennessee land owner of Jefferson Springs in Rutherford County who contributed to the development of that area. Once the state's largest and most populous county, Bedford County's size (in terms of area) has been steadily reduced since 1809. The county was pro-Confederate during the Civil War, but Shelbyville was mostly loyal to the Union

Bedford County was formed in 1807 from parts part of Rutherford County and Indian lands. (Acts of Tennessee 1807, Chapter 37).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The Tennessee General Assembly established Bedford County on December 7, 1807, from land taken from Rutherford County. The first court met at the home of the widow Ann Payne in what is now Moore County. Settlement of the area progressed slowly after an initial expedition in 1783 led by Alexander Greer, who later settled at Greer's Lick on land he marked during the expedition. Samuel Barton and the Edmiston Land Company carried out other early expeditions. Few settlers arrived until after 1806. Some brought Revolutionary War grants from North Carolina; others came with Tennessee grants, awarded from 1800 to 1810. In 1808 Andrew Erwin purchased fifty-five thousand acres from Norton Pryor. A bitter title dispute arose between Andrew Jackson, who served as Pryor's agent, and Erwin. Litigation continued until 1824, when a compromise settlement was reached. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: BEDFORD COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 475 square miles (1,230 km²), of which, 474 square miles (1,227 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (3 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Rutherford County (north)
• Coffee County (east)
• Moore County (southeast)
• Lincoln County (south)
• Marshall County (west)

Education

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