Early life James White was born as the son of Moses White and Mary (
née McConnel or McConnell) White. James White has been said by some to have been born in
Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1747, at which time the county was not in existence, or in what is today
Iredell County, North Carolina. According to William J. MacArthur Jr., James White was born in
Salisbury, North Carolina. On April 14, 1770, White married Mary Lawson. or the
Rowan County Regiment of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolution, which would subsequently entitle him to a tract of land as payment for his service. As a result of North Carolina's Land Grab Act, which opened up lands in what is now East Tennessee to settlement, White and several others explored the Tennessee Valley as far west as what is now
Lenoir City in 1783. White eventually obtained a grant for a tract of land at what is now Knoxville, and in 1784 he was elected to the senate of the new
State of Franklin, a position which kept him preoccupied for the next two years. White relocated to what is now Knox County in 1785, initially building a simple cabin at what is now the
Riverdale community east of modern Knoxville. Within a year, however, he had moved to his tract along the confluence of First Creek and the
Tennessee River, and built what became known as White's Fort. His slaves accompanied him to his new home. The area in which he settled was
Cherokee territory according to the Federal
Treaty of Hopewell. Also in 1785, White became one of the first speakers of the senate of Franklin, later he became a member of the Franklin House of Commons. on a hill overlooking the confluence of First Creek and the Tennessee River.
William Blount, governor of the
Territory South of the River Ohio, chose the fort as the Territory's capital. The following year, White set aside a portion of his land for the creation a territorial capital, named "Knoxville" after
Henry Knox, the
United States Secretary of War. The new city was platted by White's son-in-law,
Charles McClung, and lots were sold in October 1791. Upon creation of Knox County in 1792, White became lieutenant colonel commandant of the new county's militia. This appointment came during the latter years of the
Cherokee–American wars, a period of heightened hostilities between the
Chickamauga Cherokee and the white settlers. In 1793, White defused a potentially violent situation when he dispersed a mob of angry settlers that had amassed at Gamble's Station for a march against the
Overhill towns. The Cherokee considered White a man of honor, and the
Creeks praised his "goodness." On November 11, Cocke ordered James White, leader of the Hamilton District militia, to destroy the Hillabee towns. Over the next several days, White attacked the villages of Little Oakfusky and Genalga, burning 123 houses and capturing several Hillabees. On November 18, White dispatched a force of allied
Cherokee under Gideon Morgan to surround the main Hillabee town. The Hillabee, believing they had made peace, were unprepared for an attack, and were unable to resist Morgan's assault. The town was destroyed, 64 Hillabees were killed, and several hundred were captured. greatly agitated Jackson, who believed the withdrawal of the Hillabee would demoralize the remaining Red Sticks. To further complicate matters, the East Tennesseans' terms of service were about to expire. In December, Jackson ordered Cocke and the East Tennessee militiamen to return home. The enraged Hillabee quickly rejoined the Red Stick Confederacy, and fought until the end of the war. ==Later life==