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Description

Striking map of Tennessee from Finley's General Atlas, one of the earliest obtainable maps of Tennessee.

The map is hand colored by counties and shows towns, roads, rivers, mountains and other geographical features and shows a fine early depiction of the Volunteer State.

In addition to the mapping efforts that took place in Tennessee in the early 19th century, there were also significant changes to the boundaries of Tennessee counties during this time period. In the 1810s and 1820s, several new counties were created and the boundaries of existing counties were modified, as the state continued to grow and develop.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed several laws creating new counties, and also redefined the boundaries of existing counties.  For example, in 1811, the Tennessee General Assembly created the counties of Humphreys, Lewis, and Wayne. The Tennessee General Assembly also modified the boundaries of existing counties. For example, in 1815 the boundaries of Robertson County were redefined, and in 1819 the boundaries of Stewart County were changed. These modifications were made in order to better reflect the changing population and settlement patterns in the state. 

in 1821 the Tennessee General Assembly created the county of Macon, which was formed out of portions of Smith and Sumner counties. In 1822, the boundaries of Robertson County were redefined, and in 1824 the boundaries of Wayne County were changed.  in 1825 the Tennessee General Assembly created the county of Gibson, which was formed out of portions of Carroll, Dyer, and Obion counties. In 1827 the boundaries of Lawrence County were redefined, and in 1830 the boundaries of Chester County were changed.  

In all, the counties created in the 1810s and 1820s included

  • Macon County (1821)
  • Cocke County (1821) 
  • Marion County (1817)  
  • Dyer County (1823)
  • Gibson County (1823)
  • Obion County (1823)
  • Weakley County (1823) 
  • Fayette County (1824)
  • Shelby County (1819)
  • Giles County (1810)
Anthony Finley Biography

Anthony Finley (1784-1836) was an American map publisher. Little is known about his life. He is presumed to have been born in Philadelphia, where he also died. A publisher, Finley was also involved in several Philadelphia civic and professional societies such as the Philadelphia Apprentices’ Library. He may have been in business as early as 1809 and his first publication dates from ca. 1811.

His first maps also date from this year, with two maps in Daniel Edward Clarke’s Travels in Various Countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The first atlas published by Finley appeared in 1818, the Atlas classica, or, Select maps of ancient geography, both sacred and profane, for the use of colleges and schools in the United States. He is best known for his A New General Atlas Comprising a Complete Set of Maps (1824), which was a bestseller. There were two editions in 1824, with annual editions until 1834.

Finley was part of the first generation of American publishers who produced high quality, precise maps on American soil. He was in competition with other Philadelphia publishers, for example Henry S. Tanner. Finley’s A New American Atlas Designed Principally to Illustrate the Geography of the United States of America (1826) closely mirrors Tanner’s A New American Atlas Containing Maps of the Several States of the North American Union, with similar groupings of maps; the main difference is the smaller scale of Finley’s maps. Finley printed two editions of this atlas.