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Native · 1775

Richard Henderson

North Carolina judge and land speculator Richard Henderson reorganized his investors as the Transylvania Company in early 1775, then bargained at Sycamore Shoals (today’s Elizabethton, Tennessee) for roughly 20 million acres between the Kentucky, Cumberland, and Ohio rivers.

Portrait of Richard Henderson
Richard Henderson T. Gilbert White (painting) · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

Cherokee headmen including Attakullakulla and Oconostota signed in mid-March for about £10,000 in goods; warrior Dragging Canoe opposed the sale and warned the country would become dark and bloody. Virginia later voided the private purchase but compensated the company with Ohio River acreage that seeded Henderson County.

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Richard Henderson." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 12, 2026. Last revised September 24, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/richard-henderson/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Richard Henderson." Kentucky History Drive, published 12 Sept. 2026, last revised 24 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/richard-henderson/.

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