author
John Allison
1845–1920
A Tennessee judge and local historian, he wrote with the energy of someone trying to save the stories of an earlier frontier generation before they slipped away. His books mix public history, biography, and a strong sense of place.
1 Audiobook
Dropped stitches in Tennessee history
by John Allison
About the author
Born in Jonesborough in 1845, John Allison became an attorney, judge, and historian with deep ties to Tennessee's past. He served as Tennessee Secretary of State from 1885 to 1889 and later as chancellor in Davidson County from 1902 to 1916.
Allison is best known as the author of Dropped Stitches in Tennessee History (1897) and as the editor of Notable Men of Tennessee (1905). His work focused on the state's early history and prominent figures, and it reflected a clear desire to preserve stories he felt had been overlooked.
He was also credited with helping save early Washington County records in the 1880s, an effort that fits neatly with the historical interests seen in his writing. Allison died in 1920.