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Question:

I drive by Bill Reed Rd. in Ooltewah, TN (suburb of Chattanooga) every day. Who was Bill Reed?

Why name a road after him? Any information on this man would be appreciated. And no, please don't tell me to "do a google search." No luck there.

Thanks in advance.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

There are many possibilities, but I started with the theory that the name came from the James County time frame of 1879-1919. This was confirmed by the second link given name was William H. Reed according to wife's tomb stone, and she lived from Dec 5, 1857 - Aug 17, 1899).

He was not the founder, nor a soldier in the Civil War and most records from the time period are lost due to two fires. The most likely scenario is that he was the owner of a farm that ran alongside the road, marking his property line. He was certainly very active in the community in some way, but how is unclear. The records are on microfilm in a library nearby (third link).

Sorry I could not be of more help, but this should help, and no a google search would have been almost impossible, due to the time frame and the holes in the data from the two fires.