Heiskell, Frederick Steidinger, 1786-1882
Dates
- Existence: 1786 - 1882
Biography
Frederick Steidinger Heiskell was born in 1786, the son of Frederick and Catherine (Steidinger) Heiskell. When a child, his parents moved from western Maryland to Shenandoah County, Virginia. He learned the printer's trade in the office of his brother, John Heiskell, in Winchester, Virginia, and then moved to Knoxville in December 1814. After working as a journeyman printer for two years, he established the Knoxville Register in 1816, in partnership with Hugh Brown, his brother-in-law. On July 17, 1816, he married Eliza Brown, daughter of Joseph Brown, an early Washington County sheriff. In 1836, Frederick Heiskell sold the Register to Col. W. B. A. Ramsey and Robert Craighead and moved to a large farm ten miles west of Knoxville that he named "Fruit Hill." He lived there until 1880. His wife died on November 10, 1851, and he then married Mrs. Alice Gale (Armstrong) Fulkerson of Rogersville, July 21, 1853.
Frederick Heiskell was active in politics, being elected to the state Senate for three terms. His correspondents included Andrew Jackson, Felix Grundy, Hugh Lawson White, John Bell, and many other political leaders. He died on November 29, 1882 at his Rogersville residence, where he moved after selling his farm in Knox County. In addition to his political activities, Frederick Heiskell was the president of the Tennessee Press Association in 1836 and was referred to as the father of Tennessee journalism.
