There’s an old church in the Cove...beautiful...if ever there, take a look at the tombstones in the church’s graveyard...where a number of men who fought in the American Revolution and their families are buried; also a lot of children who died young.
If I remember correctly, several of the families who settled in Cades Cove were given land grants for service in the Revolutionary War.
My wife's paternal ancestors as well as the paternal ancestors of one of my brothers in-law were among the families who settled in the Cove.
My paternal ancestors settled in nearby Wears Valley.
It's beautiful country up there alright, but you can bet that it was a hard way of life back in those days.