From "The Denton Family" by David H. Templin, printed in the Smokey Mountain Historical Newsletter, Spring 1983: "Abraham Denton moved to the Watauga settlements by 1775, and the family was forced back into
Virginia by the Cherokee invasion during the summer of 1776. Abraham was active in the affairs of Washington and Greene Counties. Abraham apparently was living in the section of Washington County which was formed into Greene County. August 23, 1784, Abraham was a delegate from Greene County to the convention held in Jonesboro and which led to the formation of the State of Franklin. Abraham was one of five grantees to 150 acres lying in the Fork of Big Pigeon and French Broad River. This grant was issued by North Carolina June 11, 1788. The land is located in what is now Cocke County, Tennessee. The first church established in what is now Cocke County, Tennessee was the Big Pigeon Baptist Church. Among the charter members is found Mourning Denton. Abraham seems to have disappeared from East Tennessee by the time Tennessee became a state. It is said that he appears in White County, Tennessee about 1809 and in Perry County in 1821. In her book, Edythe Whitely lists the children of Abraham and Mourning Denton. The list seems to have been prepared from letters and other papers collected from John S. Denton. One letter cited in her book was from Holland Denton, grandson of Abraham and Mourning."
Abraham apparently fought with the North Carolina line in the Revolutionary War after he moved to the Yadkin river region.
Abraham's movements: 1766 in NC; 1774 in Rowan CO, NC; 1783 in Burke CO, NC then to Washington CO, TN (Sinking Creek); 1809 to 1821 in White CO, TN and later to Hickman and Perry COs, TN.