Abram Maury Jr.

Abram Maury Jr. (February 17, 1766–January 2, 1825) was a state legislator in Tennessee. Maury County, Tennessee is named for him.

Life and career He was born in Lunenburg County, Virginia to Susannah Poindexter and Abram Maury. Because of the multiple Abrams Maury he is recorded as Maury Jr. in some documents and in others as Maury Sr.

He relocated from Virginia to Tennessee in 1797 where he bought 640 acres on Harpeth River. He traveled in company with "his wife and two daughters, his widowed mother, four sisters and his brother Philip." This was Davidson County when he bought it, later Williamson County. His plantation, which had a spring he called Abraham, was first known as Poplar Grove and later as Tree Lawn. His work included "farming, practice of law, and civil engineering." In 1798 "or early 1799," he platted the town of Franklin, "donating land for streets and public square," and was named one of the town commissioners following legislative incorporation of the town in 1799.

According to the University of Michigan Library guide to the Maury family papers, "After struggling with debt issues in Virginia, Maury purchased a tobacco plantation near Franklin, Tennessee. Between 1808 and his death in 1825, Maury speculated heavily, and successfully, in land and cotton production throughout the South (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi)."