Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Table of Contents Biography.........................................................................6 HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.........................................................7 Installment No. I.................................................................8 Installment No. II...............................................................11 Installment No. III..............................................................13 Installment No. IV...............................................................17 Installment No. V................................................................21 Installment No. VI...............................................................24 Installment No. VII..............................................................27 Installment No. VIII.............................................................30 Installment No. IX...............................................................33 Installment No. X................................................................37 Installment No. XI...............................................................40 Installment No. XII..............................................................44 Installment No. XIII.............................................................48 Installment No. XIV..............................................................53 Installment No. XV...............................................................56 Installment No. XVI..............................................................59 Installment No. XVII.............................................................62 Installment No. XVIII............................................................65 Installment No. XIX..............................................................67 Installment No. XX (missing).....................................................71 Installment No. XXI..............................................................72 Installment No. XXII.............................................................75 Installment No. XXIII............................................................78 Installment No. XXIV.............................................................81 Installment No. XXV (XXVI).......................................................84 Installment No. XXVI.............................................................87 Installment No. XXVII............................................................91 Installment No. XXVIII...........................................................94 Installment No. XXIX.............................................................97 Installment No. XXX.............................................................100 Installment No. XXXI............................................................103 Installment No. XXXII...........................................................106 Installment No. XXXIII..........................................................110 Installment No. XXXIV...........................................................113 Installment No. XXXV (missing)..................................................116 Installment No. XXXVI...........................................................117 Installment No. XXXVII..........................................................121 Installment No. XXXVIII.........................................................124 Installment No. XXXIX...........................................................127 Installment No. XL..............................................................133 Installment No. XLI.............................................................136 Installment No. XLII............................................................140 Installment No. XLIII...........................................................143 Installment No. XLIV............................................................146 Installment No. XLV.............................................................150 Installment No. XLVI............................................................153 Installment No. XLVII...........................................................157 Installment No. XLVIII..........................................................160 Installment No. XLIX (missing)..................................................163 Page 1 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. L...............................................................164 Installment No. LI..............................................................167 Installment No. LII.............................................................171 Installment No. LIII............................................................174 Installment No. LIV.............................................................177 Installment No. LV..............................................................180 Installment No. LVI.............................................................184 Installment No. LVII............................................................187 Installment No. LVIII...........................................................190 Installment No. LIX.............................................................193 Installment No. LX..............................................................196 Installment No. LXI.............................................................199 Installment No. LXII............................................................203 Installment No. LXIII...........................................................206 Installment No. LXIV............................................................209 Installment No. LXV.............................................................212 Installment No. LXVI............................................................215 Installment No. LXVII...........................................................218 Installment No. LXVIII (missing)................................................221 Installment No. LXIX............................................................222 Installment No. LXX.............................................................225 Installment No. LXXI............................................................228 Installment No. LXXII...........................................................232 Installment No. LXXIII..........................................................235 Installment No. LXXIV...........................................................238 Installment No. LXXV (missing)..................................................242 Installment No. LXXVI...........................................................243 Installment No. LXXVII..........................................................246 Installment No. LXXVIII.........................................................249 Installment No. LXXIX (missing).................................................252 Installment No. LXXX (missing)..................................................253 Installment No. LXXXI (missing).................................................254 Installment No. LXXXII (missing)................................................255 Installment No. LXXXIII (missing)...............................................256 Installment No. LXXXIV (missing)................................................257 Installment No. LXXXV (missing).................................................258 Installment No. LXXXVI (missing)................................................259 Installment No. LXXXVII (missing)...............................................260 Installment No. LXXXVIII (missing)..............................................261 Installment No. LXXXIX (missing)................................................262 Installment No. XC (missing)....................................................263 Installment No. XCI.............................................................264 Installment No. XCII (missing)..................................................267 Installment No. XCIII...........................................................268 Installment No. XCIV............................................................271 Installment No. XCV.............................................................275 Installment No. XCVI (missing)..................................................278 Installment No. XCVII (missing).................................................279 Installment No. XCVIII (missing)................................................280 Installment No. XCIV (missing)..................................................281 Installment No. XCV (missing)...................................................282 Installment No. XCVI (missing)..................................................283 Installment No. XCVII (missing).................................................284 Installment No. XCVIII (missing)................................................285 Installment No. XCIX (missing)..................................................286 Page 2 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. C (missing).....................................................287 Installment No. CI..............................................................288 Page 3 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Sherill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina a series of newspaper articles published in the Lincoln Times by William L. Sherrill The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection Page 4 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina TIMES PRINTING COMPLETE STORY Is Most Complete History of This County Ever Written; Is Read By Many Rev. William L. Sherrill’s history of Lincoln county Which is now being published in installments in The Lincoln Times, is being widely acclaimed throughout Lincoln county. Hundreds of comments have come to The Times regarding this outstanding work, and history lovers in this section report that never before have the annals of Lincoln county been so completely recorded. Scores of new subscribers have added their names to The Times’ subscription lists to obtain this historical data. From many other counties and from several other states, persons interested in Lincoln county’s history have beCOme subscrib err: to this newspaper. Mr. Sherrill, who himself is a native of Lincoln county, wrote the history at the request of the Lincoln. County Historical Society, and The Times was highly pleased to obtain exclusive rights to publication of this work. Mr. Sherrill spent more than 10 years compiling information about the county. The Times began publication of the history, which is captioned “The Annals of Lincoln County,” on June 27, this year. An installment is being printed in each issue and to date less than one-half of the history has been published. Below is a biographical sketch of Mr. Sherrill: Page 5 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Biography William Lander Sherrill was born in Lincolnton on February 9, 1860. the son of the late Samuel Pinckney and Sarah Catherine (Lander) Sherrill, of Lincolnton. He was educated at the old Lincolnton Academy. Other facts about Mr. Sherrill’s life, taken from “‘Who’s Who in America,” follow: Married Luetta Connor, of Catawba county, May 21, 1884. One son, Henry Connor Sherrill. Began as pharmacist at Dallas, N. C., 1879; mayor of Dallas, 1884. Ordained to the ministry of Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1890. Pastor successively at Morganton, Connelly Springs, Elkin. Hickory, Lenoir, Mocksville, Asheboro, Murphy, Pineville, Leaksville, until 1924. Associate editor of the N. C. Christian Advocate, 1906-11. Corresponding editor 1915-18. Secretary Western North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, since 1894. Secretary-treasurer same conference Christian Education Movement, (1924-28). Member of general conference M. E. Church, South, 1910. General Board Church Extension, 1910-14. Member Mecklenburg Chapter Sons of the American Revolution. Home, Charlotte, N. C. Mr. Sherrill has written many historical articles for newspapers and is the author of a brief history of the Lander family; the life of Rev. Peter Cartwright, the pioneer preacher of the middle West; of Gen. James Pinckney Henderson of Texas and of General Matthew Locke, of Rowan county. Page 6 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY (Gastonia Gazette) Of interest to many citizens of Gaston county is the fact that Rev. W. L. Sherrill, for 41 years secretary of the Western North Carolina Southern M. E. conference, has written a history of Lincoln county, dating back a quarter of a century before the Revolution. The Lincoln Times has arranged to publish the work serially, and it will begin in an early issue of that paper. Inasmuch as Lincoln and Gaston were once part of the same county, back in colonial times, this work will be of keen interest to many in this county. The work starts with the accounts of the first white settlements, in the county. Some of the highlights include the author’s own account of the battle of Ramsour Mill, the story of the march of Cornwallis through Lincoln county, the establishment of Lincolnton 150 years ago, and the erection of the first court house building in 1785. A summary of the chapters indicates that the author has produced an) historical work that from the standpoint of most. of us will prove more absorbing than any novel that could be written. The life of the author 1s closely linked with Catawba and surrounding counties, as revealed by the current edition of Who’s Who in America. He married Luetta Connor, of Catawba county, May 21, 1884. He started life as a pharmacist at Dallas, N. C., 1879; mayor of Dallas, 1884. Ordained to the ministry of Methodist Episcopal church, South, 1890. Pastor successively at Morganton, Connelly Springs, Elkin, Hickory, Lenoir. Page 7 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. I FOREWORD The following history, which will appear serially in The Times for some months to come, is the outgrowth of prolonged labor and research on the part of the author. Many facts were found in Colonial and State records, in Major William A. Graham’s life of Gen. Joseph Graham and in his history of the South Fork Baptist Association; Hunter’s Sketches; Dr. Charles L. Coon’s Documentary History of Schools in North Carolina and from facts personally supplied by Dr. Coon; Bynum’s Marriage Bonds of Tryon and Lincoln Counties; and many old newspapers, including the news items pertaining to Lincoln county as they appeared in the. Charlotte Journal Covering the period from 1830 to 1860. From 1864 forward nearly all the history is from personal knowledge and- recollection of the facts as they transpired. Surely some errors will appear in the manuscript and in the story as it comes from the press, and the author will appreciate it if those who may discover such will kindly remind him of them. This Work, long and tedious, has been a labor of love to one who is proud of his native county of Lincoln, and who has, without fee or reward, striven to preserve some of the history made by its people. THE FIRST PIONEERS TO THE COUNTRY WEST OF THE CAATAWBA RIVER We have no record of civilized man in America prior to its discovery by Columbus: in 1492. From the morning- of creation it had been 1 wild country where the bear and the buffalo, the panther and the wolf contested with the savage Indians for supremacy. Through the millenniums the seasons came in order and the fruits of the earth wasted, save that consumed by wild beasts and wilder men; The birds sang the same songs that they sing today but their melodies fell upon ears that knew not harmony; the fragrance of native flowers was wasted on the desert air; the streams, fresh and pure from the heart of nature, silently journeyed to the sea and only an occasional savage halted by the shore to fish, or to drink from the flowing stream. Through the long centuries the virgin land had been reserved by Providence for a new and mighty people to dwell upon. It was full 250 years after Columbus came that the white man first beheld the beauty of the Catawba valley and the hills to the West of it. When counties were first organized on the seacoast their western boundaries reached to the Mississippi river, which was the British frontier. Thus New IIan0Ver, established in 1728 included all the wilderness to the west, until Bladen, organized in 1734, fell heir to it. Later Anson, formed in 1749, embraced all the Western Country until Rowan in 1753 and Mecklenburg in 1762 absorbed that territory. In 1769 Tryon County, named for the Royal Governor, William Tryon, was established and included all the territory West of the Catawba river except the section North of the Earl Granville line which was attached to Rowan until absorbed by Burke in 1777. It is not known for certain who were the first settlers West of the Catawba. The late Alfred Nixon to whom we are all indebted for valued service in preserving our Page 8 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina County history, stated that "the first pale face to set foot on Lincoln soil was John Beatty,” who crossed the Catawba in 1749 at; the ford which bears his name, and settled near the present Unity Presbyterian Church. We feel sure that when he made that statement he had in mind the present county of Lincoln and not the territory covered by the larger county as organized in 1779. It is claimed by some that Henry Weidner (Whitener) came from Pennsylvania in 1742, while the Colonial Record states that he came about 1745. The late Judge M. L. McCorkle, at a memorial service held at the original Weidner home in Catawba County, May 30, 1884, stated that Weidner came about 1745 and that he started West from Adam Sherrill’s, at Sherrill’s Ford, without pilot or companion, to explore an unknown land inhabited by wild beasts and hostile savages. Going West. from Sherrill’s Ford he discovered the South Fork at the paint where the two streams come together. He was armed with a gun, the barrel about six feet long, while a tomahawk and long knife were in the scab— bard. Elsewhere Judge McCorkle stated that. Henry Weidner, John Perkins, several Robinsons and others, came to Sherrill’s Ford with Adam Sherrill, the pioneer, and the tradition is that Sherrill with his eight sons in company with John Perkins, Robinsons, Weidner and others. crossed the Catawba at Sherrill’s Ford in 1747. John Beatty’s land grant bears date July 1749. The first Sherrill grant is dated April 5, 1749, while the Weidner grant was issued in 1750. The first settlers lived far from the County seat of Anson and for lack of neighbors had choice of the best lands which they occupied probably for some time prior to the dates given in their land grants. It matters little who came first. The records do not determine the fact, but the Beattys, Sherrills and Weidners were certainly among the first to settle west of the Catawba river. Volume 8, of Colonial Records states that Henry Weidner came from Pennsylvania about 1745 and settled on Henry river, named for him, that he lived at peace with his Indian neighbors and was a trapper. Later he went back to Pennsylvania, married to Mary Mull and returned to Henry river with her and a youth named Conrad Yoder. These were certainly the first Dutch settlers in the larger Lincoln County. Jacob Forney another of the earlier pioneers came in 1752 and then followed multitudes of new people, including the names of Johnston, l Abernathy, McCorkle, McLean, Howard, Reid, Dickson, Munday, Thompson, Gabriel, Wilkinson, and later Burton, Brevard, Graham, Fulenwider, Luckey, King, Cherry, Kincaid, Barclay, Brotherton, Lockman, Little, Cornelius, Shelton, Asbury, Nixon, Connor, Hagar, Hutchison, Bell, Goodson, Ballard, Burch, Long, Proctor, Hayes, Paine, LOWe, Robinson, Rutledge, Moore, Chronicle, Hambright, Rankin, Jenkins, Henderson, Davenport. and many other early settlers reaching along the eastern part from Lookout Shoals to the South Carolina line. Then following Henry Weidner there came into the Central and Western portion of old Lincoln a steady stream of Dutch pioneers from Pennsylvania, among whom were the following families: Ramsour, Wilfong, Mull, Yoder, Schenck, Cansler, Hoke, Coon, Costner, Quickel, Shrum, Conrad, Rudisill, Finger, Seagle, Yount, Hoover, Killian, Loretz, Rhyne, Reinhardt, Lineberger, Hoffman, Carpenter, Miller, Friday, Rendleman, Shuford, Bandy, Dellinger, Houser, Motz, Setzer, Hauss, Heavner, Hoyle, Grouse, Sigmon, Lowrance, Rhodes, Cline, Stroupe, Reep, Coulter, Lutz, Boyd, Page 9 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Summerow, Smith and many others worthy and true, so that by 1775 there was a considerable population west of the Catawba. The County of Tryon was organized in 1769 and it was these people and those who came with them, who laid the foundations upon which we have builded, and it is their history that we would preserve for if we should fail to write down their deeds, other people will not preserve them. North Carolinians have always been modest and when they chose the State motto “Esse Quam Videri,” which being interpreted means “to be, rather than seem to be,” modesty and sincerity, two lofty virtues, have been woven warp and woot, into the character of our citizenship. While our people have done more than their share in all the struggles of the Nation, they have without boasting, left the results to posterity and our historians until recent years have been silent about their achievements. They preferred “to be, rather than seem to be,” - knowing that virtue is its own reward. We should, however, want to know where We came from and What were the characteristics of our forebears. We should not be so broad as to obliterate all local attachments. The land of our nativity should be dearest to us. North Carolina is the State and Lincoln County that part of the State to which we are most intimately related. Page 10 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. II The pioneer settlers of this section were hardy and brave. Those who crossed the Catawba found no shelter but a wintry sky and the cold stars looked down pitilessly upon them as the howling wolves serenaded them through the lonely nights. We (an never know the sacrifices those men made nor the suffering they endured, but the soil was watered by the tears and enriched by the graves of their women, The primitive life of the pioneer in the wilderness and the privations and perils they were forced to endure developed in them the spirit of manly independence and self reliance, which gave them a Vision of human equality devoid of the caste spirit. The original settlers Were in the main plain people, honest, conscientious and religious. In the old country they had been Oppressed by the government and persecuted by the church, so that they braved the perils of the sea to find freedom in the western wilds. They Were strung minded and untrained but here they found opportunity for the development of their latent powers. There were no principal citizens, for every citizen was one. They were men of iron, with faith and fortitude. It is such as these that history should magnify. They hewed down the forests, developed the plains, fought our battles and taught their children to fear God and to tell the truth. We can never pay these men and women the debt we pwe for their love and sacrifice. These pioneers, as Bancroft says: “Came from civilized life and scattered among forests; hermits with wives and children, resting upon the bosom of nature in perfect harmony with the wilderness and the gentle climate; careless of religious sects and unmolested by oppressive laws, they enjoyed liberty of conscience and personal independence, freedom of the forest and the river. The children of nature listened to the inspirations of nature. They desired no greater happiness than they enjoyed." In the solitude of the wilderness they were self dependent. When their rights were imperiled they resisted taxation without representation in the days which tried mens souls, They faced perils, endured suffering and conquered difficulties. They were apt scholars in the school of self denial. They accepted a hard situation with the spirit , that would put to shame the “tenderfoot” of the twentieth century, who living in a period of extravagance and self indulgence knows nothing of sacrificial devotion to duty as the fathers did. When the hardy pioneers first crossed the Catawba, most probably in winter, they faced the pitiless elements with faith and courage, built rude cabins and lacked every comfort which their children have today. The furnishings were scant and generally the cabin had but one room in which they cooked, ate, slept and entertained, and they lived on such food as the wilderness supplied. They had burned every bridge behind them. They Were here to stay and fight back the savages, the wild beasts and the unkindly elements which were to be conquered before they could find mace and security. On the journey from the far north they brought meager supplies for they had only pack horses to carry the burdensome loads, and when they settled West of the Catawba, the cabins were built without nails, the cracks were daubed with mud, split slabs were used for roofing with stones to weight them, down, lest the roof be torn away by the storm and wind. The doors were secured by wooden hinges and there was no glass for the windows. The houses were built in valleys close to the spring. They hewed down the forests, built rail fences to protect crops, from Page 11 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina cattle and hogs, Worked through the long days and kept watch by night, lest prowling savages might do them Violence. The women endured hardships even greater than the men, for they helped to clear the forests and work the crops and besides performed all the household duties. They not only cooked the food, made the meager garments, patched them often until they Were as many colored as Joseph‘s coat, but they worked the garden, milked the cows, washed the clothes, worked the cotton patch and then With their fingers separated the cotton from the seed, spun the cotton and Wool into thread and Wove the thread into cloth for garments and blankets. Indeed the women. worked at all tasks and never complained. It must have been one of like experience who wrote the old couplet: “A man's Work is from sun to sun, But a woman’s work is never done.” These pioneer women were strangers to the modern beauty parlor and hod no need for one for the sign of health was written upon their faces. They lived so close to nature that their ruddy cheeks bespoke their health and vigor. They exercised the body, lived in the great out of doors, breathed invigorating air, basked in the life giving sunshine. and had poor reason to use lip sticks or other superficial methods of converting ugliness into beauty. There were no stores, and fashion plates were never seen outside the seaport towns. The pioneers left the comforts of life to seek finally a better life. On the frontier neighbors learned the meaning of neighborliness. They had log rollings, house raisings, corn shuckings and quilting parties, and those who refused to help in neighborly deeds lost caste with the people. They were industrious and possessed varied gifts which served them Well in their new environment, They had learned to work with their hands. There were blacksmiths, carpenters, cabinet makers, millwrights, tanners, shoemakers, saddlers, sailors, hatters, skilled workers in iron. These all worked their farms and also worked at their trades when needed. So the people were not only farmers hut manufacturers from the start, and supplied their neighbors with such as they could produce by hand. Necessity being the mother of invention it was wonderful how they found substitutes for many things. They used honey or sorghum for sugar, parched rye for coffee, ashes and waste grease combined were converted into soap. Corn and wheat were ground by hand and the people never heard of appendicitis. Back of all their splendid traits there shone a radiant faith, for they brought the Church with them and never lost the habit of congregational worship. The Lutheran, German Reformed, Presbyterian and Baptist Churches were the first to be established, and later on the Episcopal and Methodist Churches all combined to preserve righteousness among the people. They had the Bible and worshiped God in the wilderness, “where the groves were God’s first temples.” These first settlers were not ignorant people, even if, for lack of schools many of their children could not read. Many of the pioneers could write legibly and spell fairly well, but the children were so busy at the task of keeping the wolf from the door, and with no teachers to instruct, that many really well to do, even as late as 1860, could not write their names. (CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE) Page 12 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. III TRYON COUNTY Colonial Records: Vol. 7-541. 1767 St. Thomas Parish was created West of the Catawba river but the country was too sparsely settled to make provision for a minister. * * * * C. R. Vol. 7. Dec. 12, 1768. From a letter of Gov. Tryon to Lord Hillsborough: “If South Carolina boundary line be changed as suggested, the South government boundary would take from this province, independent of what it would rob from Earl Granville’s district, a tract of country, now Tryon County, of 45 miles in breadth, due North and South and 80 miles due East and West, it having been found that distance, from Catawba river to the Western boundary line, which was run last year between the Cherokee hunting grounds and this province." * * * * C. R. Vol. 8—XVI. That all taxes in the following counties: Anson, Mecklenburg, Orange, Rowan and Tryon be paid as in other counties of the province, and warehouses shall be erected on same. * * * * Marriage: That every denomination of people may marry according to their respective mode. * * * * The Colonial Assembly of North Carolina in 1768 created a new county out of that part of Mecklenburg West of the Catawba river and South of the Earl of Granville line and named it Tryon County in honor of William Tryon Who had been appointed Governor of the Province by the British Crown. * * * * 1769. The Assembly appointed Thomas Neel, Henry Clark, William Yancey, Daniel Warlick, Jacob Forney, John Gordon and William Watson Commissioners to contract for the building of court house, prison and stocks for Tryon County and to levy a tax of two shillings on each taxable poll to meet this expense. * * * * 1769. At the first session of the Tryon County court the record shows that Ezekiel Polk produced his commission as Clerk and John Tagart his commission as Sheriff and Alexander Martin was appointed Attorney for the Crown. Page 13 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina It appears also that Waightstill Avery, John Quinn, Samuel Spencer and John Forsyth were present and were sworn in as Attorneys. (Ezekiel Polk was the grandfather of James K, Polk, 11th president of the United- States.) According to Mr. Alfred Nixon the first session of the Tryan County Court was organized at the home of Charles McLean and the sessions for the years of 1769, 1770 and 1771 were held in the McLean home. The sessions of 1772 at Christian Reinhardt's and those of 1773 and 1774 at Christian Carpenter’s. * * * * Colonial Records: Vol. 8-149. From Records in Office of Secretary of State 1769. At a council held at Newbern, Nov. 10, 1769, it was ordered that the following be added to the Commission of Peace and dedimus for Tryon County: John Robeson, Francis Adams, George Blanton, John Thomas, Robert Ewart, Robert Blackburn, James McIntyre and Timothy Riggs, and that the chairman of the County Court be directed to insert the names of the several gentlemen above mentioned in the Commission of peace and dedimus in open Court in the order they now stand. * * * * 1769. At the October term of Court the Tryon County expenses for the year were reported to be £71—16s—10d, equivalent to about $355.00 of our money. There were 1226 taxable polls in the County and tax assessment of three shillings, two pence was levied on each taxable person * * * * 1770. Ah the January term of the County Court Charles McLean, Zachery Bullock, Thomas Beatty and Ephriam McLean were presented with commissions as Captains of Tryon regular troops. At the April term commissions as Captains of Militia were presented to Andrew Hampton, Abram Kurkendall, Henry Clark and Joseph Green and for Lieutenants, Patrick McDavid and Daniel Simpson. Ensigns, Perrygreen Magness and John Branson, and Captain Robert Blackburn in regiment of foot soldiers, commanded by Thomas Neel. * * * * The Assembly of 1770 appointed Thomas Neel, William Moore, Robert Adams, Ephriam McLean and John Beard, a new set of Commissioners to build a court house for Tryon County and were required to agree upon and select within three months a proper and convenient place whereon to erect court house and other buildings and to have the same completed within twelve months after the passage of this act. * * * * Page 14 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1771. In his autobiography, David Crockett states that he was born in Lincoln County, N. C. The following Written by Mr. Alfred Nixon, April 2, 1912 confirms the above statement of Crockett. Mr. Nixon wrote: “I find names in record of David and William Crockett as March 11, 1771 Thomas Yeates of Berkley County province of South Carolina conveyed to David Crockett of Tryon County, N. C., in consideration of 110 pounds current money of said province, 250 acres of land on South side of Catawba river, being part of a tract of land granted to John Killian, September 18, 1759." * * * * From the Colonial Records some interesting facts relating to Tryon County are found. Vol. 9-293. The Assembly appointed and empowered William Moore to collect Tryon County taxes for 1768. * * * * Vol. 23-784. Reward by the Assembly of 7 shillings, 6 pence for every wolf or panther killed. The poll tax was fixed at 6 pence (1769.) Vol. 6-211-13. Uriah (Ute) Sherrill, of Rowan (later Lincoln) allowed 1 pound and 15 shillings for cow killed by Indians and for provisions going to war. * * * * Vol. 23—80b. Petition presented by Presbyterians of Tryon County that authority be given to Presbyterian ministers to solemnize marriages. (1771.) Authority granted to Commissioners appointed to carry out the plan of building court house, jail and stocks for Tryon County. Vol. 22-429. The Public of North Carolina indebted to Frederick Hambright for going against the Cherokee Indians to the express from the commanding officer of Tryon County, March 15, 1771. No. Days Ration Total Amt. Frederick Hambright, Captain 8 @ 7s6d 5s4d 3- 5-4 John Hoyle, Lieutenant 8 @ 55 5s4d 2- 5-4 James Cozart, Sergeant 8 @ 4s 5s4d 1-17-4 Andrew Hoyle, Sergeant 8 @ 4s 5s4d 1—17-4 Peter Conner, Jacob Rodes (Rhodes), Conrad Kinder, James Wyatt, Jacob Vanzant, Andrew Goforth, Richard Gullet, James French and Daniel McCarty, each 8 days @ 25, rations; 5s5d, total for each, 1 pound 1s 4 pence. I do hereby certify that the above Company of men were on the expedition by my orders under Captain Hambright. (Signed) Thomas Neel. Page 15 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina This day came Frederick Hambright and made oath that the above account is just and true. Certified before me this 29 April, 1772. (Witness) Jacob Costner. (signed) Frederick Hambright. * * * * Vol. 10-770. John Sevier, Samuel Sherrill, Adam Sherrill and 150 other petitioners to the Assembly, asked that they be annexed to the Carolina Province. These petitioners. lived in the Watauga Valley in what is now East Tennessee. (1772). (CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE) Page 16 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. IV Vol. 8-630-632. Petition of German Lutherans of Rowan County granted for Christopher Lyerly and Christopher Randleman to solicit aid for church work in the colony. (1772). See Record. Note: They went on horseback through the wilderness to Charleston and there sailed for Germany and brought back Rev. Adolphus Mussman to preach and John Gottfried Arndt to teach. Later Mussman ordained Arndt to the ministry and he became the pioneer Lutheran preacher in Tryon (now Lincoln) County, and when he died his sacred dust was buried beneath the old white church in Lincolnton. * * * * Vol. 9—352. Andrew Neel appointed Clerk of Inferior Court, Bond 1000 pounds, signed by John Ritzhaupt and Thomas Neel, and witnessed by Robert Blackburn. (1772). * * * * Vol. 9-575. John Tygart, Sheriff, due 572 pounds and 10 shillings on taxes. * * * * Vol. 9-145. The Assembly exempted William Logan and Robert Davis from public taxes and public duties. * * * * Vol. 9-298. Ezekiel. Polk was chosen Clerk and Thomas Neel Register, for Tryon County. (1772). * * * * John Nuckles late Sheriff. (1773). * * * * Commissioners appointed by the Assembly to build court Louse, jail and stocks for Tryon County. (1773). * * * * 1773. Robert Blackburn Assemblyman. 1773 and 1774 William Moore and Christian Reinhardt. * * * * The Provincial Congress met in Newbern, August 25, 1774. The delegates from Tryon were David Jenkins and Robert Alexander. Vol. 9-527 Compare with Vol. 22-878. Captain William Sherrill was allowed by the Assembly 27 pounds and 15 shillings for service rendered by himself and ten other Page 17 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina men on expedition to Silver Creek and Quaker Meadows (located now in Burke County) (Feb. 23, 1773). In Vol. 4-1034. In an earlier record is found a petition signed by (this same) William Sherrill, of Anson County (later Tryon and afterward Lincoln) with others asking for a land grant of 600 acres for himself. (1752). When the Assembly met in 1774, Tryon County was still without a court house, the Commissioners hitherto appointed having failed to agree upon the site for it, and William Moore, John Walker, Abram Kurkendall, Charles McLean, Christopher Carpenter and John Hill were appointed Commissioners with full authority to use all taxes collected for that purpose to. build court house, jail and stocks at the paint they may agree upon, and to levy additional tax if needed .to complete the work. * * * * The permanent county seat was not chosen~until 1774 when the report following was approved by the Assembly: North Carolina, Tryon County. We, the Commissioners appointed by act of the Assembly, for laying and constituting and appointing the place whereon to erect and build the Court House, Prison and Stocks of Tryon County, having maturely considered and deliberated on the same, are of the opinion that the place called the “Cross Roads,” or Christian Mauneys land, between the heads of Long Creek, Muddy Creek and Beaver Dam Creek in the county aforesaid, is most central and convenient, for the purpose aforesaid for the inhabitants of this county. Therefore, agreeable to the directions of the said act, we have and by these presents, do lay off constitute and appoint the said place as the most proper whereon to erect and build the Court House, Prison and Stocks of the said County. As witness our hands and seals the 26 day of July, 1774. (Signed) Charles McLean (SEAL) William Moore (SEAL) John Hill (SEAL) Christopher Carpenter (SEAL) It seems that the building of the court house, prison and stocks was. postponed indefinitely, as it was ordered that the county courts be held at the home of Christian Mauney at the “Cross Roads” on his land and space in his house was secured for a jail and the courts were held here until 1783 when the county seat was moved to Lincolnton. The old County Court of pleas and quarters sessions obtained in all the Counties of’ the Province. It was presided over by three Justices of the Peace and was Page 18 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina continued as the County Court in North Carolina after the Revolution until the adoption of the Constitution of 1868. The duties of that Court are now performed by the Recorders Court, the Clerk of the Superior Court and the County Commissioners. It appears from the Records that licenses were granted by this Court to William Wray, James Patterson, John Dellinger and Henry Dellinger to keep hotels or inns, then known by the name of Ordinary, and the prices to be charged for entertainment at such public houses were fixed by law as follows: Page 19 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Lodging in good feather bed and clean sheets, per night ---- 4 pence Breakfast and supper, each --------------------------------- 3 pence Every dinner With not less than two dishes of meat --------- 1 shilling Pasturage for horse or mare for 24 hours ------------------- 4 pence (Stabling per night, hay and fodder for horse or mare ------ 1 shilling Madeira or Port Wine, per quart ---------------------------- 3 shillings Claret Wine, per quart ------------------------------------- 4 shillings Punch and loaf sugar and West India rum, per quart --------- 1 shilling, 6 pence Toddy. and loaf sugar -------------------------------------- 1 shilling, 4 pence Toddy with New England rum --------------------------------- 8 pence Brandy and whiskey tpddy, per quart ------------------------ 8 pence Beer, per quart -------------------------------------------- 4 Pence Cider, per quart ------------------------------------------- 6 pence West India rum per V2 pint -------------------------------- 10 pence New England rum, per 1/2 pint ------------------------------ 6 pence Brandy or whiskey, per- Ma pint ---------------------------- 6 pence * * * * As shown by the records, roads in different directions from Tryon Court House were ordered to be built or laid out as follows: 1. “Ordered by the Court that Christy Carpenter, Lawrence, Kiser, Jacob Ramsour, Adolphus Reep and John Eaker be appointed Commissioners to lay out, and mark a road from Burke. County line to Ramsour’s Mill, and from there, the nearest and best way to Tryon County Court House. 2. “Ordered that William Moore, Abram Scott, Zack Spencer, Fred Hambright, Michal Hoyle, Thomas Costner, Jacob Mauney, Peter Laboon, Michal Huffstetler and John Hoyle be a jury to lay out and mark a road, the nearest and best way from Tryon Court House to Tuckaseege Ford. 3. “Ordered that Christy Mauney be appointed overseer of the road from Tuckaseege to Tryon Court House as far as Peter Laboon’s, and Peter Laboon from his house to the South Fork river and Samuel Martin from the Forks to the Tuckaseege Ferd. 4. “Ordered that Henry Dellinger be appointed overseer of the road leading from Tryon Court House to Beatty’s Ford.” (This site of Tryon County Court House is about five miles North of Bessemer City on the highway leading from Bessemer to Cherryville). Page 20 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. V Vol. 10-1. District Court in Salisbury June 1, 1775. The jurors from Tryon Were William Moore, Fred Hambright, Moses Moore, William Gilbert, James McIntire, John McKinney, James Johnston and Abram Kerkindall. Moses Moore and William Gilbert were grandjurors. * * * * North Carolina, Tryon County. Committee of Public Safety, Tryon County, proceedings: Organization. At a meeting of the freeholders of the County of Tryon at the Court House of said County on 26th July 1775, in order to select 3 Committee for said County, the following“ persons were chosen, to wit: Military Committees elected: Captain Beatty’s Co.: Thomas Beatty, David Jenkins, James Johnston, Jacob Forney; Captain Carpenter’s Co.: Thomas Espey, Nicholas Friday, Valentine Mauney; Captain Hardin"s Co.: Joseph Hardin, Benjamin Hardin, Davis Whitesides; Captain Coburn’s Co.: James Coburn, Robert Alexander; Captain Hambright’s Co.: Fred Hambright, James Logan; Captain Hampton’s Co.: Andrew Hampton, John Morris, George Russell; Captain Magness’ Co.: Perigreen Magness, William Graham, George McAfee; Captain Paris’ Co.: George Paris, Ambrose Mills; Captain Aaron Moore’s Co.: John Walker, John Beeman, George Black; Captain Baird’s Co.: James Baird, Andrew Neel, William Patterson; Captain McKinney’s Co.: John McKinney, Jonas Bedford; Captain Kuykendall’s Co.: Abram Kuykendall, William Thompson, Robert McMinn; Captain Barber’s Co.: John Barber, Charles McLean, John Robeson. (See Vol. 10-120 and 124 for Military Committees). * * * * Representatives from Tryon County to Provincial Congress at Hillsboro August 20, 1775: John Walker, Robert Alexander, Joseph Hardin, William Graham, Fred Hambright and William Kennon. The Committee of Public Safety met at Tryon Court House August 14, 1775. Present Were the following members of the Committee: John Walker, Chairman, Thomas Beatty. David Jenkins, Jacob Forney, Thomas Espey, Valentine Mauney, James Coburn, Robert Alexander, Joseph Hardin, Benjamin Hardin, Fred Hambright, James Logan, Andrew Hampton, John Morris, Charles McLean, John Robinson, William Graham, James McAfee, George Paris; John Beeman, George Black, Andrew Neel, James Baird and David Whitesides, all of whom took the oath of qualification. Page 21 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Col. Charles McLean was elected vice-chairman and Andrew Neel clerk of the committee. In the absence of Col. Walker, Col. Charles McLean presided. Following the meeting of the Committee of Public Safety, a mass meeting was held at which the Tryon County declaration of freedom was adopted and signed by all those whose names are hereto attached. The unprecedented and barbarous and bloody actions committed by the British troops on our American brethren near Boston on April 19, and May 20, last, together with the hostile operations and treacherous designs now being carried on by the tools of ministerial vengeance for the subjugation of all British America, suggests to us the painful necessity of having recourse to arms in defense of our national freedom and constitutional rights against all invasions; and at the same time do solemnly engage to take up arms and risk our lives and fortunes in maintaining the freedom of our country whenever the wisdom and counsel of the Continental Congress or our Provincial Convention shall declare it necessary; and this engagement we will continue in for the preservation of those rights and liberties, which the principles of our Constitution and the laws of God, nature and nations have made it our duty to, defend. We therefore, the subscribers, freeholders and inhabitants of Tryon County do faithfully unite ourselves under the most solemn ties of religion, honor and love to our country, firmly to resist force by force and hold sacred until a reconciliation or constitutional principles which we most ardently desire, and do firmly agree to hold all such persons as inimical to the liberties of America who shall refuse to sign this association. Signed by: John Walker, Charles McLean, Andrew Neel, Thomas Beatty, James Coburn, Fred Hambright, Andrew Hampton, Benjamin Hardin, George Paris, William Graham, Robert Alexander, David Jenkins, Thomas Espey, Perryman Mackness, James McAfee, William Thompson, Jacab Forney, David Whitesides, John Beeman, John Morris, Joseph Hardin, John Robison, James McIntyre, Valentine Mauney, George Black, James Logan, James Baird, Christian Carpenter, Abel Beatty, Joab Turner, Jonathan Price, James Miller, John Dellinger, Peter Sides, William Whitesides, George Dellinger, Samuel Carpenter, Jacob Mooney, Jr.,, John Wells, Jacob Costner, Robert Hulchip, James Buchanan, Moses Moore, Joseph Kuykendall, Adam Sides, Richard Waffer, Samuel Smith. Joseph Neel, Samuel Loftin.” * * * * Page 22 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Tablet placed at site of home of Christian Mauney and Tryon Court House 5 miles North of Bessemer City on road to Cherryville. HOME OF CHRISTIAN MAUNEY PIONEER AND PATRIARCH 1770. * * * * SITE OF TRYON COURT HOUSE 1774—1783 * * * * Camp. of Lord Cornwallis and British Army January 23, 1781. * * * * Erected by descendants of Christian Mauney and their friends 1919. W. A. Mauney, Chairman. The bronze plate on reverse side of the monument contains the following: Here in August, 1775 was formulated and signed the Tryon Declaration of Rights and Independence from British Tyranny. The following were signers. Then followed the names of the 48 signers, including also, the name of James McEntire. Tablet Contributed by Col. Frederick Hambright Chapter D. A. R., 1919. * * * * Note: The Rowan County Committee of Public Safety made defiant protest against the tyranny of British rule August 8, 1774. (See Wheeler pages 360-61). Page 23 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. VI The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was signed May 20. 1775. The Tryon County Committee of Public Safety spoke on August 14, 1775 in plain and patriotic protest against British tyranny and a bronze tablet with the names of the heroic signers should be placed on the wall of the Lincoln County Court mom to perpetuate the patriotic stand they took on that historic day. * * * * William Moore and William Alston were the Assemblymen from Tryon in 1775. * * * * Vol. 10-3. Aquilla Sherrill, Constable was in court and released of fine imposed at last court. (1775). * * * * September, 1775. William Graham was elected Colonel, Charles McLean, Lt. Colonel, Thomas Beatty, 1st Major and Frederick Hambright, 2nd Major, of Tryon County. * * * * September 14, 1775. The Committee of Public Safety met according to adjournment. Present: Charles McLean, Chairman, Thomas Espey, Fetty Mauney, Frederick Hambright, George Russel], John Morris, Robert McMinn, Abram Kurkendall, John Robinson, John Barber. George Black, James Logan, James McAfee, Andrew Neel, Andrew Hampton, William Thompson, Nicholas Friday, Benjamin Hardin and Perrygreen Mackness. Captain Andrew Hampton was authorized to apply to the Council of Safety at Charleston for what gunpowder, lead and flints as can be bought with 8 pounds, 17 shillings and 6 pence proclamation money of North Carolina for the protection of those living on the frontiers of Tryon County, against attacks of savage Indians. * * * * April, 1776. William Graham, James Logan, Frederick Hambright, Robert Alexander, Robert Parks, Alexander Gilliland and David Jenkins were appointed a Committee of Secrecy. 1776. The Tryon County Militia System was organized on account of promotions and other causes and Thomas Beatty was elected Colonel; Andrew Hampton, Lt. Colonel; Andrew Long, 1st Major, and Jacob Costner, 2nd Major. * * * * Vol. 22-861. William Moore, Coroner of Tryon County was allowed 40 shillings for holding inquest over John Gilmore as per account filed. * * * * Page 24 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Vol. 10-424. Committee of Public Safety, Tryon County, met. Those present: William Graham, Chairman, George Parks, Robert Parks, Robert Alexander, Robert Porter and Alex Gilliland. It was: RESOLVED that no person or persons of Tryon County shall sell or dispose of salt, iron or steel to any person within the County for more than 200 per cent from, first cost, purchased in Charleston or other port, upon forfeit of 10 shillings for every 20 Shillings worth they RESOLVED, that no person shall sell rum in the County for more than 8 shillings per gallon, such persons as have license excepted. (1776) * * * * Page 525. William Graham and Robert Alexander were appointed to procure and purchase fire arms for the use of troops. (1776). Page 532. Tryon County Militia elected by Halifax Convention William Graham, Colonel, Thomas Beatty, Lt. Colonel, Andrew Hampton, 1st Major, Jacob Costner, 2nd Major. (1776). George Wilfong was elected 2nd Major of Rowan troops with Francis Locke, Colonel and James Brandon, 1st Major. (1776). * * * * Delegates from Tryon to Halifax Convention November, 1776, were Joseph Hardin, Robert Abernathy, William Graham, William Alston and John Barber. * * * * The Halifax Congress elected Robert Alexander, of Tryon, to purchase arms for public defense, and James Miller, of Tryon, was authorized to keep in his possession a certain Indian boy taken from the Cherokees, till otherwise directed. It, was also ordered that a town be established on land of Christian Mauney in Tryon County. * * * * Joseph Hardin, Captain of Company of Light horse of Tryon on Cherokee expedition was allowed 789 pounds on his claim. John Johnston, John Perkins and Robert Blackburn, of Tryon, were appointed Justices of the Peace by the Assembly. (1776). * * * * Charles McLean and James Johnston, of Tryon, took their Seats in Provincial Congress. (1776). * * * * Page 25 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1777. Tryon County Jurors at Salisbury Court March 1777. Samuel Spencer, Judge and Adlai Osborne, Clerk, were George Lambkin, Sr. James McFadden, William Cronakle, John Hoyle, Richard Singleton, John Will, John Stanford and Jacob Costner. Matthew Locke was Foreman of grandjury and George Lambkin, Sr., and Jacob Costner were grandjurors from Tryon County. * * * * Charles McLean was Assemblyman from Tryon in 1777. * * * * 1778. William Graham was the Senator and William Gilbert and Joseph Hardin Assemblymen from Tryon County in 1778. * * * * Vol. 13-44. A call was made by the Assembly for troops; 83 was the quota for Tryon County. (1778). Vol. 12-639. Tryon County was ordered to furnish army with 55 hats; 231 yards linen; 110 yards woolen cloth; 110 pairs shoes and 110 pairs stockings. (1778). * * * * Vol. 14—294. Roll of Company of Lt. Col. W. L. Davidson, April 23. 1779. Pension office, Book entitled North Carolina, not paged. Copied from Orderly book of Sergeant Isaac Rowel. Edward Yarborough, 1st. Lt.; Reuben Wilkinson, 2nd. Lt.; Among privates Were Adam Brevard, William Wilkinson; Sergeant, Isaac Rowel, Sergeant John Godwin, Sergeant John Horton, Corporal Dempsey Johnson, Corporal Jesse Baggett, Corporal James Tharp. James Goodson died in hospital at New Windsor. Peter Valentine died in hospital in Philadelphia. * * * * Vol. 13-352-3. Petition to the Assembly for the creation of a new County West of the Catawba river, signed by Francis McCorkle, Moses Sherrill, and others. (1778). Page 26 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. VII At the next session of the Assembly (1778) Tryon County was abolished and the Counties of Lincoln and Rutherford erected out of the Tryon territory. Samuel Lambkin, Benjamin Hardin, John Walker and Jonathan Gullick were appointed as Commissioners to run the dividing line between the new counties agreeable to the act creating the counties. Benjamin Hardin, Thomas Welch, John Earls, Abram Kurkendall and John Potts were appointed Commissioners to lay off the site for court house, jail and stocks. * * * * The fires of discontent among the people of the West began prior to 1773 and grew to be a conflagration by August, 1775, when patriotic citizens of Tryon County assembled at Tryon Court house, adopted resolutions which the powers that he could not misunderstand, protesting against the policy of the British as cruel and unjust, and provision Was made to resist oppressive laws and taxes. This spirit grew throughout the Colony until April 1776 the people of North Carolina in Convention assembled at Halifax, declared themselves independent of British rule and joined the other Colonies in the war for complete independence. The name of William Tryon, the Royal Governor was held in derision and in 1778 the Assembly abolished the County (Tryon) which bore his name and established in place of it two new counties, Lincoln and Rutherford. * * * * 707. William Gilbert expelled from Assembly for intentionally defrauding the public by passing sundry erroneous accounts in former sessions of the Assembly. (1779). (These charges were later proved to be groundless). Vol. 14: 111. Col. Charles McLean writing from Crowders Mountain in Tryon County early in February 1779, reported on information that John Moore, a Tory, had raised 300 men and claimed it would grow to 2000. To quell insurrection 2000 militia and 750 light horse were called out to meet in Salisbury. Gen. Rutherford being absent in South Carolina, Matthew Locke was appointed General of the Salisbury district protempore. Page 261. In another letter written by Col. Charles McLean to the Assembly and dated Feb. 6, 1779, he stated that John Moore and his troops robbed Timothy Riggs of all his horses, saddles, etc., and robbed Robert McMann of saddle, gun and other valuables. (1779). Vol. 14-470. Order was given in favor of Robert Alexander, Commissioner of Tryon County, for 100 bushels of salt. (1779). * * * * Page 27 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The officers of Tryon County from its Organization to the establishment of Lincoln County were: 1. Clerks of County Court: April 1769 to October 1772 -------------------- Ezekiel Polk. October 1772 to April 1776 --------------------- Andrew Neel. April 1776 to July 1777 --------------------- William Graham. July 1777 to April 1780 ------------------------ Andrew Neel. 2. Sheriffs: April 1769 to April 1771 ---------------------- John Taggart. April 1771 to April 1773 --------------------- Francis Adams. April 1773 to July 1777 ---------------------- Jacob Costner. July 1777 to July 1778 ----------------------- James Holland. July 1778 ------------------------------------- James Miller. 3. Public Registers: October 1771 to October 1772 ------------------- Thomas Neel. October 1772 to July 1777 ---------------------- Andrew Neel. July 1777 to April 1779 ------------------- Jonathan Hampton. 4. Coroners: January 1770 to April 1773 ------------------- William Moore. January 1773 to January 1778 ------------------- John Walker. January 1778 to January 1779 ------------------- James White. January 1779 ---------------------------------- Thomas Espey. The complete list of representatives from Tryon County to the Colonial Assembly follows: 1769 William Moore and Thomas Neel. 1770 William Moore and Thomas Neel. 1771 William Moore and Thomas Neel. 1773 Robert Blackburn. 1773-74 William Moore and Christian Reinhardt. 1775 William Moore and William Alston. 1777 Charles McLean. 1778 William Graham, Senator. William Gilbert and Joseph Hardin, Assemblymen. 1779 Robert Abernethy. To the Provincial Congress: August 1774 David Jenkins and Robert, Alexander. April 1775 August 1775 John Walker, Robert Alexander, Joseph Hardin, William Graham, Fred Hambright and William Kennon. Page 28 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina To Halifax Convention: April 1776 Charles McLean and James Johnston. November 1776 Joseph Hardin, Robert Alexander, William Graham, Willis Alston and Robert Abernethy. According to Tryon County Court Records, the following Were Justices of the Peace between the years 1769 and 1778, because they appear as Justices present at various meetings of the County Courts: Thomas Neel, William Moore, William Watson, William Twitty, John Retzhough, Jacob Costner, James McLean, Henry Clark, Jonas Bedford, John Gordon, John Walker, Henry Holman, Robert Harris, David Anderson, Francis Adams, Robert Blackburn, George Blanton, John Robeson, James McEntire, Timothy Riggs, John Thomas, James McElwaine, Alex Gilliland, John Sloan, John Moore, Robert Alexander, Jonathan Gullick, James McAfee, Jonathan Hampton, John McKinney, James Logan, James Johnston, Francis Quinn, Ezekiel Polk, Jacob Randall, Thomas Espey, Joseph Hardin, Charles McLean, William Graham, George Lambkin, William Yancey, Robert Johnston, Frederick Hambright, Valentine Mauney, George Black, Davis Whitesides and William Neville. Page 29 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. VIII LINCOLN COUNTY Lincoln County, named for Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, a hero of the American Revolution, was established out of a part of Tryon County, by the General Assembly at Halifax, in January, 1779. Tryon was abolished and Lincoln and Rutherford Counties organized out of its territory, according to the act, to make it easier for its inhabitants in its remote parts to perform public duties, but another reason was to eliminate the name of the Royal Governor, William Tryon, whose record was odious, to the patriots of the Revolution. The General Assembly named Sampson Lambkin, Benjamin Hardin, John Walker, Jonathan Gullett as Commissioners, to run the dividing line between the newly organized Counties. The Justices of Tryon were continued in these positions in their respective counties, without new commissioners. Further, Christopher Carpenter. Valentine Mauney, James Reid, John Patrick and William Grimes Were commissioned to buy 100 acres of land in the most central and convenient part of Lincoln, for a court house, prison and stocks, and to contract for the erection of same and to pay for these buildings, an additional tax for two years of two shillings on the 100 pounds value of taxable property, and one shilling on every free man was levied. The money previously raised for the Tryon court house and jail was ordered divided between Lincoln and Rutherford. A bill introduced that year by William Graham, the Senator, to establish a county seat town on lands of Valentine Mauney, failed to pass. The County Was assigned to the Salisbury Superior Court district. The County Court for several years was held at old Tryon court house, which was about five miles North of the present Bessemer City, on the highway leading to Cherryville. (1933). In December, 1782, the General Assembly added part of Burke to Lincoln County and named Daniel McKissick, Henry Thompson, James Lytle, John Dickson, John Wilson, John Caruth, Frederick Hambright and Nicholas Friday, Commissioners to fix a place for the court house for Lincoln County, and levied a tax of six pence specie on each 100 pounds value of property for two years. In 1783 the courts Were held up stairs at the home of Christian Mauney, 9 miles southwest of Lincolnton. In 1784 at the homes of Nicholas Friday and Henry Dellinger, east of Lincolnton. In 1784 the General Assembly established a new boundary line between Burke and Lincoln and appointed Joseph Dickson, John Caruth, John Wilson and Joseph Steele and Nicholas Friday, to buy 100 acres of land “as near the center of the county as may be and to contract with Draper Workmen to build a court house, prison and stocks thereon.” The Commissioners acted and early in 1784, the Assembly set forth in an Act that they had entered 300 acres of vacant and unappropriated land between the lines of Phillip Kanceller (Cansler) and Christian Reinhardt, and had laid off 50 acres for a town and sold the lots. This site the Assembly “established into a town which shall be called Lincolnton.” Joseph Dickson and the other Commissioners named in 1784 Were continued as "Town Trustees and Directors.” The Commissioners reserved an acre of land for the court house sand jail and in 1785 these buildings were erected of logs. In 1788 a new frame court house was built, the space between the planks being filled with earth. The outside was Page 30 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Painted red and was known as the “red court house." It was removed in 1810 and a third court house erected in its place. This building was abandoned about 1855, when a structure of brick and stone of attractive design was built and used until 1923 When the present handsome court house built of concrete and stone was erected on the same site at a cost of about $225,000.00. The original Wills and Deeds and the County Court Minutes all begin in 1769 for Tryon, and 1779 for Lincoln County. The first United States Census taken in 1790 gave the county 1405 heads of white families. The census was taken by the Militia districts (now called townships) 12 in number, covering the country which then embraced the present counties of Catawba, Gaston, Lincoln and half of Cleveland County. (The above information was largely supplied by Col. Fred A. Olds, of Raleigh). On January 11, 1841, the General Assembly finally passed the bill signed by Andrew Joyner, Speaker of the Senate, and Robert B. Gilliam, Speaker of the House of Commons, creating the County of Cleaveland, from parts of Rutherford and Lincoln Counties. It was named in honor of Benjamin Cleaveland, a brave soldier of the Revolution who took part in the battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780. The bill reads that: Cleaveland County is to be composed of parts of the counties of Rutherford and Lincoln, beginning at a point in the South Carolina line and running a north course so as to tap within 14 miles east of Rutherfordton until it strikes the Burke County line; thence With the dividing line of Burke and Rutherford to the Lincoln line; thence to the 13 mile post on the Lucas ford road; thence to the 12 mile post on the new post road leading from Rutherford to Lincolnton; thence to the 12 mile post leading from Lincolnton to Quinn’s ferry; thence to the 12 mile post leading from Morganton to Yorkville (S. C.); thence with the road tapping Abernethy's store by the Gold Mine at Kings Mountain to the South Carolina line, then with it to the beginning. The bill provides also that: Robert H. Burton, Alexander McCorkle, Henry Cansler, Eli Hoyle, Ed Bryant, Achilles Durham, John McDowell, Samuel Andrews and David Gray, at committee whose duty it shall be to designate some point in said county of Cleaveland, not more than four miles from Thomas Wilson’s mineral springs (now Cleaveland Springs) which shall be the county seat of said County., and the site of the present town Shelby (named for Isaac Shelby another hero of Kings Mountain) was selected for the county seat, by the aforesaid commissioners appointed to locate same. This left Lincoln a large county, the majority of the inhabitants lived far from the county seat with poor highways and many of the citizens wanted to divide the county. Nathaniel Wilson, one of the leaders of the new county movement, was elected to the Home of Commons on that issue in 1842. The Lincolnton opposition to Page 31 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Wilson aroused his ire and he advocated division line to run through the center of the town of Lincolnton when Catawba County was established in 1842. A compromise resulted in the placing of the boundary line one mile north of Lincolnton, and it remained so until Gaston County was organized in 1846 when the southern boundary of Catawba was moved five miles north of Lincolnton and the northern boundary of Gaston five miles south of Lincolnton, leaving the present County of Lincoln ten miles wide and thirty miles long. Gaston was named for Judge William Gaston and the county seat for George M. Dallas, at that time Vice President of the United States. Catawba County as well as the Catawba river were named for the Catawba tribe of Indians. Newton, the county seat, was named for Sir. Isaac Newton, the philosopher. The three counties voted together for members of the General Assembly, after the division, until 1854, when they voted separately for members of the House of Commons Page 32 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. IX Jacob Forney the pioneer was turn in Alsace about 1721 and came with his wife Maria Bergner to what is now Lincoln County in 1754. * * * * Joseph Dickson the patriot was born in Chester County, Penn, in April, 1745. * * * * John Beatty the pioneer in 1745) crossed the Catawba at the ford which bears his name and Alfred Nixon said he was the first white settler in the present county of Lincoln. * * * * Col. Frederick Hambright was. born in Germany. He came to North Carolina about 1755 and was a gallant soldier at Kings Mountain where Col Patrick Ferguson, the commander of the British troops was killed October 8, 1780. * * * * Adam Sherrill the pioneer with his eight sons, and John Perkins, Henry Weidner and several Robinsons crossed the Catawba at Sherrill’s Ford and were among the first settlers west of the Catawba river. * * * * Col. James Johnson, son of Henry Johnson the pioneer, was born in 1742 and Came with his parents to this section in 1755. * * * * Rev. Humphrey Hunter the patriotic soldier and pioneer Presbyterian preacher was born in Ulster County, Ireland, May 14, 1755. * * * * Gentleman John Perkins who came to this section with Adam Sherrill in 1747 was born, (son of Elisha Perkins) in Virginia, September 15, 1733, and died in Burke County, N. C. Friday morning, April 13, 1804 at five minutes of seven o’clock. His daughter Mary Perkins married to Rev. Robert Johnson Miller, the pioneer Episcopal preacher, who was generally called “Parson” Miller. John Perkins is the forebear of a long line of notable descendants, many of whom lived in Burke, CaldWell and Lincoln Counties. * * * * Peter Hoyle the pioneer was born in Germany May 14, 1710, married to Catherine Dales April 7, 1736, came to America, landing in Philadelphia September 11, 1738. Later he came to North Carolina, crossed the Catawba about 1747 and settled at Hoylesville about three miles east of the present town of Dallas, where he entered Page 33 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 770 acres of land on South Fork river. He reared a large family there and died in 1761. * * * * Robert Johnston Miller was born in Angusshire, Scotland, July 11, 1758. Came when quite young to Charlestown, Mass., where his elder brother was a merchant. He was a soldier of the Revolution. Later he became identified with the Methodists and accompanied Bishop Coke to Franklin County, N. C., when the Conference was held at the home of Green Oill. Some years after he became a Lutheran minister and finally took orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church and Was the pioneer preacher of that denomination in Lincoln and Burke counties. He Was ordained to the priesthood in Raleigh in May 1821 when about 63 years old. He married a daughter of Gentleman John Perkins the pioneer and has many descendants in Western Carolina. * * * * James Connor was born in Ireland in 1754 and his brother, Henry Connor (Senior) in 1758. General Peter Forney was born in what is now Lincoln County on April 21, 1756, son of Jacob and Maria Bergner Forney. * * * * Major William Chronicle the brave soldier who gave his life fer his country in the battle of King's Mountain was born in what is now Gaston County, about 1755. Dr. William McLean was born in Rowan April 2,, 1757. * * * * Major Abram Forney who fought at Ramsour’s Mill and Kings Mountain was born in the present County of Lincoln in 1758. * * * * Gen. Joseph Graham, a distinguished citizen of Lincoln, was born in Pennsylvania October 13, 1759. * * * * William Rankin, a patriot of the, Revolution, was born in Pennsylvania January 10, 1761. Married to Mary Moore, sister of General John Moore. 601. Richard Rankin, late of Gaston County was a son of that marriage. * * * * Capt. Alexander Brevard, one of the early settlers of Lincoln County was born in April, 1755. * * * * 1779 Page 34 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina COLONIAL RECORD - LINCOLN COUNTY Bill introduced to create Lincoln and Rutherford Counties out of Tryon County, 1778. (Vol. 24: 235-238). Lincoln County organized in 1779. Christopher Carpenter, Valentine Mauney, James Reed, John Patrick and William Grimes were appointed Commissioners to purchase 100 acres land in most central and convenient part of said County of Lincoln and to contract with and employ persons to build the Court House, prison and stocks in the County aforesaid. That the Counties of Rutherford and Lincoln shall be considered a part of the Salisbury district and the County Court of each shall appoint three jurors to attend the General Court at Salisbury. (Vol. 24: 235-238). Jurors failing to attend court to be fined 200 pounds unless good cause is shown by next court why they failed to attend. Jurors allowed $10.00 for every day they shall attend or travel to and from court. (Vol. 24: 273). * * * * October 19, 1779. Bill introduced by Senator William Graham to annex a part of Burke to Lincoln and it passed Senate and was sent to the House of Commons and passed. October 22, 1779. A petition was received from County Court of Lincoln that Samuel Elder was a proper person to be exempted from taxation. November 29, 1779. The bill introduced by William Graham to establish in Lincoln County a town on lands of Valentine Mauney was rejected by the House. * * * * 1779. Manuscript Records in the office of the Secretary of State, Raleigh. At a County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions was begun and held for the County of Lincoln on the 19th of April, 1779, before Worshipful James Johnston, Thomas Espey and Robert Alexander, Justices of the Peace of said County, it was ordered that George Pee, an inhabitant of said county, a very poor and infirm man be recommended to the General Assembly as a proper subject to be exempted from the payment of taxes. (Vol. 14: 292). (Signed) A. N. McNeel, C. C. * * * * Excerpt front a letter from Col. Thomas Wade written from Salisbury, to Gov. Nash, complains of Tories who he classes as foragers and rioters, endangering the welfare of the people of the Counties of Anson, Rowan, Surry, Burke, Rutherford and Lincoln. In Lincoln he states that a large body of them are on South Fork of Catawba. He urges the appointment of Judge Spencer to hold courts in those counties Page 35 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina in the hope that their depradations on farms and stores might be stopped. (V01. 14: 865). * * * * See Vol. 14: 685 got letter of Gen. William Davidson to Gen. Jethro Sumner on Battle of Kings Mountain. Upon the division of Tryon County all the County records fell to the new County of Lincoln. In April 1779 at the first session of the County Court of Lincoln, John Wilson was elected to the office of Register. Page 36 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. X 1780 THE BATTLE AT RAMSOUR’S MILL The years were long and dreary even to the hardy pioneers, from 1770 to the end of the American Revolution. The differences which separated the Whigs and Tories developed a bitterness which continued for many years after the long war, but time, the. great healer has drawn all the factions together. Among the Dutch there had been a strong Tory element, but at the same time, a vigorous and determined party of Whigs. When in August, 1775 at Tryon court house the resolutions of protest against British tyranny were adopted Jacob Forney. Valentine and Jacob Mauney, Christopher Carpenter, James Miller, John and George Dellinger, Samuel Carpenter, Jacob Costner, Adam Sides and others were strong advocates of independence and among the brave men who fought at Ramsour’s Mill and Kings Mountain were Peter Forney and Abram Forney, Adam and Michal Reep, John Wilfong, Jacob and John Hoffman, Thomas Costner, Peter Eddleman, William Elmore, Casper Bolick, Martin Coulter, Mitchel Cline, Jacob Plonk, Peter Shrum and manv others who braved every peril to establish independence. There were many of the Dutch, however, who, conservative by nature, were opposed to the war, counted prudence the better part of valor and were slow to take up arms against Britain because they felt ours to be a losing cause, with after effects more intolerable than the galling tyranny we were so anxious to throw off. When early in 1780 the Tories captured the City of Charleston, and were hastening to wipe our rebellion in the South, it was Col. John Moore (son of Moses Moore who lived about six miles west of Ramsour Mill) and Major Welch, of the British Army who came up from South Carolina and persuaded these Dutch Loyalists that Washington’s troops were Without supplies and would soon be completely conquered, and to make sure the early defeat, of the Whigs, that the local Tories join in with the British then in South Carolina to end the war. The result was that on June 13, 1780 about 200 local Tories Were assembled at Ramsour’s Mill to make ready for military service, this number by June 20, increased to 1300 men. The very next day this important news reached the ears of Gen. Rutherford who forthwith sent word to Col. Francis Locke, of Rowan, to gather forces to disperse these Tories. Whereupon Col. Locke organized some 400 men from Rowan. Mecklenburg and Lincoln to join with Gen. Rutherford against the group located at Ramsour’s Mill. Gen. Rutherford on June 19, encamped with about 1000 men at Col. Dickson’s about 2 miles west of the present town of Mt. Holly, and sent a message to Col. Locke, who with his force was in camp on Mountain Creek, 20 miles away. Rutherford Sent word for Locke to join him at Dickson’s while Locke sent word to Rutherford that he would proceed to Ramsour’s Mill on the 19th. but neither received the message. So Locke on the night of June 19, marched some fifteen miles to a point near the Tory camp, where the troops were met by Adam Reep a local patriot who made known to Loeke the lay of the land and the strength and courage of the enemy. With Reep for a guide, at daylight they approached the battle field from the east side. The fog was so thick they could not see over 50 feet ahead and the struggle began with heavy firing by the cavalry companies of Captains Brandon, Falls and McDowell that preceded the footmen on the march. The suddenness of the attack Page 37 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina dumbfounded the Tories at the start but they rallied and fought bravely until the end of the battle which was concluded in loss than two hours, according to Abram Forney, one of the Whig soldiers, when the Tories fled down the hill toward Ramsour’s Mill, located on Clark’s Creek below. It was a signal victory for the Whigs who with 400 men overcame the 1300 Tories. It was a desperate struggle, neighbor against neighbor, and brother against brother, and at times a. hand to hand battle Which resulted in 70 killed, equally divided between the two armies; with 100 wounded and the capture of 50 Tories. They wore no uniforms. The only way to distinguish the troops was by the white paper pinned on hats of the Whigs and green twigs on hats of the Tories. The Whig officers killed were Captains Falls, Knox, Dobson, Smith, Bowman, Sloan and Armstrong, Captain James Houston was seriously wounded and never fully recovered while Captain Daniel McKissick was wounded but not seriously. Several non-commissioned officers were killed and 13 men from Fourth Creek neighborhood of Rowan were found dead on the battlefield. Joseph Wasson of Snow Creek received five wounds and carried one bullet for forty years to the day when it came out. The brick structure on the hillside in sight of the road contains the bodies of the six Whig captains who were killed in action, besides the bodies of Wallace Alexander and his wife, (Who was a daughter of Captain Dobson.) Among the Tory losses were Captains Nicholas Warlick, Cumberland Murray. Captain Warlick’s brother, Philip, and Israel Sain were also among the killed, while Captain Carpenter was seriously wounded. Among the many other Whig soldiers who took part in the battle were Hugh Brevard, Abram Forney, Wallace Alexander, Hugh Torrence, David Caldwell, John Reid, Robert Ramsey, of Rowan, David Vance, grandfather of Governor Vance; John Duckworth, William Feimster, of Iredell, Francis McCorkle, Adam Brevard, John Stamey, Jeremiah Munday and William Simpson, of Lincoln County. Of course, Adam Reep of Lincoln bore an important part both before and during the battle along with some thirty picked who were with him who met Col. Locke and his forces upon their arrival some two miles east of the battle ground on that eventful morning. This was indeed a Civil War, without a British soldier in the ranks of the Loyalists. Brother fought brother and neighbor was against neighbor and there has been but little boasting by the descendants of either Side out of respect of the one for the other. The local community has never taken interest or known much about the struggle which resulted in consternation and complete disorganization of the loyalists and along with that such a heartening of the Whigs that the defeat of Ferguson at Kings Mountain in October following was made possible with the final memorable result that complete Victory for the American cause was effected at Yorktown October 19, 1781, when Cornwallis surrendered to Washington and the way prepared for the establishment of the American Government. Had the loyalists won at Ramsour’s Mill it is very probable that America today would be an English province along with Canada. This seemingly insignificant battle of which little note has ever been taken, has in fact changed the history of the world. Page 38 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The first monument ever placed upon that field, where the blood of brothers battling against each other, commingled in the same furrows, was erected this June 20, 1934, (One Hundred and fifty-four years after the battle was fought.) To commemorate the courage of three loyalist soldiers, natives of Lincoln County, Captain Nicholas Warlick, his brother Philip Warlick end their neighbor, Israel Sain, who fought to the death to defend what they thought was a righteous cause and their bodies are entombed in one grave which is now marked with a handsome stone erected by R. A. Ramsour of Lincolnton, J. M. Bernhardt of Lenoir and three brothers David, Jacob and Henry Warlick of Lincoln County, all descendants of the brave Capt. Nicholas Warlick, a loyalist who died on that battlefield with his face to the front 154 years before. It must have been these three who fought so valiantly that they attracted the attention of Col. Francis Locke the Commander of the Whig forces, for it is a fact, that the bodies of three brave loyalists were decently buried in one tomb by order of Col. Locke, who stood reverently by the grave side while the bodies were laid to rest after the storm of that battle had ceased. two hours after the victory Gen. Rutherford with a thousand troops arrived, but too late to have a part in the contest. Page 39 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XI (THE BATTLE OF RAMSOUR‘S MILL CONTINUED) The loyalist soldiers who went down in defeat on that dismal morning were honest, brave, and true to their convictions and they proved true to the new government that followed the war. Their descendants have made as fine citizens as the nation can boast of and have never flinched in perilous times but bravely fought in every war since and proved themselves as courageous as were the three men who sleep secure under the newly erected stone in the local battle field. Captain W. A. Day who lives at Sherrill’s Ford recently told me that he had two great uncles, William Simpson, a Whig, and Reuben Simpson, a Tory. They lived a few miles south of Sherrill’s Ford on the Catawba river, They were on opposite sides at Ramsour’s Mill. Just before the battle, William Simpson the Whig was sent out on a scouting expedition but as soon as he heard the firing, he rushed back as fast as his horse could run and when the horse was exhausted, he ran afoot, determined to kill his Tory brother in the battle but before he reached the battle ground the victory was gained by the Whigs. This shows the bitter feeling which brothers had for brothers who thought the other way in the days which tried mens souls. Francis McCorkle who lived on Mountain Creek where Locke had camped the night before he marched to Ramsour’s Mill was a soldier in that battle, and it was rumored that he was among the killed. He later however got home and when it was so reported in the neighborhood some of his friends went to his house by night pretending to be Tories who came to kill him. They called him out and when they asked how he stood he replied, “I won’t die with a lie in my mouth, for I stand for Liberty.” Then the visitors made themselves known as his friends and neighbors Who had come to rejoice with him over the victory which he had helped to win. This battle was fought one half mile north of Lincolnton on the lands of Christian Reinhardt, the pioneer and ancestor of a long line of notable descendants, some of whom have been prominent in the history of the County and State. It is said that when Adam Reep was striving to learn the secrets of the Tories on the battle ground before the arrival of the Whigs that Mrs. Reinhardt, who by the way was Barbara Warlick before her marriage and closely related to some of the Tory troops, secreted Adam Reep in the cellar of her home and that Adam, a heavy weight, found it a hard job to squeeze through the narrow cellar door but finally got through with the help of Mrs. Reinhardt. Later he squeezed himself out in time to meet Locke upon his arrival on the morning of June 20th. Full reports of this battle may be found in Hunter’s Sketches and in Wheeler’s History, so that only a few of the important facts are embraced in this sketch. Later on when Cornwallis visited the battle ground he approved of the plan made by Col. John Moore for defense but unforeseen conditions the heavy fog and the surprise attack made the best laid plans of no effect. * * * * C. R. Vol. 14. Page 40 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina On June 14 ,1780, Gen. Rutherford below Charlotte watching Lord Rawdon at Hanging Rock learned that John Moore with 1300 Tories were assembled at Ramsour’s Mill near Lincolnton. Gen. Rutherford directed Col. Francis Locke, Capt. Falls and others to raise men and attack. They acted promptly and on June 20, Col. Locke with 400 men, after a severe fight, dispersed this formidable body of Tories and put new life in the patriots of that section, which helped toward the great victory at Kings Mountain October 7, 1780. * * * * The Battle of Kings Mountain fought October 7, 1780, changed the tide of war sentiment in the South, and made possible the final victory at Yorktown a year later, when Cornwallis surrendered to Washington and American freedom was secured. * * * * John Wilfong was born, son of George Wilfong, April 8, 1762. Enlisted in the Whig army Sept. 1, 1780 under Captain Sigman and Lt. Vanhom in Col. McDowell’s regiment. Marched to Morganton, then to Cane Creek in Burke, then to Watauga. Returned with Colonels Sevier, Campbell and Shelby to Cane Creek, thence to the Cowpens where they were joined by Colonels Cleveland and Williams and the Lincoln troops. Crossed Broad River and fought at Kings Mountain. The same day Ferguson was killed and his whole army captured. Wilfong was wounded in the left arm and returned home next day, October 8, 1780. In July 1781 he volunteered for ten months with Captain Cowan and marched from Lincolnton to near Augusta, Georgia, there joining General Greene, and was in the battle of Eutaw Springs Sept. 6, 1781. In March 1782 he marched to the Cherokee nation under Captain Jesse Johnson, then returned to Gen. Pickens in South Carolina where he served the residue of his time. Colonial Records, Vol. 22— 158. * * * * Major William Chronicle was born near the present town of Belmont in 1755. He lived where the present Chronicle Cotton Mill is located in Belmont. His mother married first to a Mr. McKee in Pennsylvania and came to North Carolina. By this marriage there was one son, James McKee, a soldier of the Revolution and the ancestor of the McKee family of Gaston county. After the death of her first husband Mrs. McKee married to a Mr. Chronicle and Major Chronicle, who was killed in the battle of Kings Mountain, was a son of that marriage. He was first a Captain, but when a regiment was organized in Lincoln in 1780 with William Graham, Colonel, and Fred Hambright, Lieut, Colonel, William Chronicle was elected Major. On account of sickness in his family Col. Graham did not appear at Kings Mountain, so that Col. John Dickson and the, other officers of the regiment led the troops in that memorable battle. Chronicle was prudent and brave, leading in the charge and encouraged his troops with the command. “Come on boys, never let it be Said that a Fork boy fled.” That nerved every trooper to do his best. Forward they went, Chronicle in the lead, to within gun shot of the British, when he fell mortally wounded in the breast, being 25 years old. His sword and spurs passed into the hands of his half brother, James McKee. (See Hunter’s Sketches.) * * * * Page 41 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Deidrich Ramsour the pioneer died in 1780 and his Will was probated in March of that year. * * * * Page 42 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina PETITION OF CHARLES McLEAN Lincoln County, N. C. December, 1780. To the Hon. the Speaker and Gentlemen of Senate and House of Commons. The petition of your faithful subject sheweth: That in February last there was a number of the inhabitants of said County and from other Counties, most secretly collected together and being embodied, forcibly marched off, plundering land robing (robbing) and taking prisoners as they went, boasting themselves that they would be Victorious after joining the King’s forces. Your humble petitioner being duty bound raised a number of the militia for to purshua and interrupt the march of the insurgents, but their march being so pressed could not overtake them. The people employed in pershute being disappointed in overtaking them and being cautious of a reward due them from those treators of the said State, and finding nothing else but some of the property of the saide insurgents laide hold of several horses and fetched them in with them, and your humble petitioner not knowing how to proceed for the safety of the people ’That was thus concerned I thought best to put those articles to sale and took bond to the governor in the name of the State. These I lay before your Honorable body, for your wisdom and mercy to me, to save me from the persecution of those that would your humble petitioner, with submission to your honorable body, would lay down his Commission . to take up his musket, and to convince your honorable body that it is not any disappointment to said State or County, there is a gentleman ready to make application for the same. I am your humble servant to command. (Signed) Charles McLean. Vol. 15: 213. Page 43 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XII 1781 In January Cornwallis spent three, days at Ramsour’s Mill. Gen. O’Hara camped at the Reep place two miles from the mill and Tarleton crossed the South Fork in Cobb’s bottom and marched over the hill on which Lincolnton now stands to join Cornwallis at the mill. On January 28th Cornwallis with his forces marched east to Jacob Forney’s where he camped for three days and foraged on the Forney cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens until it was safe to cross the swollen Catawba river. February 1st he broke camp at Forney’s and marched to Cowan’s Ford six miles below Beatties Ford, where the battle of Cowan’s Ford took place. (See Hunter’s Sketches, pages 220—227 for full account of Cornwallis in Lincoln.) * * * * General William Davidson was killed in battle at Cowan's Ford, February 1st, 1781. * * * * Judge Robert H. Burton was born in Granville County, N. C., in 1781. * * * * William Armstrong declared in Caldwell County, Kentucky, Nov. 20, 1833, that during the Revolutionary War: “I Lived in Lincoln County, North Carolina, and was a Militia Captain in 1780. While out on service in 1781 the Tories destroyed nearly all my property in Lincoln and took five of my horses.” (Vol. 22: 107). * * * * ASSEMBLY OCTOBER, 1781. Whereas it is absolutely necessary that the pay due, or which may hereafter be due for _militia duty and all other claims against the State for articles furnished or impressed should be speedily settled and certificates granted for same, therefore be it enacted that a Board of Auditor: be appointed in each Bf the districts for the Salisbury district, Matthew Locke, William Cathey and David Wilson, for the Lower Board and John Brown, Daniel McKissick and Alexander Irwin for the Upper Board. Then follows the allowance in specie for the articles furnished: Salt beef per barrel, 7 pounds; fresh beef per 100, 2 pounds, 4 shillings; Pork per barrel, 8 pounds, 16 shillings; bacon per pound, 1 shilling 4 d; fresh pork per 100, 2 pounds, 16 shillings; sheep 1 pound, 12 shillings; wheat per bushel, 12 shillings; flour per 100, 1 pound, 16 shillings; oats per bushel, 4 shillings; Page 44 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina sheaf oats per bundle, 4d; rye per bushel, 18 shillings; salt per bushel, 2 pounds; Salt in Salisbury district, 4 pounds per bushel; Good brandy per gal., 10 shillings; Good whiskey per gal., 8 shillings; West India Rum per gal., 14 shillings; Molasses, 10 shillings; Good cyder per bol., 1 pound and 10 shillings; Brown sugar per pound, 1 pound 6d; Bar iron per pound, 1 shilling 4d; Wagon, driver and four horses per day, 24 shillings. (Vol. 24: 387). * * * * May, 4, 1782. House received from Senate bill to amend the act entitled, An Act for Dividing Tryon County. * * * * John Moore was granted leave to absent himself from the House for the balance of session. (Vol. 16: 99). * * * * At the same session 1782. Th.- Morgan district was organized out of that part of Salisbury district embraced in Wilkes, Burke, Rutherford, and Lincoln Counties. (Vol. 24: 451.) Sunday, May 5, 1782 The House in session received from Senate, bill for adding a part of Burke County to Lincoln; for appointing commissioners for the purposes therein mentioned, and for laying a tax to complete the buildings therein. Endorsed in Senate May 4, and read first time and passed. (Vol. 16: 102). * * * * David Vance and John Caruth were appointed Commissioners to run the new line between Burke and Lincoln Counties. Daniel McKissick, Henry Thompson, James Lyttle, John Dickson, John Wilson, John Caruth, Frederick Hambright and Nicholas Friday were named as Commissioners for fixing a place for court house and other public buildings. (Vol. 24: 472.) * * * * Gov. Alexander Martin (23rd July 1782) orders Gent McDowell to organize an expedition against Cherokee Indians or the hostile tribes of that nation called “Chicammoggys” To have by August 20, next, to have 500 volunteer horsemen to march against the valley settlements of Cherokees, so as to form a junction with Col. Shelby and Brig. Gen. Pickens at a place called Shumack. That if a sufficient number of volunteers are not enrolled by the time aforesaid you will order a draft from the Counties of Burke, Wilkes, Rutherford and Lincoln. (Vol. 16: 697.) * * * * Letter From Gov. Martin Aug. 4, 1782 Page 45 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina I am informed that there are some Cherokee prisoners in Rutherford or Lincoln County, or somewhere in Morgan district. That the Indians may have no excuse in surrendering the white prisoners among them, you will please to order such Indian prisoners be given up to Col. Martin, that he may send them to the Nation in exchange for ours. Alex Martin. To General McDowell. (Vol. 16: 800.) * * * * Sheriff’s Petition Lincoln County. Committee composed of Referred to Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Montford, Mr. Tripp, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Rowan, Mr. Phifer. State of North Carolina, Lincoln County. To the Hon. the House of Sinnet and to the worshipful the house of burgesses in assembly: The petition of George Lamkin, late sheriff of Tryon County, humbly sheweth that your petitioner in the year 1772, ye 27 day of October, entered into the office of sheriff, and Law did not continue over three months in full force, and after Law Dropt your petitioner endeavored to collect the taxes due for that year, and got a little over 100 pounds as will appear by the settlement with Tryon Court. At that time Law stopt, no trade nor money to be got, so that people could not pay their dues. I made destress on sum persons goods, but could not sell. Soon after there was a committee appointed in the county. Complaint being made to your committee, thought fit td stop your petitioner from collecting or making distress. Soone after, your petitioner moved to examine the sheriff list before them. that I might know how many persons was gone out of the county since the settlement with Tryon Court and there was wanten 107 persons that was taxt in your sheriff’s list. Soone after this the Indians broke out and did drive all the county as 10 as Buffalo Creek 50 miles in. Sum few got into forts, sum went to Virginia, sum went to ye South and sum down in this State to the amount by my list 257 taxable persons and now the Tory party has broke out, being the upper part of said County. What feu was left after ye Indians ye is now gone, so that it is impossible for your petitioner to make any collection. Now I therefore humbly pray you will i take into your consideration that your petitioner may be discharged as I have none of the publick money in my hands, but what I have accounted for and a ticket I tuck after, of Robert Blackburns, one of ye Burgesses, which I have sent down, and your petitioner as in duty bound shall pray. Page 46 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina (Signed) George Lamkin. (Vol. 15: 219.- 1782. Page 47 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XIII 1783 1783. Robert Abernethy was married to Sarah Nicols on June 23, 1783. He was a member from Tryon County to the Halifax Convention of 1776 and grandfather of fiev. Dr. Robert L. Abernethy the great educator who founded Rutherford College. * * * * Peter Forney was married to Nancy Abernethy February 27, 1783. * * * * Resolution in Commons permitting Frederick Hambright, Jonathan Gullick, James Johnston and John Moore to resign as Justices of the Peace and Frederick Hambright, Lt. Colonel of Lincoln County to resign his commission. (Vol. 19: 289.) Journal Gen. Assembly, 30 April, 1783. * * * * Col. Alexander presented bill for levying a tax on every 100 pounds value of taxable property in County of Lincoln for building court house, jail and stocks for the use of said County. May 5, 1783. (Vol. 19: 179.) * * * * Read in Senate, a receipt for 30 bushels corn and 60 dozen sheaf wheat furnished by Benjamin Orman, of Lincoln, for the use of a British flag of truce, whereupon, RESOLVED that the Auditors of the District of Salisbury do grant a Certificate to the said Orman for amount thereof, and charge the same to his Brittanic Majesty, and transmit a copy of said charge to Commissary of Prisoners in this State. (Vol. 19: 53.) * * * * 1784 1784. James Rutledge was appointed by General Assembly, Tax Collector for Lincoln County. * * * * 1784. Jurors for the Morgan District were increased and secured as follows: From Burke 16; Lincoln 13; Rutherford 10; and Wilkes 9 Jurors. * * * * Daniel M. Forney Was born in Lincoln County in May 1784. Page 48 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 49 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1785 McKissick in Commons of 1785 moved and presented bill for erecting and establishing atom in County of Lincoln. It was read and sent to Senate. (Vol. 17: 297.) * * * * The Commissioners appointed to ‘build court house, jail and stocks for Lincoln County entered 300 acres of vacant land, lying and being between lines of Philip Kanceller (Cansler) and Christian Reinhardt, the same being a healthy, pleasant situation, well watered and the inhabitants of the County are desirous that a town should be established thereon and the said Commissioners having laid off 50 acres into squares, streets, and lots of half acre each and sold same. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of North Carolina, that the said 50 acres so laid off, be and the same is hereby constituted, erected and established into a town and shall be called by the name of Lincolnton. That Joseph Dickson, John Caruth, John Wilson, Joseph Steele and Nicholas Friday be trustees and directors, for designing, building and carrying on said town and the said Commissioners are empowered to fill vacancies caused by death or removal of any of their number. 1785. (Vol. 24: 778.) * * * * Legislation authorizing a tax levy for bounties to those who kill wild beasts was passed. The bounty for each wolf shall be 20 shillings and for each wildcat 3 shillings. 1785. (Vol. 24:750.) * * * * By order of General Assembly Thomas Espey of Lincoln was suspended as a Justice of Peace. (See Vol. 17: 325.) The resignation of John Alexander a Justice of Peace was referred by Daniel McKissick and Robert Alexander. (See Vol. 17 : 405.) * * * * William Grayham a Colonel of the Militia of the County of Lincoln, was discharged and Joseph Dickson was appointed by the General Assembly Colonel for the said County of Lincoln. (See Vol. 17: 667.) 1876 The General Assembly honored those officers who distinguished themselves in the capture of the British commanded by Major Ferguson at Kings Mountain when it "Resolved that an elegant mounted sword be presented to each of the following officers, viz: Col. Cleaveland, of Wilkes; Col. Campbell, of Virginia; Col. Shelby, of Sullivan County; Lt. Col. Lewis, of Washington County: Lt. Col. Hambright, of Lincoln County; Major Winston, of Surry, and Major Shelby of Sullivan County, for their voluntary and distinguished service in defeat of Ferguson at Kings Mountain.” (Vol. 17 : 697.) Page 50 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * December 30, 1786. Daniel McKissick tendered his resignation as Justice of the Peace and it was accepted. (See Vol. 18: 179.) * * * * Bartlett Shipp was born in Stokes County, March 6, 1786. 1787 Thomas Beatty, son of John Beatty, the pioneer, Lieut. Colonel of Tryon County Militia in 1776, died in 1787. * * * * Frederick Hambright a hero of battle of Kings Mountain was married to Mary Eker, November 3, 1787. 1788 It is claimed that the first church deed recorded in Lincoln County bears the date January 10, 1788, and was made to Christian Reinhardt and Andrew Heedick, Trustees for the Societies of the Dutch Presbyterians (German Reformed) and Dutch Lutherans. two acres in Southeast square of Lincolnton, the Consideration being ten shillings (about $2.50.) It is stated in the deed that a Dutch meeting house was on the said lot. The first preachers Were John Gottfried Arndt, Lutheran, and Andrew Loretz, German Reformed. In 1819 the old log church was raised a story higher. The Southeast corner was “carried up” or fitted by Philip Cansler and Adam Reep. It was weather boarded, ceiled, refurnished and galleries built in. In 1830 it was painted white and ever afterwards called the old White Church until it was destroyed by fire in 1893. Every denomination now in Lincolnton worshiped in this meeting house until they built churches of their own. From the death of Andrew Loretz in 1812 until 1828 the Reformed congregation had no pastor but from 1828 to 1859 the pastors were in order named, Rev. Mr. Fritchey, Rev. J. H. Crawford, Rev. S. S. Middlekauf and Rev. David Crooks. After the death of Mr. Loretz many of the members enrolled as Presbyterians and were charter members of the Presbyterian Church in Lincolnton, which was organized in 1823. The German Reformed preachers held no meetings after the church was burned until 1910. In 1911 Rev. W. H. McNairy came from Lexington as pastor and organized a congregation of 26 members and now (1934) they have an attractive church building on East Main Street. * * * * Page 51 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In 1830 the Lutherans ceased to use the old church for about 60 years until they organized a new congregation in Lincolnton about 1890. After the fire in 1893 the Lutherans built a brick church on the same site at a (cost of about $2500.00 and now (1934) this building is used as a funeral home. In 1900 the interest of the Dutch Presbyterians in this property was sold to the Emanuel Lutherans for $75.00. Since then the Lutheran pastors were W. P. Cline, J. C. Deitz, H. J. Mathias, R .A. Yoder, Enoch Hite, W. J. Roof, V. C. Ridenhour, Voigt Cromer and John Allen Arndt (a lineal descendant of Rev. John Gottfried Arndt the pioneer Lutheran preacher) who was the pastor in 1928. Page 52 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XIV 1789 Colonel Charles McLean was a leader of the patriots in the days of the Revolution, in council and in camp, for he was active not only as an official but also as a soldier. He was a member of the Committee appointed by the Assembly of 1774 to choose the county seat for Tryon county; member of the Tryon County Committee of Public Safety; Chairman at Tryon Courthouse August 14, 1775 of the patriotic meeting, which adopted the ringing resolutions protesting against British oppression, and One of the signers of that immortal document. He, with James Johnston, was a delegate from Tryon to the Halifax Convention in April 1776 and was a member of the Assembly of 1777. He was a Tryon County magistrate and Lieut. Colonel of Tryon County Militia. In peace and war he was loyal and true. In 1789 Peter Forney, Abram Forney, Abram Earhardt and Turner Abernethy took advantage of the land grant act passed by the Assembly of 1788 to encourage iron manufacture and erected a forge at Big Ore Bank, in Lincoln County and were the pioneer iron manufacturers in Lincoln County, and in fact in this section. Peter Forney left Mount Welcome forge to his son—in-law, Dr. Wilinterest in the business to Gen. Joseph Graham, Alexander Brevard and their father-in—law, John Davidson. Later they erected Vesuvius and Mt. Tirzah forges. Finally Peter Forney sold his interest to his partners who continued the busineSs under the firm name of Joseph Graham and Company. Brevard later built Rehoboth and Graham built Spring Hill forge. 1790 Turner Abernethy built Mt. Carmel forge on Mountain Creek and it was later operated by Isaac E. Paine. J. Madison Smith operated for many years the Rough and Ready forge on Mountain Creek and during the Civil War built Stonewall furnace on Anderson Creek and worked it until his death about 1873. Alexander Brevard left Mount Tirzah forge to his son Robert A. Brevard, who operated it until 1870, and Rehoboth forge to his son Ephriam Brevard, who operated it until 1852 when he sold it to F. M. Reinhardt and Bartlett Shipp when it was known as Reinhardt furnace. * * * * Peter Forney left Mount Welcome forge to his son—in-law, Dr. William Johnston, who with his sons operated it until 1860, when Jonas W. Derr bought and ran it until his d6 ath in 1881. The Mariposa Cotton Mill is now operated on this site. In the early days lime was hauled a long distance from Kings Mountain, but later abundant supply was found in Ironton township, in the mine which was operated many Page 53 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina years by Lawson W. Keener. Iron was a medium of exchange among furnace employees and merchants from afar brought goods to Lincoln to exchange for iron. The country to the West bought cooking utensils and other iron products and a market was found for the metal as far east as Hillsboro and Fayetteville. The coming of the railroad brought competition from Pennsylvania which discouraged the local industry and the iron business was abandoned in Lincoln, after the death of Jonas W. Derr in 1881. * * * * June 12, 1790 Philip Cansler. Jr., was married to Mary Quickel, daughter of Michal Quickel. When the first pioneers crossed the Catawba river (from 1747 to 1790) they marched into a wilderness, but forty years later in 1790, the population increased as shown by the Federal Census taken in that year to 9,234. Of those, 8,289 were white and 935 were negro slaves. * * * * The Federal Constitution was adopted by all the States except Rhode Island and North Carolina, and George Washington was chosen as the first President of the United States. North Carolina and Rhode Island were too late in giving approval to participate in that election. Washington was inaugurated President in New York City, April 30, 1789. * * * * Gen. Benjamin Hawkins, of Warren, and Samuel Johnson were the first Senators to represent North Carolina in the Federal Congress. * * * * Rev. Jacob Hill, Methodist minister and many years a resident of Lincoln, was born in Anson County, December 21, 1790. * * * * In 1790 Daniel Asbury, a Methodist preacher, came from Virginia to a colony of Methodists who settled in Lincoln County near the present village of Terrell and there organized Rehoboth, the first Methodist church west of the Catawba river. Daniel Asbury Was married to Nancy Morris on January 4, 1790. She professed faith in Christ at a Methodist meeting in Virginia and joined the church with William McKendree and Enoch George, both of whom became great preachers and Bishops of the Church. Over the pulpit in Rehoboth church is the following tablet: Rev. Daniel Asbury, the pioneer of Methodism in Western North Carolina, was born February 18, 1762. Died May 15, 1825. He organized the circuit 1789 and the same year organized here the first Methodist church in the State, west of the Catawba river. The first church building was' erected here in 1791. The first camp meeting was held here in 1794. Page 54 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * 1793. Eli Whitney (1765-1825) a Yale graduate went to Georgia to teach about 1790, and there made the World his debtor when, in 1793 he invented the Whitney Cotton Gin. Before that time one man could grow 25 bales of cotton and it took 25 slaves one hundred days to seed the cotton, Whitney’s invention at the first did the work of ten men but the modern gin does the work of 100 men, and does it better. The cotton gin encouraged southern farmers to grow cotton extensively giving them a crop which always found ready sale for cash in the days of barter. After the gin was introduced Lincoln county farmers grew cotton and hauled the crop over bad roads to Fayetteville, Cheraw, Camden, Columbia and sometimes to Charleston, until the railroad came and brought the market to their doors. The invention of the cotton gin transformed southern agriculture bringing to this section a world market for all the surplus cotton crop. The present textile growth of the South would never have been possible without the cotton gin. 1792 Peter Hoyle, Jr., was married to Sarah Hovis on Janualy 23, 1792. * * * * Dr. William McLean, a native of Rowan, but from early life a citizen of Lincoln county, was married June 19, 1792 to Mary Davidson, daughter of John Davidson, of Mecklenburg. Among his descendants were the late Dr. William B. McLean, of the Beattie’s Ford section, Major Augustus A. McLean, of Lincolnton and Dr. John D. McLean, later of Gaston county. 1793 James, Graham, son of Gen. Joseph Graham, was born January 7, 1793. * * * * Alexander Sherrill was married to Ruanna Gabriel January 24, 1793. * * * * Maj. Henry W. Connor was born In Prince George county, Virginia August 5, 1793, son of Capt. Charles Connor and Wife, Ann (Epps) Connor. Page 55 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XV 1794 The oldest Baptist church in old Lincoln County is said to have been organized somewhere between 1772 and 1777. It was Long Creek church about a mile east of Dallas. There are no records of its earliest history. It was re-organized in 1794. The death of James Lewis one of the early members and sometime pastor of this church, is recorded in the minutes of 1834; He was the grandfather of the late James R. Lewis, a leading Baptist and merchant of Dallas until his death in 1928. * * * * Ephriam Perkins, son of Gentleman John Perkins, the pioneer, was married February 1, 1796 to Elizabeth Abernethy. * * * * Gen. John Moore a soldier of the Revolution was married March 4, 1797 to Polly Goodwin. * * * * Joseph Dickson, Federalist defeated James Holland for Congress from this district in 1798. * * * * Rev. Dr. R. H: Morrison, Presbyterian Minister and first president of Davidson College was born on Rocky river in what is now Cabarrus County in 1798. * * * * Lawson Henderson, son of James Henderson, the pioneer, was married to Elizabeth Caruth July 25, 1798. * * * * After the death of George Washington in December 1799, according to facts published by the late Judge David Schenck, a very eloquent sermon was preached by Rev. Andrew Loretz, the pioneer Reformed preacher, at a memorial service held in the old White Church, in honor of General Washington. * * * * Rev. Henry Asbury, son of Daniel Asbury the pioneer Methodist preacher, was born in Lincoln county May 29, 1799. 1801 Major Francis McCorkle, son of Matthew McCorkle, was of Scotch Irish descent, was an early settler in Rowan (now Lincoln) and was a member of Rowan Committee of Public Safety in 1774-75. He lived on Mountain Creek about two miles north of Page 56 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Denver (1932) and never failed to attend a Public Safety meeting thirty miles away in Salisbury. (See Wheeler’s history idem). He was a brave patriot of the Revolution and fought at Ramsour’s Mill, Kings Mountain, and was with Peter Forney in the skirmish against Tarleton at Terrence Tavern. He married first to Sarah, daughter of Alexander Work, by whom he had five children, among whom was Alexander Work McCorkle, prominent in his day. His second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Richard and Margaret Locke Brandon, of Rowan. Among his descendants by this marriage were Col. J. M. McCorkle and Dr. John R. McCorkle, of Rowan. Judge Matthew Locke McCorkle, late of Newton, Judge Wilson Warlick, of Newton, Dr. Watson S. Rankin, eminent physician and many others, including Reinhardts, Sherrills, Beattys and Gabriels, of this section. Major McCorkle had a large landed estate and many slaves and exerted a fine influence in his day, but never held public office, other than above mentioned. He died in 1801 in his sixtieth year and his body is buried in the old McCorkle graveyard some fifteen miles from Lincolnton near highway leading to Mooresville. * * * * 1801. The first church called Unity, erected near Beatties Ford by the Presbyterians was a log building, but in 1801 additional ground was deeded to James Connor, Alex. Brevard, John Reid and Joseph Graham, Trustees for the erection of a new and larger church. * * * * 1803. Captain Charles Connor, father of Major Henry W. Connor, died at his home near Beatties Ford in 1803. * * * * February 26, 1803, Abram Forney was married to Rachel Gabriel. * * * * Christian Reinhardt, J12, married to Polly Forney June 25, 1803. * * * * Gov. William A. Graham was. born September 5, 1804. * * * * John Fulenwider erected a forge on Maiden Creek, near the present town of Maiden, in 1804 and for some years manufactured iron there. Later it was operated by A. F. and E. J. Brevard and later still by William Williams, until about 1880. John Fulenwider Was also the founder of the High Shoals Iron Works. He manufactured there cannon balls during the war of 1812 and shipped them in flat boats to Charleston. He also made wagon tire, plows, horse shoes, chain iron, nails and various farm tools. After the Civil War this property was owned and operated by Admiral Charles Wilkes of the United States Navy. Nails were made there as late as 1872, when it ceased to be operated. About 1900 the High Shoals Cotton Mill was built on the same site by D. A. Tompkins. Page 57 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1805 Henry Johnston, (Scotchman) settled very early in Lincoln county with his young wife, when the Indians and Wild beasts held full sway. His wife died comparatively young, leaving two children, Mary and James. Mary married Moses Scott, Who lived near Goshen church in what is now Gaston county. The son James Johnston (1742-1805) was a prominent figure in the history of the county. He entered the military service in 1776 as a Captain in the patriot army and was a brave soldier under Col. William Graham against the Tories in South Carolina. He was a delegate from Tryon county, with Charles McLean, to the Halifax Convention of April 12, 1776. He was also a member of the House of Commons from Lincoln in 1781 and 1782 and a member of the convention held in Hillsboro in 1788. His son Robert Johnston, married Mary Reid, daughter of Capt. John Reid, of Catawba Springs and some of their descendants were notable citizens. * * * * David Ramsour Was married to Sarah Wilfong July 12, 1805. * * * * Green W. Caldwell was born in Lincoln county near Belmont, April 18, 1806. * * * * General John Moore of Lincoln, John Steele of Rowan and James Welborn of Wilkes, were appointed Commissioners in 1806 to settle the Southern boundary line of the State and they completed the task in 1808. (See John Steele, Vol. 2: 468-566-789). * * * * John Moore, Brig. Gen. N. C. State Militia and Speaker of the House of Commons, 1806, was instrumental in bringing Joseph Glass, Robert Clary, Abraham Collins and Allen Twitty to trial for counterfeiting and they in turn attempted to blackmail Gen. Moore, charging that he too was a counterfeiter, but upon investigation Moore was completely vindicated. (See John Steele, Vol. 1: 453, and Vol. 2: 798). * * * * Robert Williamson a notable lawyer and State Senator was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. John Reid of Catawba Springs, on November 24. 1806. Page 58 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XVI Ephriam Perkins was the Senator from Lincoln in 1805, occupying the seat which his father, "Gentleman” John Perkins held when he was Senator from Lincoln in 1795. 1806 Jacob Forney was born in Alsace about 1721. When 14 years old he sailed from Amsterdam for Philadelphia, and when of age returned to Alsace to secure a legacy. on the return voyage to America he met Maria Bergner and they married later in Philadelphia. They migrated to North Carolina about 1754 and settled in what is now Lincoln county. He was one of the earlier pioneers in Lincoln and became a loyal patriot of the Revolution, a member of the Tryon County Committee of Public Safety, 3 signer of the resolutions of protest against British tyranny which were adopted at Tryon Court House in August 1775, and one of the Committee appointed by the Assembly to locate court house and jail for Tryon county. Few patriots suffered heavier losses on account of British invasions and Indian depredations. By industry and frugality he had more of comforts and supplies than the average citizen, and when Cornwallis invaded the county he used the Forney home for headquarters, forcing the old people to occupy the cellar, while the British troops literally stripped the plantation, and also that of his son, Gen. Peter Forney, who was away from home fighting for his country. They butchered the flocks of sheep and cattle, fowls and hogs for food and confiscated all the grain and provender. Forney’s three sons, Jacob, Peter and Abram were all in the patriot army. His four daughters were Catherine, Elizabeth, Christina and Susan. When 85 years old he died in 1806, a Lutheran in faith. The graves of Jacob and Maria (Bergner) Forney are in the old Dutch Meeting House graveyard, about three miles from the Forney homestead. Many of their descendants were distinguished people. * * * * George Lohr and Susan Hasselbarger were married December 10, 1806. * * * * Prior to 1782 Lincoln was attached to the Salisbury district and all Superior Court sessions were held in Salisbury. In 1782 the Morganton district was created and included Burke, Lincoln, Rutherford and Wilkes counties, and the courts were held in Morganton. In 1806 the Legislature changed the plan for the convenience of the people by providing sessions of Superior Court in each county and the first session of Superior Court was convened in Lincolnton April 13, 1807, with Judge Francis Locke, of Rowan presiding. Judge Locke was a son of Col. Francis Locke, who commanded the Whig forces at the battle of Ramsour’s Mill. Lawson Henderson was then appointed Clerk of the Superior Court for life and served in that capacity until he resigned in 1835. 1807 George Ramsour died in 1807 and his Wife, Sarah Ramsour, died May 26, 1832. Their graves are in the White Church cemetery. * * * * Alfred M. Burton was licensed as an attorney in 1807. Page 59 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * John Gottfried Arndt was born December 11, 1740 in Goettinger; graduated from the Teachers Seminary in Hanover, Germany and his Certificate as a school teacher to North Carolina bears date, October 16, 1772, indicating that he was aged 32 years when he came to America. For two years he taught the children of the old Organ Church in Rowan county and then upon recommendation of the congregation and the pastor, Rev. Mr. Mussman, he was ordained as a minister of the Lutheran church on the 11th Sunday after Trinity 1775 by Joachin Benlow, missionary and inspector over North and South Carolina Lutherans. He was the first minister ordained in North Carolina and the second pastor of Organ church, which he served for 11 years until about 1786 when he moved to Lincoln county, Where he preached for 21 years until his decease July 9, 1807. He was one of the organizers of the North Carolina Lutheran Synod and its first president. He is said to have been a Chesterfield in manners; was blue eyed with fair complexion and auburn hair which reached to his shoulders. Rev. George H. Cox in “The Beginning of the Lutheran Church in North Carolina,” says: “he was very particular as to his personal appearance and always neatly dressed according to the fashions of the day; and wearing gloves wherever he went, something very unusual among the hardy people of that time.” Also: “During his latter years he was blind but continued in the ministry until, worn and weary, he passed triumphantly into the land of eternal bliss, leaving as a legacy to the church and his posterity an enduring reputation for piety, humility and zeal.” His body was buried under the old “Dutch Meeting House” in Lincolnton and the German inscription on the tombstone translated into English is: “Here rests the body of the Rev. John Gottfried Arends. Having been a true evangelistic preacher, and died July the 9th at the age of 66 years, six months and 28 days, of a kind of consumption disease, after faithfully administering the office of preacher for 32 years.” “Blessed are all those that die like thou They to the rest of heaven shall come.” Below in English is written: “Remember man as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I; As I am now, you soon shall be, Therefore prepare to follow me.” An eagle, 13 stars and “Epluribus unum,” the motto of the United States, is proof of his patriotism. The late Miles L. Hoffman, in “Our Kin,” classed him as a patriot and Whitsett in “Founders of the Church and State,” says: “Rev. John G. Arndt was bold in his stand for liberty.” After coming to Lincoln county he formed a warm friendship with the Rev. Andrew Loretz, of the Reformed church, and it is said they agreed that the one who died first should be buried by the other. Mr. Loretz lived until 1812, five years after the death of Mr. Arndt. Page 60 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The influence of this great preacher and citizen still abides and many of his descendants have reflected honor upon the name. * * * * Robert Johnston married to Mary Reid, daughter of Capt John Reid, April 21, 1807. They were the parents of Col. William Johnston and Dr. Sidney X. Johnston. 1808 Thomas Dews, Jr.. son of Thomas Dews, was born at Saint Peter’s Port, Isle of Guernsey, on May 10, 1808, and later came With his parents to America and to Lincolnton. His father lived and had a cabinet shop on the lot where the Baptist church now stands (1934). * * * * At a court trial in Rutherford sometime in the 1830’s the attorneys were Col. James R. Dodge, _____ Hillman, Governor Swain and Thomas Dews. Col Dodge placed the following lines on Dews table: “Here lies a Hillman and a Swain Their lot let no man choose They lived in sorrow, died in rain And the Devil got his Dews.” Immediately Dews gave Dodge the following reply: “Here lies a Dodge who dodged all good And dodges a deal of evil, But after dodging all he could He could not dodge the Devil.” * * * * John Hoke was married June 9. 1808 to Barbara Quickel, daughter ,of Michal Quickel, the pioneer. Page 61 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XVII 1809 Daniel Finger was married to Catherine Summerow, January 28, 1809. They were the parents of Major Sidney M. Finger, the educator and State superintendent of Public Instruction, 1884 to 1892. * * * * John Motz was married November 16, 1809 to Catherine Loretz, daughter of Rev. Andrew Loretz, the pioneer minister of the German Reformed church in Lincoln. * * * * Elias Alexander, a notable citizen of Lincolnton in the earlier days, died in 1809. 1810 On July 12, 1810, Paul Kistler was married to Amy Smith. * * * * Joseph Dickson of Rutherford County, Tenn., was married to Ellen Rankin on October 11, 1810. 1811 Alfred M. Burton was married to Elizabeth Fulenwider, daughter of John Fulenwider, June 1, 1811. 1812 D. P. Loretz, a descendant of the Rev. Andrew Loretz, writing from Centre, Ala., February 12, 1877, “To the Honorable Members of Classis and other friends of the German Reformed church," says: “I herewith submit the following short sketch of the life of the Rev. Andrew Loretz taken from notes and papers in my possession. “Rev. Andrew Loretz, born in the town of Chur, which is the capital of the Canton of Graubuenden, (Grisons, Switzerland), in the year 1761. He was educated at Kaufbeuren, Bavaria, and was a professor in the college there, as the translation from the German on the fly leaf in his album would indicate, which translation I herewith note: “To Patrons, Friends and Acquaintances, This book shall dedicated be. Write herein your respective names, as I request, for thus shall the remembrance of you, deep in my heart prevail, and I’ll the honor have. Ever your obedient servant to remain.” Kaufbeuren, May 6, 1779. (Signed) Andrew Loretz. “But little is known of his early history. His passport, Which I have in possession, is dated from Chur, Switzerland, August 7, 1784, and is signed by the Page 62 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Mayor (Der Burgermeister). He landed in Baltimore after a voyage. of three months and from there went to Myerstown, Penn. About the year 1786 he married to a Mrs. Schaffer (who was formerly Miss Lehman, of Hagerstown, Md.) The latter part of the year 1786 or 1787 he moved to Lincoln county, North Carolina. “He was a man of thorough education. His native language was German, although he was familiar with French and Latin. It must have been more difficult for ministers to travel in those days than now, for it took two horses to serve him in his labors, as he had also a large congregation in Lancaster, S. C. He Was a man of very polished manners and of a jovial nature. At one time he is said to have remarked to a friend that he had three sons, of whom he was going to make a thief, a liar and a beggar (a doctor, a lawyer and a preacher). But he died too soon to accomplish his desire as he left his sons all quite young and they had to use great economy to succeed. His library was valuable but was sold at his sale for a trifling sum. “He now lies buried at Daniel’s church, a tombstone over his grave bearing his name and dated 1812. “I have been informed by Consul General Hiltz, of Switzerland that several families bearing the name of Loretz are now living in the town of Chur.” (Signed) D. P. Loretz. Centre, Cherokee Co., A1a., Feb. 12. 1877. Judge David Schenck in the Lincoln Progress, July 12, 1873 wrote: “Rev. Andrew Loretz died March 31, 1812, aged 59 years, and his body was buried at Daniels church, four miles northwest of Lincolnton, where many of his family are also buried. He was a man of remarkable energy and great endurance, and zealous in the performance of duty. He was also a man of extraordinary talent and well educated. He preached a funeral sermon on the death of General Washington, which was so original and eloquent that it was published in pamphlet form and widely distributed. As a speaker he is said to have been very powerful and attractive and his people were greatly attached to him. During his entire pastorate at Emanuel Church (the old White Church) in Lincolnton and the pastorate of the Rev. John Gottfried Arndt, of the Lutheran church the services Were always conducted in German, this being the only language then in use among the Dutch people, and in which their records were kept until 1822. After the death of Mr. Loretz the Presbyterians seem to have occupied the church jointly with the Lutherans, and were organized under the ministration and pastoral care of Rev. Humphrey Hunter. We have no record of his pastorate and have only the memory of those living, who heard him preach there. An ancient relic is a silver sacramental cup, which is the only remaining part of a silver service bequeathed by Philip Anthony (Grandfather of John P. Anthony) to the church. It is now (1873) in the possession of Mrs. J. C. Cobb, who received it from her father, Mr. John Butts, an elder of the church. Mrs. Cobb keeps it for the use of the proper owners when called for.” The Rev. Mr. Loretz filled a high niche in the church history of Lincoln county, and left a posterity which honored the name. One son, Andrew H. Loretz, was prominent in the public life of the county and was its representative one or more times in the State Legislature. One daughter, Catherine, became the wife of John Motz, an influential citizen, and they were the parents of Caleb, Wade H., Andrew, and George W. Motz, all Well known and highly respected in their day. Page 63 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The Raleigh Star of May 1, 1812 pays high tribute to the memory of the Rev. Andrew Loretz. * * * * On July 7,1812, “Gentleman" Jonas Rudisill was married to Polly Seagle. * * * * David Ramsour, son of Diedrich Ramsour, the pioneer, died in his fiftieth year on February 23, 1812. * * * * Muster Rolls of the soldiers of the War of 1812, detached from the Militia of North Carolina in 1812 and 1814. Published in pursuance of the resolutions of the General Assembly of North Carolina, January 21, 1851. * * * * Sixth Company, detached from the First Lincoln Regiment. Edward Boyd, Captain; Edwin S. Gingles, Lieutenant; John Hill ensign; Mason Harwell, first sergeant; Joshua Abernethy, second sergeant; David Linebarge, corporal, John Club, corporal, Samuel Harwell, Garnder Merys, Levi Perkins, Frederick Abemethy, Thomas Long, Michel Sides, Henry Eddlemon, Moses Abernathy, Jacob Eddman, Joseph Burk, Peter Evans, George Club, Jr., Ezekiel Abernathy, James McGinnis, Robert Ramsey, Martin Gruson, Robert McCullock, Henry Holland, Matthew Holland, Jr., William Robison, Jr., Robert Huggins, Jr., James Rhodes, David Rine, Jr., John Ryne, Joseph Senter, Frederick Hovis, Jacob Dutcherow, Jonathan Nardike, Nicholas Dillin, John Friday, Samuel Armstrong, Matthew Armstrong, John Neagle, Alexander Irwin, George Irwin, George Oliver, John Henderson, William Hawkins, John Lineberger, Archibald Cathey, Daniel Morrison, Alexander Moore, Adam Cloniger, Jr., Jonathan West, George Hager, William Stephenson, Thomas Henry, Andrew Ferguson, William Falls, Samuel Carson, John Hager, Daniel Tucker, Robert Beale, Levi Sides, William Hinkle, William Hunt, John Blalock, John Little, George Ferguson, sergeant; Miles Farrer, Sherod Little, Corporal, John Ganny, corporal. Page 64 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XVIII Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812, detached from the Militia of North Carolina in 1812 and 1814. Published in pursuance of the resolutions of the General Assembly of North Carolina, January 21, 1851. (Continued). Seventh Company, detached from the First Lincoln Regiment. Henry Rudisill, captain; Robert Oates, lieutenant; Phillip Hain, ensign; Moses Herring, first sergeant; Peter Crites, second sergeant; Christopher Lewis, third sergeant; William Fullbright, fourth sergeant; Abraham Wiatt, corporal; Linas Sanford, second corpora]; David Cline, third corporal; Samuel Edgin, fourth corporal; John Master, private; John Tucker, Jepeth Sham, James Clark, Henry Barclay, Jesse Wheeler. John Ballard, George Sifford, Menucan Shelton, George Freet, William Sifford, Isaac flemming, John Sifford, Gatlip Sifford, Adam Hoppis, Martin Delinger, Robert Williams, William Lowe, Isaiah Abernathy, Drury Baggett, Abram Baggett, Absalom Bungarner, George Moore, William Walker, Nicholas Laurence, Thomas Ash, Moses Bungarner, Colbert Sherrel, Isaac Robertson, Jacob Burns, John Caldwell, Frederick Summey, Jacob Fingo, Elias Plot, Henry Chipperd, Christopher Hoffman, Jacob Isaac, Jacob Dunsill, Solomon Cline, Elijah Call, John Wilson, Alfred Moore, Aron Moore, William Johnston, Francis Asbury, John Kistler, James Martin, Samuel Turner, John Brim, Thomas Harmon, Edward Sneed, William Bennett, Jacob Miller, Robert Wilson, John Crago, John Murphy, James Lindsay, Adam Speight, Christy Speight. Eighth Company, detached from the Second Lincoln Regiment. George Hoffman, captain; David Bailey, lieutenant; Daniel Cline, ensign; John Jarratt, first sergeant; Jacob Connor, second sergeant; Thomas Bandy, third sergeant; Robert H. Simpson, fourth sergeant; Phillip Fry, first corporal; Thomas Sampson, second corporal; John Norman, third corporal; Christopher Acer, fourth corporal; Daniel Shuford, Jr., Daniel Whitener, Jr., Adolph Fadz, Michel Propst, David Bost, John German, Andrew Seiter, Abram Kilyon, Jacob Kink, Daniel Peterson, Abraham Sieter, George Fisher, Payton Vaughan, Conrad Yoder, George Mosteller, Silas Wilson, Jacob Thorne, George McEntosh, Thomas Huskey, Reuben Copelin, William Harlson, Peter Harman, Ephriam Davis, James Patterson, Samuel Gladden, Benjamin Waterson, William Scoggin, Solomon Harmon, Abner Camp, David Wier, Perry G. Reynolds, Uell Reynolds, John Rudaice, John Turner, Cyrus Peed, Isaac Williams, Benjamin Edwards, Jacob Raugh, Micheal Hepner, John Miller, John Taylor, William Caldwell, William Hull, William Bird, William Carrol, John Trout, Peter Howzer, Jacob Spengler, James Center, John Eders, Wiley Harris, John Harvener, Robert Watts, Joseph Kyson, Thomas Laming, Adam Husslatter, Peter Beem, John Vickers, Joseph Carpenter, Peter Kiser. Muster Roll of the Riflemen, detached from the Militia of North Carolina, 1812. LINCOLN COUNTY — FIRST REGIMENT James Finley, captain; William J. Wilson, 1st. lieutenant; Richard Cowan, second lieutenant; Andrew Barry, 3rd lieutenant; John Beard, ensign; Ambroze Gaultney, Andrew Slinkard, John Hogan, Henry Salder, George Berry, Jacob Troutman, William Short, James Graham, Isaac Murrell, John Hunt, Benedict Jetton, Benjamin Proctor, John Litz, William Little, Richard Proctor, William Nance, Jr., James White, William Nance, William Tucker, Ambrose Cobb, Jacob Cloninger, Samuel Pew, Thomas Sadler, Needam Wingate, David Smith, Jr., Robinson Moore, William Meginess, John Rhodes, John Meginess, William Sutton, John Mahew, Bedford Childers, Thomas Tucker, Samuel Abernathy, Red Errowood, Robert Lucky, Charles Edwards, Anthony Long, Page 65 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Freeman Shelton, Reuben Grice, John Bynum, William Hill, Willis Ballard, William Killian, Robinson Harris, Anthony Kinkle, Ashman Gwin, James Hicks, Daniel Killian, Frederick Killian, Edward Carroll, John Jinkens, Thomas Dickson, John Venable, Austin Ford, Peter Titman, James McCarver, William Rockford, Robert Alexander, William McCarver, Wiertt Jenkins, Reuben Jenkins, Jacob Rhine, Adam Rhine, Solomon Rhine, John Rhodes, John Bynum, David Costner, Jacob Smith, George Houser, Amos Robeson, Alexander McCullock, Keece Price, Moses Grissom, Thomas Groves, Hiram Harris, James Shannon, Jacob Fite, Ezekiel McClure, John Merner, Samuel Williams, James McClure, William Lattimore, John Damon, Andreson Wells, William Hamilton, John Leeper, John Glover, Alexander Rankin, William Reed, Steward Jinkens, William Bluford, John Hanks, Ebner Rumfelt, John Carthy, Jacob Kenedy, John Oates, John Parmer, William Adams, John Blackwood. LINCOLN COUNTY — SECOND REGIMENT Daniel Hoke, captain; John B. Harris, first lieutenant; Gilbert Milliken, 2nd lieutenant; Isaac Mauney, 3rd lieutenant; Peter Hoke, ensign; John Carpenter, Henry Huffsteddler, Moses Barr, Jacob Plunk, William Carpenter, Joseph Black, William Ferguson, Cudias Smith, Jonas Rudisil, Peter Mauney, David Kezer, Peter Eaker, George Seller, Peter Costner, John Huffsteddler, William Guntlessey, Daniel Glotfielder, Elias Glotfelder, John Teague, George Glotfelder, Rudolph Giotfelder, Lewis Huet, Philip Ekerd, Thomas Smith, John Bumgarner, Willie Hops, Archibald Cobb, Elisha Saunders, Joshua Hunter, Conrade Heldebrand, Peter Reymer, Bostian Best, John Houser, Solomon Shoup, Samuel Bigham, William Willis, Charles Williams, James Chapman, Nathaniel Pew, Jacob Houser, John Watterson, Joseph Wear, James Patterson, Preston Goforth, Hugh Sprulin, Isaac Mullinax, James Elliott, Thomas Earwood, George Goforth, Jacob Harman, Robert Barber, Young Marden, Thomas Black, David Dickson, Hardy Long, Solomon Childers, Christopher Carpenter, James Endsley, Anthony Clerk, David Bookout, Archibald Endsley, John Wright, Thomas Crags, Philip Haynes, John Whitworth, Joshua Howell, Samuel Collins, John Monser, Casper Bolick, George Bowman, Henry Lickman, Mathew Boovey, Charles Ward, William Harman, David Huntley, Martin Lickman, George Turner, Abraham Tray, Henry Lickman, Jr., Samuel Sullivan, Christian Bollinger, Christopher Hope, Michael Ingle, William Cline, John Shafer, Henry Houser, Ransom Husky, Matthias Barringer, Michael Dillenger, Daniel Blackburn, Jacob Harner, Aaron Moore, David Dick, Joseph Heldebrand, Joseph Lenhart, James Lemons, Daniel Fullbright, Francis Summitt, Daniel Summitt, Nicholas Carpenter, Peter Lorance, Joseph Ashe, John Earney, Alfred Sherril, Elias Shine, Conrade Ward, Avery Gannt, Andrew Yant, Phillips Hedrick, Benedict Levant, John Cowan, George Shook, Jacob Fullbright, Leonard Kagle, Ephraim Christoph, William Echard, John Hadrick, Aaron Downson, Peter Keller, Gabriel Isaac, Samuel Peterson, Frederick Knup, Francis King, Peter Raby, Michael Sattonfield, Jonathan Robinson, Miles Abernathy, David Hawn, Valentine Taylor, John Stamy, Peter Frey, James Gillebrand, John Snyder, James Bridges, James Jones, Benpamin Newman, Sterling Singleton, John Ward, John Glotfelder, James Fisher, Samuel Jetton, William Black, David Warlic, Elisha Winson, Nimrod Winson, Henry Killian, Solomon Killian, Daniel Coulter, Henry Coulter, John Shufford, James Henderson. Seventh Company, detached from Tenth Brigade. Henry Rumsour, captain; William Green, 1st lieutenant; Jacob Summers, 2nd lieutenant; John Zimmerman, cornet; John Falls 1st. sergeant; John Slagle, 2nd sergeant; Henry Smith, 3rd sergeant; Moses Sides, 4th sergeant; George Fry, sadler; Ezekiel Hazelett trumpeter; Elias Bost, dragon; William Host, Jacob Smoyer, Hiram Harbeson, Alexander Nail, Henry Smith, Charles Reinhart, Edward Sanders, Mathew Haynes Absalom Taylor, Allen Wetherly, William Price, John Henry, Moses Heron, John Rhine, Jr., Edward Scarboro, David Ramsour, James Grist, Richard Maze, James Knox, Samuel McMin, John Wilkinson, Page 66 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Alexander McCorkle, John Cornellus, Hardy Abernathy, William Porter, Frederick Kimmy, Benjamin Suttle, Willlam Hannen, Jeremiah Bunyan, Timothy Manny, Isaac Vanzant. The names of Christian Reinhardt and Jacob Fulenwider appear in the first Rowan Regiment. Installment No. XIX 1813 Robert H. Burton was married May 11, 1813 to Mary Fulenwider, daughter of John Fulenwider. * * * * Pleasant Retreat Academy, in Lincolnton, for boys, was chartered by the Legislature December 10, 1813. A school site of four acres was seemed on the North side of the town. A long- line of notable people have been educated there. The original Trustees were Rev. Philip Henkle, Rev. Humphrey Hunter Lawson Henderson, Joseph Graham, John Fulenwider, John Hoke, Peter Forney, Robert Williamson, Daniel Hoke, John Reinhardt, Vardry McBee, David Ramsour, Peter Hoyle, Henry Y. Webb, George Carruth, William McLean, Robert H. Burton, John Reid and David Reinhardt, altogether a very remarkable body of men. * * * * John Phifer, of Cabarrus, was defeated for Congress in 1813 by Gen. Peter Forney, of Lincoln County. 1814 Dr. William McLean was elected to the Senate from Lincoln in 1814. 1815 Dr. William McLean delivered the address at the first celebration of the battle of Kings Mountain, held on the battle ground, October 7, 1815, and had erected there at his own expense a plain stone with an epitaph on one side as follows: “Sacred to the memory of Major William Chronicle, Capt. John Mattocks, William Rabb and John Boyd who were killed here on the 7th of October 1780, fighting in defense of America.” On the other wide of the stone the inscription reads: “Col. Ferguson an officer belonging to his Brittanic Majesty was here defeated and killed.” This was the first marker ever placed on that historic battle ground. 1816 The first cotton factory operated south of the Potomac river was built in 1816 by Michal Schenck the Pioneer, near the McDaniel spring, one and one-half miles east of Lincolnton. Some of the machinery was bought in Providence, R. I., but portions of it were made by Absalom Warlick, a skilled worker in iron, and was a relative of Mrs. Michal Schenck. Michal Beam made some of the machines as shown by the following contract dated April 27, 1816. Page 67 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Articles of agreement made and entered into this 27th, April, 1816, between Michal Schenck and Absalom Warlick of the County of Lincoln, N. C., of the one part, and Michael Beam, of County and State aforesaid, of the other part. WITNESSETH: That the said Michael Beam obliges himself to build for the said Schenck and Warlick, Within 12 months from this date, a spinning machine with 154 fliers, with 3 sets of flooted rolers, the back to be set of Wood, the other 2 sets to be iron; the machine to be made in two frames with 2 sets of wheels, one carding machine with 2 sets of cards to run 2 ropings, each to be one foot Wide, with a picking machine to be attached to it with as many saws as may be necessary to feed the carding machine; one rolling (or roping) with 4 heads; all the above. machinery to be completed in a workmanlike manner. And the said Beam is to board himself and find all the material for the machine and set the machinery going on a branch on Ab Warlick’s land below where the old machine stood. The said Schenck and Warlick are to have the house for the machine and the running gears made at their expense, but the said Beam is to fix the whole machinery above described thereto. The wooden cans for the roping and spinning, and the reel to be furnished by said Schenck and Warlick together with all the straps and bands necessary for the machinery. In consideration of which the said Schenck and Warlick are to [MISSING REST] 1822 Robert Laban Abernethy, the great educator, was born in Lincoln county, April 3, 1822. * * * * Andrew H. Loretz, son of Rev. Andrew Loretz, was married May 1, 1822, to Elizabeth Ramsour. * * * * Henry Cansler was married to Fannie Shuford, daughter of Jacob and Margaret Hoyle Shuford, on June 13, 1822. * * * * Among the students at Lincolnton Male Academy in 1822 were Samuel Abernethy, Robert and Washington Ballard, William Boyd, Theodorus W. Brevard, Richard Brumby, James and Samuel Connor, George L. Davidson, Thomas Dews, Charles C., Hugh L., and James Pinckney Henderson, John Hoke, Michal Hoke, John Huggins, Ranson Hunley, James and Sidney Johnston, John and George Motz, William Mushat, Luther and Silas McBee, Henry Fulenwider, Daniel and Jacob Ramsour, James Rudisill, Robert and Rufus Williamson, Moses White and William Work, several of whom became distinguished in public life. 1823 Page 68 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The First Presbyterian church, in Lincolnton, was organized February 14, 1823. Rev. Joseph E. Bell Was Moderator and John Hoke. David Ramsour, Peter Summey and Michal Reinhardt were elders. Charles E. Reinhardt was elected elder in 1828. Rev. Mr. Bell came to Lincolnton from Tennessee to teach in the Lincolnton Academy, was ordained as a Lutheran minister, later joined the Presbyterian church and was the first pastor and organizer of that church in Lincolnton. During the seven years from 1827 to 1834 Rev. Patrick J. Sparrow and Rev. W. B. Davis served as pastors. Rev. A. W. Watts was supply pastor for two years (1834- 36). Up to this time the Presbyterians worshiped in the Old White church. About 1836 Paul Kistler conveyed to David Ramsour and J. T. Alexander, Trustees, part of lot 19 on Water Street in the middle of the block West of the county jail. Here the first Presbyterian church was built. The elders in 1839 were David Ramsour, Charles E. Reinhardt and Isaac Ervin. Rev. R. N. Davis served as pastor from 1850 until his death in 1870. Rev. R. Z. Johnston succeeded Mr. Davis as pastor and served until his death in 1908. He was in the later years assisted by Rev. W. A. Murray. In 1890 the Presbyterians built a new church on West Main street. Later it was enlarged and remodeled. The pastors since 1908 served Were in the following order: Rev. W. R. Minter, Rev. W. S. Wilson, Rev. W. W. Akers and Rev. W. S. Wilson again, who now (1935) is the pastor. * * * * William H. Forney, son of Jacob Forney, Jr., and his wife, Sarah Hoke Forney, was born in Lincolnton, November 9, 1823. * * * * CATAWBA SCHOOL, 1823 The subscribers having had the experience of Nathaniel N. Smith for the last session feel confidence in recommending him as a teacher qualified to discharge his duty. Under his instruction young gentlemen can be prepared to enter any college in our country. While due attention is paid to the classics, particular pains will be taken in teaching the English language critically, penmanship, arithmetic, geography, composition and history. Students for the future will be required to attend school on Saturday forenoon, for the purpose of reciting English grammar, reading, parsing, composition and declamation. It often happens that boys who have neglected those previous studies enter college and graduate, without being able to write a tolerable letter, much less to arrange their thoughts in a clear, pure and eloquent style. The reason of the above regulation is to obviate this fault. Robert Johnston. Western Carolinian, Henry Connor. Page 69 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Dec. 2, 1823. John Hayes. This school was conducted near Beatties Ford. Page 70 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XX (missing) Page 71 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXI 1824 Gen. Daniel Seagle on.March 3. 1824, was married to Mary Bollinger. * * * * At a meeting of the Trustees of the Lincolnton Female Academy held at the home of Vardry McBee. May 24, 1824, Dr. James Bivens, Vardry McBee, Joseph E. Bell, Jacob Forney, Charles E. Reinhardt and John Zimmerman being present With Dr. James Bivens in the chair. The question shall the Academy house be long or square? was decided by vote as follows: For a long house — Jacob Forney, Charles E. Reinhardt, J. E. Bell and John Zimmerman. (4): For a square house — Vardry McBee. (1). The vote was then taken for and against a portico For portico — Jacob Forney, Charles E. Reinhardt and John Zimmerman. Against portico — Vardry McBee and J. E. Bell. It was unanimously agreed to build it of brick, two stories high, size 40 by 25 feet. At a meeting; of Trustees held June 19th, it was decided not to add the portico to the building because of the extra cost of same. * * * * On June 19, 1824, Trustees of Female Academy met. Present: Dr. James Bivens, Daniel Hoke, J. E. Bell, Vardry McBee, John Zimmerman and Jacob Forney. Bonds from contractors were secured from Samuel Yundt, Philip Hines, Michal Reinhardt, John Williams and Lemuel Moorman. Philip Hines is to furnish all the scantling at $1.69 per 100 feet. Daniel Hoke is to furnish all the hewn timber for $35.00. Thomas Webster is to furnish all the window sills of good soap stone at .62½c per foot, and door sills of granite at $1.00 per foot, neatly hewn. Joseph E. Bell, Sec’y. 1825 Trustees of Female Academy met in called session at Vardry McBee’s March 21, 1825. Dr. James Bivens, C. E. Reinhardt, Daniel Hoke, Vardry McBee, Jacob Forney and John Zimmerman were present. Resolved: that the seasoned plank now at the Academy site be hauled to the shop of Andrew Ramsour at the expense of the Board and that if necessary, John Zimmerman purchase plank for the scaffolds for the Carpenters. Page 72 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Further, that the Secretary furnish Col. Daniel Hoke with a bill of the hewn timber for the Academy. Also, that the Secretary publish that a contract will be let for furnishing doors and window sills for the Academy on April 2nd. Jacob Forney is authorized to contract for the delivery of 450 bushels of lime at the Academy as soon as possible. Vardry McBee, Sec’y. Protem. * * * * Daniel Asbury, the pioneer Methodist preacher west of the Catawba river, was born in Fairfax county, Virginia, February 18, 1762. When about 16 years old he went to Kentucky following the tide of emigrants who moved to that section. He was captured by the Shawuee Indians and held in captivity for several years; was carried to Canada and there captured by the British and brutally treated; confined in irons and imprisoned in Detroit. He finally escaped and found his way back to Virginia and to his father’s home. He there came in contact With the pioneer preachers and under their influence “came to himself” and joined the Methodist church. In 1786 he became a traveling preacher and from that date, most of the time to the end of his life preached the gospel over the wide range of territory from Virginia to Georgia, serving Amelia and Halifax in Virginia; Holstein in Tennessee; Yadkin, Lincoln, Union and Onoee in North Carolina as pastor, and served for 12 years, from 1810 to 1822, as presiding elder, the Savannah, Camden, Catawba and Broad River districts in the order named. In 1790 he first preached west of the Catawba near the present Village of Terrell, where he found a colony of Methodists who had just migrated from Old Brunswick, Va. and here he organized Rehoboth, the first Methodist church established west of the Catawba. It was there he met and married Nancy Morris, a devout woman and a member of the Virginia colony, which had just settled in that community. His bitter experiences during the period of his early captivity served in good stead in the after years of his ministerial life. In many places he met with ridicule and persecution but “endured hardness as a good soldier.” Dr. Albert M. Shipp in “The History of Methodism in South Carolina" gives account of a ruffian band led by one Permenter Morgan, who seized Asbury and brought him before Jonathan Hampton, a worthy Magistrate in Rutherford county, on the charge that he was going about preaching the gospel without authority, and the good magistrate dismissed the case as one inspired by malicious persecution. Daniel Asbury did not possess high scholarship, but with a rare knowledge of the pioneer people, among whom he labored, and with a deep religious experience and a spiritual discernment of the truth which was marvelous, his fervent appeals to the unconverted seemed irresistible and his ministry was abundantly blessed. He was a moving spirit in the great spiritual awakening of 1802 when the Presbyterians and Methodist combined to overcome the iniquity of the times and great spiritual wave swept over this section of the country. With all of his seriousness he had a fine sense of humor as once shown while preaching in Columbia, some of the congregation showed decided signs of drowsiness when he said, “These people want to hear the gospel, but the Devil is trying to put them to sleep.” On Sunday, April 15, 1825 at his home in Lincoln county, he died suddenly and his body was buried in the graveyard of Rehoboth church, in the present county of Page 73 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Catawba, near by the Lincolnton and Mooresville highway. It is a coincidence that he was born, captured by the Indians, returned from captivity, converted and died on the Sabbath day. It was this good man who laid the foundation of the Methodist church in this section of the State and his burial spot deserves an imposing marker to commemorate the priceless service he rendered as a minister of Christ. * * * * A petition, signed by William Henderson, Jacob Ramsour, Robert Williamson, G. McCulloh and Vardry McBee was sent to the General Assembly, setting forth that legislative authority was given several years ago to sell town lots to raise money to build the Male Academy and of the amount secured by the sale of the lots, there still remains a balance of money in the hands of Jacob Ramsour, not otherwise appropriated, for which we petition for authority to use this balance still in the hands of Jacob Ramsour to meet expense of repairing said Academy from time to time as the Trustees may deem wise. Received in House of Commons, November 29, 1825, and referred co committee. Ambrose Costner was born June 14, 1825. 1826 O’Reillys School “The subscribers having engaged Mr. M. O’Reilly to take charge of a school, beg leave to inform those who may be disposed to educate their children that a school will opened March 1; boarding can be had at reasonable terms and a few scholars taken in. “Mr. O’Reilly is highly recommended for moral character and as being well qualified to teach the English, Latin and Greek languages; and we feel confident will give satisfaction to such as may entrust their children to his charge. “The situation is healthy, being one mile and a half of Beatties Ford and within three miles of Catawba Springs, in Lincoln County. Robert Abernethy. Alfred M. Burton. Robert H. Burton. Catawba Journal, Feb. 7, 1826. Page 74 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXII Col. Joseph Dickson was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in April 1745; moved with his family to Rowan county, North Carolina where he was reared and educated. He married Margaret McEwen. Engaged in cotton and tobacco planting. Member Rowan Committee of Public Safety 1775. Commissioned as a Captain and served under Gen. Rutherford in 1780, and at battle of Kings Mountain as a Major in Regiment of Lincoln county men. Opposed Gen. Cornwallis and for bravery was made Col. Clerk Lincoln County Court 1781 — 88; Senator from Lincoln 1788 to 1795; was delegate from Lincoln to the Convention held in Fayetteville in 1789 when North Carolina officially approved the Federal Constitution; member of the Commission that established the University of North Carolina, was one of the forty original trustees and one of the seventeen members present when the Board of Trustees was organized on December 18, 1798. Was elected to the sixth Congress of the United States from the Lincoln district over James Holland (1799 - 1801). Some years after the war he was elected General of the State Militia. In 1803 he moved to Burke county and then to Rutherford county, Tennessee in 1806. Was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives from Rutherford county in 1807 and served for two terms (1807 - 1811) and was speaker of the house during the last two years. On October 11, 1810 he was married (second time) to Ellener Rankin, daughter of William Rankin, of Lincoln county, North Carolina. He died in Tennessee April 14, 1825. He had nine children, six of whom were boys. One grandson, John B. Dickson, was a Lieutenant under Gen. Andrew Jackson in the Creek and Seminole wars, was wounded in the battle of New Orleans in 1813 and died in Texas in 1878, aged 85 years. 1826 Jacob Ramsour, son of Deidrich Ramsour, the pioneer, died January 11, 1826. * * * * Mrs. Sabina Hoke, the widow who came with her children from Pennsylvania to Lincoln county in the earlier days, died August 9, 1826, aged 78 years. * * * * John Fulenwider, a native Swiss, was born about 1756. As a very young man he came to America and to Rowan county, North Carolina. fought with the Rowan men at Ramsour’s Mill and Kings Mountain. After the war he was attracted to Lincoln county on account of the rich iron deposits. Was one of the first manufacturers of pig iron from iron ore, using charcoal in the process of its manufacture. He also operated a gold mine on his own land, but his signal success was in the manufacture of pig iron, and as stated elsewhere he furnished the government with cannons, manufactured from iron which he mined, for use in the war of 1812. He was a man of mark in his day, was founder of the High Shoals Iron Works, and his will probated in 1828, indicates that he possessed some 20,000 acres of land in Lincoln county, many slaves and personal property besides, of great value. Had he lived in our day he Would, no doubt, have been a great captain of industry. His wife was Elizabeth Ellis of Rowan, and an aunt of the late Governor Ellis. He had four sons and four daughters. John, Jr., married Lavenia, daughter of Peter Page 75 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Forney; Henry married Ann, daughter of David Ramsour; William married Martha, daughter of John Hayes; Jacob married Mary, daughter of Andrew Hoyle; Sarah married George Phifer, of Cabarrus; Esther married John Phifer, brother of George: Elizabeth married Alfred M. Burtoii; Mary married Judge Robert H. Burton, (brother of Alfred M.). He died September 4, 1826. The executors of his will were his son, Henry Fulenwider, and his son-in-law, Judge Robert H. Burton. When he died his body was buried at High Shoals and the tomb bears the following inscription: “Sacred to the memory of John Fulenwider Who died on the 4th day of September 1826 in the 70th year of his age. Beloved in life, Regretted in death.” * * * * The Trustees of the Female Academy met January 3rd, 1826 to consider the application of Mrs. Lucretia Matthews for the principal of the school. The letter of Mrs. Matthews was read. Col. Daniel Hoke moved that the Board decide whether or not they would employ Mrs. Matthews. A vote was taken. C. E. Reinhardt, Daniel Hoke and V. McBee voted yea: John Zimmerman and J. E. Bell voted nay. It was then resolved that Mrs. Matthews be tutoress of Lincolnton Female Academy until the Board can procure another tutoress and no longer, and that as soon as another is selected Mrs. Matthews shall give up the Academy and its pupils. Joseph E. Bell, Sec’y. 1827 Thomas R. Shuford and Elizabeth Butts were married May 36, 1827. * * * * Page 76 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The Board met at Mr. McBee’s office July 8, 1827 to settle with Mr. Burton respected the building of the Female Academy. It appears that he had received $2,801.67 from sale of lots, against which he produced the following vouchers, leaving a balance in his hands of $82.69. Dr. Cr. Debit amount of sale of lots $2,801.67 Credit by amount paid Jacob Forney $2,622.75 Credit by amount paid Henry Cansler, surveyor 33.25 Credit by amount paid B. S. Johnson, crying sale 4.00 Credit by amount paid Jacob Reinhardt, work 2.00 Credit by amount paid Taxes, 1823 & 1824 1.00 Credit by amount paid Printing advertisements 1.00 Credit by amount paid Mr. Burton, commissions 55.00 ---------- ---------- $2,801.67 $2,718.98 $2,718.98 ---------- $ 82.69 Note of Michal Schenck $63.69 Cash 19.00 ---------- $82.69 Which amount was ordered turned over by Mr; Burton to Major Lawson Henderson to be accounted for in his settlement between the Trustees of the Male and Female Academies. John D. Hoke, Secretary. BUFFALO ACADEMY Major Lawson Henderson and David Kiddoe, in Catawba Journal of January 2, 1827, recommended Buffalo Academy in Lincoln County as a school of high grade With P. J. Sparrow as principal. “This Academy is situated in a healthy place, about 17 miles southwest of Lincolnton, in a respectable and plentiful neighborhood where boarding can be had on ready terms.” Page 77 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXIII 1827 The Rev. Humphrey Hunter was born in Ulster County, Ireland May 14, 1755. Four years later his father died and soon thereafter the boy came with his mother to America, arriving at Charleston August 27, 1759 after a voyage of over three months. From there they journeyed to Poplar Tent in the present county of Cabarrus, where she settled and reared her son. He was in Charlotte May 20, 1775 when the Mecklenburg Declaration was adopted and saw that document signed. When over twenty years old he entered Queens College in Charlotte, and his plans for study were broken up on account of the war, but he entered the Whig army as 2nd Lieutenant under Captain Thomas Givens, and proved his courage as a soldier. Resuming his studies after the war he graduated from Mount Zion College, Winnsboro, S. C., in June 1787, and after two years more of preparation he was licensed to preach by the South Carolina Presbytery October 15, 1789. Then for six years he was pastor of Hopewell and Aimwell churches in South Carolina. In 1795 he moved to Lincoln county to accept the pastorate of Unity and Goshen Presbyterian churches, which he served until 1805, when he accepted the call to the Steele Creek and Hopewell congregations in Mecklenburg county and continued in this pastorate until his death August 21, 1827. For several years during this latter period, after the death in 1812 of Rev. Andrew Loretz, the German Reformed preacher, Mr. Hunter had regular appointments and preached in the old White Church and ministered to the Presbyterians of the Lincolnton Community, in addition to his work in Mecklenburg county. His body was buried in Steele Creek cemetery and the monument erected by that congregation bears the following high tribute to this sainted minister: “For nearly 38 years he labored as a faithful and assiduous Ambassador of Christ, strenuously enforcing the necessity of repentance and pointing out the terms of salvation. As a parent he was kind and affectionate; as a friend warm and sincere, and as a minister persuasive and convincing.” He was all of that as well as a preacher of unusual gifts, and completely consecrated to his task. He was the pioneer Presbyterian preacher in Lincoln c0unty and the two congregations, Unity and Goshen, which he organized, have long exercised a fine influence on the western side of the Catawba river, from Beatties Ford to the South Carolina line. His son, Dr. Cyrus L. Hunter, was an honored citizen of Lincoln county, where he married and spent all of his active life. 1828 Dr. William McLean, son of the pioneer Alexander McLean, was born in Rowan county on Sunday, April 2, 1757. He was educated at Queen’s Museum in Charlotte and read medicine under Dr. Joseph Blythe. He served under the 1st N. C. Regiment commanded by Colonel Archibald Lytle, at Charleston, James Island, Kings Mountain and elsewhere, and was appointed Surgeon’s Mate in that Regiment. After the war he completed his medical education at the University of Pennsylvania in 1787 and settled in the South Point section ct what is now Gaston county, where he was for many years a successful physician. Page 78 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina On June 19, 1792 he married Mary, daughter of Major John Davidson, of Mecklenburg. Among their children were Dr. John D. McLean, who succeeded his father as a physician at South Point and Ma or Augustus A. McLean, who married Catherine Schenck, of Lincolnton, and lived there during his active life. Dr. William McLean was a skilled physician and had a large practice. He was also a patriotic and. progressive citizen. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1788 at Hillsboro, and the convention at Fayetteville in 1789 which adopted the Federal Constitution. He was also a member of the House of Commons four term, 1788 to 1791 inclusive, and was the Senator from Lincoln in 1814. In the same year he delivered the oration at the first celebration of the battle of Kings Mountain and had erected there, at his own expense, a monument to the memory of the brave South Fork boys who died there for liberty. He was one of the original members of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, organized by the officers of the Continental line at Hillsboro, October 25, 1783. He was a Presbyterian in faith and when he died October 25, 1828, his body was buried in the Bethe] Presbyterian graveyard in York County, South Carolina. * * * * Rev. James Hill, a Methodist minister, who died in 1828, was the first person to be buried in the Methodist graveyard in Lincolnton. 1829 Captain Alexander Brevard, son of John Brevard, the pioneer, was born in Rowan (now Iredell) county. Was a soldier who fought under Washington in New Jersey and in 1779, on account of feeble health, was advised by Washington to return home to recuperate. As soon as his health was restored he joined the Southern Army under General Gates and was transferred later to the command of General Greene, and was active as a soldier during the greater part of the war. After the war he married to Rebecca, daughter of Col. John Davidson. In 1791 Captain Brevard and Gen. Joseph Graham came to Lincoln county and bought from Gen. Peter Forney an interest in the iron business and engaged in iron manufacture. Brevard engaged in the manufacture of iron and in agricultural pursuits until his death November 1, 1829. He had large landed interests and many slaves and by his industry and frugality he amassed a large estate. He was a man of lofty character and a prominent and influential citizen of the County. A Presbyterian in faith he was for long years an elder in that church and when he died was buried at Machpelah. He had five sons, Ephriam, Franklin, Robert, Joseph and Theodorus W. Brevard, all of whom honored the name, and two daughters, Harriet, who married Hon. Daniel M. Forney, and Mary, who was the wife of Richard T. Brumby. * * * * J. Franklin Brevard died February 13, 1829, aged 41 years, and was buried in the Baker graveyard in Iredell county. He was a son of Alexander and Rebecca Davidson Brevard, and grandfather of the late F. Brevard McDowell, of Charlotte. He represented Lincoln in the Legislature in 1818. * * * * Page 79 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina James Pinckney Henderson was licensed as an Attorney in 1829, and practiced law in Lincolnton until he went to Texas in 1836. (CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE) Page 80 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXIV Buffalo Shoals School, 1829 An enfeebled constitution renders it impossible for me to take an extensive circuit in the practice of my profession as a Lawyer and I propose therefore, assisted by my brother, to open a school at my house in Lincoln County on Catawba River, 9 miles from Statesville, and 24 miles from Lincolnton, on March 1, by which time my buildings will be completed. No scholar will be taken who cannot board with me as a member of my family. I now have one law student and am anxious to get a few more. All applications must be made to me in person or by letter directed to Thomas Ferry of Statesville. For particulars as to my qualifications I refer to Judge Badger, Raleigh, or to Major Henderson, of Lincolnton. Richard T. Brumby. Raleigh Register — Dec. 14, 1829. Richard T. Brumby was born in Sumpter County, South Carolina, August 4, 1804 and died near Athens, Ga., October 6, 1875, the day after the death of his wife, Mary Brevard Brumby, and the bodies were buried in Oconee cemetery, Athens, Ga. NOTE: The record shows that Richard Brumby was a student at the Lincolnton Male Academy in 1822; that he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1825; married April 18, 1828, to Mary Brevard, daughter of the pioneer, Alexander Brevard, who was one of the wealthy and influential citizens of Lincoln County. Mr. Brumby after his graduation was licensed to practice law, but on account of ill health established the Buffalo Shoal School in 1829. Later he removed to Alabama and became one of the first Professors in the University of that State. He is said to be the discoverer of the iron and coal deposits in Alabama. He had a daughter, Harriet Brevard Brumby, who married to Lewis J. Russell, and one son by that marriage is Richard Brevard Russell, the present (1935) Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. This Judge Russell is the father of Richard Brevard Russell, Jr., late Governor of Georgia, and now Senator in Congress from that State. (1935). * * * * Page 81 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina “The Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina during the American Revolution.” Published in 1933 by the North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution contains the following list of Lincoln County men who were soldiers of the Revolution, and by permission this authentic record is published in these annals. Tryon County Companies: William Graham, Colonel; Charles McLean, Lt. Col; Thomas Beatty, Major; Frederick Hambright, 2nd Major. Gaston County (then Lincoln) soldiers who fought at Kings Mountain: l — Col. Frederick Hambright, at time of battle was near Long Creek. (Hunter 325). 2 — Maj. Frederick Hambright, family record. 3 — John Hambright, son of Col. Fred Hambright (Hunter 325). 4 — Maj. William Chronicle, South Ford, (Hunter 158). Schenck 167-8 and 175. 5 — Dr. William McLean, South Ford (Hunter 285-6). 6 — Alex McLean, Jr., (Hunter 285-6). 7 — George McLean (Hunter 285-6). 8 — John McLean (Hunter 286). 9 — Matthew Leeper (Family Bible and tomb. Buried at Smith graveyard). 10 — Capt. John Mattocks (Wheeler 158 and Hunter 291, 295). 11 — Capt. Charles Mattocks Wheeler 158 and Hunter 291, 295) 12 — Lt. William Rabb (Wheeler 158 and Hunter 291, 295). 13 — James McKee (half brother of Chronicle) (Wheeler 158). 14 — Col. William Davenport (Draper 333—4, 340, 473). 15 — Robert Henry (Draper refers often to him). 16 — William Caldwell (Hunter 294, Wheeler 158). 17 — Capt. Samuel Caldwell (Hunter 294, Wheeler 158). 18 — Hugh Erwin. 19 — Andrew Barry. 20 — Enoch Gilmer (Schenck 158). 21 — William Gilmer. 22 — John Chittim. 23 — Capt. Samuel Martin (Hunter 291 to 294). 24 — Lt. John Boyd. 25 — John Glenn (Family Bible) Buried at Goshen. 26 — William Gregory (Family Bible). Buried in Bethel section. 27 — Capt. Samuel Espey (Schenck 167). 28 — Capt Isaac White (Draper 476). 29 — Lt. James White (Draper 476). 30 — Capt. James Johnston (Hunter 244-7). 31 — Moses Henry (Draper 319). 32 — James Henry (Draper 319). 33 — Isaac Holland, Jr. (Hoffman’s “Our Kin” 521). 34 — Felix Walker. 35 — Jacob Hoffman, fought at Kings Mountain, died 1860. 36 — John Hoffman, Buried at Earl Summey place. 37 — Major John Dickson (Hunter 29 and Schenck 107-8). 38 — Matthew Armstrong (Court House records). Fought at Kings Mountain. Buried at Smith’s graveyard near Belmont. 39 — Capt. John Kincaid (Family Bible record). Buried at Olney. 40 — Adam Baird, an officer unable to give his rank. His granddaughter, Mrs. W. E. Weatherly, Gastonia, has the gun he carried at Kings Mountain.“ 41 — James Baird, brother of Andrew (Records in family history). 42 — Jesse Lane (Record in family history). Page 82 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Kings Mountain Men — Lincoln County Pensioned — Robert Abernathy, Pt. Elias Alexander (Rutherford). Pensioned — Vincent Allen, Pt. Matthew Armstrong, pensioned by N. C. 1783. William Armstrong. William Blackburn. William Bradley. Richard Bradley. William Carroll (pensioned by N. C. in 1833). John Chittim, pensioned in Lincoln county. James Clark, pensioned in Lincoln county. Michal Clark, pensioned in Lincoln county. Pensioned — James Collins, Pt., from Lincoln. Pensioned — Samuel Collins, Pt., from Lincoln. Pensioned — Thomas Costner, pensioned in Lincoln, 1833. Pensioned — Bartholemew Thompson, pensioned in Lincoln. Joseph Dickson, commanded Lincoln county men. John Crockett, father of David Crockett was with Lincoln county militia. Peter Eddleman, pensioned in Lincoln, 1835. William Elmore, pensioned in North Carolina. Samuel Espey, Lincoln county. Wounded at Kings Mountain. James Farewell, with Lincoln county men. Enoch Gilmer and William Gilmer, brothers from Lincoln. Page 83 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXV (XXVI) The Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina during the American Revolution (Continued). Joseph Godwin Robinson Godwin From Lincoln pensioned in Lincoln, 1833. Samuel Godwin Pensioned — John Gregory William Gregory Nathan Gwaltney Nicholas Hefner Pensioned in Lincoln, 1833. Simon Hager John Helm James Gabriel, Pt. and Sgt. Pensioned — James Hill, Lt., from Lincoln. Pensioned — James Hill, Pt., Born in Lincoln, 1742. Pensioned — Robert Johnston, Pt., pensioned in 1835. Pensioned — Lt. William Johnson, pensioned by N. C. John Kidd, Lincoln, pensioned, fought with Lincoln men. Robert Knox, pensioned in 1833. Joseph Logan, Lincoln, in Mattocks company. William Logan, Lincoln, in Mattocks company. Francis McCorkle, in 1774 Com. Pub. Safety, Rowan, died in Lincoln, 1802. Fought at Ramsour’s Mill and Kings Mountain. Shadrich Lefy, Lincoln man, pensioned William McCarthy, was under Cleveland, pensioned in Lincoln, 1833. Pensioned — Patrick Mason and Thomas Mason, of Lincoln county, pensioned 1833. Pensioned — Alexander Moore, PL, Lincoln, pensioned 1833. Nathan Mendenhall, with Lincoln men, pensioned 1833. Captain John Moore, born 1759 in Lincoln. Pensioned — Alexander Moore, James Moore, Brothers of John, all claimed as Kings Mountain men. William Moore, Pt. and Capt. Pensioned — Jeremiah Munday, a Lincoln soldier pensioned there in 1833. Humphrey Martin, from Lincoln where he was pensioned. William Potter, of Lincoln Militia, claimed to be a Kings Mountain soldier. Pensioned — Adam Reep, lived 2 miles west of Lincolnton. Michael Reep, pensioned in Lincoln. Charles Regan, pensioned in Lincoln. Henry Rumfelt (Remfeldt?) pensioned in Lincoln in 1833. Adam Sherrill, barn on Catawba 1758. Philip Tillman, Lincoln soldier pensioned in Lincoln, 1833. Elisha Withers, pensioned in Lincoln. Charles White, pensioned in Lincoln. James Alexander, born in Rowan 1756. entered army from Lincolnton. John Turbyfill, Pt., pensioned. Page 84 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Lincoln Pensioners: Age Not given, John Chittim, Pt. 2186.73, Revolutionary War, Jan 1, 1815. Not given, Samuel Espey, Pt. 125.90, Revolutionary War, Sept. 4, 1808. Not given, Samuel Espey, 777.44, Revolutionary War, April 24, 1816. Not given, Samuel Espey, 200.00. Revolutionary War, July 4,1832. Not given, David Miller, 332.63, U. S. Army, Sept. 4, 1808. Not given, David Miller, 537.01, U. S. Army, April 24, 1816. Not given, David Miller, 383.30, U. S. Army, Sept. 4. 1824 Not given, Michal Reep, 150.00, Revolution, Apr. 20, 1811. Not given, Michal Reep, 857.07, Revolution, Apr. 24, 1816. 82, Robert Abernathy, 40.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 78, Vincent Allen, 240.00, Va. Militia, March 4, 1831. 85, Christian Alney, 169.98, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 71, Matthew Armstrong, 99.99, N. C. Militia, March, 4, 1831. 78, Casper Bolick, 109.98, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 75, Jonas Bradshaw; 120.00, N. C. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. 72, Robert Berry, 60.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 75, Samuel Caldwell, 160.00, N. C. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. 74, Martin Coulter, 64.68, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 73, Mitchell Cline, 88.02, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 82, William Carroll, 120.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 87, Thomas Costner, 64.95, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. Not given, Samuel Collins, 78.48, Maryland Militia, March 4, 1831. 75, William Elmore, 114.99, N. C. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. 69, Peter Eddleman, 94.98, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 76, Samuel Espey, Corp. and Capt., 296.16, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 76, Abram Forney, Sgt. and Capt, 436.80, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 75, Joseph Graham, Sergeant, Adjutant, Capt. and Maj., 870.00, N. C. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. 69, Robinson Goodwin, 139.98, N. C. Cont. Line, Margh. 4, 1831. 71, Simon Hagar, 99.99, N. C. Cont. Line, March 4, 1831. 75, James Hill, Lieut., 360.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 81, James Henry, Pt., 210.00, S. C. Cont'l. Line, March 4, 1831. 78, Nicholas Hofner, Pt., 90.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, John Marmon, Pt., 117.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 73, John Helm, Pt., 120.00, Va. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. 79, Simon Hager, Pt., 79.32, N. C. Militia, March, 4, 1831. . 76, John Kidd, Pt., 159.99, N. C. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. . 92, Robert Knox, Pt., 80.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 85, John Kincaid, Pt., 229.98, S. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 80, Alexander Moore, Pt., 101.64, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, Tapley Mahanas, Pt., 240.00, Va. Continental Line, March 4, 1831. 83, William Moore, Capt. 210.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 100, Samuel Martin, Capt. 750.00, S. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 75, John Moore. Pt., 66.65, N. c. Militia, March 4, 1831. 74, George Oliver, Pt., 150.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 85, Jacob Plunk, Pt., 90.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 84, Hiram Pendleton, Pt., 197.27, N. C. Continental Line, Died Aug. 27, 1833. 84, William Potter, Corporal, 74,49, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, Humphrey Parker, 99.99, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 79, Adam Reep, 163.29, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 71, James Robeson, 99.99, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 73, William Rankin, 148.90, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. Page 85 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 74, Joshua Roberts, 69.99, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 76, Charles Regan, 150.00, N. C. Continental Lines, March 4, 1831. 72, Peter Shrum, 136.66, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, John Stamey, 2110.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 89, Conrad Tippong, 90.00, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 93, John Turbyfill, 120.00, Va. Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, Bartholomew Thompson, 199.98, Georgia Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, Charles Thompson, 124.98, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 87, Philip Tillman, 90.00, N. J. Militia, March 4, 1831. 79, Joseph Willis, 76.98, N. C. Militia, March. 4, 1831. 70, Charles White, 225.24, S. C. Militia, Died Dec. 28, 1833. 75, Elisha Weathers, 137.49, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 72, John Wilfong, 112.62, N. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. 71, James Wilkinson, 84,63, Va. Militia, March 4, 1831, 88, Nathan Mendenhall, 109.98, Penn. Militia, March 4, 1831. 76, William McCarthy, 199.98, S. C. Militia, March 4, 1831. John Wilfong, Lincoln County enlisted 1780, Pensioned, U. S. A. Sept. 4, 1808, 8152.81. John Wilfong, Lincoln County enlisted 1780, Pensioned, U. S. A. April 2, 1816, 571.59. Page 86 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXVI The patriotic Daughters of the American Revolution deserve our thanks for the valuable information found in the foregoing pages, which they have carefully prepared and published from official records, giving the part many Lincoln men took in the struggle for American freedom. Due to the fact that many were called temporarily into military service from civil life, to resist invasions of the enemy, and after the battle returned to private pursuits. with no record kept of their service, it is easy to understand how the sacrifice made by many brave patriots was forgotten. The above list was taken largely from pension rolls and is correct, even though it does not give the name of every Lincoln county soldier who lived through the war, nor the great number who were slain in battle. Gen. Peter Forney and his brother, Jacob Forney, Peter Smith and William Simpson, as well as Captain Daniel McKissick, who was severely wounded at Ramsour’s Mill, rendered conspicuous service, and John Hoyle, youngest son of Peter Hoyle, the pioneer, served as Lieutenant under Colonel Hambright against the Indians and was a gallant soldier of the Revolution. The John Hoyle Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (of Hickory, N. C.) was named in his honor and a large number of the members of that chapter are his lineal descendants, but none of these, and many others, were on pension rolls. * * * * 1830 Col. John Zimmerman, a prominent and early citizen of Lincolnton, died in 1830 and his body rests in the Old White Church graveyard. * * * * June 22nd. A meeting was held at South Point to plan for the July 4th celebration. Larkin Stowe, chairman, W. A. Wilson, Secretary. Capt. B. Thomason was chosen as orator, Larkin Stowe to read the Declaration. Gen. R. D. S. McLean and Col. J. G. Hand, Marshals; Committee of Arrangements: Col. J. G. Hand, Major T. B. McLean, Capt. J. L. McArver, Larkin Stowe and Dr. A. L. Barry. * * * * Rev. Stephen Frontis, of the Presbyterian Church, was married in Lincolnton, June 29, 1830, to Martha Dews, a sister of the brilliant and versatile Thomas Dews J r. June 29th. From the Raleigh Register we learn that Michal Hoke, of Lincoln, was granted County Court license to practice law. James M. Burton will deliver the 4th of July address at Catawba Springs. * * * * Among the toasts at South Point celebration of July 4th, was one by J. L. McAver to “H. W. Connor, member of Congress and a candidate for re-election,” and one by Dr. Cyrus L. Hunter to “The State of North Carolina - the first tQ frame a declaration of Independence - May she be found the last to violate the sanctity of that political maxim: The Federal Union, it must be preserved.” Page 87 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * July 6th. Bartlett Shipp issues address to the freemen of Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties as a candidate for Congress. * * * * July 13th. James Bivens & Company, owner; of the Lincoln Cotton Manufacturing Company, advertise yarn and cloth for sale. This mill was operated on South Fork river at the Laboratory. * * * * August 17th. Major Henry W. Connor, of Lincoln, was re-elected to Congress by 854 majority, over Bartlett Shipp. The vote stood as follows: Connor Shipp Lincoln 1,676 966 Mecklenburg 1,023 648 Cabarrus 362 593 ----- ----- Total 3,061 2,207 * * * * In the County election of 1830, Daniel Hoke was chosen for the Senate and Bartlett Shipp and Andrew Loretz for the Commons. Thomas Ward Was elected Sheriff. * * * * October. It is with regret We learn that Judge E. Badger on Tuesday last, was thrown from his sulky between his place and Louisburg, and it is feared his leg was broken by the fall. (He was an uncle of Rev. W. R. Wetmore of the Episcopal church). * * * * November 8th. Mail contract from Fayetteville through Charlotte to Lincolnton let to Emanuel Reinhardt; the mail to be carried twice a week in four horse stages. * * * * December 6th. A large vein of gold has been discovered in the Henderson & Wilson mine in Lincoln County near Kings Mountain and the ore is worth $3.20 per bushel. * * * * Robert H. Burton, of Lincoln, has been elected Treasurer of the State by the Legislature now in session. The vote stood 100 for Burton and 92 for William S. Mahoon, of Bertie. * * * * Page 88 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina We have received from Hon. H. W. Connor, member of Congress, the President’s message with reports of the Navy, War and Post Office Departments. (Charlotte Journal). * * * * Advertisement: Charlotte Hotel, J. D. Boyd, Proprietor, offers the best table and bar Which the market in the back country can afford. Beds and bedding are inferior to none. Ostlers are employed and stables abundantly furnished. 1831 May 18th. William S. Simonton, who recently purchased the Catawba Springs property near Beatties Ford, from Charles Jugnot, has had this water analyzed by Professor Oldsted who recommends its use for all complaints of liver or debility. * * * * June 18th. A meeting was held in Lincolnton to arrange for the 4th of July celebration. Dr. S. P. Simpson was Chairman and George Hoke, Secretary. James P. Henderson was selected Orator; Dr.'George Hoke, reader of the Declaration of Independence; Major John Michal and Capt. John Taylor Alexander, Marshalls; Charles Leonard, B. S. Johnson, Isaac Irwin, Jacob Propst, J. Reinhardt, V. McBee, D. Ramsour and John Hoke, Committee on Arrangements and Thomas Williamson, P. Dewey, Jacob Ramseur, Michal Hoke, John D. Hoke and Dr. Simpson, Committee on Toasts. 1831 Hannah Arndt, widow of John Gottfried Amdt, the pioneer Lutheran preacher, died in 1831. * * * * Advertisement. December 7th. Lincolnton Female Academy, Miss Amelia Thompson has the assistance of two ladies from New York. (Signed) V. McBee, Daniel Hoke, Peter Summey, Jacob Ramsour, C. E. Reinhardt, John D. Hoke and C. Leonard, Trustees. * * * * December 22nd. Married in Charlotte by Rev. R. H. Morrison, Dr. Pinckney C. Caldwell to Sarah R. Wilson, daughter of the late Joseph Wilson. (They were parents of the late Mrs. B. S. Guion). 1832 Rev. James Richardson was married in Lincolnton, January 16, 1832, to Catherine Schenck, daughter of Michal Schenck. * * * * April 24th. James King died near Beatties Ford, aged 87 years. * * * * Page 89 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina May 15th. A new post office has been established in Lincoln County to.be called Catawba Springs, and William S. Simonton has been appointed postmaster. Page 90 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXVII * * * * In 1832 a Paper Mill was established on the site of the Long Shoals Cotton Mill, four miles South of Lincolnton on the South Fork river, by George Mosteller. It seems that about 1857 it was taken over by Samuel Oates, who managed it until about 1867 when James Banister and a Mr. Grady took charge. In 1863 A. C. Wiswall, of Massachusetts, who was skilled in that business formed a co-partnership with William Tiddy until 1872 when William and Richard Tiddy took this mill over together with the paper mill located on the site of the present Lincoln Cotton Mill a mile below the Laboratory. They also built a third mill on Buffalo Creek in Cleveland County and carried on the business until about 1882 when it was abandoned. The paper was manufactured from old rags which the merchants over a wide section bought for three cents a pound in barter and sold the rags to the manufacturers. The Tiddy brothers operated many wagons to haul rags to the mills. About 1873 William Tiddy solicited an order for paper from the well known Harper Publishers, of New York. Harper gave a “trial” order which it took three months to fill. Many of the old Lincoln County Record books were manufactured at these mills. * * * * June 24th. Hon. Henry W. Connor, will please accept our thanks for the report on steam carriages and other Congressional documents. (Charlotte Journal). * * * * July. The Supreme Court has licensed Michal Hoke to practice law in Superior Courts and M. W. Reinhardt to practice in County Courts. * * * * July 10th. In the vicinity of Knoxville, Tenn., June 12, 1832, Richmond M. Pearson, Attorney at Law of Rowan and late member of the House of Commons from that County, was married to Miss Margaret C., daughter of Col. John C. Williams, of Tennessee. Note: He later became Chief Justice Pearson, of North Carolina, whom President Grant would have appointed Chief Justice of our Federal Supreme Court to succeed Salmon P. Chase, but for the fact that Pearson was more than 70 years old at the time. The late Dr. E. B. Holland, of Dallas, a versatile man, told the writer that his father-in—law, the late Hon. Daniel W. Courts, in his early days was intimate with Pearson and that when some of the Williams family of Knoxville visited their Williams kin on the Yadkin about 1831, Pearson fell in love with one of the daughters and said to Courts, “Dan, if I had the money I would follow that girl to Tennessee and marry her.” Courts offered him the money, as a loan, he accepted it and the result was the marriage above recorded. They were the ancestors of Richmond Pearson, Congressman from the Asheville District and Minister to Persia, Richmond Pearson Hob— son, of the Spanish American War and General Richmond Pearson Davis, of the United States Army. Page 91 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * Miss Louvenia Schenck, daughter of Michal Schenck, of Lincolnton, was married October 23, 1832, to Rev. Angus McPherson of the South Carolina Conference. 1833 On January 30, 1833, the South Carolina Methodist Conference met in Lincolnton. Bishop James O. Andrew, president, and Dr. W. M. Wightman, the secretary was in 1866 elected Bishop. Among those who attended that Conference were Whiteford Smith, who later developed into a great preacher and educator, and James J. Richardson, who married a daughter of Michal Schenck, the pioneer cotton factor. Rev. Mr. Richardson was the father of Dr. J M. Richardson, the long time beloved physician of Lincolnton. Rev. Dr. Samuel Lander, the preacher and educator, was born in Lincolnton the day this Conference convened in the town. * * * * Rev. Daniel G. McDaniel, on February 7, 1833, was married to Elizabeth Schenck, daughter of Michal Schenck, of Lincolnton. * * * * The Lincoln county Grand Jury, at the 1833 spring term of Superior Court with John Wilfong, Foreman, and Cornelius Connor, Alexander Sherrill, Robert Baird, James Reid, James Lofton, Hiram Sherrill, Aaron Jenkins, Jeptha Sherrill, George Helderman, John Earney, Henry Mull, Henry Grant, Ephriam Young, David Troutman, Charles Beatty, Henry Whitener and Christian B. Reinhardt, pledged themselves individually and severally to support for office no candidate who before or at election treats with ardent spirits. * * * * May 8th. Married at Beatties Ford, Michal Hoke, to Frances, eldest daughter of Robert H. Burton by Rev. Robert J. Miller. June 22nd. The Supreme Court has granted Law License to Hugh L. Henderson of Lincolnton. (Raleigh Register.) * * * * All the Trustees of the Female Academy met at Mr. McBee’s office, July 1, 1833. On motion of Jacob Ramsour, ordered that the Treasurer pay the amount of Daniel Shuford’s bill and to pay Mr. McBee his bill for fire wood. John D. Hoke, Sec’y. * * * * July 24th. A Henry Clay meeting was held at Pleasant Retreat Academy in Lincolnton. Gen. Joseph Graham presided and Robert H. Burton and D. Reinhardt were Secretaries. Major Lawson Henderson, Robert H. Burton and W. J. Wilson were appointed to meet with delegates from Mecklenburg and Cabarrus to choose Presidential Elector. A Correspondence Committee Composed of D. J. Coulter, Hugh Quinn, D. Ramsour, Rev. Hartwell Spain, Col. E. A. Brevard and D. Reinhardt, was appointed. Page 92 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * A Jackson meeting was held in Lincolnton with D. M. Forney, Chairman and Col. Michal Reinhardt, Secretary. On motion of J. P. Henderson, Major J. M. Brevard, Major D. M. Forney, Col. Michal Reinhardt, Jacob Forney and Larkin Stowe were appointed delegates to Congressional Convention. Peregrine Roberts, a Lincolnton lawyer, was district elector on the Jackson ticket. * * * * July 24th. Advertisement. Dr. S. P. Simpson, Trustee, to satisfy payment of debts due David Ramsour and others, from Isaac Irwin, will sell on August 18th at public auction at Court House in Lincolnton, one negro woman, one Cow and other property. * * * * August 17th. II. W. Connor has been re-elected to Congress with out opposition. Miles W. Abernathy Was elected County Court Clerk and John D. Hoke, Superior Court Clerk. Note: Lawson Henderson appointed Superior Court Clerk f0r life in 1808, was not a candidate and when Hoke, who was elected demanded possession of the office, Henderson said it belonged to him. Then followed the famous suit of Hoke against Henderson, which resulted in the notable opinion of Chief Justice Ruffin in which he sustained the contention of Henderson that the office was his for life and therefore his property. * * * * Dr. W. J. T. Miller, (of Shelby), Was married in 1833 to Elizabeth Fulenwider, daughter of Jacob Fulenwider. * * * * September 28th. Peregrine Roberts, a Lincolnton lawyer, has issued proposals to publish a paper in that place to be called the Lincoln Herald. Page 93 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXVIII 1833 Died in Lincolnton, October 9th, George McCullough, aged 70. Note: He was father of Mrs. W. H. Clark, Mrs. Augustus P. James, Mrs. Propst, and Mrs. Hariet Bomar, the last named was post master in Lincolnton prior to 1868. * * * * December. William Julius Alexander has been chosen solicitor for the 6th Judicial District by the Legislature. Note: A brilliant lawyer, one time speaker of the House, father of Miss Mary Wood Alexander, who taught school in Lincolnton for many years, and grandfather of Chief Justice William Alexander Hoke. * * * * NOTE: Inadvertently the following sketch failed to appear in reg ular order under the year 1827. Peter Hoyle, the Pioneer, and Some of His Descendants Peter Hoyle, to whom reference has been made, and who settled at Hoylesville in the present county of Gaston about 1747, had notable descendants in various fields of endeavor. Among them were Andrew Hoyle, A. A. Shuford, L. J. Hoyle and Eli Warlick, prominent business men; Rev. Jacob Hoyle, Rev. M. H. Hoyle, Rev. R. M. Hoyle, and Rev. E. M. Hoyle, prominent ministers of the Methodist church, and Rev. Polycarp Henkle, a distinguished Lutheran minister; Dr. John F. Miller, a distinguished physician, Poindexter Shuford, one time Attorney General of Texas; Edwin T. Cansler, of Charlotte; Judge Wilson Warlick, of Newton, and Robert L. Ryburn, of Shelby, who died in 1935, all lawyers of first rate ability. and Dr. Bruce R. Payne, president of Peabody Normal College, of Nashville, Tenn. Among the children of Peter Hoyle, the pioneer were: 1 — His eldest son, Jacob Hoyle, married to Elizabeth Breaks, by whom he had three children. He died early. The Rev. Robert M. Hoyle (1850-1929) who died in Cleveland county and Rev. E. M. Hoyle, who died at Cornelius in 1917 were descendants of this couple. The widow of Jacob Hoyle married later to Major Jacob Costner in 1764, and by this marriage there were three children. Major Costner was sheriff of Tryon county in 1774; was a patriot of the Revolution who signed the articles of Independence at Tryon Court House in August 1775. He and his wife were drowned November 16, 1779, as they attempted to cross a swollen stream near the present city of Gastonia. The late Ambrose Costner, of Lincoln, was an honored grandson of Major Costner. 2 — Michal Hoyle, the second son of Peter Hoyle, the pioneer, married to Elizabeth Carpenter, and their son, Peter Hoyle, the politician (1762 — 1827) was a popular and influential citizen of Lincoln, who represented the county in the House of Commons from 1802 to 1817 (except 1809 and 1814) fourteen terms, and was State Senator in 1819. He lived near Daniels church and was a Lutheran in faith. two of Page 94 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina his daughters married Lutheran ministers. Fanny married to Rev. Ambrose Henkle, October 23, 1827, and Catherine married Rev. David Henkle, a distinguished Lutheran divine, on May 17, 1814. 3 — Andrew Hoyle, (1771 - 1857) third son of Peter, the pioneer, is referred to elsewhere in these Annals. 4 — John Hoyle, the youngest son of Peter, the pioneer, served as a Lieutenant under Col. Hambright in the march against the Indians, and was a brave soldier of the Revolution. The John Hoyle Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, (of Hickory), was named in his honor and most of the members of that chapter are his lineal descendants. His wife was Margaret Costner, who was a sister of Major Jacob Costner, and they had 13 children. two of the sons became Methodist ministers of note: 1 — Rev. John Hoyle, who moved to Tennessee. 2 — Rev. Jacob Hoyle of Cleveland county, whose son, Rev. Abel Hoyle, was the father of the late Capt. Lemuel J. Hoyle of Shelby, who was Senator from Cleveland in 1875, and later for some years Clerk of the Superior Court Of that county. Rev. Jacob Hoyle, married to Catherine Summey and they were the grandparents of the late Rev. Maxwell H. Hoyle (1841-1908) (son of Noah Hoyle) of the Methodist Conference and who died in Charlotte March 24, 1908. To his daughter, Mrs Elizabeth Hoyle Rucker, of Charlotte, a lady of raw culture and mentality I am indebted for the facts stated in this Hoyle sketch. The late Philip Hoyle, a prominent citizen of Catawba county, was also a grandson of Rev. Jacob Hoyle. 3 — Mary Hoyle, daughter of John Hoyle, married to Lewis Warlick (born 1765). They were the parents of Eli A. Warlick, who married Catherine Beagle, and grandparents of Judge Wilson Warlick. They were also parents of Lewis Franklin Warlick, who married Sarah Robinson, grandparents of Dr. Bruce R. Payne, president of Peabody Normal College, of Nashville, Tenn. Lewis Warlick had a brother, Solomon Warlick, who married Barbara Warlick, and they were grandparents of Robert L. Ryburn, a prominent Shelby lawyer. 4 — Margaret Hoyle, (1769 - 1840) another daughter of John Hoyle, married to Jacob Shuford, son of Martin, son of John Shuford, the pioneer, in 1789. Their daughter, Fanny Shuford, married to Henry Cansler, and they were the grandparents of Edwin T. Cansler, a noted lawyer, of Charlotte. Jacob Shuford, Jr., who died in 1874, was the father of A. A. Shuford, pioneer merchant, banker and manufacturer of Hickory. L. M. Hoffman in “Our Kin” says: “Margaret Hoyle Shuford had a brother, Eli Shuford (1803-1874), who died in Quitman, Texas. His son, Poindexter Shuford, known as “Deck” was a Lawyer, opposed to the Civil War, and one of seven delegates to the Texas Convention, of 1861, who voted against Secession. After the war Gov. Hamilton appointed him Attorney General. He died in his prime in 1875. “Gov. Hogg said of him: ‘He was a fine lawyer, a gentle, kind hearted man and a Republican from whom the people, regardless of political persuasion, had respect as a lawyer and honest man.’ “He was educated at Catawba College, Newton, where Prof. H. H. Smith taught.” Page 95 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Franklin M. Reinhardt was married to Sarah Smith, daughter of David Smith, January 11, 1834. * * * * Dr. Cyrus L. Hunter, January 18, 1834, married to Sophia Forney, daughter of General Peter Forney. * * * * February 15th. Died at Georgetown, D. C. February 2nd, Rev. Lorenzo Dow, a well known and eccentric itinerant preacher. * * * * Rev. Allen Hamby was married in Lincolnton, February 26, 1834, to Barbara Schenck, daughter of Michal Schenck. * * * * Married in Lincoln county, March 11, 1834, Mr. Simon Rhyne, 4½ feet high and weighing 230 pounds, to Miss Nancy Lay. * * * * Rev. Robert Johnston Miller, the pioneer Episcopal minister in Lincoln county, died at his home at Mary’s Grove, in Burke (now Caldwell) county, May 13, 1834, aged 76 years. * * * * June 28th. Thomas J. Holton, Editor of The Charlotte Journal, was married to Miss Rachel Jones by John Sloan, Esq., of Charlotte. * * * * James H. White was married to Margaret Jenkins, July 3, 1834. Page 96 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXIX 1834 August 16th. Thomas N. Herndon, of Lincoln, was granted license by Supreme Court to practice law in County Court. * * * * November 29th. Married, on November 20th, by Rev. Mr. Adams, John Graham to Miss Bridget Little. * * * * James Madison Smith and Hettie Rudisill were married December 17, 1834. Sheriff Logan H. Lowrance married to Margaret Hill, December 29, 1834. General Peter Forney, (son of Jacob Forney the pioneer), was born in what is now Lincoln County, April 21, 1756. He attended local schools, served as volunteer in the Whig Army as a captain in the Revolutionary War, fought with Col. William Graham in Rutherford in pursuit of troublesome Cherokee Indians, with Gen. Rutherford in various other contests, and in the skirmish against Tarleton at Torrence Tavern. Not only was he an aggressive soldier but while away from home fighting for his country, suffered heavy loss by confiscation of all his supplies by Cornwallis who encamped on the Forney lands. Peter Forney was in the march with Gen. Rutherford from Tuckaseege to Ramsour’s Mill reaching the battle ground two hours after the victory had been won by Col. Locke’s troops. He was at Kings Mountain in October 1780 and had a part in the victory of the patriots over the British troops commanded by Col. Ferguson. In 1783 he married to Nancy Abernethy and they reared a large family of sons and daughters, who along with their descendants figured prominently in local and state history. In 1789 Peter Forney with his brother, Abram Forney, Abram Earnhardt and Turner Abernethy were the pioneers in the manufacture of iron in Lincoln County. Later they enlisted the interest of Gen. Joseph Graham and Capt. Alexander Brevard of Mecklenburg who moved to Lincoln and bought an interest in the iron business and from that time until about 1880 the manufacture of iron was the principal industry of the county, aside from agriculture. After the war General Forney was commissioned General of the State Militia. He was a member of the House of Commons from 1791 to 1796, (3 terms), State Senator 1801 and 1802 and Councilor of State in 1811. In 1813 he was elected to the United States Congress over John Phifer of Cabarrus and served one term when he declined reelection and was succeeded by his son, Col. Daniel M. Forney, who served from 1815 to 1819. He was a Jeffersonian democrat and was Elector for Jefferson in 1804; for Madison in 1808; for Monroe in 1816 and for Jackson in 1824 and 1828. He died at his home (Mt. Welcome) in Lincoln county February 1, 1834, full of years and honors. He was a Lutheran in faith and his body is buried in the private burying ground of the Forney family, located some three miles from the old Forney homestead. His tombstone bears the following inscription: Page 97 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina “To the memory of General Peter Forney who was born April 21, 1756 and died Feb. 1, 1834. In public life the deceased acquitted himself with reputation as a useful and efficient member of Congress and as an elector of the people of the United States. He carried out the Republican principle on which he voted through life by voting successively for Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and General Jackson, and in all relations of private life he acquired the love and esteem of all who knew him.” 1835 January 16th. William Williamson, of Lincoln, admitted to practice law in County Courts. * * * * February 1st. Died, in Lincoln County, February 1st, William Price, aged 78. A soldier of the American Revolution. * * * * Died at his home near Beatties Ford, April 10, 1835, James Connor, a patriot of the American Revolution, at the advanced age of 81. He was a native of Ireland and came to this country when a young man with his brothers, Henry Connor, Sr., and Captain Charles Connor. His body was buried at the Baker graveyard in Iredell County. * * * * John W. Weber, of Iredell County, was married April 15, 1835, to Ann Lander, daughter of Rev. Samuel Lander, of Lincolnton. * * * * The Constitutional Convention of 1835 was held in Raleigh, sitting from June 4, to July 11, 1835 (about 5 weeks) at a total cost of only $10,117.95. They practiced economy in those days. The delegates received a per diem of $1.50 and five cents a mile for travel expense to and from the convention. Lincoln County was ably represented by Bartlett Shipp and Henry Cansler. They voted with John Branch, William Gaston, Alfred Dockery, David L. Swain, Gov. Owen and others against the repeal of the law which up to that time granted suffrage to free blacks, but the majority voted for repeal. The Vote stood 66 for and 61 against repeal. Up to 1835 each County was entitled to a Senator and two Representatives in the House of Commons Without regard to population. Cansler and Shipp voted for the change which provided that the Senate be composed of 50 members and the House of Commons 120 members distributed according to population. They voted to abolish borough representation in the section which excluded Catholics, Jews and Quakers from holding office. Also for the election of the Governors biennially by popular vote and members of the General Assembly every two years instead of the old custom of electing them annually. Prior to 1835 the Governor was elected annually by the legislature. The legislature was also elected annually prior to 1835. Page 98 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina They divided on the resolution which required the legislature to elect Judges, Solicitors and other State officers by a viva voice vote rather than by roll call or ballot. Cansler supported and Shipp opposed this measure (see “Debate in Convention of 1835" pages 81, 162, 340, 357 and 381). The Lincoln delegates were progressives in their day. * * * * Daniel Hoke, for many years a popular and influential citizen of Lincoln County, was a son of John and Sabina Swope Hoke, born in Pennsylvania in 1773 and came to Lincoln County with his widowed mother and his brothers about 1797. He was a Captain in the war of 1812 of the company detached from 2nd Regiment of Lincoln County Militia. Also a member of House of Commons from Lincoln for seven terms, 1809 to 1813 and 1815 - 16 and Senator from 1829 to 1835, making a total of twelve terms in which he served in the General Assembly. In 1835 he migrated to Alabama with many other Lincoln people who went to that new state. His wife was Barbara Ramsour and among his children were John D. Hoke, one time Clerk Superior Court in Lincoln County. One daughter, Sarah, married to Jacob, son of General Peter Forney on March 5, 1817 and among; their children, born in Lincolnton, were William H. Forney, a Confederate Brigadier General and John H. Forney, a Major General of the Confederate Army. Jacob Forney and family moved to Alabama. with Daniel Hoke and some of the Forney relatives about 1836. (CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE) Page 99 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXX At the 20th of May celebration in Charlotte speeches were made by Gov. Swain and Senator Mangum and in response to a toast, Gen Joseph Graham stated that he was present sixty years before and witnessed the adoption and signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. (Salisbury Western Carolinian) (June 20. 1835). * * * * July 24th. At the July 4th celebration in Lincolnton, J. P. Henderson delivered the annual address. Col. John Hoke presided, assisted by Jacob Forney. Voluntary toasts were offered by Capt. Abram Forney, Daniel Seagle, Capt. J. T. Alexander, John Wilfong, Daniel Hoke, John Motz, J. P. Henderson, William Slade, E. H. Bissell, Jacob A. Ramsour, George W. Motz, Capt. John B. Harry, James Holsclaw, John Killian, James A. Johnston, Robert H. Burton, A. J; Forney, O. W. Holland, Alfred Graham, Thomas N. Herndon, William Williamson, Miles W . Abernethy, Daniel Hoke, Jr., John D. Hoke, Elcanah L. Shuford, Franklin H. Hoke and Andrew Motz. * * * * November 20th. Alfred Graham, son of Gen. Joseph Graham, died November 16th at the home of his brother, John D. Graham, in Lincoln County, aged 32. * * * * The Legislature in December 1834 elected Romulus M. Saunders Superior Court Judge, over William Julius Alexander. 1836 General John Moore, son of William Moore was born in 1759 in what was later Lincoln, now Gaston County. His parents were Scotch Irish. William had four sons, James, William, John and Alexander, all loyal patriots during the period of the Revolution. He was one of the guard at Tuckaseege, watching the movements of Cornwallis after his entrance into Lincoln County. Later he served as Commissary to the Army. His first wife was a sister of Governor Adair, of Kentucky. His second Wife was Mary Scott, widow of James Scott and daughter of Robert Alexander. He represented Lincoln County in the House of Commons seventeen (17) terms and was Speaker of the House in 1806. He was a member from Lincoln of the Convention at Hillsboro in 1788 and of the Convention at Fayetteville in 1789. About 1812 Governor Hawkins appointed General John Moore, James-Welborn of Wilkes and John Steele of Rowan to meet a like Committee from South Carolina to Settle the boundary line between North and South Carolina. He died in 1836 and his. body was buried in Goshen graveyard near Belmont. (Dr. C. L. Hunter in his Sketches emphasized the fact that Gen. John Moore was in nowise related to Col. John Moore who led the Tories at the battle of Ramsour’s Mill). Page 100 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * General Joseph Graham was born in Pennsylvania in 1759. When but 7 years old he came to North Carolina with his mother who was a widow with five children and they settled near Charlotte. He was educated at Queens Museum in Charlotte and was an apt scholar. All through life he read good books and was a man of rare intelligence. In his early years he heard much of British oppression and was present when only sixteen years old at the meeting in Charlotte on May 20, 1775, when the patriots of Mecklenburg declared themselves independent of British rule. He was an enthusiastic patriot and volunteered as a soldier in May 1778 in the 4th Regiment of North Carolina troops under Col. Alexander Lytle. Later in that year he Was with Gen. Rutherford in South Carolina. He was in command of the Whig forces at the battle of Charlotte Sept. 26, 1780, and resisted the march of Tarleton’s cavalry and infantry for four miles an Salisbury road. In this struggle he was wounded nine times; six were sabre wounds and three from rifle balls. He was then but twenty one years old and led a brave company in a hard fought struggle. He was with General Davidson later and marched toward Wilmington and made a successful attack on a body of Tories near McFall Mill commanded by the Tory Colonel McNeill. In this engagement with 136 troops he vanquished 600 Tories. During the war he served as Sergeant, Adjutant, Captain and Major, and was in command in fifteen engagements during the war of the Revolution and proved his courage, wisdom and military skill in such degree that he finally retired with the high respect and admiration of those familiar with his valiant service. After the war he married to Isabella, daughter of Major John Davidson and reared a family of twelve children, among whom Were James Graham a lawyer of ability and for 7 terms Congressman from the Rutherford district; Gov. William A. Graham who became one of the great men of North Carolina and John D. Graham of Lincoln County. He was chosen as the first Sheriff of Mecklenburg County and later represented that county in the State Senate from 1788 to 1794 (7 terms) Gen. Graham was a delegate from Mecklenburg to both Conventions of 1788 and 1789. In 1814 he was Councilor of State and’ in the same year was by Gov. Hawkins commissioned colonel of North Carolina volunteers to suppress the Creek Indians in Alabama and arrived upon the scene of conflict about the time Gen. Jackson had won the victory at the battle of Horse Shoe. After the war he was commissioned General of State Militia. In 1789 Gen. Graham moved to Lincoln County where he engaged in the manufacture of iron in which he was successful and was one of the influential citizens of the county until his death on Nov. 12, 1836. His body rests in Macpelah graveyard. General Graham Was a devout Christian and an officer in the Presbyterian Church for many years. (A detailed sketch of his life may be found in Wheeler’s History and Hunter’s Sketches). * * * * Governor Hutchins Gordon Burton (a cousin of Judge Robert H. and Alfred M. Burton, distinguished Lincoln citizens) was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Represented that county in the Virginia legislature of 1809 and 1810 and in 1810 was elected Attorney General of that State. He later moved to Halifax County, North Carolina. In 1817 he represented Halifax in the House of Commons; was congressman 18191824, Governor of the State 1824-27. Early in 1836 he drove from Halifax to Visit his kinsfolk, the Burtons of Beatties Page 101 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Ford, en route was taken suddenly ill in Iredell County where he died April 21, 1836, at the home of Henry T. Sloan and his body was carried to Unity graveyard near Beatties Ford and buried there in the Burton plot. An interesting story connected with the death of Governor Burton was told by the late Capt. William H. Day of Halifax who was related to the Joyner family into which Mrs. Burton married after the death of Gov. Burton. Mrs. Burton told Capt. Day that she was at her home in Halifax County walking with her children, when she saw, or thought she saw, her husband, the Governor, alight from his horse and walk into the house. She called the children to hurry for there is your father going into the house. They rushed in but Gov. Burton was not there. Later she learned that he had died on that same day and hour, in far away Iredell County as he was journeying toward Beatties Ford. Page 102 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXI 1836 In his autobiography, David Crockett says he was born in Lincoln County. He was a son of John Crockett a member of the Lincoln County Militia during the period of the Revolution. David was a rare product of the pioneer period who with courage undaunted sought adventure in the wilds of Tennessee. He was a hunter unafraid with a personality that appealed to the multitude of his time and they sent him to Congress from Tennessee. The story goes that after the election he went to Nashville and met there the political leaders. James K. Polk said to him: “Mr. Crockett, I think there will be an entire and radical change in our financial system at the next session of Congress.” Crockett, not knowing what all that meant, replied: “I think it quite likely, Sir.” After two terms he was defeated for re- election and then bitterly disappointed went further West to Arkansas and then to Texas where he found congenial spirits whom he joined to fight for Texas independence; was one of the brave men at the Alamo who fought to the death when Santa Anna With 6000 Mexicans stormed the fort and killed the 180 Texans including Crockett the famous pioneer and wit on that March day in 1836. This terrible slaughter so enraged the Texans that with the slogan “Remember the Alamo” they soon won a complete victory at San Jacinto, captured Santa Anna and organized the Texas republic with Sam Houston as President late in the same year. * * * * The Trustees of the Female Academy met at Jacob Ramsour’s, January 8, 1836. Present: Jacob Ramsour, Vardry McBee, Carlos Leonard, Peregrine Roberts, Michal Hoke and Jacob A. Ramsour, with Jacob Ramsour in the chair. B. S. Johnson was elected Trustee to till the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jacob Ramsour. It was agreed by the Trustees that Miss Amelia Thompson have charge of the Academy for the next season; that the Secretary apprise her of this, and learn from her whether she would wish to teach longer than the next session. Adjourned. Jacob A. Ramsour, Sec’y. * * * * Gen. John Moore, a soldier of the Revolution, member of the Constitutional Convention of 1788 and 1789; member from Lincoln in House of Commons seventeen (17) times and speaker of that body in 1806, died in 1836 and his remains were buried in Goshen Cemetery near Belmont, in the present County of Gaston. * * * * Advertisement: For Sale, tanyard and colored tanner at a bargain Concord, January 21, 1836. Paul Barringer. * * * * April 1st. Dry Pond pest office has been established in Lincoln County with John F. LOWe postmaster. (Now Denver.) Page 103 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * April 1st. Van Buren meeting in Lincolnton. John Wilfong, Chairman, M. W. Abernethy, Andrew Motz, James Quinn and Marcus L. Hoke, Secretaries. Henry Cansler presented the following which was unanimously adopted: RESOLVED: That we will support for the next Governor of North Carolina, Richard Dodds Speight, a republican of the old school, and a gentleman whose whole political course is without spot or blemish. John Wilfong, a soldier of the Revolution, was nominated for Elector on the Van Buren ticket. * * * * May 13th. The members of the Bar assembled at Rutherfordton hearing of the death of Governor H. G. Burton, passed appropriate resolutions of respect. * * * * Married in Rowan County, May 26, 1836, Allen Alexander of Lincolnton to Adelaide, daughter of Moses Graham of Rowan. * * * * In Newbern on 8th of June, William A. Graham was married to Susan, daughter of John Washington, of Newbern. * * * * The 4th of July celebration of 1836 was reported in Raleigh Standard of 1836, follows: The address was delivered by L. E. Thompson and the Declaration of Independence was read by J. A. Wallace. After the public exercises about sixty persons attended the banquet, forty eight of whom were for Van Buren and twelve for Hugh Lawson White. There were twelve Revolutionary soldiers seated at the table, headed by John Wilfong, the Van Buren elector. The names of Peter Eddleman, Abram Forney, Robinson Goodwin, Joseph Morris and Frederick Lineberger were other Revolutionary soldiers present whose names were given, who responded to toasts. Others present who made brief speeches were M. W, Abernethy, Marcus L. Hoke, L. E. Thompson, J. E. Wallace, Capt. James Holsclaw, Col. Daniel Seagle, Maj. John Michal, Turner Abernethy, W. W. Monday, Daniel F. Ramsour, Benjamin Morris, Moses Martin, Jacob A. Ramsour, Willard Boyden, Lewis P. Rodrick, Lawson H. Kistler, Capt. William Slade, A. H. Porter, Maj. John B. Harry, John M. Butts, Felix M. Abernethy, B. M. Edney, John F. Hoke, J. J Summey, Franklin A. Hoke, Jonas Rudisill, Ephriam Mauney, John Tingen, A. Robinson, E. A. Hooper and Edmund Osborne. It was a non partisan meeting but the toasts for Van Buren, the democratic presidential candidate and for Hugh Lawson White, of Tennessee, who opposed Van Buren and got the electoral votes of Tennessee and Georgia had strong partisan flavor. Toasts were drunk to Henry W. Connor the Congressman, and to James Pinckney Henderson, who was at the time doing valiant service. with Sam Houston for Texas Independence. * * * * Page 104 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Died recently, David Abernethy, a merchant on Mountain Creek, Lincoln County. * * * * August 19, 1836. The Lincoln Transcript, a new paper published in Lincolnton, says: Lincoln County has one Cotton factory with 12' looms and 1,280 spindles, four furnaces, nine forges, ore banks without number and of very best and richest quality, twenty-five merchant mills making best quality of flour, a host of common grist and saw mills, limestone formations near Kings Mountain and gold in many places. Lincoln is an important section and will be one of the most desirable spots on earth if the contemplated railroads shall come this way. Lincolnton is remarkable for the number and skill of its mechanics and general intelligence of its citizens. * * * * August 26th. Who will go to Texas? Major John B. Harry, of Lincolnton, has been authorized by me with consent of Major Gen. Hunt and agents in Western Counties of North Carolina to name and enroll volunteer emigrants to Texas and will conduct such as may wish to emigrate to that Republic about October 1st next, at the expense of the Republic of Texas. (Signed) J . Pinckney Henderson, Brig. Gen. of the Texas Army. * * * * October 1836. Railroad meeting was, held in Salisbury, Bartlett Shipp, Chairman, and James R. Dodge, Secretary. Delegates were present from Anson, Ashe, Brunswick, Burke, Chatham, Cumberland, Cabarrus, Davidson, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, New Hanover, Orange, Rowan, Rutherford, Surry, Wake and Wilkes. Page 105 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXII 1836 Lincoln Transcript. Volume 1, Number 25. Published by Andrew R. Porter & Co., Subscription rate $2.00 a year, paid in advance, Not paid in advance, $2.50 a year. Advertisements: Lincolnton Female Academy — Miss Margaret Smith to have charge. Vardrey McBee, D. Reinhardt, Carlos Leonard, B. S. Johnson, P. G. Roberts, Michael Hoke, J. A. Ramsour, Trustees. * * * * Thomas Williamson advertises likely negroes for sale. * * * * Giles Pearson — Grist and Saw Mill. James Martin advertises house with four acre square. L. Montague appears to be the only poet who broke into print, the title of his work being "The Sailor’s Bride." It is impossible to determine whether he was a Lincoln County resident, however. * * * * 1837 Three of those who emigrated with Major John B. Harry to Texas, died on the way: William Castles, of Charlotte, William Gaston, of Lincoln, Peter Mull, of Burke. * * * * John D. Graham and Miles W. Abernathy, administrators of the estate of the late Gen. Joseph Graham advertise personal property, Including forty four negroes, for sale. * * * * Robert Frederick, son of Michal Hoke, born May 27, 1837. Later became Major General in the Confederate Army. * * * * W. W, Munday was married to Lucinda Shelton May 15, 1837. Page 106 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * Miles W. Abernethy, son of John D. and Susan Maria (Forney) Abernethy, was a prominent citizen of Lincoln County member of the House of Commons in 1831 and 1833; Clerk of the County Court 1833 to 1837. He then moved to Alabama and was there member of the State Senate for several terms. He was married to Ann Hoke June 17, 1835. * * * * In Lincolnton, on August 18, 1837, there was a disagreement between Logan Henderson and Marcus Hoke, two impetuous young men and scions of prominent families. Finally they met in combat. The wound that Hoke received resulted in his death three days later. It was all deplorable and neighbors and friends were alienated, but time is the healer of all wounds so that today the bitterness engendered is forgotten. Perhaps no reference should be made to the regrettable conflict but this brief statement is a part of the history of the last century. * * * * Joseph Graham, aged 40, and son of the late General Joseph Graham, died in Memphis, September 18th. * * * * 1838 In_Lincolnton on January 10, 1838, by Rev. A. L. Watts, Mr. Caleb Phifer, of Concord, Was married to Miss Mary Adeline, daughter of David Ramsour, of Lincolnton. * * * * John Wilfong, a soldier of the Revolution, aged 76, was on June 18, 1838, on his way alone to the Springs some fourteen miles distant from his home. His horse was tied to a tree and his dead body was found in the woods nearby. He was supposed to have taken sick and lay down to rest by the way. * * * * Married in Lincoln County, September 6, 1838, by Rev. Adam Miller; James Abernethy to Mary Rankin and John Abernethy to Jane Rankin, (All Whigs.) * * * * Married in Philadelphia November 8, 1838, Col. John H. Wheeler, the superintendent of the Charlotte Mint, to Ellen, daughter of Thomas Sully, the sculptor. Note: Later Col. Wheeler moved to Beattie’s Ford and was a member of the House of Commons from Lincoln in 1852. * * * * 1839 Page 107 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Married, in Washington, April 9, 1839, by the Rev. Henry Slicer, Hon. Henry W. Connor, member of Congress from this district, to Mrs. Lucy Ann Coleman, daughter of the late Governor Hawkins of North Carolina. * * * * John F. Phifer, of Concord, was married June 8, 1839, to Elizabeth Ramsour, daughter of David Ramsour, of Lincolnton. * * * * Thomas Dews, Jr., a brilliant young lawyer who moved from Lincolnton to Rutherfordton to practice law, died in Rutherfordton August 2, 1838, aged 30 years. He graduated from the University in class with Gov. Graham and shared class honors with him when only 16 years old. * * * * October 3, 1839. Lincoln County is opposed to the free school law proposed by the Legislature. The democrats claim it their privilege to not vote on the law, but for the legislators, and that it was a Whig trick to shift an uncertain issue from the legislature to the people; that the districts should be laid off so that children can walk to school and according to the numbers to be benefited; that the law enacted was particularly unjust to the east and harder still on the sparsely settled west. Note: It seems that the legislature was afraid to pass a school law, without submitting it to the people for approval; Any county that wanted to pay for what was a poor apology for a school could vote as much tax as it was willing to pay or do without the school. Lincoln citizens were slow to vote the tax and rejected it by a huge majority. * * * * For Sale: Will sell at auction 7 or 8 likely young negroes; a new set of Cast Mill Irons and one milch cow. P. C. Caldwell, Administrator. October 5, 1839. * * * * At 2 o’clock Sunday morning, December 1st, 1839, in Lincolnton, fire broke out in the work shop of B. Jetton and Sons, and spread destroying the hotel of Mrs. Schenck and the two buildings occupied by Gen. Daniel Seagle as well as the Jetton and Ramsour stores and all buildings behind same in that block. A portion of Ramsour’s goods were saved but little or nothing belonging to others escaped the fire. The loss amounts to $25,000.00. From The Western Whig Banner — June 27, 1839. H. W. Guion, Editor: The Fourth of July will be celebrated in this place. The oration will be delivered by William Lander, Esq. The Committee of Arrangements for the occasion are Henry Cansler, Esq., J. T. Alexander, Esq,, Capt. Thomas R. Shuford, F. A. Hoke and Paul Kistler. The citizens of the county generally, and surviving Revolutionary soldiers particularly, are invited to attend. * * * * Page 108 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Caleb Miller requests us to announce him as a candidate for the office of sheriff of this county. * * * * Bartlett Shipp, Esq., requests us to inform the citizens of Lincoln County that he is a candidate for a seat in the Senate of the next General Assembly. Page 109 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXIII 1839 Advertisement: Shady Grove Female School to be opened first Monday of next April. Mrs. McCutchan. Prices according to subjects pursued — $6.00, $8.00 and $10.00 per session of five months. Drawing and painting $5.00 extra per session. Board and Washing - $7.00 per month. Lights extra. Music teacher will be procured if class can be organized. Mrs. J. S. McCutchan, Shady Grove, Lincoln Co., N. C. 1840 January 9, 1840. The Lincoln Republican has passed from Mr. Thompson into the hands of Robert Williamson, Jr. * * * * The census takers in 1840 for Lincoln County are David Seagle and Moses T. Abernathy. * * * * Note: Col. John H. Wheeler, the first superintendent of the Charlotte Mint and a democrat was appointed to this position by President Van Buren. Naturally he wanted to beautify the grounds and when he Went to Philadelphia to get married in November, 1838, he placed an order with Landreth, florist and seedman, for shrubbery and flowers amounting to $218.25. He bought 50 horse chestnuts at $1.00 each, and 50 atlanthus trees for $1.00 each, and various and sundry shrubs and flowers, making the bill total $218.25. The Charlotte Journal of June 18, 1840 carries a three column criticism of this outlay of the public funds all copied from the Washington letter to the Raleigh Register a Whig newspaper. A part of the correspondence reads as follows: “Some might fear, perhaps, lest amidst these occupations of taste, these arduous labors of “patriotism,” the proper duties of the mint should be neglected by the superintendent. But happily it requires little time or skill to superintend all the coinage done at Charlotte; and he must be a clever and ingenious man indeed, clever and ingenious beyond the little Colonel, who can contrive to leave much undone, where there is but little to do." “I subjoin a copy of the “flower bill,” which I think ought to be submitted to the people of North Carolina — the items of expenditure which I have referred to, both at the Mint and the White House, you may rely on as being accurately stated.” Then follows the itemized bill which is marked paid by B. Landreth & Company, on November 7, 1838. Page 110 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In the old days of Whigs and democrats there were small politicians as well as in these times, as is shown by the partisan whig correspondent. This is all written because Col. Wheeler later became a citizen of Lincoln, active in public life. But specially do I want to say something about the 50 Atlanthus trees he bought in Philadelphia and planted on the Mint grounds. Of course the people far and wide wanted sprouts to plant in their front yards. Col. Wheeler was no doubt beguiled by the dealer to buy 50 Atlanthus trees, little thinking that this rare South American specimen, like sin, is a marvelous missionary which was to become a nuisance in nearly every town in the Carolinas, for it is no less than what is commonly called the copal tree which flourishes in the back lots of Lincolnton near the stables and pig stys — that offensively odoriferous tree that We can’t get rid of, for when you uproot it here, it breaks out yonder, and the wind blows the missionary seed wherever it willeth. When I see copal trees in Lincolnton, Morganton, Taylorsville, Charlotte, everywhere, I think of Col. Wheeler and the curse he planted in North Carolina soil, little dreaming that he was scattering a pest which the generations since have been unable to eradicate. Atlanthus — Copal. How offensive the odor - how rapid the growth! How difficult to eradicate! We should call it “Wheeler’s Pest." Col. John H. Wheeler, when his term as superintendent of the Mint expired, bought the Judge Burton property at Beatties Ford and lived there for about ten years, during which time he wrote Wheeler’s History of North Carolina. He served as state treasurer from 1843 to 1845 and is credited to Lincoln county in the North Carolina Manual of 1913. He also was in the House of Commons from Lincoln in 1852 - 53. * * * * The Whig Convention was held in Lincolnton, January 22, 1840. Andrew Hoyle, Chairman and Dr. D. W. Schenck, Secretary. Robert H. Burton stated that we meet to elect delegates to a Convention in Charlotte on Wednesday of Superior Court to select a district elector. The delegates chosen were Alexander McCorkle, William Oats, John Coulter, J. T. and R. M. Alexander and Jonas Bost. * * * * March 26, 1840. Vardry McBee has resigned the Presidency of the Louisville, Cincinnati and Charlotte Railroad. * * * * Col. H. Henry Fulenwider, of Lincoln, was nominated on April 18, elector for Van Buren, against David Ramsour, the Whig elector. * * * * Cephas Quickle was married to Sarah Killian May 16, 1840. * * * * July 2, 1840. William M. Shipp, Albert M. Shipp, William Johnston and Charles Connor Graham, all of Lincoln, and Tod R. Caldwell of Burke, graduated from the State University. * * * * Page 111 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina July 2, 1840. Mr. Stanly, Whig Congressman from this state, on the floor of the House severely criticized Col. Wheeler for extravagance in buying shrubbery for the Charlotte Mint grounds. He also charged him with spending $225.00 for carpets, rugs and table covers; $71.50 for chairs; and further for buying a clock for the Mint office. * * * * Dr. Elam Caldwell was married August 19, 1840 to Elizabeth Motz, daughter of John Motz. * * * * A new county to be called Graham, from part of Lincoln, Iredell and Mecklenburg is proposed. * * * * Jacob Forney, Jr., eldest son of Jacob Forney the pioneer, was a patriotic citizen and a gallant soldier of the Revolution. Soon after that war he settled in Burke county where he purchased a large body of land. He married to Mary Corpening of Burke and they had eleven children, one of whom died young. The others, seven sons and three daughters, all married and their descendants are numerous and substantial citizens of Lincoln, Catawba, Burke and Rutherford counties. His tombstone in a private cemetery on the old homestead bears the inscription: “Sacred to the memory of Jacob Forney, born November 6th, 1754, died Nov. 7th, 1840, aged eighty-six years and one day.” 1841 January 14th. Albert C. Williamson, of Lincoln, has been granted license to practice law. * * * * The Board of Trustees of Lincoln Female Academy, met at C. Leonard’s, February 5, 1841. Present: C. C. Henderson, C. Leonard, Dr. S. P. Simpson, J. R. Dodge and H. W. Guion. Tuition rates of the Female Academy were fixed. Resolved, that the Trustees procure the services of some competent lady as instructress of the Academy, and for such services bind the Corporation to pay not more than Five Hundred ($500.00) Dollars for the first year. It was further resolved that James R. Dodge and C. C. Henderson write to their respective friends at the North, to point out and name persons competent and willing to serve under the terms proposed. H. W. Guion, Sec'y. * * * * March 4th. A new pest office called Cottage Home has been established in Lincoln County with Rev. R. H. Morrison as post master. Page 112 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXIV 1841 Cleaveland County was created in 1841 from parts of Lincoln and Rutherford Counties. At the end of the original bill signed by R. B. Gilliam and A. Joyner, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, respectively, it is stated that the act has been “Read three times and ratified in General Assembly, this the 11th day of January 1841.” “The name of Cleaveland” is given to the county and after the boundary lines are added a Committee was named to designate some point in the said County of Cleaveland not more than four miles from Thomas Wilson’s Mineral Springs, which shall be the County seat of said County." The Committee was composed of Judge Robert H. Burton, Alexander McCorkle, Henry Cansler, and Eli Hoyle, of Lincoln County, together with Ed Bryant, Achilles Durham, John McDowell, Samuel Andrews and David Gray, from Rutherford County, and they selected the land where the City of Shelby now stands, named for Gen. Isaac Shelby. Note: Cleaveland county was named for Col. Benjamin Cleaveland, of Wilkes, who was one of the gallant officers in the Battle of Kings Mountain. His name was Cleaveland — not Cleveland. But when Grover Cleveland was elected President they had the Legislature to change the spelling of the County name from Cleaveland to Cleveland. * * * * Davidson College Commencement address was delivered by Gen. John Gray Bynum. Richard E. Sherrill, of Lincoln, was valedictorian. He became a useful Presbyterian preacher for many years in Tennessee and Texas. Dr. James G. Ramsey, of Rowan, was one of the graduates. * * * * Married at Beatties Ford, by Rev. Mr. Forbes, October 6, 1841, Eli Hoyle, to Miss Elizabeth Burton, daughter of Alfred M. Burton. * * * * Miss Jane E. Johnston, aged 18, and daughter of Dr. William Johnston, of Lincoln, died in Greensboro, October 24, 1841. * * * * Green W. Caldwell, defeated Daniel M. Barringer, Whig, for Congress, by 800 majority. * * * * Married by Rev. J. H. Crawford, in Lincoln, November 17, 1841, Leonard E. Thompson, attorney at law, to Miss Harriet L., daughter of Jacob Ramsour. * * * * Page 113 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Rev. Paul F. Kistler, a native of Lincolnton and a preacher of the South Carolina Conference, on December 16, 1841, was married to Miss Mary Wingard, of Lexington, S. C. 1842 William T. Shipp was married February 7, 1842, to Harriet Johnston, daughter of Robert Johnston. * * * * March 2nd, 1842. Col. John Hoke conveyed to E. M. Forbes, Jeremiah W. Murphy, T. N. Herndon, Michal Hoke, L. E. Thompson and Haywood W. Guion, Trustees of St, Luke Episcopal church, the lot on which the church stands. Rev. Jesse R. Peterson and Mary Detter Were married March 11, 1842. * * * * Judge Robert Henderson Burton, son of Col. Robert Burton, of Granville County, was born in 1781; educated at the University of North Carolina and came to Lincoln County; was there admitted to the bar and became distinguished as a lawyer with a large and lucrative practice. The Legislature of 1818 elected him Judge of the Superior Court and after one year on the bench he resigned and resumed the practice of law. In 1830 the Legislature elected him State Treasurer, which office he declined. He was married May 11, 1813 to Mary Fulenwider, daughter of Col. John Fulenwider and settled on a plantation at Beatties Ford. They reared a family of 11 children, but only four of them married. One» daughter, Frances, married to Col. Michal Hoke, a brilliant Lincolnton lawyer. Eliza married to Rev. J. M. H. Adams of the Presbyterian church. Augustus W. Burton, an able lawyer, married to Julia L. Olmstead. Henry W. Burton was a well known citizen of Lincoln and married Mrs. Sarah (Hoyle) Keenan. Judge Burton died at Beatties Ford, April 26, 1842, and the body was buried at Unity Church graveyard. Soon after his death at a meeting of the Lincolnton bar a Committee composed of Robert Williamson, Bartlett Shipp and Haywood W. Guion was appointed to prepare suitable resolutions of respect and transmit a copy of same to the family of Judge Burton. Judge Osborne who was present paid eloquent tribute to the deceased. He was a noble gentleman and ranked high among his legal compeers including such men as William Julius Alexander, James W. Osborne, Haywood W. Guion, Michal Hoke, Robert Williamson, Batlett Shipp, James R. Dodge and his brother, Alfred M. Burton. * * * * A meeting was held at Hoffman & Rhyne’s Store, June 4, 1842, (in what is now Gaston County) to consider the question of dividing the County of Lincoln. The Committee on resolutions was composed of Henry Fulenwider, James H. White, Whiten Stowe, F. D. Hoffman, J. Webster and J. D. Rankin. After an earnest speech by James H. White it was resolved not to support any man for a seat in the Legislature who is not an open advocate of an equal division of the County. The delegates appointed to a County Convention to be held in Lincolnton on Tuesday of court were J. D. Rankin, Samuel Johnston, Leroy Seowe, Col. Richard Rankin, Daniel Rhyne, William Hanks and M. H. Rhyne. Page 114 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * William Preston Bynum graduated from Davidson College in August, 1842, and “Our Country” Was the subject of his graduating speech. * * * * Among those licensed to practice law by Supreme Court in 1842 were the following who became distinguished men: S. H. Walkup, Duncan K. McRea, Atlas J. Dargan, R. S. Donnell, John Baxter, Lewis P. Olds, father of the late Fred A. Olds, and William Johnston, the last named, Of Lincoln County. * * * * Fayetteville market report August 1842: beef 3 to 6 cents; butter 12 1-2c; brandy 38 to 40 cents per gallon; whiskey 28 to 30 cents; green hides 4 to 5 cents; dry hides 12 to 14 cents; wool 15 to 20 cents; cotton 7 to 8 cents; bacon 6 to 7 cents, * * * * Mail Route schedule between Charlotte and Lincolnton is as follows: Leaves Charlotte Monday and Thursday at 4 P. M., and arrives at Lincolnton at 12 o‘clock midnight. Leaves Lincolnton Sunday and Wednesday at 8 A. M. and arrives at Charlotte 3 P. M. * * * * Bill for new County of Catawba passed the House of Commons 64 to 48, December. 1842. Also passed the Senate. Division line near to Lincolnton and if Court House should be moved will greatly injure the town. Page 115 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXV (missing) Page 116 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXVI 1844 G. D. Mosteller proprietor of the Lincoln Paper Mills supplied paper to the Charlotte Journal during 1844. * * * * May 10, 1844. The Charlotte Journal carried at its masthead the name of Michal Hoke for Governor. Later Michal Hoke was nominated for Governor by the democrats in 1844 and defeated by only 3000 votes in the August election by William A. Graham, both natives of Lincoln County. * * * * Col. John Hoke was born in Pennsylvania and came with the family to Lincolnton about 1797. He married to Barbara Quickel January 9, 1808, reared a large family and was the ancestor of a long line of distinguished men. He was a merchant in Lincolnton and one of the owners of the cotton factory built by James Bivens, Michal Schenck and himself at the Laboratory in 1819, and which was destroyed by fire in 1863. His residence was the present brick building now called Inverness Inn. Col. Hoke was a member of the German Reformed Church and an honored and useful citizen. He died June 9, 1844, aged 67, and the body was deposited in the Hoke vault in the old White church cemetery. * * * * Col. Michal Hoke, son of Col. John Hoke, was born in Lincolnton in 1810. On May 8, 1833 married by Rev. R. J. Miller to Frances, daughter of Judge Robert H. Burton, was admitted to the bar in July 1832 and soon took high rank in the legal profession; represented Lincoln in the House of Commons for five terms, 1834-35-36- 38 and 40, during which time he made a brilliant record and a statewide reputation. In 1844, when only 34 years old, he was the democratic candidate for Governor against William A. Graham (also a native of Lincoln) the Whig candidate, who Won the election by about 3000 votes. Col. Hoke exhausted by the strain of the Statewide canvass died of bilious fever at Charlotte September 9, 1844 and his body was buried in the old White Church cemetery in Lincolnton. In his brief life he became an eminent citizen. He was the father of Gen. Robert F. Hoke of the Confederate Army and grandfather of Gov. Hoke Smith of Georgia. * * * * Rev. W. I. Langdon was married December 17, 1844 to Margaret Lander, daughter of Rev. Samuel Lander, of Lincolnton. Page 117 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 118 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1845 Joseph M. Graham, brother of Gov. William A. Graham, was married in Newbern March 12, 1845, to Mary Washington, daughter of John Washington. The bride is a sister of the wife of Gov. Graham. * * * * Died May 21, 1845, at Mineral Springs, Catawba County, the Rev Solomon S. Middlekauff, in his 28th year. The deceased, a native of Maryland was educated for the ministry at Marshall College, Penn. He dame to North Carolina in the summer of 1842 and in July of that year was ordained a minister of the German Reformed church and was pastor of four congregations in Lincoln and Catawba Counties. His body rests in the White Church graveyard in Lincolnton. Married in Lincoln County, May 28, 1845 by Rev. Samuel Lander, John E. Hoke, to Nancy J., daughter of Elijah Sullivan, all of Lincoln county. * * * * Democratic Congressional Convention held at Tavern of A. D. Kerr, of Iredell County, May 31, 1845. Major Henry W. Connor was elected Chairman, with William S. McCoy of Rowan, James Young of Cabarrus. Josiah Stewart of Union, William M. Matthews of Mecklenburg and Col. John H. Wheeler of Lincoln, as Vice-chairman. J. F. A. Miller, of Iredell and A. W. Burton, of Lincoln were secretaries. Charles Fisher, of Rowan was nominated for Congress by a unanimous vote. The delegates from Lincoln were Henry W. Connor, Laban Wilson, Dr. H. M. Pritchard, Thomas Ward, John Abernethy, Absolam Sherrill, Elihu Lockman, A. H. Shuford, John H. Wheeler, L. A. Shuford, Dr. L. W. Coleman, W. W. Munday, Thomas Little, Calvin Wilfong, Jacob Plonk, L. B. Gaston, H. N. Gaston, John G. Lewis and A. W. Burton. * * * * In the White Church graveyard are buried three members of the Hauss family and the inscriptions on the tombs are: 1. John Hauss, died August 2, 1845, age 48. 2. Peter Hauss, died in 1856, age 70. 3. John Hauss, died June 26, 1887, age 81. * * * * Col. Robert Williamson was born in Pennsylvania, came to Lincoln county when a young man and established himself as a lawyer, who ranked high among the able advocates who practiced in the Lincoln courts in his day. He represented the county in the House of Commons in 1818 and 1819 and in the Senate in 1821 and 1822, and was distinguished as one who exercised high influence in this section of the State. He married to Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. John Reid, Nov. 22, 1806 and reared a large family, nine of whom were sons. Page 119 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Robert Williamson, Jr., and William Williamson were Lincolnton lawyers. Robert, Jr., was Clerk of the County Court from 1845 to 1853 and Clerk of the Superior Court for several years from 1853, while William was a reputable lawyer, who died in Lincolnton May 20, 1856 of dropsy, aged 45. Albert settled in Charlotte where he practiced law. Thomas and Joseph were also lawyers. Dr. Dallas Williamson was a physician, Rufus R., a merchant, while James and John were farmers. Col. Robert Williamson owned the Lincoln Lithia Inn property and lived there for many years until his death in July, 1845. two of his grandsons, Rev. Walter M. Walsh and Rev. Clyde J. Walsh reared in Charlotte, are now Presbyterian ministers in Virginia. * * * * Hugh Williamson (1735-1819) born in Pennsylvania, came to Chowan county, North Carolina and rendered brilliant service to the state, served with William Blount and Richard Dobbs Speight in the Convention which formulated the Constitution of the United States and one of the signers of that immortal document, was an uncle of Col. Robert Williamson. * * * * Robert Williamson, a prominent citizen and leading lawyer of Lincolnton, died in July 1845. At a meeting of the Lincoln bar, of which Judge Richmond M. Pearson was made Chairman, and William Lander Secretary, appropriate resolutions were passed. * * * * John H. Wheeler, Burton Craig, Andrew H. Shuford, Henry Whitener and H. W. Robinson, Commissioners, advertise for bids for the building: of court house and jail in Newton. Page 120 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXVII 1845 Lincolnton in 1845 as reported in Lincoln Courier, September 13, 1845. Editor, T. J. Eccles: County Solicitor, William Lander; Superior Court Clerk, F. A; Hoke; Equity, William Williamson; County Court Clerk, Robert Williamson; Sheriff, Benjamin Morris; Deputy Sheriff, Paul Kistler; Register, W. J. Wilson; Deputy, C. C. Henderson; Surveyor, Isaac Holland; Lawyers, Haywood W. Guion, L. E. Thompson, William Lander, V. A. McBee and William Williamson; Physicians, S. P. Simpson, D. W. Schenck, Elam Caldwell, Z. Butt, and A. Ramsour; Merchants, W. J . Hoke, B. S. Johnson, Jacob A. Ramsour, C. C. Henderson, J. Ramsour & Son and Johnson & Reed; Academies, Male — Benjamin Sumner, Female — Misses M. E. and J. F. Rodgers under charge of Mr. Sumners; Hotels, Mrs. Motz, William Slade, A. McLean and B. S. Johnson; Grocers, G. Presnell, J. B. Rouche, W. R. Edwards and L. Rothrock; Watchmakers. Charles Schmidt; Saddle & Harness Makers, J. Taylor Alexander, J. A. Jetton & Co., B. M. & F. J. Jetton; Printer, T. J. Eccles, Editor Courier; Book Binder, F. A. Hoke; Painter, H. S. Hicks: Coach Factories, Samuel Lander, Abner McCoy, S. P. Simpson, Isaac Erwin, A & R. Garner; Blacksmiths, Jacob Rush, M. Jacobs, Allen DeLane, J. Bisaner, J. W. Paysour; Cabinet Maker, Thomas Dews & Son; Carpenters, Daniel Shuford, James Triplett, A. Houser, Isaac Houser and John Houser; Tin Plate Worker & Coppersmith, Thomas R. Shuford; Shoe Makers, John Huggins, John A. Parker; Tanners, Paul Kistler, J. Ramsour; Hatters, John Cline, John Butts; Paper Factory, G. & R. Mosteller, (4 miles South); Cotton Factory, John Hoke, (2 miles South); Lime Kim, Daniel Shuford (9 miles South); Iron Manufacturers, High Shoals, H. W. Burton, Grahams Furnace, John D. Graham; Tailors, Daily & Seagle, Alexander & Moore, D. Hoover. * * * * Whig Convention in Lincolnton, September 1845, Alexander McCorkle, Chairman, and V. A. McBee, Secretary. Delegates appointed to State Convention were Robert Brevard, H. W. Guion, W. M. Shipp, M. L. McCorkle, Robert Perkins and V. A. McBee. * * * * Democratic County Convention in Lincolnton, 1845 December 5, 1845, Isaac Holland, Chairman, Robert Williamson and James Quinn, Secretaries, John F. Hoke offered and spoke in favor of resolution approving State Convention in Raleigh on January 8th, 1846. Delegates appointed to this Convention were Samuel Venable, William Williamson, John F. Hoke, L. Gaston, Samuel N. Stowe, Henry Cansler, James Ferguson, Thomas Williamson, Philip Sandifer, E. Rhyne, T. J. Eccles, John Roberts, James H. White, O. W. Holland. Richard Rankin, Valentine Derr, Leroy Stowe, J. W. Reid, A. Love. Robert Baker, William Lander, John Webster, John G. Lewis, James Quinn, John Falls, David Abernethy, W. W. McGinnis, Major Hoffman. H. W. Gaston, William Ferguson, Joseph Holland and Larkin Stowe. Charles Fisher, of Rowan, was endorsed for Governor. Page 121 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1846 John Hayes married to Catherine, daughter of Col. James Johnston October 1, 1803 and lived near Toole’s Ford on the Catawba river. Dr. C. L. Hunter says “He was a worthy Christian citizen, long a subject: of patient suffering from disease and died peacefully April 13, 1846, aged 74 years.” He reared five daughters and two sons, one of whom, Dr. William J. Hayes settled in Mecklenburg. * * * * John Burton Hoke, 11 year old son of the late Michal Hoke, was shot and killed when he and a young Fulenwider boy, his kinsman, were playing with a gun. * * * * Married by Rev. Mr. McDaniel in Lincoln county, March 6, 1846, Amos Morris to Mary E., daughter of William Davenport. * * * * Ambrose Costner was on March 18, 1846, married to Malinda Quickle, daughter of Michal Quickle. * * * * Married by Rev. Mr. J. Stacy, in Cheraw, S. C., April 23, 1846, the Rev. Albert M. Shipp to Mary Jane Gillespie. (Dr. Albert M. Shipp was a great preacher and educator who went out from Lincoln county. Was in his time President of Greensboro College, Professor at the University of North Carolina, President of Wofford College and later Professor in Vanderbilt University and a preacher of rare scholarship.) * * * * Gaston county, was organized and lines of Lincoln to the North changed to present boundaries. * * * * The people of Mountain Creek and Dry Pond section of Lincoln dissatisfied because they are so far from the county seat want the county boundaries changed. Evidently they were displeased because that territory had been transferred to Catawba County. Stirring resolutions were passed at the meeting which had Alexander McCorkle for chairman and Isaac Lowe for secretary. * * * * Died in Lincoln County on August 2, 1846, William Sidney, and on the 12th Robert Henry, infant sons of Dr. Sidney and Mrs. Harriet Connor Johnston. * * * * Page 122 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina William Preston Bynum was married December 2, to Miss A. E. Shipp, daughter of Bartlett Shipp. * * * * The mysterious personage, Peter S. Ney, who taught school at one time near Beatties Ford, in Lincoln county, claimed to be Napoleon’s Marshal, but the history says Marshal Ney was condemned to death for high treason by the Bourbon government after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo and shot in the garden of the Luxembourg in Paris, December 7, 1815 — a cruel act of revenge. Many who knew Peter S. Ney as a teacher in Lincoln, Iredell, Rowan and Davie counties firmly believed he was the French Marshal. The story goes that the French guards used blank cartridges and when they fired Ney fell, apparently dead, was spirited away and came to Charleston and then to this state. Mr. Vardry A. McBee said: “I was a pupil of Ney in 1834. No pupil, however large, would for a moment think of disobeying his slightest command. The great influence he exerted over the community was of a wholesome and elevating character.” Mr. Wallace M. Reinhardt said: “I went to school to Peter S. Ney in 1838 when he taught in Iredell. All of his pupils, from the greatest to the least were afraid of him, and any one of them would have shed blood for him. He was very strict with his scholars and required absolute obedience and good lessons.” Theodorus H. Cobb said: “I have heard Chief Justice Pearson frequently speak of Peter S. Ney. He had a high Opinion of his character and ability and was firmly convinced that he was Marshal Ney." Many of his students believed that he was the French Marshal, while others did not. Dr. James G. Ramsey of Rowan, said: “I knew P. S. Ney. It seems more difficult to say who he was than to believe he was Marshal Ney.” He died at the home of Mr. Osborne G. Foard in Rowan county, November 15, 1846, and the body was buried at Third Creek Presbyterian church in that county. Mr. Foard knew Ney intimately and firmly believed he was Marshal Ney. The question of his identity is debatable, but many believe he was the French Marshal. Page 123 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXVIII 1847 Railroad meeting in Lincolnton, March 3, 1847, Bartlett Shipp, Chairman, and Andrew Motz and T. J. Eccles, Secretaries. A railroad to Columbia or Camden was considered. The delegates appointed to a Railroad Convention to be held in Charlotte April 27, were John F. Hoke, William Johnston. L. E. Thompson, Andrew Motz, Henry Cansler, B. H. Sumner, F. A. Hoke, L. D. Childs, John H. Wheeler, Dr. William McLean, C. C. Henderson, Dr. S. X. Johnston, Ephriam Brevard, Isaac Lowe, W. W. Munday, John Coulter, Dr. C. L. Hunter, H. W. Guion, John F. Phifer and Michal Quickle. * * * * Married, September, 1847, by Rev. R. H. Morrison, Dr. W. J. Hayea of Lincoln, to Isabella, daughter of Dr. M. W. Alexander, of Mecklenburg. * * * * Advertisement: Bids are asked for building brick church at Brevard and Graham graveyard (Macpelah). The church to be 44 to 28 feet, with stone foundation 3 feet above ground and fifteen (15) feet from sills to plate. Three doors and ten windows, all to be completed in neat and Workmanlike manner. October 20. 1847. Charles C. Graham‘ E. A. Brevard, William Johnston, C. L. Hunter, David Dellinger, building‘ committee. * * * * Joseph C. Cobb and Margaret Butts, daughter of John Butts, were married in Lincolnton, October 28, 1847. * * * * Advertisement: The subscriber is now prepared with comfortable hack to convey passengers to or from Charlotte, on reasonable terms. His residence is near the east end of the town of Lincolnton. James Wells. * * * * Charles Connor Graham has qualified as Executor of the Will of his father, John D. Graham. * * * * Married near Charlotte by Rev. Cyrus Johnson, November 2, 1847, Dr. Henry M. Pritchard, of Lincoln, to Sarah E., daughter of Maj. Benjamin Morrow. * * * * Major Daniel M. Forney. born In Lincoln County May 1784, oldest son of Gen. Peter Forney, was educated at local schools and at the State University. Page 124 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina When at the University he formed a warm friendship for Henry Y. Webb, Robert H. and Alfred M. Burton, his classmates who came to Lincoln with him to be guests in the Forney home. Henry Y. Webb married to Eliza, sister of Major Forney and the two Burtons married two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth Fulenwider, daughters of Col. John Fulenwider, and all became notable citizens of the county. Major Forney married to Harriet Brevard, daughter of Capt. Alexander Brevard and built a handsome brick home which now stands on the original Forney estate, the finest private home then in this section of the state and the admiration now of all who visit it. He held local office and engaged in agricultural pursuits. Clerk of County Court Jury 7, 1807 to May 22, 1812. Was a Major in the war of 1812; member of congress 1815 - 1818, succeeding his father; appointed in 1820 by President Monroe to treat with the Creek Indians. Senator from Lincoln 4 terms 1823-26. Served as Councilor of State 1829-30. Moved to Lowndes County, Ala., in 1834 where he continued in agriculture pursuits, and died there July 10, 1847. * * * * Robert F. Cope furnishes the following item concerning the first county court held in Gaston County: The First County Court The following is a partial record of the first court held in Gaston County: “Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, February Term, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty Seven. State of North Carolina, Gaston County. In conformity to the 7th section of an act supplemental to an act passed by the last General Assembly of the State of North Carolina entitled “An Act to Lay Off and Establish a New County by the Name of Gaston and to Annex a Part of Catawba. County to the County of Lincoln," the following justices (being a majority of the whole number residing Within the territory so laid off and erected into a county by the name of Gaston) met at the house of Jesse Holland in said county on the third Monday in February, A. D. 1847, viz: Alfred Abernethy, Isaac Holland, Andrew Love, John Webster, James Ferguson, R. M. Alexander, Abram Mauney, Thus. F. McGill, Robert Johnston, John Oates, 81“., William J. Wilson, John McGinnis, Andrew Hoyle, Major Whitesides, Jacob Plonk, J. G. Hand, John Falls, Andrew B. Cox, John G. Lewis, A. W. Davenport, Milton A. Smith, who, after organizing, proceeding to business by administering the usual oaths of office to the following justices, appointed for said county, viz: Christian Baker, John R. Gates, Richard Rankin, Alexander Wear, and James M. Hannah, whose commissions are filed, after which the aforesaid justices, together with the new ones just qualified, proceeded to the election of clerk of the court of pleas and quarter sessions for the said county and, a ballot being held and John H. Roberts having received a majority of the whole number of votes cast, was declared duly elected clerk of the said court; whereupon he gave the several bonds required by law with the following sureties, viz: John D. Rankin, Lee A. Moore, Robert Johnston, Benjamin Smith and Christian Baker, which bonds were approved by the court, the whole of the above named justices being present. The said John H. Roberts then took the usual oaths of office and entered upon the discharge of his duties.” Benjamin Morris was elected sheriff, Richard Rankin, county trustee, Samuel L. Caldwell, Solicitor, W. F. Holland, surveyor, James M. Hannah, entry taker, and Jacob Plonk, processioner. Page 125 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The court then proceeded to the election of a special court, and prominent men were elected as justices. Monday evening court adjourned to Tuesday morning at 10 o‘clock A number of other worthy citizens were elected to other offices of less importance. In 1848 the first county court house was constructed which was a temporary structure of wood, it being used until a brick one was built. In the year 1868, fire destroyed all but the brick walls Which served in the construction of the third building which is still standing in the town of Dallas, Gaston’s first county seat.” * * * * At the Fall term 1847 Judge Richmond M. Pearson appointed Felix M. Abernethy, Clerk and Master of Equity for Gaston county and his bond was signed by S. N. Stowe, Daniel Hoffman, Robert Johnston. W. Stowe, John Webster and James H. White. James Quinn was appointed Clerk of the Superior Court and his bond was signed by S. N. Stowe, Benjamin Morris and James H. White. The bond of Benjamin Morris, the Sheriff, was signed by A. W. Davenport, A. W. Abernethy, J , D. Rankin and Larkin Stowe. James Ferguson was elected Register of Deeds. Page 126 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XXXIX 1848 February, 1848. Elms & Withers, merchants of Beatties Ford, are successors to the firm of H. H. Helper & Co. * * * * Meeting of stockholders of High Shoals Iron Works called by Andrew Hoyle, President of the Company. * * * * Married at Greenwood, Catawba County, at the residence of Major Henry W. Connor, by Rev. Jacob Hill, March 30, 1848, Mr. John W. Morrow, of Mecklenburg to Miss Mary Ann Nuttall, of Granville county. * * * * Married by Rev. Samuel Lander, May 24, 1848, Uriah Cloyd, of Caldwell county, to Rosannah Moore of Gaston. * * * * Married in Iredell county, by Rev. C. H. Pritchard, August 9, 1848, Dr. J. H. Ward of Lincoln, to Ann, daughter of James Lemley. * * * * The Charlotte Journal of September 6, 1848, contained a fine tribute paid to Benjamin Theodore Rankin, aged 21, who died in Lincolnton, August 25, 1848. The young man was a son of Col. Richard Rankin. * * * * Paul Kistler, a valued citizen and churchmen, died in Lincolnton in 1848, aged 66. * * * * Married by Rev. Mr. Anderson, November 8, 1848, Maj. D. H. Hill, 4th regiment U. S. Artillery, to Isabella, daughter of Rev. R. H. Morrison, of Lincoln. * * * * James C. Jenkins was married to Barbara Schenck, daughter of Dr. David W. Schenck, December 20, 1848. * * * * Daniel Coleman, of Cabarrus, was elected solicitor of the 7th Judicial district by the Legislature, succeeding Hamilton C. Jones. Page 127 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 128 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1849 Carolina Republican - February 6, 1849. J. M. Newsom, Editor. * * * * Justices of the Peace for Lincoln County: B. S. Johnson, Jasper Stowe, David Seagle, Franklin M. Reinhardt, David Dellinger, William J. Hoke, Ambrose Costner, A. P. Cansler, F. J. Jetton, David Williams. Cephas Quickel, Robert Blackburn and Elisha Saunders. * * * * February 20, 1849. Jacob B. Reel was married to Miss Margaret M. Helderman by Rev. J . R. Peterson. * * * * Died, John. Skelly of this County, in the 28th year of his age. * * * * February 27, 1849. Strangers meeting in our village must now be favorably impressed With the citizens of Lincolnton. Mr. Daniel Shuford in compliance With the wishes of the proper authorities has planted trees in tastefully arranged order all over the public square. They are well protected and We hope they may grow vigorously not only to shade promenading lovers, but for our tired friends when they seek our market. * * * * February 2-7, 1849. It is proposed to hold a public meeting in Lincolnton to adopt measures to construct a plank road from this place to Charlotte to intersect railroad at Charlotte. * * * * Lincolnton Female Academy: J. P. Lindsay, Principal; Misses Julia and Maria St. John, Assistants. February, 1849. * * * * March 13, 1849. Obituary: Mr. Michael Schenck, born in Lancaster County, Penn., February 15, 1771, came to Lincolnton about 1789 and since then a resident. 78 years of age and oldest inhabitant of Lincolnton when he died March 6, 1849. His disease was hydrothorax. He was a member of the Methodist church. He built and conducted the first cotton mill south of the Potomac river. * * * * Carolina Republican, April 10, 1848. J. N. Newsom, Editor. Benjamin White, 28, a brave patriotic soldier in Mexican War, died at home of his brother, James H. White, in Gaston county, last week. * * * * Page 129 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 130 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The Carolina Republican, ardent supporter of Green W. Caldwell, for Congress says: “When CaldWell was a Cass Elector in 1848, not a single sentence discreditable to General Taylor the Whig candidate, escaped his lips. Can liberal Whigs forget this or refuse to reward him for it?” * * * * A public meeting is called at court house in Lincolnton, on Tuesday, of April court, to consider some of the acts passed by the last Legislature, viz: The Revenue Bill and the Internal Improvement System. His Honor, Judge John, W. Ellis, Burton Craig, John H. Wheeler, John F. Hoke, H. W. Guion, William Lander, J. W. Osborne, H. C, Jones, Green W. Caldwell, William Julius Alexander and others, friendly or opposed to the measures are invited to attend along with Hon. Henry W. Connor, Senator, and Representatives James H. White, Samuel N. Stowe, Franklin D. Reinhardt and Andrew H. Shuford. (April, 1849.) * * * * Advertisements: Lincoln Cotton Mills. Cotton yarns, cloth, batting, candle stick wicks, Bell cords, carpet chain, machine ropes, Bell ropes. We manufacture machine irons and edge tools and Lincoln Factory axes. The store carries a full stock of general merchandise. L. D. Childs & Co. This factory and store located at Laboratory Mill. * * * * Advertisements: Hoke & Michal, General Merchants, Have a full supply of Fall and Winter goods. Fall and winter fashions. Moore & Cobb. Still continue to carry on the Tailoring business. * * * * Having just returned from Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York with ample supply of dry goods and wearing apparel, together With fancy merchandise, take pleasure in exhibiting their stock the best and cheapest the market affords. Call and see. Ramsour & Jenkins. April. 1849. * * * * Having taken contract for carrying the mail between these points I will operate a stage line from Lincolnton to Yorkville at a low rate of fare. Leave Lincolnton 8 A. M. Tuesday and Thursday, Return to Lincolnton 6 P. M. Wednesday and Friday. James Wells, Lincolnton, N. C. * * * * May 11, 1849. Dallas Academy — Rev. J. H. Wagner, Principal. * * * * July 6, 1849. Robert Williamson, Jr., is a candidate for reelection to the office of Clerk of the County Court. Page 131 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * Major Abram Forney, youngest son of Jacob Forney, Sr., was a gallant soldier of the Revolution and in many campaigns proved his courage and patriotism, in that long fought contest. He was in the front ranks at Ramsour’s Mill and Kings Mountain. He married Rachel Gabriel of Lincoln county. They had two sons, Abram E. Forney who lived in Lincoln to a ripe old age, and John W. Forney who died young. Major Forney died July 22, 1849, aged 93 years. * * * * August 24, 1849. Died at Canton, Miss., July 28, 1849, at the residence of her son, Dr. Franklin Henderson, Mrs. Elizabeth Henderson, relict of Maj. Lawson Henderson, a native of Lincoln county, aged 66 years. Page 132 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XL 1849 V. A. McBee was elected Clerk Superior Court, and Robert Williamson, of the County Court. Nov. 23, 1849. Rev. Dr. Albert M. Shipp has been elected Professor in State University to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Rev. William M. Greene. * * * * Joseph P. Caldwell, Whig, was elected to Congress in 1849, from this district, the boundaries of which had been changed by the Whig Legislature, giving the Whigs such a majority that the democrats offered no opposition. At Shuford’s box (not far from the present Monbo) the democrats all for a joke voted for a Mr. Mull, a democrat of that precinct who was not equal to the office. Late in the afternoon Cyrus Peed, a sturdy democrat came to the polls when one of the young men gave him a Mull ticket for Congress and Mr. Peed said: “Boys, I think that is carrying the joke too far.” * * * * Survivors Mexican War Lincoln Progress, September 13, 1873, copied from Wilmington Journal. Part of W. J. Clarke Company 1, 12th Regiment, U. S. Infantry, in Mexican War, recruited in Lincoln, Gaston, Catawba and Cleveland counties. James Marcus Bandy, 23, Catawba, died of measles on ship going to war, July 15, 1847. Eli Bell, 19, Gaston. William D. S. Bowen, 22, (Van) Thomas L. Burganer, 25, Catawba, dead. James Compton, 21, S. C., dead. J. Q. Carpenter, 19, Lincoln, killed at Seven Pines, 1862. Peter Carpenter, 34, Lincoln, died in New Orleans. Laban M. Cline, 18, Catawba, died at Penbla, Mex. Turner Cody, 22, Lincoln. George W. Dyson, 27, Burke. Michal Eaker, 19, Gaston, died soon after war. Thomas F. Elliott, 28, Cleveland, died at Vera Cruz. Abel M. Fry, 25, Catawba, dead. George A. Gentle, 22, Davie, killed at Cerro Gorda, Mex. Noah Hallman, 21, Lincoln. Penal Hearn, 29, Gaston. Robert F. Henderson, 21, Gaston. Philo Hoke, 18, Lincoln. Thomas Hull, 19, Lincoln. Newton Jackson, 18, died at Jalapa. David Jarrett, 35, Cleveland, killed at Cerro Gerda. Benjamin Justice, 23, Cleveland, wounded at National Bridge, Mex. Page 133 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina William Kirksey, 20, Catawba, wounded at National Bridge, Mex. Christopher Love, 22, Cleveland. James I. Love, 19, Cleveland, wounded at National Bridge, Mex. The examining surgeon said he was the finest looking man in the army. James Martin, 22, Catawba. Lawson Mauney, 20, Lincoln. David M. C. Nowlin, 21, Cleveland, dead. Thomas D. Nowlin, 18, Cleveland, dead. Thomas J. Ramsey, 19, Cleveland, dead. Richard Henry Riddick, 21, Lincoln, was later Col. 34 N. C. Regiment in Civil. War and Killed in Virginia in 1863. Moses Runnels, 23, Gaston. Joseph T. Rudisill, 51, Gaston, died in Me‘uco James S. Sims, 19, Catawba, dead. Henry Stamey, 22, Lincoln, killed at National Bridge, Mex. Fred A. Stauffer (Switzerland), 42, served under Bonaparte. Andrew Summey, 21, Gaston, killed in Virginia, 1864. Absolam Taylor, Lincoln, 20. Henry Tevepaugh, 35, Lincoln, died at Jalapa Sept. 26, 1847. Musician. William F. Wacaster, 21, Lincoln. Christopher Wells, 26, Gaston, died at Perote, Mex. David Wells, 24, Gaston. David S. Wells, 22, Gaston. Benju E. White, 26, Gaston, died of disease contracted in Mexico. Joseph F. Williamson, 24, Lincoln. The above enlisted by Lt. John F. Hoke, who Was later a captain in the Mexican War 1850 Died at Greenwood, in Catawba County, on February 10, 1850, Mrs Lucy Hawkins Connor, wife of Major Henry W. Connor. * * * * Carolina Republican March 29, 1850: “J. T. Alexander, Jacob A. Ramsour, Henry Cansler, William Lander, and Dr. David W. Schenck, Trustees of Lincolnton Male Academy, announce that Silas C. Lindsly, A. M., has been secured as Principal.” “Rates of tuition range from $5.00 to $15.00 per session.” * * * * A Convention held in Lincolnton in June, 1850, favoring a Plank Road from Lincolnton to Charlotte was organized by electing C. C. Henderson, Chairman, and W. H. Michal and V. A. McBee, Secretaries. A Committee was appointed to cooperate with others to carry out the enterprise as follows: Henry Cansler, C. C. Graham, Solomon Rudisill, F. M. Reinhardt, Cephas Quickle, L. D. Childs, Dr. Z. Butt, Maj. A. A. McLean, B. S. Johnson, W. A. Hoke, Peter Summey, William Lander, L. E. Thompson, H. W, Guion, Thomas R. Shuford, Jasper Stowe, Dr. S. X. Johnston, Dr. C. L. Hunter, Dr. W. B. McLean and Isaac Lowe. Page 134 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * Hon. David S. Reid, in a letter to William Lander accepts the nomination as a candidate for Governor on the democratic ticket at the coming August election. * * * * Married at Brackettown, Burke county. October 30, 1850, by Rev. Mr. Parker, Captain John F. Hoke to Miss Catherine Alexander, daughter of Col. William Julius Alexander. * * * * James Mullen, of Ironton township, was; married to Emily Lowe, December 28, 1850. * * * * Michal Quickle, Jr., a substantial citizen and father of Cephas Quickle and Mrs. Ambrose Costner, died in 1850, aged 69 years. 1851 Andrew Motz, of the firm of Motz, Barrett & Company, proprietors, Ivy Shoal Cotton Mill, on South Fork river at Clark’s Creek, was drowned in Clark’s Creek on the night of March 7, 1851. He either fell or was pushed off the bridge which was without rails. He was 34 years old. A reward of $100.00 is offered for the body. The body was found March 30, and the report of the jury was: “That Andrew Motz on the night of the 7th of March, 1851, about the hour of 8 o’clock left the house near the factory of Motz, Barrett & Co., on his way homeward by way of the bridge at mill of Capt. Slade, the night being dark and stormy; and that by cause unknown to this jury he got into the water at or near this bridge and met his death by drowning." (Signed) W. H. Michal, Coroner.” The body was found one mile below Clark’s Creek by Houser and Price. * * * * Resolutions of regret and sympathy were passed by the Court January 28, 1851, on account of the death of John R. Stamey. Sheriff of Lincoln County. Page 135 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLI 1851 The Western Plank Road was incorporated January 28, 1851, and legislative authority given to open subscription books in Newton under direction of Jonas Bost, Andrew H. Shuford and M. L. McCorkle; in Lincolnton under direction of C. C. Henderson, Jacob A. Ramsour, William Slade, Haywood W. Guion and L. E. Thompson, and in Charlotte under the direction of W. R. Myers, William Johnston, Henry B. Williams, Braley Oats, Charles T. Alexander and Benjamin Morrow. Shares $50.00 each. Subscription limited to $200,000.00. Estimated cost per mile $1500.00 and 160,000 feet of lumber per mile. Toll to be four cents per mile. * * * * Rozzelle Ferry toll bridge authorized With William W. Elms, Dr. S. X. Johnston, Richard Rozzelle, John W. Caldwell. and Robert H. Brevard, as incorporators. (Private Laws 1851, page 681.) * * * * Mountain Lodge No. 19. Independent Order Odd Fellows in town of Lincolnton, William Lander, William J. Hoke, T. J. Eccles, William Williamson, Andrew Motz, Alexander Ramsour and William H. Michal, body politic. Incorporated. (Private Laws 1851, page 638.) * * * * Advertisement: Laurel Hill Factory, Established 1861 by Andrew Motz and E. S. Barrett, Motz, Barrett & Co., Yams Nos. 3 to 60 Carpet chain, candle wick Turnes, ropes, batting. Lincolnton, N. C. Note: This mill occupied the present site of the Elm Grove Cotton Mill, Lincolnton. * * * * I. O. O. F. Mountain Lodge No. 19. William J. Hoke, N. G, William R. Edwards, V. G. J. M. Shuford, Secretary. William Ramsour. Treasurer. January 4, 1851. * * * * Lincoln Courier: Died in this county at residence of her husband, near the brick church, May 2, 1851, Mrs. Abagail Welker, wife of Rev. G. W. Welker, of the German Reformed church. * * * * Since the arrival of new goods the store of Ramsour & Jenkins is a regular bee hive. Call and see before the best bargains are disposed of, for they are going fast. (Courier 1851.) * * * * Page 136 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Last Week Mrs. Jacob A. Ramsour and Mrs. John F. Phifer sent to our family some of the finest strawberries we ever saw. They were considerably longer than partridge eggs, not less than three inches in diameter, and delicious. (Courier, 1851.) * * * * Governor Reid has appointed Henry Cansler of Lincoln, Charles McDowell, of Rutherford and Mark Coleman of Macon, Commissioners to value the Cherokee Indian lands. * * * * Andrew J. Cansler announces that he is agent in Catawba, Lincoln, Gaston and Cleveland for Wheeler’s History of North Carolina, just from the press. * * * * May. 1851 —— Plank Road Notice. Subscription books for Charlotte and Lincolnton and Newton are open and can be seen at store of H. B. and L. S. Williams in Charlotte. William R. Myers, William Johnson, H. B. Williams, Braley Oats, C. T. Alexander, Benjamin Morrow. * * * * Philip S. White, the great Temperance orator, Was in Lincolnton and spoke to multitudes and spoke also under the arbor at Rock Spring camp ground to a great assembly. * * * * George Mosteller, in May, 1851, advertises foolscap, letter, wrapping and envellope paper. Connected with the paper mill is a book bindery. Blank books of all kinds on hand. * * * * Thomas Dews, Sr., died in Lincolnton, August 20, 1851, aged 71. He was born in the Guernsey Islands and came to Lincolnton about 1810 and conducted a cabinet shop. His son, Thomas Dews, Jr., who died in 1838, Was 30 year old. * * * * Lincoln Courier, 1851. Advertisement: Catawba College, Newton, N. C. H. H. Smith, President; M. Fry and J. C. Clapp, Tutors. * * * * Lincolnton Division No. 45. Sons of Temperance. Officers: John P. Anthony, W. R. Clark, H. W. Abernethy, A. T. Cansler, Andrew Roseman, James H. Oates, Abner McCoy, M. L. Killian, Jacob Williams, F. J. Jetton and S. M. Alexander. Philip S. White, the celebrated temperance lecturer will speak in Lincolnton April 17, 1851. * * * * Page 137 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 138 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Legislative Acts of 1851 Pertaining to Lincoln County. 1. Incorporation of Rock Spring Camp Ground. Thomas Ward, Robert Abernethy, Isaac Lowe, Isaac O. Robinson, Thomas Beatty, James Washington Lowe and Henry Asbury, Trustees of the property, 40 acres, conveyed by Joseph M. Munday in fee to Freeman Shelton, Richard Proctor and James Bivens and their successors in office, by deed dated August 7, 1830 for the use of the Methodist Church. Self perpetuating Board of Trustees. (Private Laws of 1851, page 629.) * * * * James Graham, eldest son of Gen. Joseph Graham, was born January 7, 1793, graduated from the State University in 1814, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818 and settled in Rutherfordton to practice law. He represented Rutherford county in the House of Commons in 1822-24—28 and 29, was elected to Congress from there for four terms, 1835 to 1843; defeated for re-election but was again elected to Congress as a Whig in 1846 after which he was not a candidate. He was a lawyer of splendid gifts and had a lucrative practice. He died a bachelor in Rutherfordton Sept. 25, 1851 and the body was buried in the family plot at Machpelah in Lincoln county. * * * * Married. by Rev. R. H. Lafferty, October 19, 1851, Dr. E. O. Elliott, to Miss Martha McRee, all of Mecklenburg. (Dr. Elliott for many years owned and operated the Catawba Springs near Hickory, N. C., and was grandfather of Esley 0. Anderson, of Charlotte, and now an officer in the First National Bank of Lincolnton. (1934.) * * * * Hon. W. W. Avery, of Burke, and Samuel fleming (both attorneys) had a disagreement and altercation of Marion Court, resulting in the death of fleming, in November 1851. * * * * Wheeler‘s History of North Carolina has just come from the press. This valuable book of reference was written at Beatties Ford by Col. John H. Wheeler, Who Was for some years before and after 1851 a citizen of Lincoln and represented the County In the House of Commons in 1852. * * * * Mary, wife of William Slade, died December 2, 1851; age 51. Page 139 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLII 1851 Lincoln Lodge No. 137 -- Signers of petition for dispensation: A. W. Burton, William Jenks, Thomas J. Eccles, E. S. Barrett, Jasper Stowe, Thad W. Bradburn and Samuel Lander, Jr. Dispensation granted June 16, 1851. Alonzo T. Jenkins; Grand Master, appointed A. W. Burton, Master; William Jenks, Seior Warden; Thomas J. Eccles, Junior Warden. First meeting of Lincoln Lodge No. 137 held June 20, 1851. A. W. Burton, Master, appointed J . T. Alexander, Secretary. Masters of the Lodge A. W. Burton, June 1851 to January 1852 William Lander, January 1852 to December 1853 J. T. Alexander, December 1853 to December 1855 M. King, December 1855 to December 1856. William J. Hoke, December 1856 to December 1857 Thomas Darling, December 1857 to December 1859 J. T. Alexander, December 1859 to December 1860 C. J. Hammerskold, December 1860 to December 1861 William Tiddy, December 1861 to December 1863 Samuel Lander, December 1863 to December 1865 William Tiddy, December 1865 to December 1866 David Schenck, December 1866 to December 1867 H. W. Burton, December 1867 to December 1868 Dr. J. A. Sherrill, December 1868 to December 1870 William Tiddy, December 1870 to December 1871 H. H. Smith, December 1871 to December 1872 S. P. Sherrill, December 1872 to June 1874 William Tiddy, June 1874 to June 1878 T. H. Cobb, June 1878 to June 1881 Dr. J. M. Lawing, June 1881 to June 1883 B. C. Cobb, June 1883 to June 1886 T. H. Cobb, June 1886 to June 1888 H. W. Burton, June 1888 to J1me 1892 A. Nixon, June 1892 to June 1899 J. E. Love, June 1899 to June 1901 R. S. Reinhardt, June 1901 to June 1902 A. Nixon, June 1902 to June 1904 C. E. Childs, June 1904 to June 1905 A. Nixon, June 1905 to June 1907 C. R. Simmons, June 1907 to June 1910 J. S. Armstrong, June 1910 to June 1918 T. C. Abernethy, June 1916 to June 1917 Dr. I. R. Self, June 1917 to June 1920 Harry Page, June 1920 to June 1922 K. B. Nixon, June 1922 to June 1923 D. A. Yoder, June 1923 to June 1924 C. C. Crowell, June 1924 to June 1926 E. L. Rudisill, June 1926 to June 1928 James A. Shuford, June 1928 to June 1930 H. G. Crowell, June 1930 to June 1931 Page 140 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Dr. W. G. Bandy, June 1931 to January 1933 E. L. Rudisill, January 1933 to January 1934 J. R. Nixon, January 1934 _____ Secretaries of, the Lodge J. T. Alexander, June 1851 to January 1852 William J. Hoke, January 1852_to December 1852 Thomas R. Shuford, December 1852 to December 1855 J . T. Alexander, December 1855 to December 1856 Dr. J. M.. Richardson, December 1856 to December 1858 William J. Hoke, December 1858 to December 1861 T. W. Robinson, December 1861 to December 1862 J. T. Alexander, December 1862 to December 1863 W. H. Alexander, December 1863 to December 1864 William Tiddy, December 1864 to December 1865 A. S. Haynes, December 1865 to December 1866 William J. Hoke, December 1866 to December 1867 Peter A. Summey, December 1867 to December 1868 W. H. Alexander, December 1868 to December 1869 Dr. J . M. Lawing, December 1869 to December 1872 B. H. Sumner, December 1872 to June 1874 Dr. J. M. Lawing, June 1874 to June 1881 A. S. Haynes, June 1881 to June 1883 Dr. W. W. Noland, June 1883 to June 1884 S. P. Sherrill, June 1884 to June 1891 R. S. Reinhardt, June 1891 to June 1893 B. C. Wood, June 1893 to June 1894 R. E. Costner, June 1894 to June 1895 C. E. Childs, June 1895 to June 1896 S. P. Sherrill, June 1896 to June 1897 J. C. Tipton, June 1897 to June 1900 W. M. Sherrill, June 1900 to June 1903 R. L. Wyckoff, June 1903 to June 1905 H. A. Self, June 1905 to June 1907 W. A. Fair, June 1907 to June 1908 W. Latte. Massey, June 1908 to June 1910 R. L. Wyckoff, June 1910 to June 1911 C. D. Thompson, June 1911 to June 1914 W. L. Mustain, June 1914 to June 1916 Herbert Miller, June 1916 to June 1918 E. W. Joyner, June 1918 to June 1919 T. C. Abernethy, June 1919‘to June 1921 Herbert Miller, June 1921 to June 1922 Summey Alexander, June 1922 to June 1926 D. A. Yoder, June 1926 _____ The above list of Lodge officers was supplied by Summey Alex. under, Sr. Date of Charter of Lincoln Lodge, December 4, 1851. 1852 Died, near Lenoir, January 23, 1852, Mrs. Susan Mott, consort of Rev. T. W. S. Mott, of the Protestant. Episcopal church, aged 38 years. Rev. Mr. Mott was one time Rector of St. Luke’s church, Lincolnton. He died about 1870 and his body rests in St. Luke’s graveyard. Page 141 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * February 7, 1852. Plank road meeting was held at Rozzelle Ferry. Henry Cansler, Chairman and Dr. C. L. Hunter, Secretary. The Committee on proxies consisting of Gen. J. A. Young, Dr. S.’ X. Johnston and C. C. Henderson reported that 474 shares were represented in person or by proxy. It was ordered that the road from the center of Charlotte to Rozzelle Ferry be located as surveyed. L. E. Thompson advertised for bids for bridge at Rozzelle ferry. Specifications to be seen at Braley Oates, R. A. Rozzelle’s and V. A. McBee’s. Also bid for grading plank road from Charlotte to Rozzelle ferry and from the river to Lincolnton. This road was completed to Lincolnton in 1853. * * * * Married, in Charlotte by Rev. Cyrus Johnson, May 13, 1852, John Sloan of Greensboro, to E1i2a P. Graham, daughter of the. late John D. Graham. * * * * Motz Hotel built and owned by John Motz, completed in 1852, was the leading hotel in Western Carolina.. (Now the North State Hotel, 1934.) * * * * Died, June 8, 1852, in Lincoln County, Mrs. Adalaide M. Cansler, wife of Col. A. P. Cansler and daughter of George Conley, of Caldwell . County. Page 142 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLIII 1852 At a meeting of the Justices of the Peace, Lincoln County, in July 1852, it was decided that a new court house be built in Lincolnton and H. W. Guion, L. E. Thompson, C. C. Henderson, Jacob Ramsour, George Mosteller, Maxwell Warlick and B. S. Johnson were appointed commissioners to secure plans and let the contract fer building it. The contract was let to Jacob Ramsour, Maxwell Warlick and Caleb Miller. The corner stone was laid with Masonic ceremonies in August 1853, when an address was delivered by William Lander, and the building was completed about 1855. Haywood W. Guion drew the plans for the building. * * * * August, 1852. Advertisement in Charlotte Journal. Schedule Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad. Leave Columbia 7:15 A. M. Arrive at Fort Mill 11:10 P. M. Stages run from the head of the road to Charlotte. From Charlotte a line of stages to Salisbury and Raleigh. We hope by October 1st to be delivering freight in Charlotte. * * * * August 4, 1862. Nathaniel Wilson, a prominent citizen, an active supporter of the bill for the division of the County and a democratic candidate for re-election to the Legislature at the August election, was killed by a son-in-law named Wilson England, who cut him in the bowels and he died instantly. Wilson lived in Catawba but after the county division the three counties voted together for legislators until after 1852, as old Lincoln had four representatives in the House of Commons. His death occurred on the eve of the election and the result was J . A. Caldwell was elected as the fourth representative along with William Lander, John H. Wheeler and Henderson Sherrill. * * * * Gen. Winfield Scott has been nominated by the Whig Convention for the Presidency and Gov. William A. Graham (a native of Lincoln) for Vice President. * * * * David S. Reid, democrat, defeated John Kerr, Whig, for Governor on the free suffrage issue. Until then only those who owned 50 acres of land could vote for candidates for the State Senate. * * * * C. C. Henderson & Son and Jacob Ramsour & Son, of Lincolnton, both advertise leather for sale. * * * * The Lincolnton Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was organized August 14, 1852, by M. E. Comp. Myers Deputy Grand High Priest, assisted by Comp. Luke Blackmer of Salisbury, Page 143 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Robert H. Lewis of Milton and H. W. Hudson of Rittenhouse Chapter of Connecticut. The following officers were elected: Comp. James A. Caldwell, High Priest; E. S. Barrett, King; J. T. Alexander, Scribe; Augustus W. Burton, Captain of the Host; Lawson P, Henderson, Principle Sojourner; Martin D. Phifer, Royal Arch Captain; Dr. William Sloan, Master 1st Veil; Samuel Lander, Master 2nd Veil; Jacob Q. Carpenter, Master 3rd Veil; John A. Jetton, Janitor. C U I . Advertisement of Laurel Hill Tannery operated by Jacob Ramsour & Son. (1852). * * * * Lincoln Courier: Lincolnton Female Academy, Rev. C. H. Albert, Principal; C. C. Henderson, Chairman; 3. S. Johnson, Sec’y. Board of Trustees. December 1852. * * * * Governor Reid on December 9, 1852, advertised, offering a reward of $300.00 for Wilson England, late of Catawba County, who stands charged with the murder of one Nathaniel Wilson of said county. * * * * Judge M. L. McCorkle, with the vision of a seer, proposed that a college be built in Newton and it soon bore fruit for the German Reformed church set about to establish Catawba College. With the “Loretz Beneficiary Fund” and land donated by Reuben Setzer the college was established December 17, 1852, and the first board of trustees was composed of Joshua Clapp, Philo Hedrick, George Setzer, M. L. McCorkle and J . H. Cranford. The first president was C. H. Albert. Later H. H. Smith, a Bowdoin College graduate, from New Hampshire, was president and among those who served later were Dr. J. C. Clapp, from 1861 to 1900; Charles H. Mebane and others. Dr. Samuel Lander, for a while, and Major S. M. Finger were members of the faculty. The school did a wonderful work for this section. It was moved to Salisbury in 1922. 1853 “We are glad to learn that our personal friend, William Lander, of Lincolnton, has been elected Solicitor for this Judicial district. He will make a bold, fearless and efficient prosecuting officer.” January [1853. (Charlotte Journal.) * * * * Henry H. Smith was married to Mary Brent Hoke, daughter of the late Michal Hoke, in the Episcopal Church, in Lincolnton, on May 19, 1853, by Rev. T. S. W. Mott, Rector of that church. _ * * * * Married, by Rev. Mr. Little, in Gaston County, October 30, 1853. Miss J. H. C. Jenkins, daughter of Hugh Jenkins, to D. H. Byerly, of Charlotte. (She was a sister of the late Mr. J . C. Jenkins, of Lincolnton.) * * * * Page 144 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Advertisement: John Reep offers 30 reward and no thanks for delivery of Elijah Sane an indented apprentice between 16 and 17 years old, who ran away from me, December 19, 1853. * * * * Rev. Samuel Lander, Jr., was married to Laura McPherson, in Lincolnton, December 20, 1853, by Rev. Samuel Lander, father of the groom. * * * * Motz Hotel, Lincolnton, Thomas R. Shuford, Proprietor. 1854 Jacob Shuford died January 18, 1854, aged 45. * * * * Eli H. Fulenwider was married in Lincolnton, February 28, 1854. to Martha Lander, daughter of Rev. Samuel Lander. The officiating minister was Rev. William I. Langdon. * * * * Jacob Rush died April 13, 1854, aged 56. * * * * George P. Langford, of Lincoln county, murdered his wife, September 10, 1852, was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. William Lander was the States Attorney, who examined 150 witnesses, took no memorandum of evidence but argued the case before the jury for a full day without notes. Haywood W. Guion an able lawyer was counsel for the defendant, who appealed to Supreme, Court for a new trial. The Supreme Court in its opinion rendered by Judge Nash sustained the ruling of Judge Caldwell the trial Judge. Langford confessed the crime on the scaffold immediately before he paid the death penalty in 1854. * * * * Dr. William Johnston, a prominent physician and son of the Revolutionary patriot, James Johnston, died September 30, 1854, aged 64 years, and the burial was at Machpelah. * * * * Carolina Guion, daughter of Mr. Haywood W. Guion, died in Lincolnton, September 4, 1854. She died in the Episcopal faith and the burial was in the Churchyard across from the Guion home on North Cedar Street. Page 145 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLIV 1854 Railroad meeting in Lincolnton, October 19, 1854}. Gen. Daniel Seagle, Chairman: B. S. Guion, Secretary. After L. E. Thompson explained the object of the meeting, the chair appointed C. C. Henderson, John F. Hoke, W. B. Withers, Richard A. Burch, Robert Brevard, Caleb Miller, Dr. William McLean, James A. Caldwell, James Johnston, B. S. Guion. Jacob Ramsour, L. E. Thompson, Henry Cansler. B. H. Sumner, H. W. Guion, B. S. Johnson, V. A. McBee, W. J. Hoke, Di‘. Elam Caldwell and R. R. Templeton delegates to General Internal Improvement Convention in Salisbury, November 2nd, next. * * * * November 11, 1854, B. S. Guion and J. F. Hoke advertise for sale the saw mill three miles east or Lincolnton, on Plank Road, together with 18 mules and wagons. * * * * Robert Johnston, son of Col. James Johnston, married April 21, 1807 to Mary Reid, daughter of Capt. John Reid. They reared a family of twelve children, among whom were Dr. Sidney X. Johnston, Col. William Johnston and Rufus M. Johnston. * * * * Dr. William Johnston, youngest son of Col. James Johnston, was a physician and a successful business man, engaged for many years in the manufacture of iron in Lincoln county. Member of the House of Commons from Lincoln 1820. He was married to Nancy, daughter of Gen. Peter Forney, October 3, 1820 and reared a large family. His daughter, Annie, married Dr. Joseph W. Gallaway, of Rutherford. She died in 1928 in Alabama, age 101 years. Five of his sons, Capt. James F., Gen. Robert D., Capt. William A., Capt. Joseph F., and Midshipman Bartlett Shipp Johnston, all were soldiers of the Confederacy. Several of these Were distinguished men. Dr. Johnston died Sept. 30, 1854, aged 64 years, and was buried at Machpelah. * * * * William Rankin was born in Pennsylvania, January 10, 1761. He came to Tryon, afterwards Lincoln county, when a young man. He married to Mary Moore, sister of Gen. John Moore. In the days of the Revolution he proved to be a brave patriot and served his country Well in field and camp. He was a useful citizen and died in 1854 at the ripe age of 93. His son, Col. Richard Rankin, was for long years a fine citizen and represented the county in the Legislature of 1844-1850 and 1856. * * * * Rufus Reid, son of Capt. John Reid of Catawba Springs, died at his home in Iredell county in 1854 in his 66th year. He represented Iredell in the House of Commons for two terms, 1844 and 1846, and was a progressive citizen of that county. Page 146 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 147 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1855 The Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad Incorporated 1855, has opened books for subscriptions in Lincolnton with Henry Cansler, J. F. Hoke, L. D. Childs, J. T. Alexander and B. S. Johnson, Soliciting Committee. * * * * Robert Nixon and Milly Womack Were married by R. H. Abernethy, Justice of Peace on April 24th, 1855. They Were parents of the late Alfred Nixon, of Lincolnton. May 7, 1855. Subscriptions for stock or the Wilmington-Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad have been secured as follows, from: Rutherford, $30,000 Shelby, $40,000 Lincolnton, $105,000 Dallas, $50,000 Beals Old Field, $30,000 Hopewell, $50,000 * * * * Robert Williamson has been chosen Clerk of Superior Court for Lincoln county. * * * * Samuel N. Stowe, candidate for Congress on the Know Nothing, or American Party ticket, was defeated by Burton Craig, of Salisbury. 1856 William Williamson for many years a reputable lawyer of Lincolnton, died May 20, 1856, of dropsy, aged 45. He was a son of the late Robert Williamson who resided in Lincoln and well known as a lawyer in Western Carolina. William Lander in a tribute paid to him said: “Few men possessed so many ennobling qualities of head and heart. He was kind, charitable, generous to a fault and was remarkable for his amiability and courtliness. He left many relatives and friends and died without an enemy.” * * * * Birth at sea, October 1, 1856, on board steamer Roanoke at 9 P. M. off Barnegat, West by South, the lady of J. Wilkes, Esq., of Charlotte, was delivered of a girl named Isabelle Roanoke, in honor of the steamer on which she was born. (Charlotte Journal.) Haywood W. Guion, of Lincolnton, has been elected President of Wilmington—Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad. Page 148 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1857 Copy of a letter which the writer received from Mr. George M. Lore, of Concord, N. C., bearing the date January 4, 1926, and which will be interesting to many people: About 1856 or 1857 I was a. boy nine or ten years old and was in Lincolnton, N. C., with my father. About 12 o'clock a friend of my father, Charles Coatsworth Henderson, called to us to go with him to dinner. After dinner Mr. Henderson Went cut but soon returned with something wrapped in paper, and then said: Mr. Lore, I went to New Orleans on business a few Weeks ago and got through with the business quicker than I expected, and as I had not seen my brother, Pinckney, for fifteen years decided to take a stage and go to Austin, Texas, to visit him. When I reached Austin, about 11 o'clock in the morning I went to the hotel and prepared to meet my brother. Coming down into the lobby I inquired where I might find Governor Henderson. Some gentleman spoke up and said, Governor Henderson was in the Senate Chamber addressing the Senate on some matter. So I went to the door and the door-keeper gave me a direct look and said, “you must be a brother of the Governor,” I told him I was but that my brother had not seen me for fifteen years and would not know me. He took me down the aisle and gave me an end seat. As I sat down I noticed my brother halt in his talk and give a look in my direction, and in a few words told the Senate he would finish what he had to say later. He picked up his hat when he got to me caught me by the ear and led me out saying, “Even a Henderson can’t get lost in Texas.” This incident caused me to remember all that followed. Mr. Henderson said, on Opening the package, “Mr. Lore, Brother Pinckney gave me five heads of what he called sorghum seed and further said we are making a fine quality of molasses out of it, take it home and see if you can grow it in the Old North State, We got it here a few years ago from some Island and find it a valuable plant.” Now. Mr. Lore, I can’t look after my farming interests very close and I am going to give you three heads and ask you to give it a fair trial, which task was gladly accepted by my father, who planted it in good ground and had nearly an acre of as good cane as you ever saw grow. When it was ripe the molasses making started and a great many people from all over the State, and other States got seed to plant the next year, and from this started the cultivation of this valuable plant all over the South. When the war came on a few years later it was a great; boon to the South, as sugar was not obtained except in Louisiana. I am almost sure this was the first seed of this plant that came East of the Mississippi River, and Charles Coatsworth Henderson and his brother, Pinckney were alike responsible for its being brought here. G. M. LORE. Note: It is hardly probable that this was the first sorghum seed ever planted in Lincoln, but an improved quality of Seed for the people in the early days used sorghum for sugar. Page 149 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLV 1857 Col. William Julius Alexander, a brilliant orator and lawyer, died in Lincolnton, Sunday, February 15, 1857. * * * * Dr. James W. Calloway, a native of Rutherford, but for some years a physician in East Lincoln, died May 15, 1857, aged 72 years. His wife was Ann Johnston, daughter of Dr. William Johnston. * * * * Married by Rev. Dr. Drury Lacy, July 16, 1857, Major T. J . Jackson, Professor in Military Academy at Lexington, Virginia, to Mary Anna, daughter of Rev. R. H. Morrison. * * * * S. P. Sherrill was married December 7, 1857, to Sarah C. Lander, daughter of Rev. Samuel Lander, of Lincolnton. The officiating minister was Rev. John W. Kelly. * * * * Died, December 23, 1857, Mrs. Catherine Hoke, wife of Col. John F. Hoke, and daughter of the late Col. William Julius Alexander. * * * * Andrew Hoyle, the third son of Peter Hoyle, the pioneer, married to Catherine, daughter of Major George Wilfong. a soldier of the Revolution. He was known as the rich Hoyle and lived at Hoylesville, three miles east of Dallas. When he died in 1857 he left large landed property, stores and 31m es. It is Laid that his personal property converted into cash amounted to $200,000.00, the largest single estate ever left in Gaston county prior to the Civil War. He had fine business qualities and wide influence. He was Senator, from Lincoln three terms: 1807 - 1809. 1. His son. Eli Hoyle married first to Cynthia Ramsour and their children were Mrs. Thomas Grier, Mrs. Henry W. Burton, Mrs. E. S. Barrett and Laban A. Hoyle. Eli Hoyle’s second marriage was to Elizabeth, daughter of Alfred M. Burton of Beatties Ford. By this marriage there was one son, Alfred E. Hoyle, who died in defense of his country in battle of Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, aged 18 years. 2. One daughter by his first marriage, Mary, married to Jacob Fulenwider and their children were: 1. Roxanne, who married Rev. Jacob Shuford. 2. Sarah, who married Monroe Forney. 3. Elizabeth, who married Dr. W. J . T. Miller. Page 150 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 4. Eli H., who married Martha Lander. * * * * Larkin Stowe (Aug. 23, 1788—June 12, 1851, son of James Stowe, one of the early settlers in Lincoln county) figured prominently in public affairs for many years, and was a highly respected and influential citizen. He represented Lincoln in the Commons in 1842 and in the Senate 1844 and 1846, and was Councilor of State in 1854. He married Susan Spratt Neal and had four sons, all of whom became leaders in both business and public life. Among them were Col. Jasper Stowe (1821 - 1902) a greathearted gentleman and immensely popular. He, with his brother, E. B. Stowe (1823 - 1904) established a cotton factory on the South Fork river in lower Gaston county in the early 1850’s and operated it successfully until the Civil War, when fortune turned. After the war it was taken over by Thomas H. Gaither, and operated by him for some years until it was abandoned. Jasper Stowe was Senator from Lincoln in 1860 and from Gaston in 1881. Samuel N. Stowe (1822-1894) was in the House of Commons from Lincoln in 1848 and 50, but in 1854 he ran on the Know-nothing ticket for Congress against Burton Craige and was defeated. Later he moved to Texas. Col. William A. Stowe represented Gaston in the House in 1872 and 1874. Dr. William Sloan, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Col. Larkin Stowe, for many years practiced medicine in Dallas; was the delegate from Gaston to the Constitutional convention of 1865; State Treasurer in 1865 and later was President of the Wilmington-Charlotte and Rutherford railroad. He died in Charlotte about 1885. * * * * 1858 General James Pinckney Henderson was born in Lincolnton March 31, 1808, son of Major Lawson Henderson and Elizabeth (Caruth) Henderson; was educated at Pleasant Retreat Academy in Lincolnton; studied law and admitted to the bar in 1829 and at once gave promise of a brilliant career for he was an eloquent speaker and soon took high rank in legal circles. In 1835 he moved to Canton, Miss., and there established himself in the law, but in 1836 when the Texas revolution broke out “he heeded the call of the wild" organized a company of troops for service in behalf of Texas freedom, went with his Company to Austin, was there commissioned as Brigadier General- returned to the United States, called for volunteers and among those secured were a goodly number of Lincoln men, who under command of John B. Harry went to Texas but arrived after the victory at San Jacinto and the establishment of the Republic of Texas. President Sam Houston appointed Henderson to the important post of Attorney General in his cabinet in 1836 and after a year made him Secretary of State. In 1838 he was appointed Minister to France and England and after protracted diplomatic effort on his part France recognized the Texas republic as in independent nation. Page 151 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Returning from France he was sent to Washington in 1844 to represent Texas and perfected the terms for the admission of Texas into the union in 1845. He was one of the prominent members of the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1845; was elected as the first Governor of Texas in 1846 and while Governor volunteered as a soldier and served as Major General in the Mexican war with such distinction that congress presented him with a sword for gallantry. When the war closed he resumed his duties as Governor but refused to accept the salary for the time he spent in military service. When his term as Governor expired he declined re-election and resumed the practice of law. Upon the death of Senator Rusk in 1857 he was appointed to fill that vacancy and served as Senator from Texas until he died in Washington, June 4, 1858 and his body was buried in the Congressional Cemetery. In 1932 the remains were removed by the, State of Texas to Austin for final interment in the State which he had served with honor and distinction. General Henderson was classed along with Gen. Sam Houston and William B. Ochiltree as the three greatest citizens who have figured in Texas history. * * * * Died, in Concord, June 27, 1858, Mrs. Eugenia Barringer, wife of Rufus Barringer and daughter of Rev. R. H. Morrison. * * * * August 24, 1858. Bids are advertised for to build a brick Methodist Church in Lincolnton, 42‘ by 54 feet in size, with tower 64 feet high. All to be completed by December 1, 1859. Samuel Lander, John E. Boger, H. W. Abernathy, J. C. Jenkins, W. H. Michal, Committee. * * * * Married by Rev. E. W. Thompson in Union, S. C., September 15, 1858, Eli H. Fulenwider, of Shelby and Mrs.'Mary C. McConnell. * * * * At a meeting of the stockholders of W. C. & R. Railway, H. W. Guion was elected President, V. A. McBee, Treasurer of Western Division and C. O. Henderson. Director. Page 152 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLVI 1858 John D. Shaw was married November 2, 1858 to Margaret B. Henderson, daughter of C. C. Henderson, by Rev. R. N. Davis. * * * * Died in Lincoln County near Catawba river, December 9, 1858, Thomas Williamson, aged 85. * * * * Died in Lincolnton, December 21, 1858, Robert Williamson, Clerk of Superior Court, aged 45. * * * * Advertisement: Charlotte Hotel, J. B. Kerr, Proprietor. The house has been thoroughly furnished throughout and in every part of it creature Comforts are abundant and tangible, especially in the dining room where the “inner man is renewed day by day." Table board $8.00 per month, with room and fire $12.50 per month. Connected with this hotel are stables affording room for 100 horses. 1859 Died in Gaston County, January 19, 1859, Hugh Jenkins, aged 71, father of J. C. Jenkins, of Lincolnton. * * * * Mecklenburg Bonds offered for sale by H. W. Guion, President. W. C. & R. Railroad. * * * * Advertisement: North Carolina Military Institute, Charlotte, N. C. Major D. H. Hill, Superintendent. Expense $800.00 per year. * * * * Executors Sale, at Hoylesville, Gaston County, March 17, 1859. 9 Negroes, 1 good wagon, horses, mules, cattle, household goods, etc. W. P. Bynum, Thomas Grier, Executors of Estate of Andrew Hoyle, deceased. * * * * Married in Lincolnton March 25, 1859, at the residence of Jacob A. Ramseur the bride’s father, David Schenck to Miss Sallie Ramseur, of Lincolnton. * * * * Page 153 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Died in Shelby, August 24, 1859, Rev. William I. Langdon, President of High Point Seminary. The body was buried in the Methodist graveyard in Lincolnton. * * * * Alfred M. Burton, a son of Col. Robert Burton was born in Granville County in 1785. He was educated at the State University. settled in Lincoln county and admitted to the bar in 1807. On June 1, 1811 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Col. John Fulenwider and lived at Beatties Ford. His brother, Judge Robert H. Burton married a sister of Mrs. Alfred Burton. Mr. Burton was a lawyer and had a good practice, which, together with his large landed interests, took all of his time. He ranked high as a lawyer among the many men of mark in the profession, among whom, during his fifty years in the practice included James Graham, Robert Williamson, Robert H. Burton, Bartlett Shipp, Michal Hoke, James R. Dodge, W. P. Bynum, William Lander, William Julius Alexander and others. He was an old fashioned Southern gentleman, courtly in hearing, honorable to a high degree, dignified, charitable and influential. He never sought public office “choosing rather to obey rather than to execute the law.” He reared a large family among whom were Mrs. Sarah V. Young, Mrs. Eli Hoyle. Mrs. Connor and Miss Fannie Burton. The late Alfred Burton Young, a prominent citizen of Concord was his grandson and Burton H. Smith of Charlotte a great grandson. He died in 1859 and his body rests in the family plot in the Unity Church Cemetery. 1860 Dr. Eli Crowell was married to Miss M. B. Lowrance, April 9, 1860. * * * * Married, by Rev. R. N. Davis, in Lincolnton, April 18, 1860, Mr. William Tiddy, to Pattie P., daughter of Dr. J. C. Rudisill. * * * * June 1, 1860. Died in Lincoln county last week, Charles W. Hammerscold, aged 62 years. * * * * Amendments to the Charter of Lincolnton, 1860: That the Commissioners shall have power to levy and cause to be collected in the manner prescribed by the Charter, the following taxes: 1. Public billiard tables not exceeding $25.00. 2. On every bowling alley, whether called 9 or 10 pin alley $15.00. 3. On all lectures for reward, unless for charitable purpose $5.00. 4. On all artists or picture takers, not exceeding $10.00. 5. On all riding or pleasure vehicles of vale of $50.00 or upward, tax of $1.00. 6. On all gold watches, except those worn by ladies, $1.00. 7. On all silver watches, $ .50c. 8. On all pianos, except those used in schools, $1.00. 9. On all pistols, $1.00. Page 154 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 10. On all dirks, bowie knives or sword canes if worn about the person, $2.00. 11. On all itinerant traders, not residents, 5% on all sales. 12. On every pack of playing cards sold, $ .20c. 13. Livery stables, not over $10.00. 14. All non-residents engaged in putting up lightning rods, $10.00. Page 155 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina No person shall sell spirituous liquors in quantities less than a quart, but by vote of the people license may be granted to sell same by small measure. * * * * Harland Bone, alias Edward Icem, was born in Jackson County. Georgia about 1830. In 1859 he murdered James Cornelius, a prominent citizen of Lincoln county who lived on the Catawba river a few miles North of Beatties Ford. Bone was convicted at Dallas, sentenced to death and later paid the death penalty at Dallas, May 25, 1860. * * * * Married, in Dallas, November 29, 1860, Dr. William Sloan to Miss E. E., daughter of Larkin Stowe. * * * * After a heated presidential campaign with four candidates for the Presidency, namely, Douglas. Northern Democrat; Breckinridge, Southern Democrat; John Bell, American; and Abraham Lincoln, Republican, the last named was elected to the Presidency in November, 1860, and the South fearful of the effect in the slave states was greatly alarmed. South Carolina seceded from the Union December 17, 1860, and the country was on the verge of war. * * * * At a meeting held in Lincolnton, December 1, 1860, with C. C. Henderson, Chairman, and A. Costner and V. A. McBee, Secretaries, serious consideration was given to the war situation and the attitude that should be taken. William Lander offered a resolution endorsing the message of Governor Ellis and demanding perfect equality in the Union. After speeches by John Coulter, Henry Cansler and V. A. McBee the resolutions were adopted. * * * * Schedules on W. C. & R. Railroads; Trains leave Charlotte at 9 A. M., Arrive at Brevard (now Stanley) at 10:30. Hacks to Lincolnton. V. A. McBee, Master of Transportation. * * * * The Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherford Railroad Was completed to Lincolnton late in the year 1860, and the first train to arrive was welcomed by a vast multitude enthused because Lincolnton -Was at last by rail opened to the outside world. Page 156 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLVII 1861 Mr. T. J. Bolton, publisher of the N. C. Whig, died in Charlotte in January 1861. He had been publisher since 1830 of the Charlotte Journal, later called the Charlotte Jeffersonian and last called the North Carolina Whig. (For several years after his death, his wife was editor and publisher of the paper.) * * * * Married, May 1, 1861, the Rev. R. Z. Johnston, to Misa Kittie M. Caldwell, daughter of R. B. Caldwell. * * * * The war began at Charleston, S. C., when Fort Sumpter fell, on April 13, 1861. * * * * Alphonso C. Avery, of Morganton, was married February 21, 1861, to Susan Morrison, daughter of Rev. Dr. R. H. Morrison, of Lincoln county, by Rev. M. G. Kirkpatrick. * * * * The Southern Stars, 8 Lincolnton Military Company, Was organized April 22, 1861, and in less than two months took part in the first battle of the Civil war at Bethel. April 25th, when they started to the war was a sad day to those they left behind. Before they departed a beautiful flag was presented by Rev. Samuel Lander in the name of the ladies of the twin, and accepted in appropriate words by Sergeant L. J. Hoyle. Prayers were offered by Rev. L. M. Berry (Baptist), Rev. C. T. Bland (Episcopal), Rev. R. N. Davis (Presbyterian) and Rev. G. W. Ivey (Methodist). Then the soldiers followed by a large company of friends, marched to the depot and were off for war and engaged in the first battle at Bethel. The 97 men composing the company were: William J. Hoke, Captain; W. M. Reinhardt, lat Lieut; Robert F. Hoke, 2nd Lieut; and Edward E. Sumner, 3rd Lieut; Sergeants: W. R. Edwards, A. S. Haynes, E. W. Stubbs, L. J. Hoyle and John F. Speck. Corporals: Thomas J. Cansler, D. A. Coon, L. A. Dellinger, William Summerow. A. A. Ramsour, Ensign and Dr. J. M. Abernethy, Surgeon. Privates: William Adams, Hiram W‘. Abernathy, James L. Alexander, J. A. Ames, M. A. Bland, T. J. Ballard, James Ballard, Perry Boyd, R. E. Brown, John Brookhead, James C. Conley, James Cody, Jesse 'Cody, John E. Close, Peter Dellinger, Jacob Dellinger, Lafayette Eamy, Erick Erson, B. F. Grigg, Ephriam-Garrison, John Gathon, H. M. Goodson, G. M. Hoke, M. M. Hines, H. S. Hines, J. Hoke, Marcus Henry, A. M. Houser, A. J. Hand, W. H. Howell, J. A. Hawkins, John Hayes, J. P. Hawkins, Thomas Hope, A. J. Houser, J. W. Houser, B. W. Hargrove, A. L. Haynes, F. Holbrook, O. L. Jackson, W. H. Jetton, Samuel Lander, Jr., C. L. Lenhardt, J. Letherman, C. L. Lines, John Lyons, William Martin, A. J. Mooney, Henry W. Morton, J. F. Millsaps, James Nichols, A. J. Purdue, J. G. Rudisill, J. Pendergrass, J. W. Pettus, J. F. Reinhardt, J. W. Reinhardt, O. A. Ramsour, W. G. Ramseur, W. R. Raglan, J. Roney, W. S. Rush, W. M. Rodgers, John G. Stamey, W. H. Shuford, G. W, Shuford, M. H. Smith, J. I. Smith, J. O. Sullivan, W. A. Smith, Allen R. Stowe, J. E. Sumner, Robert Stroupe, Nelson Sherrill, W. A. Page 157 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Sherrill, William White, J. D. Wells, Angus Wingate, Murchison Wingate, Adolphus Wacaster, R. M. Warlick, W. A. Williams. (Condensed from Lincoln Courier, 1861.) Robert F. Hoke became a Major General. William J. Hoke was promoted to Colonel. A. S. Haynes, W. R. Edwards, John F. Speck and B. F. Grigg became captains. L. J. Hoyle and D. A. Coon, Lieutenants. * * * * About the same time the Beatties Ford Riflemen was organized with the following as a partial list of the members: Thomas Asbury, Mark Ballard, Monroe Ballard, Clem Blythe, William Burch, James Burch, Henry Connor, John Caldwell, George Dellinger, Henry Fulenwider, Monroe Gabriel, Albert Gabriel, Charles Gattis, Frank Goodson, Albert Goodson, Alfred Hoyle, William Hunter, Stanhope Hunter, Andrew Hall, Thomas Hall, Green Hager, Sidney Huger, Robert Huger, Henry Howard, James F. Johnston, William Johnston, R. D. Johnston, James H. Johnston, Adolphus King, James King, Jacob Killian, John Killian, William Lockman, L. A. Lockman, Eli Lockman, Alfred Little, Hugh Little, James Little, Sr., Robert Little, Jr., Connor Little, Wash Little, Jacob Lineberger, Jacob Long, Isaac Lynch, James Moore, William Munday, Mark Munday, Josiah Munday, James McCall, Joseph Nance, Mark Nance, T. H. Proctor, Pink Rendleman, John Regan, William Ruddock, Erastus Rodgers, Daniel Reinhardt, Thomas Shelton, Spencer Shelton, Albert Shelton, S. L. Thompson, John Thempson, William Torrence, Needham Wingate, John Washam, John White, Ansolem Withers. There were in all 82 men in the company. * * * * The officers elected Were: A. H. Houston, Captain; W. P. Bynum, 1st Lieut; Robert D. Johnston, 2nd Lieut; and R. B. B. Houston, 3rd Lieut. At Garysburg, in June, 1861, the company was reorganized with Robert D. Johnston, captain; William Johnston, 1st Lieut; J. F. Goodson, 2nd Lieut; and William Hunter, 3rd Lieut. Lieut. W. P. Bynum was the only married man in the company and was commissioned May 8, 1861, Lieut. Colonel and promoted to Colonel September 17. 1862. He resigned in December, 1863, to accept the office of State Solicitor for the Lincolnton district. * * * * The Southern Stars and Beatties Ford Rifles were but two of the nine companies that went into the Confederate Army from Lincoln County. The seven other companies were commanded as follows: 1. George W. Seagle, Captain; Thomas J. Seagle, 1st Lieut; Lee Johnson, 2nd Lieut; Sidney A. Shuford, Jr., 3rd Lieut; Augustus P. James, 1st Sergeant. 2. John F. Hill, Captain; James F. Seagle, 1st Lieut; Henry Rhodes, 2nd Lieut. 3. A. S. Haynes, Captain; D. A. Coon, 1st Lieut; L. J. Hoyle, 2nd Lieut; O. A. Ramsour, 3rd Lieut. Page 158 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 4. Eric Erson, Captain; William A. Summerow, 1st Lieut; L. A. Dellinger, 2nd Lieut; A. R. Nisbet, 1st Sergeant. 5. Joseph B. Shelton, Captain; James M. Kincaid, 1st. Lieut; Daniel Wells, 2nd Lieut; Henry Wells, Jr., 3rd Lieut; William D. Thompson, 1st. Sergeant. 6. John F. Speck, Captain; John H. Boyd, 1st Lieut; Philip Carpenter, 2nd Lieut; J. Q. Carpenter, 3rd Lieut; Thomas J. Cansler, 1st Sergeant. 7. Peter Z. Baxter, Captain; George L. Phifer, 1st Lieut; James T. Adams, 2nd Lieut; T. W. Lindsay, 3rd Lieut. Among the Lincoln men who were in high command were Major Gen. Stephen Dodson Ramsour, Major General Robert F. Hoke and Brig. Gen. Robert D. Johnston, all Lincoln soldiers, besides Major Gen. John H. Forney and Brig. Gen. William H. Forney, natives of Lincoln county but volunteers from Alabama. Lincoln county had a population in 1860 of 8,195 — when We deduct 2,206, Negroes, We have left 5,999 white men, women and children in the county. With less than 6,000 white population the county furnished from start to finish 1,311 soldiers to the Confederate Army. That record is hard to beat. They were patriots, for they fought for what they thought was right. * * * * Legislative Acts of 1861 Pertaining to Lincoln County Incorporation of Balls Creek Camp Ground with George S. Hooper, Henry Cline, Elias Smoyer, Hendersou Sherrill and John F. Paine as Trustees (with power to fill vacancies) of the property given for the use of the Methodist Church. (Private Laws 1861. page 39.) * * * * The Lincoln Copper and Gold Mining Company with Henry Cansler, John F. Hoke, William J. Hoke, Francis Hoke and Daniel Seagle, constitute a body corporate and politic by the above name. (Private Laws 1861, page 91.) Page 159 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLVIII 1861 Salem Camp Ground with 4 acres and for the use of the Baptist Church (situated 4 miles South of Lincolnton) with Bartlette Stroupe, William Garrision, and Thomas R. Shuford, Trustees, with power to create vacancies. (Private LaWs 1861, page 41.) * * * * The Constitutional Convention met in Raleigh and the secession ordinance was adopted unanimously, May 20, 1861. North Carolina was the last one of the Colonies to adopt the Federal Constitution and came into the Union too late to take part in the first election of Washington to the Presidency. She was also the last of the Southern States to secede, but being sandwiched between Virginia and South Carolina, both of which had withdrawn, the delegates decided there was nothing else to do. William Lander was the delegate from Lincoln, but later when elected to the Confederate Congress he resigned and David Schenck was chosen as Convention delegate to succeed Lander. * * * * June 18, 1861. "Mr. William Tiddy, Sr., leaves for the seat of war Thursday night and will cheerfully take any small packages, letters, etc., parents and friends will do well to look to this chance." * * * * “For Congress—William Lander, of Lincoln.” N. C. Whig, Oct. 15, 1861. * * * * Dr. David Warlick Schenck, for many years a physician in Lincolnton, and father of Judge David Schenck, died in Lincolnton, December 20, 1861. * * * * Notice: I will sell for cash at public square in Charlotte, January 1, 1862, two likely Negroes; a man 55 and a woman 34. Maxwell Warlick. (December 24, 1861.) 1862 At a political meeting held in Charlotte, March 8, 1862, with John Walker, Chairman, and L. S. Williams, Secretary, speeches were made by James W. Osborne, David M. Lee, A. C. Williamson and others. The Resolutions Committee was composed of J. W. Osborne, W. J. Yates, William Johnston, J. H. Wilson, Dr. J. M. Miller, W. M. Matthews, James H. Davis, Dr. J. M. Ross, J. S. Davis, J. M. Potts and J. M. Hutchison. Col. William Johnston was endorsed for Governor and was later nominated as the war candidate for that office but was defeated at the polls by Col. Zebulon B. Vance, who distinguished himself later as the War Governor of the State. Page 160 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * John T. Butler, the Charlotte jeweler, advertises that he will pay the highest cash price for 500 ounces of gold. * * * * V. A. McBee, Master of Transportation, advertises railroad schedules from Charlotte to Lincolnton, 1862. * * * * Dr. E. L. Dusenberry, a Lincolnton physician, died April 25, 1862, in his 38th year. * * * * Captain Sidney A. Shuford, Co. B. 23rd N. C. Regiment, C. S. A. killed in battle of Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, aged 25 years. * * * * Winchester Pegram was a leading citizen, born in Lincoln county June 23, 1799. He married in 1818 to Mary, daughter of Jacob Stowe, and died in Dallas, Nov. 28, 1862. He was a good man, a merchant, kept hotel in Dallas and reared a family of splendid sons, and daughters, among whom were Miles P., long time a Charlotte banker, W. W., E. L., Theodore and Frank Pegram. Mary married H. N. Ward and Violet married first W. F. Holland and second to Jacob Froneberger of Dallas. 1863 Captain B. F. Grigg, on furlough from the war, was married January 1, 1863, to Mary McCoy, daughter of Abner McCoy, by Rev. R. N. Davis. * * * * Monroe Seagle wrote from camp that David A. Coon had been killed in battle, but later discovered that he had been wounded. * * * * Rev. Samuel Lander, Jr., in 1863 established a school called the Lincolnton Seminary, in the present North State Hotel building. * * * * Hua Little, a respected citizen of the Beatties Ford section was murdered by two of his slaves on February 25, 1863. They were tried and convicted of the crime and publicly hanged in the same year at the plantation where the crime was committed. * * * * Page 161 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina General Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson (Jan. 21, 1824 - May 10, 1863) was severely wounded by the fire of his own men May 2 and died of pneumonia at Guineys Station, South of Fredericksburg, May 10, 1863. He graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1846. In the Mexican War he was commended by Gen. Scott and was a Brevet Major. He resigned his commission in U. S. Army in 1861 and joined the Confederate Army. He was ordered to Richmond April 21, 1861 and when his name Was presented for a Commission a member of the Convention asked: “Who is this Major Jackson?” He was a devout Christian, rigid in observance of the Sabbath, would not mail a letter that would be in transit on Sunday and prayed much the night before a battle. He was absolutely loyal to Lee and said he would follow him blindfolded. When he died Lee said: “I know not how to replace him.” A historian has said of him: "The army of Northern Virginia was never the same after Jackson died, and though Lee conducted in 1864 some most brilliant maneuvers he did not find another Lieutenant who so well understood him, or could execute his orders with such powerful, coordinated hammer strokes of attack. In any list of the half a dozen greatest American soldiers, Jackson is included by virtually all critics, though his career of field service in the Confederate Army was limited to hardly more than two years and his opportunities for independent command were few and brief.” While the world admires the brilliant record of this brave soldier, Lincoln county folks feel closer to him because six years before his death he married to Mary Anna Morrison a Lincoln county lady. His record is known to all the world. His body was buried in Lexington, Va., where he had been instructor in the Virginia Military Institute prior to the war. 1864 Vardry McBee for many years a leading citizen of Lincolnton, where he became wealthy as a saddle maker and merchant, and who served for 21 years (1812-1833) as Clerk of the County Court, died in Greenville, S. C., January 23, 1864. * * * * William Wilson Broadfoot, of Fayetteville, a youth of fifteen years, visiting in Lincolnton. was accidentally killed near the Cansler Spring April 16, 1864. He, with a number of other boys were out hunting. He hid himself, secure as he thought, behind a huge oak tree and told one of the Burton boys to shoot. Young Burton was slow to obey and Broadfoot peeped around the side of the tree to see what caused the delay at the very second Burton pulled his trigger. Broadfoot was shot in the head and killed. It was all a deplorable accident Which brought sorrow to the friends and community. The body of Broadfoot was buried in the Episcopal graveyard. Page 162 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XLIX (missing) Page 163 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. L 1865 In March 1865 immediately before the surrender foodstuff sold in Confederate money, as follows: Bacon, $7.50 a pound; corn, $30.00 a bushel; potatoes, $30 a bushel; salt, $70 a bushel; eggs, $5.00 a dozen; flour, $500.00 a barrel and molasses, $25.00 a gallon. Many people wore clothes patched in many colors. Hats were made of wheat straw and when leather was very scarce some even were wooden shoes. That was the most terrible depression ever known in America, but the people by slow degrees Worked their way out of it. * * * * The great Civil War which had been waged for four long years came to an end when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, April 9, 1865. * * * * President Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theater, in Washington, April 14, 1865, and died the following day. * * * * It was about April 20, 1865 that a conquering army marched into Lincolnton from Newton. It was the Federal Cavalry Brigade of Gen. John C. Palmer, composed of some five thousand troops. When I saw that long procession of “blue coats” ride down the streets in front of our home, not knowing what it all meant, I was filled with fear and amazement. Why did all that host come to feed upon a people who had no bread to spare? Had not Lee and Grant at Appomattox made full settlement and brought peace to the Nation? General Palmer found quarters for himself and staff at the home of Col. John F. Phifer, a leading citizen who lived then in the house now occupied by Mr. J. A. Abernethy, 021 West Main Street. (This General Palmer in 1896 was the candidate of sound money democrats for President against William Jennings Bryan.) I have never heard of any shocking brutalities committed by these troops in Lincolnton, but some of them came by night and seized my little white pony and led it away. My uncle, Dr. Samuel Lander, who at the time was principal of a girls school in the present North State Hotel, diagonally across the street from the Military headquarters, (Col. Phifer’s) and it was said because he was a Mason that he had influence with Gen. Palmer, who was also a. Mason, thus protecting the community from the cruelty and robbery of the irresponsible soldiers. Let that be as it may, General Palmer at the request of Dr. Lander had my pony returned to our stable. As a five year old child, watching as the invading army entered the village, little did I dream that some “rough necked” soldier in that group had the day before in Newton, for no provocation, shot and killed a brave Confederate Lieutenant, Charles T. Connor, who had for four years been a gallant soldier of the South. It was a brutal and cowardly act. That young Lieutenant, killed April 17, 1865, left a Page 164 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina little three year old girl, who grew to womanhood and in 1881 became my wife and still abides with me. (1935.) * * * * It Was a conquering army which came to Lincolnton in April, 1865. But one day later in that same month of April ,I saw a part of a defeated army, a long line of men, poorly clad, march up the streets in Lincolnton from the old depot. Some were halt and lame, and some with one arm or one eye. Four years before, these brave men With high hopes Went forth to reap the glories and the victories of war. They had braved many battles and left many of their comrades slain on bloody fields. They came home discouraged, by defeat and found the country impoverished on account of the long and fruitless struggle. It was springtime — the world looked new with its fresh foliage and flowers, but coming home with downcast hopes these men saw no poetry or sentiment in nature. They were weary and hungry, returning to find welcome and to look again upon the faces of those they loved, and to discover the changes which anxiety and hardship had wrought upon the mothers and wives. They found the fields laid waste, the garners empty, the farm tools and stock exhausted and no crops planted. In desperation they went to work and built a mighty state upon the ruins of the old. The morning these Confederate soldiers were to return, my aunt gathered all the roses in the garden and as these brave men, in defeat walked by, I handed out roses to them, little realizing the tender sentiment expressed in the deed. What a contrast there was in April, 1865, in the coming of a conquering and of a defeated army! * * * * It was a long and bloody war. The personal experiences of the soldiers in camp and battle would fill many books. The great multitudes slain in battle and by disease and the tortuous experiences of untold thousands who suffered by hunger and wounds, can never be estimated. But the worst was not that endured by soldiers diseased or dying far from home. The mothers and wives at home suffered more by constant suspense and fear, by day and by night, as they anxiously looked every day for news from the front, and when the letters came they were almost afraid to read them lest the tidings might reveal the worst. Mothers with broken hearts heard that sons were slain and that others were in hospitals of pain; while wives likewise constantly feared that husbands whom they loved more than life might be gone forever. Terrible is war to those at the front and to those back home. Think of the poor widows and orphan children, made so by the brutal horrors of war. Many of the soldiers came back maimed in body, with health undermined, to face poverty and want. The after effects of war too often strangle the public conscience and leave only a stunted morality that it takes many years of effort to exterminate. It was markedly so after the Civil War and it has been terribly so ever since the World War, and it will be a long time yet before America will climb back to the moral standards she fell from after 1914. * * * * To fully understand the conditions our fathers faced in 1861, we must look from their angle to fully appreciate the problems which they attempted to solve. Slavery had for nearly two hundred years been rooted in Southern soil. It represented vast millions in property, permeated every Southern commercial interest and completely Page 165 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina molded Southern thought and sentiment. A great system, accepted without question through long generations could not be uprooted without terrific struggle. That conflict was faced bravely by our fathers. Let us not forget their heroic self denial and devotion to principle. The courage they manifested should inspire us in our day to perform our tasks with a measure of devotion and sacrifice akin to that which they put forth in their day. Seventy years have passed since the close of the great Civil War. Nearly all who took part in that bloody struggle have died. The wondrous changes wrought since Peace was made were never dreamed of by the patriotic leaders of that period. The wide breach has been healed. A mighty Nation has been built upon the ruins of the past and sectional feeling has almost faded away. * * * * When the war closed the State had to be reorganized. A Convention to prepare a new Constitution was assembled in 1865 and Col. W. P. Bynum (later Judge Bynum) was the delegate elected to represent Lincoln county. Page 166 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LI 1866 Major Henry W. Connor, son of Capt. Charles and Ann (Epps) Connor, was born near Amelia Courthouse in Prince George County, Va., August 5, 1793, moved with his parents to Mecklenburg County, N. C., about 1800, was educated at University of South Carolina and graduated in 1810. He was commissioned by Gov. Hawkins as Major and served on the staff of Gen. Joseph Graham on the expedition against the Creek Indians in Alabama in 1814. He then settled in Lincoln county where he had large landed interests. He represented the Lincoln district in the United States Congress for twenty years from 1821 to 1841, when he declined to serve longer; was elected as one of the Councilors of State in 1842 and Senator from Lincoln in 1848. The following excerpt from the address made by Major Connor in his campaign for re- election to Congress in 1839 shows how the smoldering fires of anti-slavery sentiment were beginning to grow in the North. Referring to it he said: Abolitionism, when I last addressed you seemed to be confined to a few fanatics only, and so absurd seemed their view; and pretensions that serious apprehension could not reasonably be entertained, but such has been their rapid growth in a short time, that in several of the states they hold the balance of power in politics, and abolitionism has, therefore, become a political question with the avowed object of striking at the rights and. property of the South, and there is reason to believe they will not be particular as to the mode of carrying out their plans, whether peacefully, or by wading through blood of men, women and children. The desks of abolition members (especially John Quincy Adams and Slade) are loaded with thousands of anti-slavery petitions which have been presented Within the last two years, asking, Congress to interfere with your rights and property. This heartless and unjustifiable policy must and will be met by the South at the proper time with manly determination to protect and defend our rights and privileges at all hazards. In Congress all that can be done has been done by resolutions which declare: that every petition, resolution or proposition touching or relating in any way to slavery be laid upon the table without debate or reference to any committee. This is strong and indicates the feeling of the majority in Congress. I would myself prefer they should not be received at all but the scruples of many in regard to the right of petition have prevented such action. On April 9, 1839 he was married in Washington to Mrs. Lucy (Hawkins) Colman, a daughter of Gov. William Hawkins. The children were Charles T. Connor, a Confederate Lieutenant who was killed by Federal Soldiers in Newton at the close of the Civil War in 1865; Ann Connor, who married J. M. Ivy of South Carolina, and Henry W. Connor, Jr., who died in Baltimore in 1878. Page 167 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The older son, Charles T. Connor, married to Mary, daughter of Hiram Sherrill, by whom he had three children, T; F. Connor, who new ,( 1935) lives at Terrell, Luetta, who married William L. Sherrill and Charlie, who married to Dr. W. B. Ramsey. Major Connor was a handsome man of distinguished bearing and engaging manners. Col John F. Hoke said he was the most popular man who ever lived in Lincoln county and a democrat of the Nathaniel Macon type. The late F. Brevard McDowell in “The Broad Axe and the Forge” in a tribute to Major Connor wrote: “On one occasion two Whig farmers who had a business engagement found the Congressman sitting on his porch in shirt-sleeves mending harness. His cordial manner and urgent invitation to dinner made his quondam opposers his warmest friends and when it was asserted on the hustings that Connor was an artistocrat and owner of one hundred slaves, the harness incident was effectively cited to prove that he was a plain man and a champion of the people." He died at Beatties Ford, January 6, 1866 and the interment was in the family plot in Rehobeth Methodist church cemetery at Terrell on the Lincolnton - Mooresville highway. * * * * Benjamin Withers was murdered near Beatties Ford in 1866 by a man named Owens, who was tried and convicted of first degree murder at Dallas Court and hanged in 1867. The attorneys for the defense were Zebulon B. Vance, William Lander and David Schenck, and the prosecuting attorneys were W. P. Bynum, the Solicitor, and Judge James W. Osborne. The last speech Mr. Lander ever made before a jury was his defense of Owens. * * * * William T. Thompson, a Lincolnton youth only 11 years old, was drowned June 11, 1866. * * * * Mrs. Catherine Shipp, Wife of Judge W. M. Shipp, died June 28. 1866, aged 41 years. * * * * Dr. George M. Hoke, a young Lincolnton physician and son of the late Hon. Michal Hoke, died November 1, 1866, aged 24. * * * * James M. Bandy, 18 years of age, was married to Martha Leonard, November 11, 1866. * * * * Henderson Sherrill (1807-1866), a man of uncommon force and influence in Lincoln county for many years, was a son of Jeptha and Elizabeth (McCorkle) Sherrill. He lived near the present town of Catawba, had large landed interests and slaves and Page 168 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina was active in politics, and as a democrat was representative in the Emma of Commons from Lincoln in 1850 and 1852, and in 1854 and 1858 from Catawba county. Page 169 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina He married Mahala Long July 19, 1832 and reared a large family. Three of his sons, John, James H., and Walter L. Sherrill, were substantial citizens and all lived at Catawba. Dr. Coite L. Sherrill, a. skilled surgeon of Statesville, and the late Oscar Sherrill, prominent in Catawba county affairs, until his death in 1934, Were his grandsons. Page 170 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LII 1866 Mr. James Taylor Alexander (Feb. 20, 1794-March 14, 1866) was for many year a prominent citizen of Lincolnton and for a long period b. Magistrate in Lincoln county, one of the charter members of the Lincolnton Masonic Lodge (No. 137) and a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian church. His wife was Harriet Clark, of Greenville, S. C. She died April 13, 1869, aged 75 years. Mr. Alexander was a harness maker by trade and followed that business to the end of his life. For a while his brother-in-law, Vardry McBee, was his partner in the business. Among his children were: (1) Wallace Henders0n Alexander (Feb. 4, 1824 - June 1, 1872) who married Mary Royal Robinson of Caswell county, who lived 24 years after the death of her husband. Their daughter, Ella, married to Charles H. Mots. (2) Elias James Alexander (May 2, 1829 - October 1865) married Barbara L., daughter of Mr. Peter Summey. She died in 1895, aged 62 years. Summey Alexander, is a son of this couple. He is now an elderly man and a fine citizen of Lincolnton (1935). This Alexander family has an interesting background. Elias Alexander, I lived in Maryland and; died there in 1747. His wife was Anna Taylor, Who died in Mecklenburg in 1800. Elias Alexander, II, a son of this couple, was born in Maryland in 1746. He came to Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, with other Alexanders and settled in the Sugar Creek settlement a few miles north of Charlotte. Later moved to Rutherford county, was a valiant soldier of the Revolution and fought at Kings Mountain and Guilford Court House. His wife, Agnes Alexander, died in 1826 and Col. Elias Alexander died in Rutherford county, May 13, 1818. His eleven children were: (1) Francis Alexander (1778 - 1852) was county surveyor for Rutherford county 1797 to 1845. His daughter, Jane McBee, married to Francis S. Coxe, of Philadelphia, April 24, 1823. They were the parents of the late Col. Frank Coxe, of Asheville. Margaret Rebecca, another daughter of Francis Alexander, married to Rev. Campbell Smith, of the South Carolina Methodist Conference, and among their children were the late Dr. Thomas C. Smith, of Asheville, the late Joseph C. Smith, of Shelby and Stephen 0. Smith and Mrs. W. C. Abernethy, who now live (1935) in Gastonia. Rosa Alexander, Jr., son of Francis Alexander married Charlotte Hill and the late J. F. Alexander, prominent Lumberman and textile manufacturer of Forest City, and A. C. Alexander, now of Georgia, were eons of this couple. (2) Major Ross Alexander, Sn, am of Elias Alexander, II was thrown from a mule and killed July 4, 1849. The inscription on a granite marker, near Hazelhurst Farm, three miles south of Forest City bears the inscription: “In memory of Ross Alexander, Born Feb. 29, 178- (chipped off.) He was thrown from a mule against an oak tree on this spot and killed July 6, 1849. He was district surveyor for many years. He left a wife and six children. Erected by E. Ross Doggett, a grandson.” (3) Anna, daughter of Elias Alexander, II, married to Stephen Camp. Page 171 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina (4) Jane, daughter of Elias Alexander, II, married to Vardry McBee, and they were the ancestors of all the McBee family of Lincolnton. (5) Margaret, daughter of Elias Alexander, II, married to Col. David. Reinhardt. (6) Patsy Blanton, daughter of Elias Alexander, II, married to Jacob Fisher. (7) William, son of Elias Alexander, 11, died in 1821, as evidenced by his will which was executed September 4, 1821, and probated in October 1821, witnessed by his brothers, Elias, III, and James Taylor Alexander. (8) Elias, III, son of Elias Alexander, II, was prominent in Rutherford and was Senator from that county in 1823. He was living in Greenville, S. C., in 1875. (9) James Taylor Alexander, another BOn of Elias, II, has already been referred to. (10) and (11) two other sons, Thomas and Alston Alexander, died young. Col. Alexander had deep convictions and was an uncompromising Revolutionary Whig, with a fine sense of humor. His great grandson. the late Col. Frank Coxe, of Asheville, records the story that Col. Alexander was once invited to Bush Doggett’s for breakfast and when he arrived he found the lady of the home in very fine humor, which he knew was a very uncommon thing, but as he was to breakfast with them, she could not be otherwise, so at the table he was asked to say Grace and he responded as follows: “God be praised when woman’s pleased For ’tis but now and then. We will eat our diet in peace and quiet, In the name of God. — Amen.” * * * * The Alexanders were not friendly to William Green because of his record as a Tory, but Clarence Griffin, the Rutherford County historian, says: “Green had been forced by circumstances beyond his control to accept a commission of Major in Ferguson’s Army and commanded a company of Loyalists at Kings Mountain.” Despite this fact he later was so popular that he was chosen State Senator for Rutherford for fifteen terms, but finally Elias Alexander laid plans for his defeat as evidenced by the following story: In Schenck’s History of “North Carolina 1780-81,” Page 151, is the following: I find in the “North State” (a Greensboro newspaper) the following anecdote of Elias Alexander which is worth preserving for its humor and to illustrate the feeling that continued after the war was over. Elias Alexander, of Rutherford County, was an old Revolutionary Whig, who fought at Kings Mountain, and years afterward, with twenty-seven British and Tory buck-shot in his body. Old Major Green of the same county, was a Tory, and was in the battle of Kings Mountain on the Tory side. After the war Green was several times elected to the State Senate tram Rutherford Page 172 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina county, and seemed invincible. In 1823 Alexander, determined to have Green beaten and brought out his son as a candidate against him. Green became apprehensive of defeat and concluded that something must he done. He fell upon the idea of joining the Baptist Church, and in carrying out the project was immersed in the French Broad River. Alexander, somewhat discouraged at this turn, but nothing daunted went to witness the ceremony. Leaning against an old tree on the bank of the river within speaking distance of the seene, he silently and doubtingly watched the process of regeneration. Everybody expected some kind of a declaration from him before the crowd dispersed. Just as Green was raised out of the water, wet as a rat, and gasping for breath, Alexander, who was very tall, and towered above the bystanders, slowly raised his hand, and pointed at him, at the same time saying in a loud and measured tone: There stands old Major Green, now neat and clean, Though formerly a Tory, The darnedest rascal that ever was seen, Now on his way to glory. This furnished a campaign song and worked an overwhelming defeat of Green at the Dolls. Page 173 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LIII 1866 The following in memory of Col. Elias Alexander, was written by Hon. Joseph McDowell Carson: Thou that hither may’st chance to wander Here lies the dust of Elias Alexander, For independence in that fearful strife He pledged his all, his honor and his life. The great boon obtained, would have no less, Retiring, dwelt in a wilderness; The waste of war, by diligence retrieved And greatly independent lived. Calm as a Franklin or great Socrates, Marked out his grave mid these lofty trees; Green be their leaves, may they ever bloom And wave their freshness o’er the patriot’s tomb. That independence he thought so dear Oh! guard his heritage and his name revere." Green River, Rutherford County, N. C. * * * * Other Alexanders who figured prominently in the early history of Lincoln county, though not closely related to the Rutherford, were: Wallace Alexander, Senator from Lincoln for four terms, 1796-7-8-9. He lived in Lincolnton and married Ann Dobson, daughter of Captain Dobson, who was killed in the battle of Ramseur’s Mill and buried there. They had two children: (1) Lawson Henderson Alexander, who married his cousin. Jane, daughter of McK. Alexander. (2) Sarah Caroline. who married her cousin, Nathaniel, a son of McK. Alexander. Wallace Alexander had a brother, William, who was the father of the brilliant lawyer, William Julius Alexander (grandfather of Judge William Alexander Hoke.) He was also closely related to Nathaniel Alexander, who represented Lincoln in the House of Commons in 1792 and 98. Page 174 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1867 Lincolnton in 1867. County Officers County Attorney, L. E. Thompson; Clerk County Court, W. R. Clark; Clerk Superior Court, S. P. Sherrill; Clerk and Master in Equity, W. J. Hoke; Chairman of County Court, Henry Cansler; Coroner, John F. Speck; Register, Peter A. Summey; Treas. Wardens and Tress. Public Buildings, R. H. Abernethy; Wardens of the Poor, William Tiddy, Abner McCoy. John Asbury. James Seagle and Philip W. Carpenter; Sheriff, L. H. Lowrance; Deputy and Jailer, John P. Anthony; Deputy Sheriffs, Stanly Baites, John McIntosh and Daniel Goodson; Surveyor, John B. Smith; Standard Keeper, S. W. Stubbs; Trustee, W. H. Michal. Town Officials Mayor, V. A. McBee; Town Clerk, W. J . Hoke; Constable, Henry W. Morton; Treasurer, John P. Anthony; Sexton, Jacob Bisaner; Commissioners, C. Q. Henderson, Dr. Elam Caldwell, B. H. Sumner, P. A. Summey, S. P. Sherrill, A. A. McLean, William Lander, Dr. M. L. Brown. Schools Pleasant Retreat, Rev. W. R. Wetmore; Lincolnton Seminary (Female Department) Mrs. T. W. Brevard, In North State Hotel (Male Department) Judge T. W. Brevard; Female Seminary, Miss Mary Wood Alexander; Episcopal Parochial School, Miss Kate Heidick; Colored School, N. W. Hill. Ministers Rev. Dr. A. J . Fox and Rev. Luther Fox, Lutheran; Dr. R. H. Morrison, Rev. R. N. Davis and Rev. J. S. Barr, Presbyterian; Episcopal, Rev. W. R. Wetmore; Baptist, Rev. L. M. Berry; Methodist, Rev. John Finger, Rev. John Watts, Rev. Henry Asbury; German Reformed, Jeremiah Ingold; Northern Methodists, Rev. T. H. Postelle, Rev. S. Mutton, Rev. John Ballard, Rev. J. A. Huggins, Rev. John T. Miller; Methodists Protestant, Rev. Parson Naylor. Colored: Isaac Cansler, Baptist; George McLean and Anderson Hoke, Methodist. Lawyers W. P. Bynum, Alex F. Brevard, B. S. Guion, John F. Hoke, A. B. Howard, William Lander, Samuel Lander, Jr., V. A. McBee, W. M. Shipp, David Schenck, Bartlett Shipp, L. E. Thompson and T. W .Brevard. Merchants R. H. Abernethy, J. L. Alexander, Lawing & Means, Druggists, Borders & Homesley, E. Childs, J. C. Cobb, A. S. Haynes, C. C. Henderson, J. C. Jenkins, W. H. Michal, Stowe & Leecraft, S. P. Sherrill, J. F. Speck, of Lincolnton, Culp & Caldwell, and Ivey & Goodson, Beatties Ford, J. M. Kidd, Dry Pond, D. A. Lowe, Lowesville. Wood carding: O. B. Jenks, Pottery: Daniel Hartsag, Seagle & Goodman, Cotton Factory: Phifer & Allison, Chair Factory: J. H. Marsh, Paper Mills: Wiswall & Tiddy, Grady Banister & Co. Iron Works: J. W. Derr, J. M. Smith, Samuel R. Oats, Shipp & Reinhardt (F.M.) A. F. & R. A. Brevard & Alex Goodson. Hatters: William Page 175 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Cline, Carriage Shops: Abner McCoy & J. L. Wilkey, Cabinet Shops: Warren Gheen and A. P. James, Blacksmiths: John Detter, J. Bisaner, Alfred Slade (colored.) Carpenters: E. H. Cauble, H. W. Abernethy, Thomas Wells. Shoemakers: Harrison Wilson, Elcanah Hartzoag, William Hinson, Alex Schenck (colored). Photographers: J. B. Martin. Tanneries: H. F. Ramsour, H. E. and E. F. Ramsour, Daniel Finger, D. F. Beam, L. H. Hill, C. C. Henderson, D. A. Lowe, R. E. Burch. Gold Mines owned by J. F. Hoke, W. J . Hoke, Daniel Seagle, Henry Cansler, B. S. Johnson, Dr. Pollock, Lewis Keener, Joseph Stone, Lawson Keener, C. Beal and Elizabeth Buxton. flour and Corn Mills: Green Abernethy, Thomas Bess, Grady Banister & Co., J. M. D. Bollinger, A. F. and R. A. Brevard, Henry Cansler, Mary A. Beam, David Grouse, D. Dellinger, J. W. Derr, T. J. Ramsour, Midhal Finger, Joseph Houser, J. F. Reinhardt, G. W. Hull, Dr. C. L. Hunter, J. H. Killian, F. M. Reinhardt, J. M. Smith, Maxwell Warlick. Hotels: B. S. Johnson, L. H. Kistler. Physicians: J. M. Abernathy, M. L. Brown, L. D. Black, E. J. Brevard, Elam Caldwell, Eli Crowell, J. M. Lawing, T. H. Means, W. B. McLean, J. M. Richardson, J. C. Rudisill, W. A. Thompson, G. W. Wacaser. Lincolnton Post Master, Mrs. Harriet E. Bomar. Killians Mills Post Master, Ulysses Alexander. North Brook Post Master, O. B. Jenks. United States Officers U. S. Ganger and Brander, Allen Alexander. Express Agent: W. H. Alexander. Rail Road: B. S. Guion, Supt. V. A. McBee, Treas. J. G. Justice, Agent. A. S. Haynes, Agent at Iron Station. * * * * Rev. Samuel Lander Who had been principal of the Lincolnton Seminary and pastor of the Methodist church for several years, was elected President of Davenport College in Lenoir, in 1867. Page 176 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LIV 1868 Prior to 1868, we had no penitentiary and criminals Were publicly flogged at the whipping post for minor crimes; branded with hot iron for horse stealing, robbery or murder of the second degree and hanged for capital crimes. I never saw one flogged at the whipping post but have seen multitudes rushing to the old jail to see a poor fellow publicly receive 40 stripes save one. It was in 1926 that Mr. F. A. Propts, of Indiana, visited Lincolnton and in a reminiscent mood told how things were in 1867 before he went West, some 55 years before. He said that everything about Lincolnton now looked new as compared with the long ago, except the old jail, which looked the same, save that the whipping post had been removed. He said that he and his brother, John Propts came from Newton to witness the public flogging of a negro, under the direction of the law, in 1867. The changes made in our organic law in 1868 abolished imprisonment for debt, public flogging and branding with a hot iron, and established instead the State prison for felons. * * * * A Constitutional Convention was held in the spring of 1868, and the new Constitution was adopted by vote of the people. J . H. King was the delegate from Lincoln. In April, W. W. Holden was elected Governor. In the November election General U. S. Grant carried the State over Horatio Seymour for the Presidency. * * * * Lawson H. Kistler, a substantial citizen, died September 22, 1868. aged 50. * * * * On December 25, 1868, Mr. and Mrs. David A. Coon, received a fine Christmas preSent in the person of a baby boy, who they named Charles Lee Coon. They little dreamed that he would in the coming years grow into an educator and author of note. He is one of the finest products of Lincoln County. * * * * The daily wage for a common laborer in 1868 was fifty cents and board. If the Worker preferred to prepare his own meals the employer would furnish him with the following diet per week, one peck meal, 4 pounds bacon and one quart molasses. One who boarded himself received seventy five cent per day. Ordinary wages per month was about ten dollars and board. * * * * William Lander, eldest son of Rev. Samuel and Eliza Ann (Miller) Lander was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, May 8, 1817; came With his parents to America in 1818 and to Lincolnton about 1826. He was educated at the Lincolnton Academy and at Cokesbury College, S. C.; read law under Col. James R. Dodge, then of Lincolnton and admitted to the bar in 1839. He was soon elected County solicitor, distinguished himself at the start as a prosecutor and built up a large law practice. He was a member of the House of Commons in 1852; in 1853 was elected Page 177 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina State Solicitor and held that office until 1862 when he resigned, having been elected to the confederate congress. He was the Chairman of the North Carolina delegation to the Democratic National Convention at Baltimore in 1860 and when it appeared that the demands of the South were imperiled, he, as the spokesman of the delegation said: Mr. Chairman: Painful as the duty is, yet nevertheless it is my duty as one of the representatives from the good state of North Caroline, call her Rip Van Winkle if you will, to say that a Very large majority of our delegation is compelled to retire permanently from this convention on account as we conceive of the unjust course that has been pursued toward some of our fellow citizens of the South. The South has heretofore relied upon this Northern democracy to give us the rights which are justly due us, but the vote today has satisfied the majority of the North Carolina delegation that these rights are now refused, and this being the case, We can no longer remain in this convention. Most of the Southern delegates with th05e from California and Oregon withdrew from the convention joined by Caleb Bushing, the Chairman, and B. F. Butler, both of Massachusetts, and nominated Breckenridge for President, and this party split made possible the election of Lincoln. two weeks before the Presidential election of 1860, according to the Charlotte Democrat, Zebulon Vance, the young lion of the mountains, and Mr. Lander met in Newton in joint discussion of the issues of those troubled times. Vance supported Bell and Everett and opened the discussion with a two hour speech, in which his points were clinched with anecdotes. He stood for the Union and assailed the democrats for their rebellious spirit. He eulogized Jackson for his stand against nullification and pleased his Whig friends with his powerful argument. When Mr. Lander arose to reply he was greeted with prolonged applause, and then in most withering style exposed the weakness of the Bell party, the inconsistency of Mr. Bell on the Nebraska bill, his anti-southern record, and the subterfuge on which he relied for a platform was held up in contempt to his audience. He gravely depicted the crisis of the country and depreciated the use of ridicule and comedy at a. time like this, when men should be seriously considering the safety of their homes and firesides. He told his fellow democrats “to beware of Whigs, who praised dead democrats.” He did not think the election of Lincoln would in itself be cause of secession, but it was impossible to foresee the conditions which might surround that event, and held himself ready to cast his lot with North Carolina, whatever it might be. The debate was a contest of giants. The Whigs were satisfied with the argument of their great champion while the Democrats, who were largely in the majority, thought that Lander won the day. In 1861 Mr. Lander was the delegate from Lincoln to the Constitutional Convention and signed the Secession Ordinance. Dr. Kept P. Battle, writing of the record of the Lincoln delegation to that convention said: I belonged to the Graham-Badger party, while Mr. Lander was classed with the original Secessionists, but I regarded him as a very able, honorable, Page 178 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina courteous, high minded man, and he was considered one of the best members of that very able body. He resigned before the Convention finally adjourned, when he was elected to Congress and David Schenck succeeded him as the convention delegate from Lincoln County. He was a constant student, delved deep into the law and into classical literature, history, poetry, science and philosophy; was a Shakespearean scholar and a diligent student of the Bible. He could scan a book at one sitting, gather all the salient points, never forget a date or an incident and possessed the rare faculty of commanding any fact stored in memory, just when he needed it. His verbal memory was wonderful and made him ready and accurate in quotation in his extemporaneous speaking. As State Solicitor in the noted Langford murder trial, he examined 150 witnesses, made no note of testimony, but in an all day speech to the jury marshaled every particle of the salient evidence and convicted the criminal, who on the scaffold said that Mr. Lander in his speech before the jury, had described in his imagination the scene and circumstances of the murder as vividly and accurately as if he had been present and witnessed the deed. His former law partner the late Judge David Schenck said: “I have traveled all over North Carolina and listened to all her great lawyers and orators and never heard one who was the equal of William Lander before a jury.” Page 179 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LV (Sketch of William Lander, continued.) 1868 On another occasion Judge Schenck said: He was a brilliant, impetuous, chivalrous and noble gentleman, who passed by the stately honors of the judgeship that he might enjoy the more splendid triumphs of the forum and whose brilliant eloquence found congenial fellowship amid the fiery spirits of the Com federate Congress. William J. Yates, Editor of the Charlotte Democrat, in reporting the speech of Mr. Lander in Charlotte during the congressional campaign of 1864 stated: Though we have not and may not take an active part in the present canvass, we will say that as an honest and conscientious public man, William Lander, has no superior. Unimpeachable in his private and public life, industrious and energetic he merits the confidence of the people. Less than this we could not say - more is unnecessary. He was a friend of Education and Trustee of the State University from 1859 to 1867. On his 22nd birthday, May 8, 1839 he married Sarah Connor, daughter of Dr. Francis Connor of Cokesbury, S. C., and they reared a large family among whom were Samuel Lander, III who married Alice Jenkins; Agnes who married Dr J. M. Lawing; Frank who married Lou Templeton, all of Lincolnton, and Ella who married Dr. LeGree Connor of South Carolina. Mr. Lander died Jan. 8, 1868 and was buried in the family plot it the Methodist graveyard in Lincolnton. 1869 There was a total eclipse of the sun in August, 1869, visible in Lincolnton. It was dark for two hours. * * * * The first District Conference of the Methodist church ever held in Lincolnton met in August, 1869. Bishop Doggett was present and preached a great sermon. * * * * Rev. Thomas S. W. Mott died in Catawba County, August 30, 1869, and the body was buried in St. Luke’s (Episcopal) graveyard, in Lincolnton. He was twice Rector of Saint Luke Church. He was born at Preston, Nova Scotia, July 28, 1800. He was the father of Dr. J, J Mott, Dr. Walter B. Mott and Dr. Henry Y. Mott, all of whom lived and died in Iredell County. * * * * Page 180 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 181 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In September, 1869, Prof. Henry Hildreth Smith, one time Professor of English at Chapel Hill, and Rev. W. R. Wetmore, the Episcopal minister, opened a school of high grade in the Male Academy. They were both fine teachers and drew students from several states. This school was conducted for several years and many who were students there became distinguished. * * * * Franklin M. Reinhardt, son of Christian Reinhardt, Jr., and Mary (Forney) Reinhardt, was an enterprising citizen. He and his kinsman, Bartlett Shipp, for long years manufactured iron at the Reinhardt furnace. He married Sarah, daughter of David Smith and reared a large family. Among his children were J. F., called “Jack" Reinhardt, J. Ed., Forney, Ephriam and Robert S. Reinhardt, all of whom were influential men. One daughter, Mary, married M. T. Boyd, and they were the grandparents of Miss Maude Mullen of the Lincoln Times. F. M. Reinhardt died June 12, 1869, aged 62. Bartlett Shipp was the first of the name to live in Lincoln County. He was born in Stokes County, March 6, 1786, sen of Thomas and Hannah Joyce Shipp. His father, a soldier of the Revolution was at Yorktown with Washington in 1781. Joseph Wilson, a distinguished son of Stokes, came to Charlotte to practice law and young Shipp came with Wilson, read law under him and was a tutor at the same time in the Wilson family. Prior to this, Bartlett Shipp was a soldier of the war of 1812. Mr. Wilson was for long years the State Solicitor and was a vigorous prosecutor of counterfeiters and other law breakers, some of whom threatened him with violence. Riding over a lonely road on the way to court one day Shipp asked Wilson to swap hats with him, fearing the white hat worn by Wilson might be too good a target for sharp shooter. He made the suggestion to protect Mr. Wilson. When Wilson intimated that it would be a risk for the young man Mr. Shipp who was afraid of no man replied: “I reckon he would look under the hat before shooting.” Mr. Shipp made a visit to Lincoln County and to the home of Gen. Peter Forney, there he met Susan Forney, to whom he was married on Dec. 15, 1818 by Rev. Robert Johnson Miller. Soon thereafter he bought the home of his brother-in-law, Jacob Forney, and lived on that plantation until 1869, when the family moved to Lincolnton. He possessed superior intellect, was well educated and a profound student of the law and for many years had a large and lucrative practice in all the counties from Mecklenburg to the mountains. He was a logical and convincing speaker and had a wide reputation as a trial lawyer. He possessed keen wit and was brilliant in repartee. He was interested in the Iron business with Franklin M. Reinhardt at what was Reinhardt's furnace and also at High Shoals with the Fulenwiders, Hoyles and Burtons. He represented the county in the House of Commons from 1824 to 1830 (7 terms) and he and Henry Cansler were the delegates from Lincoln to the Constitutional Convention of 1835. Page 182 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina When 83 years old he died in Lincolnton, May 26, 1869 and the body was interred in the Episcopal graveyard. His children were: 1. Judge William M. Shipp; 2. Eliza, who married to Judge W. P. Bynum; 3. Susan, who married to Capt. V. Q. Johnson, for many years Superintendent of the Carolina Central Railroad, now a Dart of the Seaboard system. Page 183 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LVI 1869 At four o’clock on Tuesday morning, August 24, 1869 Robert B. Babington was born at Rehobeth Furnace about seven miles east of Lincolnton, where his father, Elisha, B. Babington and his grandfather, Benjamin B. Babington, were employed during the Civil War and until about 1871 to 1872. His mother was Isabella Haynes. born March 26, 1850, daughter of Robert G. Haynes (born 1806) and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Haynes (born 1808). She had five brothers in the Civil War, three of whom were killed in action. The other two were John Haynes and Captain Albert Sidney Haynes, one time sheriff of Lincoln county. Robert Babington attended country schools and when seventeen years old studied telegraphy and worked at Mount Holly, as operator for the Seaboard railway. His first wife was Buenavista Biggerstaff. His second wife, who still survives, and to whom he married in 1898, was Hattie McLurd, of Stanley. Since 1899 he had been the manager of the Gastonia Telephone Company and active in many Gastonia enterprises. He, with the late Col. C. B. Armstrong, erected the Armington Hotel in Gastonia. He was a progressive public spirited citizen, an enthusiastic Mason and a devout Methodist, serving for more than thirty years as an official of Main Street church in Gastonia. He was much beloved, fond of little children and gave more of his thought and time for the past twenty five years to the betterment of unfortunate and crippled children than to any thing else. His greatest accomplishment in life was not business success, but philanthropic service in behalf of distressed children. He told me that he had a vision or dream one night in March, 1909 of a hospital for crippled and deformed children and the next day resolved to labor steadily for the fulfillment of that dream. Year after year he came to the Methodist Conference and saw to it that a resolution was passed urging the establishment of an Orthopaedic Hospital for deformed children in North Carolina. Likewise he attended the State meetings of other denominations, Synods and Conventions and secured approval of the idea from the Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and others. Favorable sentiment was thus slowly developing. For eight years he attended sessions of the Legislature and begged the representatives to make an appropriation for the hospital for the deformed children of the state. The Committees saw him only brief time to plead his cause and send him away, because they said there was no available money for the project. Year after year he returned and in the spirit of Dorothea L. Dix (the mother of hospitals for the insane of America) who spent the winter of 1848 in Raleigh pleading for a hospital for the insane of the State, before representatives who were inclined to place economy before mercy, but she, despite discouraging conditions, finally succeeded in the accomplishment of the noble purpose, so Robert B. Babington, with the need of poor helpless children heavy on his heart, finally overcame the opposition and the Legislature of 1917 appropriated the first small sum of $40,000, on condition that some town would donate a like amount. Back to his home in Gastonia he hastened and succeeded in raising the additional $40,000, and then donated the land upon which the hospital was located, now known as Babington Heights. The institution with sixty beds was opened in July 1921 and steadily the work has grown until now the bed capacity is one hundred and sixty. From small beginnings Page 184 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina the building and grounds are now valued at about $500,000 and during the fourteen years since it was established the hospital has returned to their several communities thirty five hundred children cured of their infirmities and fitted for the tasks of life. They came there deformed and suffering, without much hope of cure. but they Went away with bodies restored and with lofty ambition to make the most of life. When the trustees first organized very properly Mr. Babington was made President of the Board and continued such until his death. He was the friend of all men and I appreciated his friendship and for years past when we met I greeted him with the question, “Is your monument still growing?” It was monument to his faith, and prayers and labors. He gave the best of his life to the building of that monument, never dreaming that any one really so regarded it. Almost suddenly on November 28, 1935 this good man was mortally stricken and all who knew him mourned. A great multitude attended the funeral and his body was laid to rest under the shadow of the great monument which he built. Through the decades and centuries let us hope this monument may continue to grow in size and in service and stand as a sentinel over the grave of its builder. A life spent so unselfishly for human betterment will not be forgotten, but memories of his service will be treasured gratefully by the thousands of crippled children who have reaped the benefits of his labors, and by the thousands unborn, who will be the inheritors of his sacrifice. The whole state mourns the loss of this noble benefactor and the people of his native county are doubly proud of his splendid record, because in the early dawn of an August day in 1869 he first looked out upon the world from a Lincoln county cradle. As his mother then beheld him with hopeful pride she hardly dreamed that some day he would be a good Samaritan, bringing comfort and strength to helpless childhood. He left the World better than he found it. 1870 The Federal Census Taker for Lincoln County in 1870 was Captain B. F. Grigg. * * * * C. C. Henderson, son of Major Lawson Henderson was born at the family homestead two miles West of Lincolnton, educated in local schools and was a life long. citizen of. the town. He was at one time perhaps the principal merchant in Western Carolina and carried a large tannery, the product of which was manufactured into shoes and harness. His business judgment was far-seeing. In the 1850’s he bought about 2,000 acres of Texas land at 15¢ per acre and this brought a large profit to his descendants. He was a large contractor in the construction of the railroad from Columbia to Charlotte which was the first railroad to enter that town. He was public spirited and one of the active promoters of the old plank road from Charlotte to Lincolnton and a large subscriber to stock in the old W. C. and R. railroad. He reared a large family and among his descendants were Theodorus H. Cobb, Charles C. Cobb and John D. Shaw, 2nd and 3rl, and Angus Clifton Shaw, all of whom were lawyers of ability. Page 185 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina He died in Lincolnton June 25, 1870, aged 69. His body sleeps in old White Church graveyard. * * * * Judge William M. Shipp was elected Attorney General of the State in the August election, over Samuel F. Phillips. * * * * Major Henry W. Burton married to Mrs. Sarah (Hoyle) Keenan, October 5, 1870. It is said that he courted her before she first married to Martin Phifer; courted her again after Phifer died. but she married to Mr. Keenan, and when he died, still faithful, he courted and married her at last in 1870. * * * * General Robert E. Lee died at Lexington, Virginia, October 12, 1870. * * * * The Northern Methodist Conference was held in the court house. Bishop Mathew Simpson, a great pulpit orator presided. He was a guest in the home of Mr. J. C. Jenkins, a prominent member of the Lincolnton Methodist Church, and the Bishop preached to a capacity congregation in the Methodist church on Sunday. Col. John F. Hoke was present and heard the sermon. The next day my father asked Col. Hoke what he thought of the sermon, and he replied: “Sherrill, that was preaching, for it moved me and it takes preaching to do that." Page 186 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LVII 1869 Col. William J. Hoke died suddenly in Columbia, S. C., in 1870. The body was brought to Lincolnton for burial. * * * * Zebulon B. Vance was elected United States Senator to succeed Joseph C. Abbott, but was ineligible because his political disabilities had not been removed. Then Gen. M. W. Ram was elected and took his seat in the Senate March 4, and served four terms until March 4. 1895. * * * * Henry Cansler was one of the most useful and influential citizens of Lincoln County in his day. His grandfather was Philip W. Cansler, the pioneer, a man of rare sense, business judgment and frugality. His wife was Barbara Rudisill and they were the ancestors of all the Canslers of this section. He died in 1804 and the German inscription on his tomb when translated into English, is: Here rests the father of many children, a friend of men and a Christian, who, through the cross is now perfect. He is well known to us. He served his people and country and his name is with all honor to (our) father. Philip Cansler, son of the pioneer, married to Mary Quickle, June 12, 1790, and died about 1840, aged 71. Henry Cansler, the son of Philip and Mary Quickle Cansler, married to Fanny, daughter of Jacob and Margaret Hoyle Shuford, June 13, 1822, and they reared a large family,all of whom have died. Their grandson, Edwin T. Cansler, of Charlotte, is an able lawyer and a distinguished descendant of this couple. Henry Cansler was a large land owner, slave holder and prominent in the public life of the County. He was Clerk of the County Court from 1837 to 1844, was Sheriff for several terms, County surveyor, and Chairman of the County Court. He represented Lincoln in the House of Commons for (1831 to 1836) six terms, and a 7th term in 1854, when he made a brilliant canvass against Know Nothingism. He was also a delegate from Lincoln to the Constitutional Convention of 1835 along with Bartlett Shipp. He possessed a clear and penetrating mind, was able in debate and a speaker of uncommon force and conviction. I remember seeing him as an old feeble man, riding horse-back down the street, seemingly 80 years of age, about 1870, and think he died that year, sixty five years ago. His body is buried in the Cansler graveyard not far from the old Cansler home which is new occupied by W. E. Grigg. His tombstone is broken, the inscription illegible and it seems difficult to secure the date of his birth or death. In his palmy days he was a mighty man and his record deserves prominent place in the history of the County. Not many Lincoln people today are familiar with the history of this notable citizen. 1870 Page 187 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In 1870 the saloons were wide open in Lincolnton. On Saturdays the street behavior of drunken men made it necessary for the women to keep indoors. The police were defied by those who cared not for law. I have seen drunken men on mule back ride down the streets, pistol in hand shooting and cursing. Temperance reform has made great progress since then. The cows and hogs had right of way on the streets. No one questioned the old custom of free range fer cattle. When the farmers came to market and brought produce to sell or feed for the horses, it was not uncommon to see Mr. J. C. Cobb’s black spotted cow or some other cow, with front feet in the wagon feasting upon what it could find, but when the farmer discovered what was taking place, he was in no mood to go to prayer meeting. Then Peter Summey's old black sow let the people knew she had rights of her own, and most of those are now dead who saw that sow make for a young limb of the law who ran up the old court house steps for safety and seeing the sow “fast following after," took refuge in the upper court room. In those days there were hitching racks for horses with all day rights, and no policeman dared impose fines for overtime parking. 1871 In the stormy days of Reconstruction from 1869 to 1871 a secret semi-political organization called the Ku-Klux-Klan operated in several Southern States and was strong in this part of our State. It was claimed by those in sympathy with it that its purpose was to punish those the courts did not or could not reach, and that it was not responsible for many acts of cruelty perpetrated by non—members in the name of the Klan. A terrible situation had arisen and the State seemed unequal to the task of preserving order so that the Federal Government through its courts took matters in hand and it was suppressed. Federal troops were stationed at various points to maintain order and a company of cavalry troops were sent to Lincolnton late in 1871 and the North State Hotel was the barracks of Company C, 7th Cavalry, until late in 1872 it was transferred to Charlotte. The Commander of this troop was Col. V. K. Hart, son-in-law of Senator Oliver P. Morton, of Indiana, who was the War Governor, of that State. His grandson, Dr. V. K. Hart is now. (1934) a physician in Charlotte. Other officers were Lieut. James Calhoun, a handsome man and a fine horseman, related to the South Carolina Calhouns, and Lieut. Harrington. The orderly sergeant was named Edwin Bobo. About 1875 these troops were transferred to the West and all but two of this Company were killed in the Custer massacre in the Black Hills of Dakota, by the Indians, led by Sitting Bull, Chief of the Souix Tribe, in 1876. Sergeant Bobo and every other member of his company was killed in that massacre except two men, one, of whom was Daniel A. Kanipe, probably of Lincoln County, who in about a year after that bloody battle married to the widow of Sergeant Bobo. She was a daughter of Capt. William Wykoff, of Catawba County, a Confederate veteran, and she died last May 25, 1934, in McDowell County, where they had lived for many years after the conflict. One son by the second marriage is J. Ed Kanipe, for some years a Federal Prohibition Officer in Western Carolina and stationed in Charlotte. * * * * Rev. Robert N. Davis after having served as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Lincolnton from 1850 to 1871, died April 24, 1871 and his body was buried in front of the old Presbyterian church on West Water Street, later when the church was? Page 188 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina sold and a new church built, the body was moved and now rests under the present church building on West Main street. * * * * Mrs. W. D. Lee, wife of Rev. Dr. W. D. Lee, pastor of the Methodist church, died in Lincolnton, May 29, 1871. Dr. Lee was father of Rev. William B. Lee, Methodist Missionary in Brazil; Hon. T. Bailey Lee, Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and Miss Bertha M. Lee, who was for many years teacher of German in the State Normal College at Greensboro, N. C. * * * * At an election held in August, 1871 for or against a Constitutional Convention, Alfred J. Morrison was the Lincoln delegate elected over B. F. Grigg, the anti- convention candidate, but as the convention was defeated, he did not serve. * * * * The Legislature brought impeachment charges against W. W. Holden, the Governor, and they were sustained by the required two thirds majority and Lt. Governor, Tod R. Caldwell, of Burke, succeeded to the Governorship. Page 189 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LVIII 1871 From 1869 to 1872 Lincolnton was fortunate to have Prof. Henry Hildreth Smith and Rev. W. R. Wetmore as co-principals of the Lincolnton Male Academy. Prof. Smith, of Bowdoin College, came to Newton from New Hampshire, was the first President of Catawba College and married in Lincolnton May 19, 1853, to Mary Brent Hoke, daughter of the late Michal and Frances Burton Hoke. Later he served as a member of the University faculty at Chapel Hill until that institution was closed during the Civil War. He was a bright belle-lettres scholar and a teacher of rare accomplishments. Dr. Wetmore was an alumnus of the State University and for a time a tutor in mathematics there. He then read law but abandoned it to become an Episcopal minister. In 1864 he became Rector of St. Luke's Episcopal church in Lincolnton and continued in that relation for forty years until his death in March, 1904. He was a prodigy in mathematics and along With his church work was a busy teacher for many years. Mr. Wetmore by his daily walk as a teacher in and out of the class room and as a churchmen exerted a fine influence for all the forty years he lived in Lincolnton. He stood for high educational and religious standards and will be long remembered as a noble gentleman, a patriotic citizen and a saintly minister. The school flourished under their management, patronage came from neighboring counties and distant states. As I recall, the boys of that early period there were W. E. Beggs and Robert Bratton from Mississippi; Sandy Childs, Jr., and W. T. Spratt from South Carolina; William D. P. King of Washington City; A. G. Smith, Stephen Smith, Walter Smith and Robert S. Wetmore of Alabama; Ed H. Bratton and W. A. Potts (Charlotte); William W. Mott (Statesville); Charles W. Broadfoot and Lucien H. Holmes (Fayetteville); John C. Rankin and Robert Rutledge of Gaston. Among the local students were John L. Cobb, Theodorus H. Cobb, Thomas Lee Cobb, Dr. Henry A. Costner, Robert S. Edwards, Capt. Charles E. Childs, Edward T. Childs, Michal Hoke, Thomas H. Hoke, William Alexander Hoke, James B. Heim, Frank Lander, John, Charles and Benjamin Motz, Carroll and Benjamin Leecraft, Dr. Sumner McBee, Silas McBee, Vardry McBee, William Pagenstacher, Forney Reinhardt, Robert S. Reinhardt, Thomas J. Ramsour, John and Charles Stubbs, Dodson R. Schenck, Hoke Smith, Burton Smith, Jacob, Charles and Jethro Sumner, William L. Sherrill, Charles Wilkes, James Jenkins, Edward Wilkes, Dr. J. M. Templeton, Alfred Thompson, David S. Jenkins. It would be interesting to follow up the history of all these in their varied fields of endeavor. Professor Smith was a good musician and the rule each day at the closing hour was to have a lesson in music. The old “Carmina Sacra," popular in those days, contained the old, familiar church hymns, and was used. The teacher with tuning fork, marked time as he led the singing: The only song of lighter vein was the brief couplet: “Go to Jane Glover And tell her I love her Page 190 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina And by the light of the moon I will come to her.” Professor Smith was also an elocutionist and every Friday the boys had to declaim. “Comstocks Elocution,” contained many patriotic speeches and classic poems, and the boys were taught intonation, emphasis, gesture and proper position on the platform. Alex Hoke got eloquent when he recited Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, Addison G. Smith with dignity recited Scott's “Not far advanced was morning day, when Marmion did histroop array.” Hoke Smith’s favorite speech was “At midnight in his guarded tent, The Turk was dreaming of the hour, When Greece her knee in suppliance bent, Should tremble at his power." Silas McBee was a graceful speaker and once got the prize for oratory, while in another contest Theodorus H. Cobb won the prize, a handsome copy of Milton’s poems. As I recall the class roll of sixty five years ago nearly all have passed from the scene of action. Addison G. Smith, Vardry McBee, Edward T. Childs and the writer, I believe are the few still living. That was a great school. Out of it came some wonderfully brilliant men who never went to college but were educated, cultured and distinguished. Theodorus H. Cobb, William Alexander Hoke, Hoke Smith and Addison G. Smith Were all great lawyers and Silas McBee was a great layman of the Episcopal church for many years, Editor of The Churchman, the general organ of that denomination in America. Dr. Sumner McBee, Dr. J. M. Templeton, Capt. Charles E. Childs, Dr. H. A. Costner and others of that group proved to be worthy and notable products of Lincoln County. 1872 Rev. Dr. Needham B. Cobb, came to Lincolnton as pastor of the Baptist church. His son, Collier Cobb, then about ten years old, edited and published a little paper called the “Home Journal,” thus giving early promise of future usefulness. He has been for many years Professor of Geology at our State University. * * * * The Legislature chosen in August assembled in November. The political disabilities of Governor Vance had been removed and the democratic caucus nominated him for the United States Senate to succeed John Pool, republican. There was a small but influential democratic faction that supported A. S. Merrimon, who had been defeated for Governor in the August election by Gov. Tod R. Caldwell, republican. This faction refused to abide by the action of the caucus and voted for Merrimon. Vance failed to receive the required majority. A deadlock followed but it was finally broken when the republicans threw their strength to Merrimon and he was elected and served from 1873 to 1879, when Vance finally was made Senator and served until his death in 1894. * * * * Rev. R. Z. Johnston, accepted the call to the pastorate of the Lincolnton Presbyterian Church early in 1872. * * * * Walking H. Alexander, (son of J. Taylor Alexander) 2. Well known and prominent citizen of Lincolnton, died June 1, 1872, in his 48th year. Page 191 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * Rev. J. S. Barr, a Presbyterian minister, died at his home in Lincoln in 1872, aged 46 years. * * * * It was a brilliant campaign waged between William Shipp Bynum, republican, and Alfred J. Morrison, democrat, for the Legislature in 1872. Morrison was elected as the democrats were in the majority, but he resigned in the middle of his term to pursue his studies preparatory to entering the Presbyterian ministry. two years later Mr. Bynum abandoned the law to enter the ministry of the Episcopal Church. * * * * In the August election of 1872, Tod R. Caldwell was re-elected Governor, defeating Augustus S. Merrimon by 1800 votes. * * * * In November, Grant defeated Greeley for the Presidency, and carried North Carolina by 25,000 majority. William S. Bynum was the Grant elector from the 6th district. * * * * William Alexander Hoke was granted license to practice law by Supreme Court, on his 215i: birthday, October 25, 1872. Page 192 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LIX 1872 Hon. Burton Craige, son of David Craige, a patriot of the Revolution, was born in Rowan county, March 13, 1811, prepared for college by Rev. James Otis Freeman, and graduated from the State University in the class with Dr. Sidney X. Johnston, of Lincoln, in 1829. He studied law and began to practice in Salisbury. Represented the county in House of Commons in 1832 and 1834. He married to Elizabeth, daughter of Col. James Erwin, of Burke. Later, he moved to a plantation in Lincoln county on the Catawba river, in what is now Catawba county, and practiced in the courts of Rowan, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Catawba, Lincoln, Burke, and other counties. He had a brilliant mind, attractive manners which won to him many friends and was a giant physically, measuring six and one half feet in height. He was a powerful jury lawyer and popular with the people. It has been said that often the jury would return a Verdict for “Uncle Burt” as he was familiarly called, rather than for his client. He was a stranger to fear and once when some man of diminutive statue challenged the six and one half foot lawyer for a duel he accepted the challenge on condition that the contest should be with swords in water six feet deep. Of course that settled the difficulty. He was one of the Committee designated to organize the new county of Catawba which was created in 1842. Later he returned to Salisbury and was elected to Congress in 1854-56-58 and 60. He resigned in 1861 and cast his lot with the South, and as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1861 Was the able leader of the Secession party. He was a distinguished lawyer and statesman in his day and died in 1872. His son, Kerr Craige, was an able lawyer, who represented Rowan in the Legislature. was nominated for Congress in 1884, but declined the honor when he was sure of election. He served as Collector of Internal Revenue, 1886-89, and was Assistant Postmaster General during Cleveland’s administration. His two sons, Burton and Kerr Craige, are the third generation of lawyers in the family. For more than one hundred years the Craiges have practiced law in Salisbury and these younger men measure up to the high standards of their ancestors as to legal ability and lofty character. 1873 When the Lincoln Courier, edited by E. H. Britton, suspended publication about 1867, Lincoln County was without a newspaper Until April, 1873, when the Lincoln Progress was established by Monroe Seagle and James H. Smith. * * * * The South was doubly unfortunate When the financial panic of 1873 struck the country for we had for full ten years before passed through a terrible period of depression, during and after the Civil War, and the 1873 panic continued for almost six years, until the resumption of specie payments September 1, 1879. Money was scarce there were but two banks in the state west of Charlotte, and living was so Page 193 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina high that the family budget was hard to balance, but the people forced to self denial, generally lived on what they got and avoided debt as much as possible. Phifer’s Cotton Factory, Mareh's Chain Factory. Tiddy's Paper Mills, and Derr’s Iron Furnace had small pay rolls which added little to the buying power of the people. The only other sources of income were the limited cotton crop and the surplus flour ground at our local mills. At that time there was not a mile of railroad West of Cherryville and Morganton, not a bath tub in this part of the State. Turner Derr, a colored man, carried daily in one sack from the train to the post office all the mail that came to Lincolnton, and hardly a dozen daily papers came to this post office. Charles Roseman, the colored drayman with one mule moved all the freight which came into and went out of town. One engine pulled all the traffic and freight from Charlotte to Cherryville and two engines drew the trains (one each way daily) from Salisbury to Morganton. We had slow transportation, the young men on Sunday afternoons took their sweethearts for a walk to Cansler’s Spring and they drank water out of the iron ladle which was securely chained to the overshadowing oak, and never dreamed of disease germs which the world was ignorant of in those days. But the women were brave and self denying. They inspired the men with courage to endure. The people were honest and industrious, intelligent and law abiding. They thought high thoughts while they lived the simple life. It was a long time until the inventor dreamed of telephones, electric lights, radios and aeroplanes. There were no paved streets or great public school buildings, but the homes were lighted by kerosene lamps and sometimes by tallow candles. The people were self dependent and fought their way to a better day. * * * * From Progress, May 17, 1873: Monroe Seagle, James H. Smith, proprietors. Town Government: Dr. Robert J. Brevard, Mayor; Commissioners: Sumner McBee, William Thompson, F. A. Tobey, C. S. Rozzelle, Dr. H. A. Costner, W. J. Crowson, D. R. Hoover and George L. Bartlette; Clerk and Treasurer: James Jenkins; Marshall: Capt. M. I. Eudy. County Government: Clerk Superior Court, S. P. Sherrill; Sheriff, J. A. Robinson; Register of Deeds, P. A. Summey; Treasurer, James C. Jenkins; Surveyor, D. D. Beam; Coroner, Peter S. Beal; Commissioners, W. A. Thompson, B. H. Sumner, I. R. Self, L. S. Camp, Dr. C. L. Hunter; Magistrates, A. G. Harrell, M. L. Loftin, Robert Nixon, A. F. Barnett, Henry Houser, H. E. Ramsour, W. A. Thompson, J. A. Davis, B. F. Grigg, A. Alexander, J. L. Wilkey, J. G. Justice, Melchi Rhodes, Edward Beatty. * * * * Lincolnton Markets: Saturday, May 17, 1873: Cotton, 10 a 16; corn, bu. 60 a; eggs, doz. 12½c a 15; hams (N. C.) 12½c a 15; Liquor, N. C. corn, 1.50 a 2.00; apple brandy, 1.75 a. * * * * “2700 Bar Room to be closed when the Prohibitory liquor law goes into effect in Massachusetts.” Page 194 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * The Progress, May 31, 1873: Regular services at Episcopal churches at and near Lincolnton, Rev. W. R. Wetmore, minister. * * * * Advertisement: Wanted — A young gentleman, aged 23 years, of good moral habits, with black hair, black eyes, fair complected, 5 feet 10 inches high, in moderate circumstances, wishes to correspond with a young lady of 18 summers, with bright blue eyes, light hair and medium height, with a view to matrimony. Address, Latte, Lincolnton, N. C. * * * * Advertisement: John D. Shaw, Attorney at Law; J. F. Hoke, Attorney at Law; Dr. H. A. Costner, Dentist. * * * * Kistler House, Lincolnton, N. C. “A beautiful view of the mountains can be had from an observatory on top of the Hotel Building”. Mrs. L. H. Kistler, Proprietress. * * * * Henderson House, “South side of Public Square.” “In my yard is an alum well not inferior to the celebrated alum springs of Virginia. Robert Sewers, Prop.” * * * * M. I. Eudy, Groceries and confections; E. K. Evans. Tinware and Stones; Wilkey & Brothers, Carriages and Wagon Makers; Eben Childs, Groceries, Dry Goods, Shoes; Warren Gheen, Furniture, “Coffins made on Short Notice;” J. W. Bean, Harness, Saddlery, Bridles; E. W. Stubbs & Co., Machinery of all kinds, Established 1852; J. C. Cobb, General Merchandise; John G. Justice, General Merchandise, Notions, Sugar, Piques, Muslins. Page 195 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LX 1873 Rev. V. A. Sharpe, Books: “Bibles, Methodist Hymn Books, Sterens’ History of Methodism, Wesley’s Sermons, Life of John Kitto, D. D.” * * * * Hillebrand & Cobb, Groceries and Confections; J. Logan McLean with E. W. Stubbs & Co., Machinery. * * * * John A. Huggins, M. W. Robinson, R. A. Yoder, W. I. Hull, J. M. Bandy, Frank J. Hoke. W. F. Reep, George A. Hauss and Scott Graham (colored) Were, on July 12, 1873, granted certificates to teach in the public schools of the County. Rev. W. R. Wetmore, Rev. R. Z. Johnston and Dr. J. M. Lawing were the Board of Examiners. J. M. Bandy later served as Professor of Mathematics in Trinity College, later Duke University. R. A. Yoder became a Lutheran and W. I. Hull a Methodist minister. * * * * Upon the death of Judge Nathaniel Boyden, of the State Supreme Court, Gov. Caldwell, in November, 1873 appointed Col. W. P. Bynum the State Solicitor to fill the vacancy, and Judge Bynum was a member of that Court until January 1, 1879. Governor Caldwell tendered the appointment of Solicitor to William S. Bynum but he declined it. Then the Governor appointed Joseph L. Carson, of Rutherfordton to fill out the term as Solicitor. * * * * At a special election held to choose a. successor to A. J . Morrison, resigned, Ambrose Costner was elected to the Legislature. (The Legislature met annually until 1876.) 1874 In 1874 the first telegraph line to Lincolnton was completed and was constructed mainly for railroad service. * * * * The bill to charter Rock Spring Seminary was ratified by the Legislature January 30, 1874, With J. W. Puett, J. A. Kids. F. W. Howard, J. B. Shelton and Thomas Thompson, as Trustees. * * * * Page 196 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The Legislature passed an act to secure better drainage of Clark’s and Maiden Creeks, with L. E. Thompson, Emanuel Poovey, Michal Finger and William McCaslin, of Lincoln, and John Killian, Joseph H. Bost, Caleb Rhodes, Robert P. Reinhardt, Welborn Boyd and H. A. Forney, of Catawba County, to devise and perfect plans for draining said creeks. * * * * W. S. Bynum delivered the Literary address at the close of the Rock Spring Seminary in June, 1874. * * * * Governor Caldwell died in July, 1874, and his body was buried in Morganton. * * * * David Schenck defeated Judge G. W. Logan for Judge in August, by 2,200 majority. W. J. Montgomery Was chosen for Solicitor over J . L. Carson. From 1861 to 1874 the republican party was in absolute control of the Federal Government. Grant in 1872 overwhelmingly defeated Greeley, but the panic of 1873 with its train of distress brought about in the Congressional election of 1874 a change of sentiment so great as to give the democrats a good working majority in the lower House of Congress, and heartened them for the presidential contest of 1876. * * * * Rev. Henry Asbury died at his home in Lincoln County, October 1, 1874, aged 75 years. He was a useful local preacher of the Methodist church and son of Rev. Daniel Asbury, the pioneer Methodist preacher west of the Catawba river. Henry Asbury reared a, large family and exercised a fine religious influence for many years. Some years before his death he had a premonition that his death would be violent, and so it was, for as he was asleep in front of the fire he awoke to find his clothes in flames and he was burned to death. * * * * The Rock Springs Masonic Lodge, No. 341, was organized in December 1874, and the charter members were Dr. J . A. Sherrill, Isaac E. Paine, J. W. A. Paine, A. E. King, Dr. J. D. Munday. David Cherry, David w. Shelton, M. Bynum, N. A. Wingate, Osborne W. Asbury, T. S. Shelton, J. T. Morrison, A. L. Cherry, Sidney V. Goodson, Marcus W. Sherrill, H. Cornelius, H. Hager and D. Robert Smith (18). Page 197 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Those who served as Master and Secretary of the Lodge; each serving until his successor was chosen, are: Masters Secretaries Dr. J. A. Sherrill, Dec. 30, 1874 Dr. J. D. Munday, Dec. 30, 1874 J. W. A. Paine, Jan. 1, 1875 T. H. Proctor, Dec. 27, 1878 Dr. J. A. Sherrill, Nov. 25, 1876 R. A. Smith, Dec. 27, 1880 Alfred Nixon, Nov. 18, 1882 W. A. Day, Dec. 27, 1881 J. W. A. Paine, Dec. 27, 1883 J. W. A. Paine, Nov. 18, 1882 J. F. Brower, Dec. 29, 1885 T. H. Proctor, Dec. 27, 1883 Dr. J. A. Sherrill, Dec. 27, 1886 J. F. Brower, Dec. 27, 1886 A. 14. Cherry, Dec. 27, 1887 T. H. Proctor, Dec. 27, 1887 Dr. J . A. Sherrill, Dec. 27, 1890 A. L. Cherry, Dec. 27, 1891 A. L. Cherry, Dec. 27, 1893 D. H. Drum, Dec. 27, 1893 Dr. J. A. Sherrill, Dec. 27, 1895 A. L. Cherry, Dec. 27, 1895 A. L. Cherry, Dec. 27, 1898 J. W. Little, Dec. 27, 1898 Dr. H. N . Abernethy, Dec. 27, 1900 B. A. York, Dec. 27, 1903 J. W. Little, June 13; 1908 A. L. Cherry, Dec. 27, 1906 Dr. H. N. Abernethy, June 10, 1911 J. O. Munday, June 13, 1908 J. W. Little, June 23. 1915 C. B. Armstrong, June 11, 1911 R. E. Proctor, June 22, 1918 J. W. Little, June 14, 1913 C. B. Armstrong, June 7, 1919 Jesse McConnell, June 26, 1915 J. W. Little, June 23, 1923 Dr. C. L. McCaul, June 16, 1917 W. E. King, June 7, 1924 J. W. Little, June 22, 1918 W. A. Poole, June 6, 1925 C. B. Armstrong, June 23, 1923 Clyde Smith, June 14, 1930 R. W. Smith, June 6, 1925 C. B. Armstrong, March 19, 1934 W. E. King, July 18, 1927 1875 At the August election Caleb Motz was, chosen delegate to the Constitutional Convention which met in Raleigh in September. * * * * Lorenzo Ferrier, a Frenchman for many years a citizen of Lincolnton, and who had been a soldier in the French Army under Napoleon, died August 16, 1875, aged 96 years. He was a bachelor and somewhat eccentric, but educated and warm hearted. Parts of his will are expressed in classic language. His faith in the future life was clearly manifested in the will, in which is found the following: “I am ago in hope to see and embrace my kind friends Michal Hoke, William Lander and other good and honest friends with Whom I hope to enjoy an eternal felicity.” * * * * In August, 1875, I rode into Shelby on the first passenger train that rolled into that town and the whole country seemed to be there to welcome it. * * * * William Rufus Clark, Clerk of the County, from 1857 to 1865, and from 1866 to 1868. died in Lincolnton, August 22, 1875, aged 60. Page 198 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXI 1875 William A. Graham, son of Gen. Joseph Graham, was born in Lincoln County, Sept. 5, 1804; was prepared for college in local schools and graduated from the State University in 1824, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1825 and settled in Hillsboro. Married June 8, 1836 to Susan Washington of Newbern. Represented Orange County in House of Commons 1836-38 and 40. Speaker of the house in 1838 and 40. Elected as a Whig to United State Senate and served from Nov. 25, 1840 to March 3, 1843, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Col. Robert Strange was Governor of North Carolina 1845-1849. Declined appointment as Minister to Spain in 1849. Secretary of the Navy in the Fillmore Cabinet 1850-53. It was during his administration that Commodore Perry by treaty with Japan opened the hermit nation which has since developed into a great world power. Gov. Graham was the Whig candidate for Vice President in 1852; member of the State Senate 1854, 1862 and 1865; Confederate States Senate in 1866 but his credentials were never presented. One of the Trustees of Peabody Fund from 1867 to 1875. Arbiter selected by Virginia to study the boundary dispute with Maryland and was elected from Orange County as delegate to Constitutional Convention in August 1875 but died Aug. 11th of that year at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., before the convention assembled. His body was buried at Hillsboro. Gov. Graham was a distinguished citizen and exercised through his long life a fine influence in the state which he honored and which honored him as its Legislator, Governor and U. S. Senator and served the nation with distinction as Secretary of the Navy. Conservative, dignified and wise he proved to be a leader who could be trusted for any task and, proved Well his fitness by measuring always to the highest expectations of the people. His sons John W. Graham, Augustus W. Graham, James A. Graham and William A. Graham all figured prominently in the public life of North Carolina. Dr. Joseph Graham was a skilled surgeon and Dr. George W. Graham an eye and ear specialist, both of Charlotte. One daughter married to Judge Whiter Clark and among their children are David Clark of Charlotte, W. A. Graham Clark of Washington and Thorne Clark of Lincolnton. 1876 Rev. Alfred James Morrison (Get. 1, 1849-July 6, 1876) youngest son of Rev. Dr. R. H. Morrison, was a brilliant young man, who resigned his seat in the Legislature in 1873 to enter the Presbyterian ministry, with every promise of a very useful career as a preacher of righteousness, but died in triumph after three Years of ministerial service. His body rests by the side of his ancestors in Machpelah graveyard. His tombstone stories no dates. He married on February 24, 1875, to Portia Lee Atkinson. They had one son, Alfred James Morrison, L. L. D., born July 11, 1876 (only five days after his father died). He never married but died January 22, 1923. * * * * Page 199 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In January, 1876, license to practice law was granted to Theodorus H. Cobb. * * * * Rev. William S. Bynum was ordained Deacon by Bishop Lyman, in St. Luke’s Episcopal church in Lincolnton, March 12, 1876. * * * * Dr. M. L. Brown, for many years a Lincolnton physician and one time Legislator from Lincoln county, died July 22, 1876, aged 41 years. * * * * Page 200 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Rock Spring Seminary Commencement at Denver, May, 1876, as reported in Lincoln Progress. Prof. D. Matt Thompson, Principal. Annual Sermon, by Rev. Dr. D. R. Bruton. Annual Address, by Dr. Braxton Craven, President of Trinity College. Recitations by young ladies: Early Piety, Emma L. Kelly (Mrs. Durant Howard). Improve Your Time, Lizzie Howard. Live Within Your Means, Iola J. Robinson (Mrs. Alfred Nixon). Hard Times, Dora H. Davenport (Mrs. C. E. Hutchison). Love Begins at Home, Luetta Connor (Mrs. W. L. Sherrill). Good Society, Ella Howard (Mrs. William Munday). 100 Years Ago, Zetta Munday (Mrs. Frank Smith). Refinement a National Benefit, Sallie Asbury (Mrs. _____ Duke). Cramming, Mary Paine Puett (Mrs. A. W. Andrews). Speeches: Old Fashioned Total Abstinence, Henry A. Howard. Boys on the Farm, James W. Shelton. Necessity of Industry, T. M. Davis. What Shall I do for a Living, R. Kelly Davenport. Voice of the Dead, L. M. Smith. The Uses of the Ocean, Luther E. Finger. Auction Extraordinary, Alex. M. Shelton. Humbug Patriotism, James C. Loftin. Moral Power of Woman, R. Eugene Lineberger. John Ploughman’s Talks to the Idle, Charles L. McCall. Independence Bell, J. Allen King. My Rhyme, Master Tommie M. Shelton. Mental Improvement, Adolphus R. Rudisill. Try is the Song, T. F. Connor. Choice Books Good Company, L. F. Black. The Magic Wires, J. M. Roberts. Universal Education, John H. Rutledge. Standards of Human Greatness, J. W. Kelly. Young America, Sidney W. Whitener. Agriculture, Adolphus W. Clark. Music by Catawba Brass Band. Visitors: Rev. J . T. Harris and Mr. J. C. Jenkins, of Lincolnton. Denver Merchants: W. C. Proctor, J. C. Puett, J, M. Kids, Dr. Charles S. Rozzelle, Physician. * * * * The heavy rains in June, 1876, did much damage to the wheat crop, a great deal of it sprouting in the shock. Page 201 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * September 16, 1876. Judge Thomas Settle, (Republican), and Governor Z. B. Vance, (Democrat), candidates for Governor, spoke in Lincolnton. two of the handsomest men in the State as well as two of the greatest. It was a battle of giants in a hotly fought canvass. Vance was elected in November by 13,000 majority over Settle. * * * * Christmas, 1876, was ushered in with a terrible snow storm, followed on January 1st, with another heavy snow. It snowed now and then until late in March, with a great wheat crop following in 1877. * * * * Captain John G. Justice, a prominent citizen and merchant, died December 26, 1876 after a brief illness. He was a gallant soldier in the Civil war and lost a limb in battle. His wife was Jennie, a daughter of V. A. McBee. Page 202 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXII 1877 Mayor Augustus W. Burton, son of Judge Robert H. Burton, was born at Beatties Ford, August 29, 1815 and died in Lincolnton Feb. 15, 1877, aged 62 years and was Mayor of Lincolnton at the time of his death. He was a graduate of the State University and was admitted to the bar January 29, 1849. His license was signed by Chief Justice Ruffin and associate Justice Frederick Nash and Richmond M. Pearson. On April 25, 1849 he was married to Julia L. Olmstead, sister of Rev. Dr. A. F. Olmstead, one time Rector of St. Lukes Episcopal church in Lincolnton. They settled in Shelby where Mr. Burton was successful in the practice of law until 1861 when he volunteered as a soldier of the Civil War and went to the front as Captain of the Cleveland Guards, in April 1861. He was promoted to Major in 2nd N. C. Regiment and his commission was signed by Gov. Ellis May 14, 1861. After two years active service he was transferred to the commissary department and stationed in Charlotte until the war closed in 1865. In 1866 he went North on a business trip and lived in New York for four years when, broken in health, he returned South and made his home in Lincolnton until his death in 1877. From the time he was admitted to the bar until 1861 he was an influential citizen of Shelby, represented Cleveland in the House of Commons in 1852, was elected State Solicitor for the Western district by the Legislature in 1853 and served in that position with distinction until 1858. He was State Senator from Cleveland in 1860. He had two sons, Frank O. Burton born in 1851 who went to Dakota where he engaged in the cattle business and died at Custer June 21, 1898. The other son, Robert H. Burton born in 1853 entered the Episcopal ministry and served various churches in Connecticut until his death in 1933. * * * * On November 23rd, 1877, the heavy rains raised the waters of Clark's Creek and the South Fork river out of banks, and that night Harrison Grice went from Phifer’s Factory down to the Creek crossing with Jacob Sumner and Michal Hoke to row them across in the canoe. The current was so strong that they were all carried down to the river, where the boat capsized and Grice disappeared in the flood. Sumner and Hoke held on to the boat in mid-stream until it reached the bend of the river, North of the Seaboard bridge, when the boat drifted toward the shore. Hoke caught to an overhanging limb, climbed to the body of the tree, but surrounded by a deep water sat there till 2 o’clock the next day when he was rescued by a boatman who approached from the West side of the stream. When Hoke was safe in the tree. Sumner in desperation grabbed a sapling which he clung to for an hour, when he cried back to Hoke, “Mike, I can’t hold on any longer,” and sank, It was several days before his body was found and two weeks later the body of Grice was found lodged under a fish trap near the Seaboard bridge. It was all a tragedy which stirred the whole community. * * * * Page 203 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina The Presidential election of 1876 was claimed by both parties and at one time it was feared that there might be a bloody contest to decide whether Hayes or Tilden should be President. Ever since the November election until late in February, 1877, feeling ran high. Congress arranged for a peaceful settlement by creating an Electoral Commission to be composed of five Justices of the Supreme Court, five Senators and five representatives to decide the questions involved. The Senate was republican and the House democratic, so there were ten Congressmen on the Commission, equally divided politically. On each issue the Commission voted 8 for Hayes and 7 for Tilden, with the result that Hayes was given 185 and Tilden 184 Electoral votes and Hayes was in March inaugurated as the 19th President of the United States. * * * * Judge Theodorus W. Brevard, a notable son of Lincoln county, moved to Alabama in 1833 to practice law, and there served as Judge of the County Court. In 1847 he moved to Florida and from 1855 to 1860 was Comptroller of State. He was further honored by the State when the County of Brevard was named for him. His wife, Carolina Mays, was a cultured lady of South Carolina After the Civil War they returned to Lincolnton where in 1868 — 1870 they conducted a boarding school in the present North State Hotel building. Mrs. Brevard taught the girls, while Judge Brevard had a class of boys who were day scholars. Judge Brevard died in 1877 aged 73 years. Mrs. Brevard died in 1892, aged 81 years, and their bodies rest side by side in Machpelah graveyard. They had two sons who were skilled physicians, Dr. Ephriam A. Brevard, who was thrown from his horse and killed in 1871, aged 32 years, and Dr. Robert J . Brevard who practiced his profession in Charlotte where he sewed four years as Mayor and died in 1906, aged 56 years. Another son, Theodore W. Brevard, Jr., born in Alabama, married to Mary Call, daughter of Governor R. K. Call, of Florida. He served in the Florida Legislature in 1858 and later as Adjutant General of the Slate. He was Colonel of the 11th Florida Regiment in the Civil War and in March 22, 1865 was commissioned Brigadier General but the war closed before the commission reached him. He served in Florida Legislature during the reconstruction period and died in Tallahassee in 1882. His daughter, Caroline Mays Brevard (1860-1920) named for her Grandmother Brevard, was a woman of rare culture, a teacher in the Florida Women’s College and author of a history of Florida (2 volumes) covering the period from 1793 to 1900, a work which gives her a permanent place in Florida history. * * * * James L. Wilkey and L. T. Wilkey were for nearly two generations useful Lincolnton citizens. They were natives of Rutherford County who came here when young men and married two good Lincoln girls and reared a lot of fine children. J. L. Wilkey was a magistrate for some years and his brother L. T. Wilkey served as County Treasurer for eight years, from 1886 to 1894. They were skilled mechanics and conducted a business in the Western part of town where they made wagons and did general repair work, employing several extra men and blacksmiths. Page 204 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina It was sometime in 1877 when the sound of the hammer was heard in their shop at night and it all seemed a mystery. Spiritualism had been much discussed in the town and some people were excited over it. The hammer striking the anvil at Wilkey’s Shop breaking the midnight silence of a quiet community was attributed to a spirit — good or evil. Night after night multitudes of the town folks went up to the shop and heard first hand the clear but mysterious noise. Delegations would go inside with lanterns to discover if possible the cause but never found the explanation. It was the talk of the town and the excitement ran high. At last one of the shopmen told Jake Bisaner as a secret not to be repeated, that they had placed an anvil under a box with a hammer on a pivot above. This hammer was connected with the outside by a cord so that one could sit on the ground outside in the dark and by pulling the cord cause the hammer to strike the anvil at will. The story was so good that Jake Bisaner could not keep the secret and the excitement subsided when he told it. Page 205 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXIII 1878 Saloons were voted out of Lincolnton in 1878. * * * * The question of no fence law was agitated. Up to this time cattle and hogs had free range and field crops had to be fenced in. A lawful fence was “horse high, bull strong and hog tight.” In the earlier days farmers with free range for hogs and cattle found it better to fence in crops, but since rail timber was no scarcer and field crops of more value, the sentiment grew for the no fence law, and the proposed change was bitterly opposed by many people. * * * * The Southern Stars Military Company, with Silas McBee, Captain, Michal Hoke and B. F. Seagle, Lieutenants, and Charles E. Child's orderly sergeant, attended the State Fair at Raleigh, in October, 1878. * * * * In the November election W. N. H. Smith, Thomas S. Ashe and John H. Dillard were elected Judges of the Supreme Court, without opposition. Their terms began January 1, 1879. * * * * J. R. Hawkins, Bridge builder on Carolina Central Railroad, was killed April 6, 1878, at a railway crossing in Charlotte, when the crank upon which he was traveling collided with a train where two railway tracks crossed. He and Captain K. S. Finch were on the crank going to Lincolnton to spend the week end and he was killed before they got out of Charlotte. Captain Finch escaped unhurt. * * * * Jacob Bisaner, Sr. died in Lincolnton, July 8, 1878, aged 79 years. He was a mechanic and a good citizen. In an article published in the Lincoln Progress at the time of his death, Judge David Schenck paid high tribute to him. On the afternoon when he was buried an angry storm swept over the town, followed by a glorious sunset. Judge Schenck in picturesque language used the storm as an illustration of his earthly trials, and the sunset as the peaceful end of a life well spent. 1879 Governor Zebulon B. Vance was elected to the United States Senate by the Legislature which met in January, succeeding Augustus S. Merrimon, and his term began March 4th. Lieut. Gov. Thomas J. Jarvis succeeded Vance as Governor. * * * * Page 206 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina David Summerow, an old and highly respected citizen of the Lowesville section, died June 23, 1879. His son, W. A. Summerow volunteered as a soldier of the Confederacy and died in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1862, * * * * In August, 1879, a revival meeting was held in the old White Church, by the Baptist pastor, Rev. A. L. Stough, assisted by Rev. F. M. Jordan, a militant preacher of force and zeal. The other congregations cooperated and large crowds attended. The Baptists were few in number then but that meeting gave impetus and growth to the denomination, which has increased with the growth of the town until today they have a large membership and a handsome, well located church. * * * * Robert A. Brevard, son of Capt. Alex Brevard, the pioneer, and life long citizen of the County, died at his home East of Lincolnton, August 17, 1879, aged 80 years, and his body was buried at Machpelah. He for many years was engaged in the iron industry in the County. Among his sons was Capt. Alexander F. Brevard, a lawyer by profession, who died October 22, 1909, aged 84 years. * * * * In September, William L. Sherrill, when nineteen years old, established in Dallas, the first drug store ever operated in Gaston County. * * * * John B. Hoyle, the 15 year old son of Laban A. Hoyle, while out hunting was killed October 18, 1879, by the accidental discharge of his gun. * * * * Theodorus H. Cobb was married to Miss Ellen V. Johnson, daughter of Captain V. Q. Johnson, in November, 1879. 1880 James R. Dodge, a lawyer of note, lived in Lincolnton from 1834 to 1845. He was born in New York State, October 27, 1795. In the war of 1812 he was first aide to his father, General Dodge, at Sackett Harbor. In 1817 settled in Petersburg, Va., where he met with financial failure in 1819. In 1820 he Went to Raleigh, N. C., with a letter of introduction to Chief Justice Ruffin, who befriended him. He was licensed to practice law and lived for a while in Stokes county where he married to Susan Williams, May 24, 1826. In 1834 he was elected State Solicitor for the Lincolnton District, which position he held for some years. He Was a member of the Lincolnton School Board 1838 - 1841. About 1846 he met with financial misfortune in Lincolnton. There was no homestead exemption in those days and all his property was sold for debt. Mr. Dodge was a nephew of Washington Irving, the author, who presented him with a full set of his literary works. These books, sold for debt, were bought by Mr. William Lander, his friend, who gave them back to Mr. Dodge. Page 207 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina He lived in Lincolnton at the old B. H. Sumner residence on East Main street, and it was there his daughter, Annie Dodge, was born. She later married to Chalmers L. Glenn, of Rockingham county and became the mother of Governor Robert B. Glenn. From May 1847 to 1858 Mr. Dodge was Clerk of the Supreme Court (Morganton). Prior to that time he was for about twelve years a clerk in the Legislature. Mr. Dodge possessed rare literary gifts and was a lawyer distinguished in his day. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Chalmers L. Glenn, in Rockingham county, North Carolina, February 24, 1880. He was a life long member of the Episcopal church. * * * * From the “Denver Seminary Gazette” of May 20, 1880, published by J. B. Ivey, now one of the merchants of the state, the following news notes are found: The Denver Seminary Commencement Marshals elected are, M. F. Jones, of Gaston, chief, with A. P. Cannon, W. F. Farrar, H. M. Eddleman and W. V. Rutledge, of Gastonia; L. c. Holler, of Mecklenburg, and J. P. Benton, of Rockingham, assistants. Col. W. W. Flemming of Marion will deliver the literary address. Prof. D. Matt Thompson was principal of the school and among the students were R. K. Davenport, Augustus Proctor, Charles L. McCall, Eugene Lineberger, O. F. Howard, Furman Kids, J. B. Ivey, George F. arid Eugene C. Ivey, the marshals above and the following young ladies, Misses Doris and Eunice Davenport, Mollie and Louie Puett, Etta Munday, Julia Johnston, Ella Howard, Dora Cannon and Lula Cannon. * * * * At the tournament at River Bend March 18, 1880, R. K. Davenport, the successful knight, crowned Miss Mamie Sherrill, of Sherrill’s Ford, the queen of love and beauty; William Henderson crowned Miss Etta Haynes, of Newton, first maid of honor; Edgar Henderson crowned Miss Eunice Davenport, second maid of honor and George Davenport crowned Miss Springs third maid of honor. * * * * T. F. Stacy, T. H. Proctor and Bro. John A. Kids and Love and Munday. Dr. Charles S. Rozzelle was the local physician. * * * * Charles C. Cobb graduated from the State University in June 1880, the first Lincoln man to complete the course there since the institution was reopened in 1875. Among his class mates were Gov. Charles B. Aycock, Gov. Locke Craig. and Judge A. L. Coble. Page 208 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXIV 1880 Mr. James C. Jenkins long a leading citizen, merchant and churchman died August 9, 1880. He was county treasurer from 1872 until his death. His wife was Barbara, daughter of the late Dr. David W. Schenck. Mr. Jenkins was for long years an active official in the Lincolnton Methodist church. Among his children were Susan, who married to S. H. Hopkins; Alice, married Samuel Lander, III; Bessie, married Burgin Ramseur; Addie, married Dr. Pressley, of Rock Hill, South Carolina; Blair, married Mary Sumner and Hugh, married Christie Waddell. All the children are dead (1935) except Mrs. Ramseur and Mrs. Pressley. Among the children of Blair Jenkins are James C. Jenkins, prominent insurance man of Charlotte, and Dr. William S. Jenkins, professor of Political History in the University of North Carolina. * * * * On October 7, 1880 a great crowd assembled at the Kings Mountain battle ground for the Centennial celebration of the glorious victory for human freedom won there a hundred years before. Senator John W. Daniel, of Virginia, delivered the principal address. * * * * At the November election Garfield was elected President and Thomas J. Jarvis was re-elected Governor over Judge Ralph P. Buxton by 6000 majority. * * * * Dr. James Abernethy (1807-1880) came of good Revolutionary stock and was related, near or distant, to most of the Abernethys of this section. He was a son of John Abernethy (1774-1826) and a grandson of Miles Abernethy (1750-1812). Dr. Abernethy Was born in Lincoln (now Gaston) county, was a physician who had a large practice in the Mount Holly and River Bend section of Gaston county and an influential and worthy citizen. He married to Mary Rankin and among his numerous children were: 1. Washington Clay Abernethy, for some years sheriff of Gaston county. He married to Mattie Smith. 2. Theodore R. Abernethy, for many years a pharmacist in Newton, where he married to Janie Campbell. 3 James Alonzo Abernethy, a prominent textile manufacturer, of Lincolnton, who married to Sarah, daughter of Moses H. Rhyne, of Gaston county. 1881 On January 23, 1881 the Indian Creek trestle, four miles West of Lincolnton, on the Carolina Central railroad, gave way as the combined passenger and freight train Page 209 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina coming east started across. Everything but the engine fell in and caught fire from the stoves in passenger cars. John Bloom, mail agent, S. W. Goodson, Insurance Agent and Harry Smith, a New York shoe drummer, together with Jim Warlick and Bill McKenzie, colored brakeman, all unable to escape from the car, were burned to death. Harry Johnson, the conductor, thrown to the ground, was dazed but not killed. The engine had reached the East side of the trestle when the crash came and the engineer, John Hall, threw the throttle wide open and jerked the engine loose from the front car and hurried with the engine to town for relief, which arrived there too late to render any help. This terrible accident carried gloom to this whole section of the State. * * * * The opposition to the common custom of a free range for cattle and hogs had grown rapidly for several years and townships voted for no fence law in various counties which is indicated by the legislative acts passed in its favor. * * * * The Legislative Acts of 1881, page 91, provides that Indian Creek shall be a lawful fence from the Gaston County line to its forks near or above George Beam’s in Lincoln County. * * * * Also, the same year on page 140, Commissioners of Lincoln, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston and Iredell, Were empowered to condemn land twenty feet in width to build fences around townships or Counties * * * * Alfred Nixon graduated from the University of North Carolina in June, 1881. * * * * The summer of 1881 was the driest Season known in North Carolina since 1845. * * * * The Legislature submitted to the people for rejection or adoption a law providing for a restricted sale of liquor, but it was defeated by 120,000 majority in August. * * * * Dr. Cyrus Lee Hunter (1807 - 1881) (Son of Rev. Humphrey Hunter,the pioneer Presbyterian preacher West of the Catawba river) was a notable citizen of Lincoln County. He had a scientific turn of mind, was a skilled physician, a devout churchman and an ardent patriot. He took great interest in local history and was an authority on the Revolutionary history of Western North Carolina. He was the author of “Hunter’s Sketches,” a valuable book which preserves the earlier history of this section and we owe to Dr. Hunter a debt of gratitude for accuracy and care in the preparation of that history which was on his part a labor of love and not of pecuniary profit. Dr. Hunter died at his home near Cottage Home, December 15, 1881, loved and respected by all who knew him. Page 210 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * President Garfield was shot in the Washington City railway station at 9 o’clock A. M. July 2nd, as he was starting to Williams College Commencement, his alma mater. He lingered for ten weeks and died at Elberon, N. J., September 19th. * * * * Judge David Schenck resigned the Judgeship and Gov. Jarvis appointed Judge William M. Shipp to succeed him. * * * * The Chester and Lenoir Railroad was completed to Lincolnton late in 1881. * * * * Benjamin S. Johnson, one of the oldest and most prominent citizens and proprietor of Johnson’s Hotel, died in 1881. * * * * Jonas W. Derr died at his home in Ironton township in 1881. He was the largest landowner in the county. He was an enterprising and frugal man, who took good care of his money, and believing that land was the safest investment, made it his rule to buy all the land adjoining his, so far as he was able to pay the cash. He had for many years engaged in the manufacture of iron on account of the abundance of a good quality of iron ore in his community, and was the last of a long line of enterprising men who had for many decades prior to his death, engaged in iron production in Lincoln county. A prominent and honorable Methodist steward once approached Mr. Derr, who was not a church member, with request for a contribution for the pastor of the neighboring Methodist church. Mr. Derr cheerfully agreed to help and the steward said, “I will be glad to hand to the preacher any amount you may give.” Then Mr. Derr said, “I will hand it to him myself, the next time I see him, and then I will know he gets it.” He was a bachelor and wealthy. Page 211 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXV 1882 Rev. William Shipp Bynum was ordained priest in Saint Luke’s Episcopal church in Lincolnton by Bishop Lyman on March 5, 1882. * * * * At 8 o’clock in the morning of July 26, 1882, in the Lincolnton Methodist church, Samuel Lander, III, was married to Alice, daughter of Mr. James C. Jenkins. * * * * Dr. W. L. Crouse was elected to the Legislature, Capt. A. S. Haynes, sheriff, and Alfred Nixon, surveyor, at the November election. * * * * After an aggressive campaign Judge Risden Tyler Bennett, of Anson was elected Congressman for the State at large, defeating Col. Oliver H. Dockery by only 250 votes. During the campaign they met in joint debate in Lincolnton, both were popular speakers and well matched. Judge Bennett spoke first and witheringly denounced the Internal Revenue law, which was not popular, and said, “If you elect me to Congress I will see that the infamous law is repealed.” In that statement he gave opportunity for his adroit opponent to get the advantage, and when Dockery arose to reply he said, “North Carolina for Some years has been ably represented in the United States Senate by Gen. Matt W. Ransom and Zebulon B. Vance, who through long service are influential members of that distinguished body, and have repeatedly by argument and diplomacy, done all they could to repeal the Internal Revenue law and failed utterly, but despite that fact, Judge Bennett tells you that if he is elected he will have that law repealed.” “I imagine that if he should get to Washington the Congress will be nervously awaiting his arrival and when he enters the door of the House the Speaker will announce in stentorian voice: ‘Let the House arise for Risden Tyler Bennett from North Carolina has just entered the hall and is coming down the aisle to take the oath, and will at once make ready to have the Internal Revenue law repealed.’” Col. Dockery knew that reason is helpless in the presence of ridicule. * * * * Col. John Hill Wheeler (1806-1882) was a notable citizen who rendered valuable service to the state as the author of “Wheeler’s History of North Carolina,” editor of the “North Carolina Manuel of 1874” and of the “Autobiography of Col. David Fanning.” He was also author of “Reminiscences of Distinguished North Carolinians.” These books preserve much valuable State history. Col. Wheeler was born in Murfreesboro, N. C., prepared for college by Rev. James Otis Freeman and graduated from Columbia College, District of Columbia in 1826; admitted to the bar in 1827 and same year represented Hertford county in House of Commons and served for four years until 1831; appointed first superintendent of the Charlotte mint in 1837 and served until 1841; was nominated for the Commons by the Page 212 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina democrats of Mecklenburg in 1842, but declined the honor because he planned to move to Lincoln county. He was elected State Treasurer that year. Later moved to Beattie’s Ford, where he wrote the History of the State and in 1852 was elected to the Commons from Lincoln. From 1854 to 1857 he was United States Minister to Nicarauga. His later years were spent in Washington Where he was engaged in literary work. He married first to Mary, daughter of Rev. G. B. Brown, of Washington; second marriage was to Ellen, daughter of Thomas Sully, the noted sculptor, of Philadelphia. Col. Wheeler died in Washington December 7, 1882. 1883 Charles C. Cobb was granted license and located in Shelby to practice law. * * * * Henry W. Morton died in 1883. He came to Lincolnton before the Civil War, from where, no one knows. He volunteered as a soldier and went out with the Southern Stars in April, 1861, and came back at the close of the war; was Express Agent, Town Marshal and a Clerk in the store of Borders & Justice and later in the stores of John G. Justice and Silas McBee. He was an intelligent and agreeable man who had his weaknesses but the people had full confidence in his integrity. He never referred to his early life and after thirty years residence in the town, died leaving no testimony of his origin. His life Was a mystery and he kept the secret well. * * * * To fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sheriff A. S. Haynes, the County Commissioners elected Alfred Nixon, Sheriff, which office he held until 1890 when he declined to be a candidate for reelection. * * * * By this time the no fence law sentiment had become so popular that the greater part of Lincoln and the Counties adjoining had adopted it. Like all innovations it first met with bitter opposition from tenant farmers who wanted free range for hogs and cattle, while at the same time the tenant had to split rails and keep up fences to protect his crops from destruction by roving cattle. * * * * Warren Gheen, a respected and useful citizen died March 16, 1883, in his 70th year. Mr. Gheen was a skilled cabinet maker and in the earlier days before we had railroads to bring in machine made furniture, Mr. Gheen and his helpers made by hand much of the old furniture in use in this section. Coffins in those days were never imported but made to order whenever there was a death, and Mr. Gheen did a large business in coffins, aside from furniture. * * * * Haywood W. Guion, of Newbern, N. C., graduated from our State University in 1835, after which he read law and in the late 1830’s came to Lincolnton, a well furnished young lawyer. became a notable citizen of the County and by 1839 was editor of the Page 213 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Western Whig Banner. He was in 1841 a member of the local school board and was successful in the practice of law, but never held political position. He was counsel for Langford, who in 1854 was tried for the murder of his wife. He made a strong argument before the jury but Langford was convicted and confessed the crime on the scaffold. Mr. Guion possessed superior literary accomplishments and the "Comet" a novel from his pen was highly regarded by literary critics. After the Civil War he moved to Charlotte where clients flocked to him. As counsel for the Atlanta and Charlotte Railway about 1873 in a law suit of importance, it is said he received a $10,000.00 fee, unusually large in that day, or in this day for that matter. His wife was Ellen, daughter of the late Governor Owen. Mr. Guion died in Charlotte in October, 1883, and his will was probated in Mecklenburg County, November 16, 1883. His wife was made Executrix of the will and the sole beneficiary. He was a life long member of the Episcopal Church. Page 214 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXVI 1883 The following tribute to Hon. James H. White appeared in the Gastonia Gazette of November 16, 1883: The reaper, Death, day by day snatches from our midst some friend. One by one the old landmarks take their last steps on the march to Eternity. The subject of this sketch was born in Derry County, Ireland, in May, 1802, and died at his residence in Gaston County, N. C., November 1st, 1883, in the 82nd year of his age. When but 16 years of age he emigrated to America, landed at Charleston, S. C., and located in Gaston (then Lincoln County. N. C.), and settled down as a farmer. He always took great interest in public affairs, was elected to the House of Commons in 1842-’44-’46 and ’48, was chosen State Senator in 1356, to the Home from Gaston in 1854 and 1860, and again to the Senate in 1862, making a total service of sixteen years in the General Assembly. He once told the writer that the proudest act of his public life was securing the charter of the Dallas & Kings Mountain Railroad (now the C. & L. R. R.) At that time there was throughout the State bitter opposition to the granting of charters to any railroads leading out of the State, but he fought hard in the Assembly for the passage of the bill granting this charter and was successful, and to him more than to anyone else are We indebted for our narrow guage railroad, binding as it does the hills of North Carolina With the lowlands of the Palmetto State. Mr. White was always a true Democrat of the Calhoun school. While not a fine orator, he was a positive and forceful speaker, admired more for his depth of argument rather than for eloquence. He Was a bold and aggressive advocate of what he thought was right, yet. frank and generous to his opponents. He was also an ardent lover of individual liberty and personal rights, and at a recent election in which he thought a just privilege was being trampled upon, he remarked as he cast his ballot, “I was born in a land of tyranny, but I want to die in a land of liberty.” He has taken but little interest in politics since the late war, but his name will stand prominent in the history of this section of the State. Personally Mr. White possessed that warmhearted generous disposition characteristic of every true son of Erin. He was a great admirer of Burns’ poetry and was consequently a lover of the grand and beautiful in Nature. An affectionate husband and loving father, a steadfast friend and generous foe, loved by his friends and admired by all, he will ever be kindly remembered. He died in the Presbyterian faith, and a nobler, manlier soul never winged it flight heavenward. Page 215 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina “Green be the turf above thee, Friend of other days; None knew thee but to love thee, None named thee but to praise.” Dallas, N. C., November, 1883. William L. Sherrill. Mr. White was active in the movement for the creation of the County of Gaston, which was established in 1846. He married to Margaret Jenkins, July 3, 1834 and reared a large family. One son, John B. White was clerk of the superior court in Gaston from 1878 to 1890, and represented Gaston in the Legislature of 1893: The body of Mr. White rests in the Jenkins family graveyard, a few miles west of Dallas. There 15 no tombstone because it was his request that no marker be placed over his grave. 1884 In January, 1884, Charles C. Cobb and John Morehead Avery, of Morganton, went to Dallas, Texas, and were partners in the practice of law there for nearly forty years. * * * * William L. Sherrill was married in Mooresville, N. C., May 21, 1884, to Miss Luetta Connor, daughter of the late Charles T. Connor, of Catawba County. * * * * Rev. Alfred J. Fox, M. D. - D. D. (Sept. 6, 1817-June 10, 1884), was a native of Chatham county; entered the gospel ministry in connection with the Tennessee Synod of the Lutheran church in 1837 and preached for some years in Tennessee and Alabama. Finally in 1854 he settled in Linc01n county, where he served as pastor of Salem; Daniel and Trinity churches for thirty years until his death in 1884. His early educational advantages were poor, but with a strong mind, combined with great diligence and perseverance, he became a ripe scholar and a preacher of great usefulness. He was also a medical doctor, successful in his practice, but his ministerial work was given first place. He had a strong physical constitution and at one time when in Alabama, he was the pastor of nine congregations, as well as a busy medical practitioner. Like the Lord, whom he served, he was a healer, teacher and preacher. Dr. Fox was an attractive and instructive preacher, ready in speech, logical in argument, full of courage and zeal, and his ministry was fruitful and his influence lasting for good. On April 5, 1842 he married to Lydia Bost, of Cabarrus county and of the seven children, three were physicians: (1) Dr. Albert C. Fox, practiced medicine in Waynesboro, Va.. and later in Lincolnton; (2) Dr. J. Frank Fox also was a Lincolnton physician, and (3) Dr. Claude B. Fox established a hospital in Tennessee where he distinguished himself as a physician. Page 216 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina two other sons became Lutheran ministers: Rev. Luther A. Fox, D. D., was for many years Professor of Philosophy in Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia, and Rev. Junius B. Fox, D. D., was a prominent minister, who served as pastor of churches in both Tennessee and South Carolina. Rev. R. A. Smith, Ph. D., a great grandson of Dr. A. J. Fox, is a minister of the Western North Carolina (Methodist) Conference. Rev. Dr. Alfred J. Fox was buried at Salem Church, which he served as pastor for thirty years. * * * * Miss Mary Wood Alexander, daughter of the late William Julius Alexander, a woman of rare culture, died at her home in Lincolnton, September 23, 1884, aged 56 years. Every body spoke of her as Miss Mary Wood and she was appreciated and loved by all who knew her. She founded Mary Wood School, for girls, about 1855, and taught for nearly thirty years until her death in 1884. She was a thorough teacher who wrought a refining influence upon the student body. The patronage was more than local for multitudes came from far and near to secure the quality of instruction she imparted. The wide influence she exerted can never be estimated and when she passed to her reward, sorrow came to the hearts of all her old pupils and friends. * * * * Mrs. Elizabeth Ramsour Phifer, wife of Col. Johh F. Phifer, died in 1884, aged 75 years. * * * * Capt. William R. Edwards, who Served the County as Register of Deeds from 1874 to 1884, retired after making a creditable record for ten years and was succeeded by Henry E. Ramsour. * * * * In November, Grover Cleveland, Governor of New York, defeated Blaine for the presidency. The first democrat to occupy that position since James Buchanan went out of office March 4, 1861. * * * * Dr. Tyre York, of Wilkes, was defeated for Governor by Gen. Alfred M. Scales. Page 217 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXVII 1885 David Cherry, a prominent citizen of East Lincoln. died this year. * * * * Edmund G. Ramsour, a Lincolnton merchant, died February 20, 1885, aged 50 years. * * * * Gen. U. S. Grant died in. New York in August, 1885, of cancer of the throat. Much of the second volume of his memoirs Was written that year. Despite the pain he labored on and had the satisfaction of completing that historical work a very short time before he died. * * * * Dr. Sidney X. Johnston, a son of Robert Johnston, was a skilled physician and practiced medicine in East Lincoln and Gaston counties , and lived on his plantation near Lowesville. When Gaston county was erected in 1846 his home was in the new county. The only political position he ever held was delegate from Gaston to the convention of 1861 and he signed the Secession ordinance. He was an officer in Unity Presbyterian church for many years, He married to Harriet, daughter of Henry Connor, Sr., on Sept. 9, 1835, and they had two daughters, Mrs. J. A. Woodcock and Miss Jane Johnston, who never married. Dr. Johnston died July 21, 1885. * * * * Gen. Daniel Seagle was from early manhood a useful and patriotic citizen of Lincoln County where he was born January 28, 1796. He was for 31mg time a Lincolnton merchant, until 1844, when he and J . F. Dailey conducted a tailoring business for several years. He then bought the farm in Howards Creek where he spent the remainder of his life. He married first to Catherine Hoover, who died three Weeks later of Typhoid Fever. His second marriage was to Mary Elizabeth Bollinger and they had six daughters and nine sons. One daughter, Catherine married to Eli A. Warlick, and Sarah Ann married to F. J . Jetton. All the sons were named for noble men: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, Monroe, Martin Van Buren, Nathaniel Macon, Dallas Polk, and Benjamin Franklin Seagle, and they were all fine citizens and all Confederate soldiers. It was a great disappointment to Gen. Seagle that he (65 years old) could not go to the war with his sons. Thomas J. Seagle rose to rank of Major, and George W. organized a company of Which he was the Captain. He and his brother, Dallas Polk, were wounded, and Martin Van Buren Was killed in action at Chancellorsville May 3, 1863. Daniel Seagle was a General of State Militia for many years until 1865. He learned to read German before English as his father was a native of Germany. He was a devout Lutheran and all his children Were baptized in that faith. He died Nov. 6, 1885, loved and respected by all the people. All the children have died Page 218 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina except Benjamin Franklin, now 86 years old (1935) who dwells in Hickory, honored and respected as one whose life has been spent in useful service. B. F. Seagle, Jr., a grandson of Gen. Daniel Seagle has furnished the following interesting facts about the pioneer John Seagle and some of the Seagle connection: Pioneer John Seagle, emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, as a young man and settled in Lincoln county. He fought in the Revolutionary war on the American side with Shelby and Sevier in the battle of Kings Mountain, Oct. 7, 1780, in the defeat of Ferguson. John Seagle first married Barbara Clay, who was born in Lincoln county and a close relative of Caleb Clay, then prominent in Burke County. From this union was born two children, General Daniel Seagle and Susan Seagle, who married David Shell. John Seagle by his second wife had four sons and two daughters: David, who married a Miss Finger; John, married Barbara Sides; Jacob, first married a Miss Duckworth and his second wife was Miss Claywell, mother of Jacob Seagle of Lenoir; Henry, who settled in Tennessee; Betsy, married George Coon, and Sarah, married Solomon Yoder. John Seagle was the pioneer of the Seagle family in this section and is buried in the old Daniel’s church yard in Lincoln county. * * * * James Logan McLean, for many years a Lincolnton citizen and official, was born in Lincoln (now Gaston) county in 1837. He married about 1861 to Margaret Ann Smith, of Dallas. Soon after his marriage the Civil War began and he volunteered as a private in Company B, 13th North Carolina Regiment, Scales Brigade, and was among those paroled at Appomattox Courthouse April 12, 1865. The historian states that this “regiment was in every battle in which Stonewall Jackson’s Corps was engaged.” The record further states “that at 2 o’clock P.,M. April 12, 1865, in view of all Federal Brigades standing at present arms, the 13th Regiment of North Carolina troops stacked its full quota of muskets, thus helping to make up a greater total from North Carolina than from the remainder of General Lee’s army.” Logan McLean was one of that noble group. Mr. McLean moved to Lincolnton soon after the Civil War and was a citizen of the town to the end of his life. He was a genial gentleman. He wrote a splendid hand, was a capable accountant, and for some years rendered good service as assistant to the Clerk of Superior Court, in which position he became familiar with the law, was a good judge of law, a Magistrate for many years, and Mayor of Lincolnton for the years 1882 and 1883. His last illness was aggravated by a breast wound received in the Civil War and he died April 12, 1885, just twenty years to the day after his regiment surrendered at Appomattox. His children were: 1. J. Thomas McLean, who for many years operated a marble yard and who served as Mayor of Lincolnton in 1903 and 1904. He died in 1922. Page 219 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 2. Mattie McLean, who died single about 1887. She and her parents were buried in the old Methodist church graveyard in Lincolnton. 3. Carrie L. McLean, who graduated from Chowan College, Murfreesboro, N. C.; taught school for one year; went to Charlotte in 1894 and held a position in a business office there for many years; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1918, and has practiced law in Charlotte since 1921. She represented Mecklenburg in the Legislature of 1927, one of the few women of the state who have served in that capacity. She made a good record as a law maker and is a capable and successful lawyer. She is now, and has since 1916, been Public . Administrator for Mecklenburg county. 4. Mary L. McLean married in 1903 to James H. Taylor of Wilmington. He died in 1931, Mrs. Taylor and her only daughter, Carrie McLean Taylor, now (1935) live in Burlington, N. C. The Lincolnton High School Commencement was held May 28, 1885 under the direction of Prof. D. Matt Thompson, the principal. The marshals were Frank Alexander, chief, assisted by J. N. Hauss, W. A. Eudy, R. E. Harrill and J. F. Phifer. Rev. P. R. Law, of Monroe, preached the sermon and Thomas Dixon, of Shelby, delivered the Titerary address. Students who took part in the exercises which followed were, J . N. Hauss, Irva Reinhardt, Betty Wilkey, William Eudy, Lula Detter, Robert Harrill, Ella Summerow, Moulton Phifer, Lucy Cauble, Jennie Johnston, Jennie Noland, Sallie Nixon, Ada Costner, Sallie Odell, Aubrey Motz, Holland Thompson, Frank Alexander, Connie Lawing and Carrie Motz. 1886 Late in 1886, Theodorus H. Cobb, a prominent Lincolnton lawyer, moved to Asheville, a growing city, where he continued to practice law. * * * * Albertus D. Childs, a member of the well known Childs family, died in Lincolnton, in 1886, aged 76. Page 220 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXVIII (missing) Page 221 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXIX 1887 Mrs. Susan Jenkins, second wife of S. Harris Hopkins and daughter of Mr. James C. Jenkins of Lincolnton, died March 5, 1887. She was a good woman, who before her marriage taught this writer in the Sunday School when he was a very small boy, but who through the long years since has remembered her with grateful appreciation. * * * * Two military companies, the Southern Stars. of Lincolnton, and the Hornets Nest Riflemen, of Charlotte, fought together at Bethel in the first battle of the Civil War, June 10, 1861. The two companies with ranks filled by younger men who did not fight in the Civil War met in Lincolnton June 10, 1887 to celebrate the anniversary of that memorable contest. At this later date Charles E. Childs was the Captain; J. E. Love and R. S. Edwards, Lieutenants, and Thomas H. Hoke, Orderly Sergeant, of the Southern Stars. Captain Thomas R. Robertson was Captain‘ of the Charlotte Company, and Heriot Clarkson (then a young man, and now a Justice of our Supreme Court) was 1st Lieutenant. Beverly C. Cobb delivered the address of welcome, to the visitors and Col. John F. Hoke made the principal speech of the day. George E. Frick, Editor of the Shelby New Era, and Col. John C. Tipton, also spoke. It was a great day in Lincolnton, sad because of the memories it revived, but glad as the people looked hopefully into a future full of promise. * * * * Captain V. Q, Johnson, a soldier of the Confederacy; came to Lincolnton after the Civil War and became Assistant Superintendent of the Carolina Central Railway, being in control of that road west of Charlotte. Later when the gap between Wilmington and Charlotte was built he was made superintendent of the whole line and continued in that position until the road was taken over bathe Seaboard System. He possessed rare executive and business ability; His eldest daughter, Ellen, married to Theodorus H. Cobb, one of the leading lawyers of Western Carolina. Some years after the death. of his first wife. Captain Johnson married to Miss Susan Forney Shipp. daughter of the late Hon. Bartlett Shipp. He died October 15, 1887, after a sudden heart attack. His body is buried in the Episcopal graveyard. * * * * A new day, commercially, dawned upon Lincolnton this year. Prior to 1854 when Charlotte got the advantage as a railroad center. Lincolnton, next to Salisbury was the most important town in Western Carolina. Charlotte people shopped in Lincolnton but the railroads after 1854 gave Charlotte the advantage. It became the cotton market for East Lincoln and the town of Lincolnton lost 'business' accordingly, and from then through the Civil War and on to 1886 its population and its business hardly held its own. It had the support of that fine farming community north and west of the town, but the eastern section traded largely with Denver, Beatties Ford and Charlotte. East Lincoln folks rarely came to Lincolnton except on legal and court business. After the Civil War many moved away and ethers lost heart, while the few called rich were too conservative to risk money in public or manufacturing enterprises. In Page 222 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1880 Lincolnton had less than 300 inhabitants,its manufacturers were insignificant and the exports brought small returns from the outside world. But in 1887, Daniel E. Rhyne and J. A. Abernethy came up from Gaston county, bought the Laboratory property for its water power and built and operated there the Laboratory Cotton Mills. It proved a profitable investment. They then built the Daniel and Wampum Mills in Lincolnton. The water power at the old Lincoln Paper Mill and Long Shoal sites on the South Fork were utilized for Cotton Mills built by W. A. Mauney, of Kings Mountain, and others. Then came Edgar Love and John M. Rhodes, who built mills in Lincolnton. All these attracted other industries, labor found employment, pay rolls grew and Lincolnton became an industrial center with a population now of 5,000 with several thousand more of the suburban communities of Goodsonville, and Saxony Mills should be included. This wonderful growth in population and business began with the coming of Daniel E. Rhyme and J. A. Abernethy in 1887. * * * * The Rev. Dr. Albert M. Shipp was born in Stokes county, June 15, 1819, son of John and Elizabeth (Oglesby) Shipp. His father died when Dr. Shipp was very small and the widow with two sous moved to Lincoln county to be near her brother-in-law, Bartlett Shipp, Albert and his cousin, William M. Shipp, were prepared for college in local schools and graduated from the State University in 1840. Both were bright scholars and shared first honors when they graduated. Mrs. John Shipp was a devout Methodist and took special pains to rear her sons Albert M. and William T. Shipp, in the fear of God. Albert was converted and joined the church at Rock Springs Camp Meeting in August 1834 and his life motto was “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Upon his graduation he gave himself to the Christian ministry, was at Lincolnton in December 1840 licensed to preach and a month later admitted into the South Carolina Conference. Was ordained deacon by Bishop Andrew in February 1843 and Elder by Bishop Soule in December 1844. He served as Pastor in Cokesbury, Charleston, Santee, Cheraw, and Fayetteville and Presiding Elder of the Lincolnton District until 1848 when he was elected President of Greensboro College and served in that capacity for two years. Was Professor of History at the University from 1849 to 1859; President of Wofford College 1859 to 1875; Professor of Exegetical Theology in Vanderbilt University 1876 to 1886, when on account of ill health he retired. In 1887 his physician advised him for a change to go to Cleveland Springs and there, attended by skilled physicians without benefit, he died June 27, 1887 and his body was buried in Cheraw, S. C. Dr. Shipp was a mighty man in his day; a wise leader in the church; a delegate to every General Conference from 1850 to 1886; member of the Centenary Conference in Baltimore in 1884; author of a comprehensive History of Methodism in South Carolina. The honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by Randolph Macon College in 1859 and Doctor of Laws by the University of North Carolina in 1883. His versatility is shown by the fact that he taught history at the University of North Carolina, mental and moral science at Wofford and Exegetical Theology at Vanderbilt. One of his old Wofford students remembered him as a spare built man, stoop shouldered and clean shaven, a master of pure English and oratory, and while a strict disciplinarian, loved by the student body. Dr. William Martin in Southern Christian Advocate, December 15, 1887, paid to Dr. Shipp this high tribute: ”He was a close student all his life and a scholar of high order. He was a noble gentleman, generous in deed, pure in life, courtly in bearing, considerate of the weak and chivalrous to women. As a preacher he occupied Page 223 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina a place in the front rank of theologians; his pulpit efforts were marked with clearness of conception, systematic in arrangement, powerful in thought, vigorous in expression and always instructive and impressive.” At the session of the S. C. Conference at Morganton in 1867, he preached a sermon of overwhelming power and eloquence from John 12:48, which brought a shout from Dr. Charles Bette. He was married in Cheraw, S. C., April 23, 1846 to Miss Mary Gillespie and among their children were: 1. John Shipp, who died about 1890. He was like his father, an educator, and professor of Languages in Bellevue College at Calendonia Mission. 2. Samuel W. G, Shipp of Florence, S. C., one of the most learned lawyers of South Carolina has been a judge of the Superior Court for many years. He is a man of wide culture and ranks high among the lawyers of his state. Page 224 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXX 1887 3. Elizabeth Shipp, married to John M. Webb, one of the founders of the celebrated Webb School, located at Bell Buckle, Tenn. Their son, Albert Shipp Webb is a professor of French at Duke University. 4. Mary Shipp married to Rev. Samuel G. Saunders, a Methodist minister of Texas. Their son, Shipp Saunders, teaches Greek and Latin at the University of North Carolina (1935). Dr. Albert M. Shipp was one of the great men Who went out from Lincoln county and many of his descendants honor the name. 1888 Col. John F. Hoke was a lawyer of first rate ability, He was a graduate of the State University and was admitted to the bar and practiced in Lincoln and adjoining counties until his death. He was born in Lincolnton, May 30, 1820 and died suddenly, October 27, 1888, while sitting on his porch watching a political procession pass by. His parents were Col. John Hoke and wife Barbara (Quickel) Hoke. He was a notable citizen and for many years was influential in county politics. At the outbreak of the Mexican war in 1846 he volunteered for service, was commissioned Captain and took part in several hotly contested battles, Was State Senator in 1850-52 and 54 and a member of the House of Commons in 1860 and 1865. He resigned his seat in the House in 1861 to accept the office of Adjutant General and resigned that office when commissioned Colonel by Gov. Ellis, and was active as a soldier until the close of the Civil War. Col. Hoke was married to Catherine, daughter of Col. William Julius Alexander, October 30, 1850. They had three children: Judge William Alexander Hoke, who was a great lawyer, and Sallie Badger and Nancy Childs Hoke, cultured and brilliant women. Mrs. Hoke died December 23, 1857. * * * * Dr. Charles S. Rozzelle, republican was defeated for the Legislature by W. A. Hoke in the November election. * * * * Benjamin Harrison, republican, defeated Grover Cleveland for President, and Daniel G. Fowler, democrat, was elected governor over Oliver H. Dockery, republican. 1889 Page 225 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Rev. Dr. Robert Hall Morrison filled a high niche in the history of the Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. He was born in the Rocky River Section of Cabarrus County, Sept. 8, 1798 and died in Lincoln county, May 13, 1889. He graduated from the State University, when 19 years old, in the class with Gov. William D. Moseley, of Florida, Bishop William M. Greene, of the Episcopal church, Hamilton C. Jones, of Rowan, and James K. Polk, who divided honors with him. He took a course at Princeton Theological Seminary; was ordained to the ministry in 1820 by Concord Presbytery; was Pastor of Providence church in Mecklenburg county two years, served the Fayetteville church five years, then Sugar Creek and while there organized the First Presbyterian church in Charlotte with 38 members. He was active in the founding of Davidson College of which he was the first President. He helped raise $30,000 for the school. After three years at Davidson he resigned on account of ill health in 1840 and moved to his farm in Lincoln County. For thirty years he was Pastor of Unity Presbyterian church and during that period he organized Castenea Grove and Machpelah Churches and served as Pastor of these congregations along with Unity. Dr. Morrison rendered valued service in promoting the religious and educational growth of this section. He was consecrated to his task, and a pulpit orator of superior gifts. His messages were full of instruction and delivered with an earnestness which aroused the conscience and quickened the spiritual life of the people. On April 27, 1824, he married Mary, daughter of General Joseph Graham of Lincoln County and they reared twelve children. The daughters: 1. Isabella married Gen. D. H. Hill. 2. Mary Anna married Gen. T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson. 3. Eugenia married Gen. Rufus Barringer, 4. Susan married Judge A. C. AVery. 5. Harriet married James P. Irwin. 6. Laura married Col John E. Brown. William M. was a Major in the Confederate Army. Joseph G. was aide to Stonewall Jackson. Dr. Robert H, Morrison, J12, was on the staff of General D. H. Hill. Alfred J . Morrison became a Presbyterian minister and served churches in Franklin, N. C., and Selma, Ala., until his death in 1877. Notable among his grandsons are Dr. Paul B. Barringer, a skilled physician and educator. Joseph Morrison Hill, one time Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. Dr. D. H. Hill, Jr., President of State College, Raleigh, until his death. Isaac Erwin Avery, a brilliant newspaper writer and one time in Consular service in China, Alphonso C. Avery, J r., a successful Morganton lawyer. Rev. R. H. Morrison Brown. Rev. Edmund Brown. Joseph Graham Morrison, Jr. the County Farm Agent of Lincoln County, who has a son, Joseph Graham Morrison, III, now preparing for the Presbyterian Ministry (1935). Major T. J. Jackson Christian of the U. S. Army. 1890 In July Governor Holt appointed Col. Matthew Locke McCorkle, Judge to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Shipp. Page 226 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina * * * * Rev, P. W, F. Stamey, a very useful and much loved Methodist minister and presiding elder, died at his home in High Point in July, 1890, of typhoid fever. He was an honored son of Lincoln county. * * * * Joseph H. King, a leading citizen and merchant of the Beatties Ford section died of typhoid fever in July 1890. He was the delegate from Lincoln to the Constitutional Convention of 1868, and in the same year was elected Sheriff of the county, by the Commissioners to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Sheriff Logan H. Lowrance, and served in that office until September, 1872, when he was defeated by J. A. Robinson. Page 227 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXI 1890 William Marcus Shipp was a learned lawyer with the judicial mind which weighed every phase of a legal problem and came to a just conclusion. He had poise and wisdom, the qualities which made him a great judge and few of his decisions were reversed by the Supreme Court. Lawyers regarded him as one of great ability. He was the son of Bartlett Shipp (an able lawyer) and Susan (Forney) Shipp, and born in Lincoln county Nov. 9, 1819. He graduated from the State University in the class of 1840 and shared highest honors with his cousin, Rev. Dr. Albert M. Shipp who delivered the valedictory and Judge Shipp the salutatory address (in Latin.) He Was admitted to the bar in 1842 and settled in Rutherfordton to practice law, He represented Rutherford county in the House of Commons in 1854. When Judge John Baxter moved to Tennessee about 1857 Judge Shipp bought the Baxter home in Hendersonville, moved there and built up a good practice. He was the delegate from Henderson to the Constitutional Convention of 1861 and signed the Ordinance of Secession. He volunteered for service in the Civil War, made Captain of a Hendersonville company and was the only married man in it. He was the Senator from Henderson County in 1862; was elected Judge of the Lincoln district in 1863 and served until 1868, when he was defeated at the polls by George W. Logan. He then settled in Charlotte as a lawyer. In 1870 he defeated Samuel F. Phillips for Attorney General and distinguished himself by the able manner, as Chairman of the Shipp Commission, he conducted the investigation of the Swepson - Littlefield frauds of 1868 and 1869. He was in 1872 defeated for reelection to the Attorney Generalship and practiced law in Charlotte until 1881 when Governor Jarvis appointed him Judge of Superior Court for the old 9th district to fill the vacancy: caused by the resignation of Judge David Schenck and held that position until his death June 28, 1890. Dr. Jerome Dowd gave the following high estimate of Judge Shipp as a man and lawyer: Judge Shipp was one of the best informed lawyers in the State. He had a markedly legal mind, reasoned closely and as a jurist was eminent? He had no superior on the bench. He was fond of history and the literature of our language, especially the standard works. He was interesting and lively in conversation and had much wit and humor. He inherited his quickness at repartee and his lively wit from his father. Many of his humorous sayings are remembered by lawyers over the State, He married Catherine, daughter of Hon. John A. Cameron, of Fayetteville, January 21, 1851, and they had four children: 1. Anna who married Dr. Sumner McBee. 2. Catherine who never married but became a distinguished educator. Page 228 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 3. William Ewen Shipp the brave Lieutenant, who was killed in the Spanish-American War. He married Margaret Busbee of Raleigh. 4. Bartlett, a bright lawyer, married Prue Crouse of Lincolnton. He died in Hendersonville in 1914. Mrs. Shipp died in 1866. Judge Shipp’s second marriage was to Margaret Iredell of Raleigh, daughter of Gov. Iredell, and they had one child, Mary Preston Shipp, who lives in Raleigh. L. E. Thompson, who for many years practiced law in Lincolnton, and was prominent in county affairs, died about 1890, aged 95 years. He came to Lincolnton from New Jersey in the early 1830’s with his sisters, one of whom, Miss Amelia Thompson, was for some years principal of the old Lincolnton Female Academy. Mr. Thompson was a man of education, a civil engineer as well as a lawyer and a citizen of character and influence. He was an Episcopalian. * * * * Lincoln Courier — February 7, 1890. J , M. Roberts, Editor. A special meeting of the stockholders of Lincoln Lithia Water Company will be held in Lincolnton, February 20, 1890, for the election of a Board of Directors to serve for the ensuing year and for such other business as may be brought before the meeting. January 31, 1890. W. H. Lacey, Secretary. * * * * Church Directory: Presbyterian: Rev. R. Z. Johnston, Pastor—Preaching at Iron Station, 2nd Sunday, 3 P. M. Preaching at. Paper Mill Academy, 4th Sunday, 3 P. M. Methodist: Rev. M. H. Hoyle, Pastor. German Reformed: Rev. J . L. Murphy, Pastor. Lutheran: Rev. J . C. Rudisill, Pastor. Lutheran: Rev. M. L. Little, Pastor. * * * * The County Commissioners, J. A. Robinson, Chairman, P. A. Reep, W. M. Hull, L. B. Camp and J. W. A. Paine met Monday, February 3, 1890, and transacted routine business. The following Were drawn for jury service for spring term of Superior Court: J. L. Reinhardt; Levi Kaylor, Harrison Cauble, J. B. Abernathy, J. A. Johnson, H. A. Gilland, J. M. Rendleman, George W. Cauble, Thomas Stamey, A. S, Coon, E. T. Childs, Jesse Reep, W. S. Kids, E. P. Cloniger, A. P. Rudisill, Aaron Goodson, R. B. Sullivan, C. L. P. Heavner, J. L. Shrum, G. F, Helderman, Pink Monday, Thomas Page 229 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Ballard, J . Brotherton, Rankin Cherry, R. S. Edwards, Daniel Keener, Jacob Miller, Z. B. Cauble, Andrew Sain, W. P. Huss, J. J. Sullivan, H. W. Burton, J. E. Keever, Nat Hager, John M. Motz, Clingman Wood. * * * * Page 230 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina D. Matt Thompson, principal of Lincolnton Seminary, advertises for students. The Lowesville School is open for male and female pupils, with Rev. R. W. Boyd as Principal. 1892 Rev. M. L. Little, a prominent minister of the Lutheran church, pastor of Daniels Church, 1882-83; President of Gaston College, which he founded in 1883, was killed in a railway accident three miles south of Newton on Chester and Lenoir Railway, February 16, 1891. Mr. Little went to Dallas in 1882 as principal of the Dallas Academy, Soon thereafter he enlisted the interest of prominent Lutherans, Jonas Hoffman, Henry Setzer, John L. Rhyne, Miles A. Rhyne, J. S. Mauney, W. A. Mauney, John M. Rhodes, Moses H. Rhyne, A. P. Rhyne, Ambrose Costner, David Mauney, L. L. Suggs, and others, who contributed $10,000 for the establishment of Gaston College in Dallas. He secured Rev. Dr. L. A. Bikle, Dr. L. L. Lohr and J. M. Roberts (later editor of Lincoln Courier) as teachers and the school prospered until its building Were destroyed by fire about 1915. Rev. Mr. Little was an able minister, who undertook the task at a time when money was hard to raise, to launch and carry to a successful finish a campaign for higher education in Gaston County. A Very useful man he was, and North Carolina lost a fine citizen when he met with a tragic death. 1882 Turn about being fair play, Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison for President in the November election. * * * * Elias Carr was elected Governor, defeating Judge D. M. Furches, the republican candidate. Page 231 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXII 1893 Financial panics come about every twenty years, 1817, 1837, 1857, were panic years. After the Civil War the panic came in 1873, ahead of time and then in 1893 the people were again in financial distress. Farm products were low and there was general depression in all branches of trade, which continued for about four years, during which time the people by hard work and self denial found the way back to a better day by hard Work and rigid economy. * * * * Dr. Sumner McBee, of Lincolnton, son of Mr. Vardry A. McBee, a fine physician and lovable man, died in September, after a lingering illness. * * * * Benjamin S. Guion, for many years a citizen of Lincolnton, died in Charlotte, November 9, 1893, aged 68 years. * * * * Miss Nannie Childs Hoke, younger daughter of Col. John F Hoke, was a woman of fine intellect and rare culture, as was also her sister, Miss Sallie Badger Hoke. They were charming women who made friends of all they met and their father had good right to be proud of them. Miss Nannie was postmaster in Lincolnton from 1885 until her death in 1893. * * * * On December 23, 1893, the old historic white church which was nearly as old as the town, and the first church built in Lincolnton, was destroyed by fire. It is said that every congregation now in Lincolnton used the old church ’co~ worship in, until each denomination built a church of. its own. It was built first of logs prior to 1788, was later enlarged, weatherboarded, ceiled and painted white. It then ceased to be called the Dutch meeting house, but the Old White Church. Rev. John Gottfried Arndt, the first Lutheran Minister in Lincolnton was buried under the old church. * * * * In the early 1870’s Bishop John J. Moore of the African Zion Methodist church came to Lincolnton and lived here for several years. His color was coal black and his head was not large, but he possessed superior intellect, was a Hebrew and Greek scholar and a preacher of wonderful pulpit power. His history is interesting. He was born free in Berkley county, Virginia about 1804, but his mother with her two children were kidnapped and carried into slavery, from which they finally escaped. One of the children, John, the subject of this sketch, was later bound to a Pennsylvania farmer, who, after the boy had reached majority, continued for several years to profit by his labor, until a friendly Quaker interposed in John’s behalf and had him released. Page 232 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In 1883 he joined a Methodist church in Harrisburg, Penn. Later felt the call, and in 1834 was licensed to preach. From 1836 for three years, under private teachers he not only studied the English branches, but also Latin, Greek and Hebrew and became one of the greatest preachers of his race. In 1839 he united with the Philadelphia Conference and served various congregations. As early as 1852 he planted churches in San Francisco, San Jose, Napa and other points in California. In 1868 he was elected Bishop and in this larger field of opportunity he became widely known. The writer has heard him preach on several occasions, sermons of rare force and eloquence, for he was not only a fine Bible scholar, but knew how “in the simple language of the poor” to illuminate a text and then with overpowering spiritual fervor, grip and hold the attention of both cultured and ignorant people. Few of this generation remember that more than sixty years ago this humble and godly man lived in Lincolnton during the period when he had oversight of the various Conferences of his Church in this section of the South. He died in 1893 at the advanced age of 89 years. 1894 General William H. Forney, was born in Lincolnton, Nov. 11, 1823, son of Jacob (Jr) and Sarah (Hoke) Forney. When eleven years old he Went with his family to Alabama, in 1834, Was educated at the University of Alabama; served as Lieutenant in the Mexican War; member of the Alabama Legislature 1859-60; volunteered for service in the Civil War, was commissioned Captain, was promoted several times for gallantry and came home from the war with the rank of Brigadier General; member of the Alabama Senate 1865-66; member of Congress 1875 to 1893 when on account of ill health he declined a renomination and died at Jacksonville, Ala., Jan. 16, 1894. * * * * The County officers whose terms expired in December 1894 were John K. Cline, Sheriff; Charles E. Childs, Clerk Superior Court; B. C. Wood, Register of Deeds; John C. Quickel, treasurer; O. C. Thompson. surveyor; J. B. Heim, coroner, and R. M. Roseman, A. L. Cherry, P. A. Reep, J. Ed Reinhardt and W, M. Hull, county commissioners. At the election held in November the Fusion ticket was elected with Charles H. Rhodes for Sheriff, G. A. Barkley, Clerk Superior Court; J . F. Killian, Register of Deeds; and D. L. Yount, Treasurer. * * * * J. W. A. Paine, an enterprising citizen of the Lowesville section, and State Senator in 1891, died in 1894. * * * * The Farmers Alliance, which had been organized for several years, finally got into politics and as cotton was selling for less than $25.00 bale, the blame was laid, as usual, upon the party in power, though Mr. Cleveland, the President, was in no wise responsible for it. The Populist party was organized, a great many farmers affiliated with it, they formed an alliance with the republicans, carried the State by an overwhelming majority and elected Marion Butler, a Populist, and Jeter C. Page 233 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Pritchard, a republican, to the United States Senate. Lincoln county was carried by this fusion of Populists and Republicans. * * * * Dr. John M. Lawing, a native of Mecklenburg, graduated from the State University in 1859 then attended lectures at Jefferson Medical college in Philadelphia and secured his degree as a medical doctor. When the Civil war began he served as Hospital Steward and later as a surgeon. Late in 1866 he came to Lincolnton and established a drug; store and with it began the practice of medicine. He was both a skilled physician and a skilled pharmacist and continued in the practice until his death in 1894. He married Agnes, daughter of the late William Lander. They had three children: 1. Connor, who married Stephen Herndon. 2. Lander. 3. Karl L., who after his father’s death took over the drug business and managed it with splendid success for forty years until he died in 1934. Page 234 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXIII Col. William H. Michal (1821-1894) was for almost a life time a Lincolnton merchant. He knew how to buy goods and how to sell them for he was a fine salesman combined with rare business judgment and succeeded in all his financial ventures. He was not only a good business man but a loyal churchman, a Presbyterian elder and a citizen of high standing. The home of Col. Michal was a center of hospitality where friends far and near were graciously entertained. They had four children: (1) Sarah, who was an invalid; (2) Annie, who married Thomas H. Hoke; (3) Catherine; (4) Robert. Mrs. Hoke was the only one of the four who married. She was an accomplished musician and for many years organist at the Presbyterian church. On account of her musical talent she generally directed the music at Lincolnton marriages and funerals. Her daughter, Katherine, married John Hall of Wilmington and their son, Rev. Frank Hall is a promising minister of the Presbyterian church, now serving as a pastor in Morehead City, N. C. Robert Laban Abernethy, President and Founder of Rutherford College, died November 28, 1894. He was born in Lincoln county in 1822 and came of good Revolutionary stock; son of Turner and Fannie (Whitener) Abernathy and grandson of Robert Abernethy, one of the patriotic delegates from Tryon county to the Halifax Convention of 1776. At the period of his birth the family was hampered by various reverses, but the son, Robert, a precocious youth, without books, teacher, school, leisure, or even health, had a thirst for knowledge, which inspired him to make every sacrifice to satisfy that thirst. Despite arduous farm labors he found intervals to collect text books and so eager was he for learning that he once walked across two counties to get a copy of Pike’s Arithmetic and an English Grammar. After a day of hard work on the farm, instead of sleep he studied by the firelight and was literally a self educated man. When twelve years old he joined Wesley Chapel (Methodist) church in the western part of the county, and his father and mother joined at the same time in 1834. When he reached his majority he was licensed as a local preacher and for several years assisted in meetings at old Wesley camp ground and other points. He joined the South Carolina Conference and was ordained deacon November 5, 1854 and was pastor in York, S. C., and later Burke circuit, North Carolina, which included Burke county and the country to Blue Ridge Mountains. When preaching in this territory he taught old fashioned grammar schools and later established Rutherford College. He was a flaming evangelist and in the three years of his early ministry thousands Were moved by his eloquent appeals and great multitudes added to the church. But his zeal was greater than his strength and he was forced to give up the active ministry for the Work of a teacher, and he came to the class room well equipped as a linguist, historian, mathematician and psychologist, and withal a great personality. His students loved him and he was a mighty inspiration to many pupils who had little faith in their capacity. He was the soul of generosity with a heart full of the milk of human kindness and the friend of all men, He was willing to take the coat from his back to relieve distress or divide his last loaf with a Page 235 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina hungry man. Many times his last dollar has gone to meet the wants of a needy soul, and too often the sharper preyed upon his generous nature. He gave liberally to various charitable calls when it was a struggle to maintain his large family. He was an enemy of the liquor traffic and once, when a blockader sold whiskey to his students he had him indicted and convicted, and then out of sympathy paid the fine far the poor culprit to keep him out of jail. The far reaching influence of his educational work can never be known. No boy was ever turned away from his school on account of poverty. In fact more than two thousand poor boys have been educated by him and fully one thousand of these were converted to Christ through his teaching and influence, and many became useful ministers of the gospel. Though self educated he became a great scholar, at great teacher and a great preacher. He had a commanding presence, a magnetic nature. a fervent spirit, a logical mind combined with a brilliant imagination, which illuminated the truth and made it plain to the most unlettered, and at the same time held in firm grip the interest of the most cultured, which made him a preacher of great power. In 1869 he received his Master’s degree from Trinity College and in 1880 the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Alfred University. On January 21, 1847 he married to Mary A. Haynes, of Caldwell county, a woman of rare native gifts, who was a faithful help meet. Among their children Were: 1. Rev. John T. Abernethy, a brilliant preacher and member of the North Carolina (Methodist) Conference. In the early 1890s when Sam Jones, the Evangelist, holding a meeting in Wilmington, was disabled for several days, Mr. Abernathy preached for that time with great force and acceptability. He had several sons of more than ordinary talent. Hon, Charles L. Abernethy, of Newbern. a good lawyer, was solicitor of his district for several terms, and Congressman from the Newbern district for twelve years. Two other sons were physicians. Dr. Claude Abernethy was a prominent Raleigh physician and Dr. Eric Abernethy was the University physician at Chapel Hill until his death in 1933. 2. Rev. L. Berge Abernethy, now a prominent member of the Western North Carolina Conference (Methodist) and one time President of Weaver College. He is a prodigy in Mathematics and could fill well the chair of Mathematics in any school in the country. His daughter, Ethel Abernethy, Ph. D. (Chicago University) now, and for some years has filled the Chair of Psychology in Queens — Chicora College of Charlotte, N. C. Another daughter, Irene Abernathy, has been a capable teacher and is now a skilled accountant in the office of the Duke Power Co., in Charlotte. His son, John Abernethy, like his father, is brilliant in Mathematics. 3. Rev. William E, Abernethy, a brilliant orator, one time a College professor and Methodist minister, now a retired Baptist minister. 4. Arthur T. Abernethy, a gifted speaker and author of many books. Dr. Jerome Dowd in “Piedmont North Carolinians” said: The force of its own merit makes its way. Page 236 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Dr. R. L. Abernethy is a striking instance of a self made man. He was born poor and had not even good health with which to fight the battle of life, but he bravely faced the world and with manly stroke overcame every barrier until he won a high position among the educators of the state. He possessed the rare but admirable faculty of inspiring his pupils with a laudable ambition. His mental powers were strong and he dared say what he thought. Many a poor boy has knocked at the door of his college and received a free education. Governor Vance once said, “I believe that Dr. Abernethy has done more good than any other North Carolinian, living or dead.” Dr. J. T. Bagwell, one of his former pupils, pays the great teacher the beautiful tribute which follows: I would uncover my head and unsandal my feet as I write the name of Dr. R. L. Abernathy, whose history challenges the admiration of angels and men. Poor, yet making many rich; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; struggling- against adversity; bearing almost intolerable burdens; giving out his life’s blood, drop by drop, for the vitalization of others; performing more unrequited labor than almost any man of his generation, and yet possessing amid it all, a cheerful optimistic spirit, with a mind as free from sordid ambition and lust for place or power as a little child; his hopes for improving facilities, for more efficient and extended work were always baffled; performing- herculean labors to the last hours, then dying- with his mind surcharged with broad plans and lofty aims, he finished a life for idyllic embalment to be sung to children yet unborn. If it be true that he lives the greatest who lives in largest number of the lives of his countrymen, surely Dr. Abernathy was a great man. As such true history should write him. Page 237 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXIV 1894 Maxwell Warlick, for many years one of the most substantial men of the county, died May 5, 1894, at the advanced age of ninety years, and left to his children the rich heritage of a good name. He came of good German stock. The Warlick name has for six generations stood for industry, frugality and high integrity. He was a great grandson of Daniel Warlick, the pioneer, whose land grants bear dates, 1750 and 1751. He never had political ambition, but took an active interest in public affairs. He served as a Magistrate and as a member of the County Court, and was one of the contractors who built the old Court House in the 1850s, which was torn away in 1922 to make room for the present handsome structure. Mr. Warlick was married to Catherine Coulter August 7, 1837 and they reared a large family. The pioneer Daniel Warlick I, was One of the early settlers in the county and three of his sons Were: 1 Nicholas Warlick, who, with his brother, Phillip, and Israel Sain, was killed in the battle of Ramsour’s Mill and buried in the same grave. Nicholas had a son, Daniel III, who was the father of Maxwell Warlick. 2 Daniel Warlick II had a daughter named Barbara, who, on May 11, 1801, married to Michal Schenck, the pioneer, who came in the early days from Pennsylvania and settled in Lincolnton, where he established the first cotton factory south of the Potomac river. Their sons. Henry and Dr. David Warlick Schenck, were prominent in their day. Henry was the father of Maj. H. F. Schenck, late of Cleveland county, and grandfather of John F. Schenck, of Shelby. Dr. David Warlick Schenck lived in Lincolnton and was the father of the late Judge David Schenck (1833-1902) and grandfather of Judge Michal Schenck, now (1936) a justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. 3 Lewis Warlick, the youngest son of Daniel Warlick, the pioneer, married Mary Hoyle, and Solomon (one of his sons) married August 15, 1817 to Barbara, sister of Maxwell Warlick. Among their children were: (a) Lewis Franklin Warlick, who married first to _____ Robinson and their daughter, Ann, married to Rev. J. N. Payne, of Burke, and were the parents of Dr. Bruce Robinson Payne, President of Peabody Teachers College, Nashville, Tenn. (b) Eli A. Warlick, another son of Solomon and Barbara Warlick, was for several years a teacher in Catawba College, and later a Newton merchant until his death. His first wife was Catherine, daughter of Gen. Daniel Seagle. They had three sons: (1) William M,, one time editor of the Lincolnton News and later went to Texas where he died. Page 238 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina (2) Thomas, who became a lawyer. He married Mattie Wilson, of Catawba county. Judge Wilson Warlick is their son. (c) Ann Warlick, daughter of Solomon and Barbara Warlick, married William R. Ryburn, of Shelby. Their son, Robert L. Ryburn, for many years a Shelby lawyer, died in 1935. 1895 Caleb Motz, for many years an influential citizen of the county, died February 20, 1895, aged 69 years. He was a progressive farmer and active in county politics, and the delegate from Lincoln to the Constitutional Convention of 1875. * * * * Joseph C. Cobb, a native of Lincolnton, from small beginnings, grew into a leading citizen and successful merchant, and for many years commanded the patronage of the people by fair dealing. Mr. Cobb was a modest man, true to high principle and honest dealing. He died September 16, 1895, aged 75 years. He married to Margaret, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Mauney) Butts, of Lincolnton. They had two sons, Beverly C., and. John L. Cobb. The elder son, Beverly C. Cobb, was a lawyer, who practiced at the Lincoln bar for nearly thirty years, until his death, September 16, 1900, He represented the County in the Legislature. * * * * Robert Johnston Shipp (son of the late Mr. William T. Shipp) one time a Lincolnton lawyer, died at his home in Newton, August 14, 1895. He left two sons, Robert J. Shipp and William T. Shipp, both prominent citizens of Newton. * * * * Lincoln Courier—January 4, 1895 — F. S. Starrett, Editor. Mrs. Sarah Shuford Ramsour, died December 31, 1895. The funeral was held at the Presbyterian church of which she was one of the oldest members. She was the wife of the late Henry F. Ramsour and had lived at Lincoln Paper Mill since the Civil War. * * * * Public School Directory Rev. R. Z. Johnston, Chairman Board of Education, with S. V. Goodson and I. R. Self as members. Alfred Nixon, Superintendent of County Schools. Quarterly meetings for examination of those desiring to teach. * * * * Lincolnton Officers Mayor, S. W. McKee; Secretary and Treasurer, H. E. Ramsour; Constable, John P. Beam. Page 239 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Commissioners: P. J. Pate, Blair Jenkins, H. A. Kistler, J. Thomas McLean, Dr. T. F. Costner, J. C. Quickel, H. S. Robinson, B, C. Wood. Page 240 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 1896 Dr. R. B. Killian is now (1934) the oldest physician in Lincoln County. When practicing medicine in Alexander County away back fifty eight years ago, he was called on January 17, 1876 to see a sixteen year old boy, named Ransom Sharpe, near Hiddenite, who was suffering desperate pain, and found that his appendix should be removed. There was no X-ray in those days but he, then and there, showed his surgical skill by taking out the appendix. The boy got well and grew to be an old man. Dr. Killian has the honor of being the first physician in the state to perform such an operation. Dr. Killian died June 7, 1935. * * * * In June, 1896, William J. Bryan captured the democratic National Convention With, his “cross of gold” speech and was nominated for the presidency on the 16 to 1 Silver platform, while William McKinley was the republican candidate on a gold standard platform. It was a hotly contested battle and McKinley carried the election in November. * * * * In North Carolina, the Populists fused with the democrats and supported Bryan, but on State issues fused with the republicans with the result that the State cast its electoral vote for Bryan, but the republican-populist combine elected the State ticket, the legislature and all the congress candidates, except Thomas Settle, who was defeated by W. W. Kitchen, democrat. The Fusion candidates for county officers were elected in Lincoln, but J. F. Reinhardt, democrat defeated Captain E. W. Ward, republican, for the legislature, by only four votes. * * * * Major Sidney M. Finger, son of the late Daniel Finger, of Lincoln county, died at his home in Newton, December 25, 1896, aged 59 years. Major Finger was a student at Catawba College when Prof. H. H. Smith taught there, and then went to Bowdoin College where he graduated in 1859. He was married to Miss Sarah Hoyle Rhyne. He was for many years a teacher at Catawba College, Senator from the Catawba - Lincoln district in 1877 and 1881, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1884 to 1892. Most of his life Was spent in educational work and his service to education was continued during his senatorial terms, and as a State officer his work was that of directing the public education system of North Carolina. His training and experience as a teacher prepared him well for this last position in which he served the State with credit and ability. Page 241 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXV (missing) Page 242 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXVI 1898 The first bank established in Lincoln County was a private institution called the Bank of Lincolnton, with $10,000.00 capital and was opened for business by Capt. B. F. Grigg on February 10, 1898, and the holders of the stock were Judge W. A. Hoke, Capt. B. F. Grigg and his son William E. Grigg. This private bank continued in business with B. F. Grigg as President and W. E. Grigg, Cashier, for ten years, until 1908 when the management organized the County National Bank with Ambrose Costner, President; R. S. Reinhardt, Vice—President; W. E. Grigg, Cashier. These, with Capt. B, F. Grigg, J. M. Rhodes, A .L. Quickle and Capt. C. C. Wrenshall, were the Directors, and the capital was increased from time to time until it reached $50,000.00. Upon the death of Mr. Costner in 1911, Captain B. F. Grigg was made President, which position he held until his death in 1915, when he was succeeded by his son, W. E. Grigg. * * * * J. A. Robinson, born in 1832, was a soldier in the Civil War, married December 17, 1865 to Nancy Rhodes; elected sheriff of Lincoln county in August 1872 and for eight years held the office, until 1880, when he was defeated by Capt. A. S. Haynes. He was a good sheriff, showed no favors, making every man meet tax bills as promptly as possible. Later he served as County Commissioner. He died November 15, 1898. His body was buried at Daniels church. He left four sons. The eldest, Robert, went to Texas when a young man and died there. Charles and Henry S. Robinson were sturdy men and active in business in Lincolnton for many years. David W. Robinson was a lawyer and partner for a while of Judge Hoke. About 1900 he moved to Columbia, S. C., and became one of the ablest lawyers in that state. He died in 1935. * * * * William Ewen Shipp, eldest, son of Judge William M. and Catherine (Cameron) Shipp, was born in Asheville, August 23, 1861. He attended the Lincolnton Academy about 1875 and 1876 when Rev. W. R. Wetmore was the principal and was a class mate there of this writer. Later he attended the Carolina Military Institute in Charlotte until 1879 when he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1883, received his commission as a Lieutenant and was a soldier until his death July 1, 1898. He was a handsome man, above the average height, of soldierly bearing, courageous spirit and lofty ideals, combined with a high quality of loyalty to friends and country. He had superior intellect, with promise of a brilliant career and would have developed into a great soldier but for his untimely death. When he received his commission in 1883 he was assigned to the 10th Regiment of Cavalry at Fort Davis, Texas. (He never served in any other regiment). Later his regiment was transferred to Fort Apache, Arizona, after which he w_as appointed Inspector of State troops with headquarters in Raleigh There he met and later married to Margaret, daughter of the Hon. Fabius H. Busbee. His next assignment was that of Commandant of Cadets at the Davis Military School, Winston-Salem, N. C. There his two sons, William Ewen Shipp, Jr., and Fabius Busbee Shipp were born. Page 243 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina In 1896 he returned to his regiment at Fort Assinoborne, Montana. Serving there at the same time were Lieutenant W. H. Smith, his room mate and class mate at West Point, and Lieutenant John J. Pershing, (later General Pershing), who had been one class behind them at West Point. When war was declared With Spain in 1898 all three Went to Cuba. At the battle of Santiago July 1, 1898 Lieut. Shipp was Killed as he was leading his troops in the charge. Not far away, after the battle, the dead body of his friend and comrade, Lieut. W. H. Smith, was found. In March 1899 the body of Lieutenant Shipp Was brought to Lincolnton and buried in Saint Luke’s Episcopal graveyard, by the side of the grave of his mother. General Leonard Wood paid high tribute to the soldier in a letter written to a member of the Shipp family under date, April 9, 1924, as follows: I had succeeded to command of the Brigade on the night of June 30, consequent to the illness of General Young, and early on the morning of July 1 we were ready to move out to the front and did so. The 10th Cavalry was in my Brigade (the 2nd Cavalry Brigade) and farmed the left of the line; the other regiments of the Brigade were the First Regular Cavalry and the First Volunteer Cavalry, commonly known as the Rough Riders. The Rough Riders were on the extreme right; then came the First Regular Cavalry and then the Tenth Regular Cavalry - two squadrons of each regiment. I lost quite early in the action, Major Morton Henry, who had been shot through the thigh. Shortly afterwards, Mills, who had gone out to join Col. Roosevelt, was shot through the head, although We did not know this for some time. All brigade staff officers who were present in the action, and practically all the brigade non-commissioned staff officers were either killed or wounded. Lieut. Shipp was the only staff officer left available to transmit orders to the troops in line. I sent him along the Brigade with orders to notify the troops to be ready to advance; to carry the order from one end of the line to the other; and on reaching the extreme right, having transmitted the order to hold themselves in readiness, to return and give to each organization as he passed it, the order to advance on a general objective, which included Kettle Hill and other sectors of the enemy's line. He delivered his orders to the troops to prepare for an advance and On his return passed the word along to mow forward on our prescribed objective. When he came to his own troop he joined it on the advance and both he and his friend, Lieut. Smith were killed within a few yards of each other on the slope of Kettle Hill. He rendered most gallant and able service during the short time we were together. I had known him for many years before the war and always had a high opinion of him as a man and officer. It can be said. of him that he fought right and he died right—an American soldier in the discharge of his duty. General McCoy recalls very well Lieut. Shipp’s delivery of the order to advance and remembers distinctly his advancing with his troops, waving the big Stetson hat which he were at that time. That was the last time he saw Lieutenant Shipp alive. His elder son, William E. Shipp, Jr., born, November 9, 1894, attended Woodberry Forest School (Virginia) and in 1912 was appointed Cadet at U. S. Military Academy, West Point, by Senator Overman. He graduated in 1916 and commissioned 2nd Page 244 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Lieutenant in June; 1st Lieutenant July 1916 and Captain July 1917. He served in the 12th Cavalry at Columbus, New Mexico as troop, squadron and regimental Commander until 1918; instructor in French at West, Point, 1918; after this he rendered valiant service overseas in the great war. Later after 1930 he was military attache at the American Embassy in Rome, with the rank of Major. He is now military attache at the American Legation at Riga, Latvia. Lieut. Shipp’s younger son, Fabius Busbee Shipp, born April 2, 1896 was prepared for College at Raleigh High School, then attended the State University to the end. of his Junior year when he joined the American forces in the World War. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. of Cavalry June 16, 1917; promoted to 1st Lieut. same date, and Captain (temporary) August 5, 1917. Transferred to 5th Cavalry March 1919 at Columbus, New Mexico and served on border and with American forces in Germany and Belgium from May 1919 to June 1922, much of the time as Embarkation officer at Antwerp. He was promoted to rank of Captain in Cavalry June 1920, and joined 10th Cavalry, his father’s old regiment, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and served there until his death by accident on the polo field, November 6, 1925. His aunt, the late Miss Kate Shipp, in a letter to the writer, with tender affection said of him: He was brave to a fault, handsome in person, brilliant in mind, gentle, considerate, loving, devoted to his home ties, he was cut off in the flower of his youth. His mother and brother brought body back to the home church, and there with military honors; he was laid to rest by the side of the grave of his noble father in Saint Luke graveyard in Lincolnton. Page 245 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXVII 1898 The Rev. William Shipp Bynum, only son of Judge William Preston Bynum (1820-1909) and Ann Eliza (Shipp) Bynum, was born in Lincoln county February 9; 1848 and died October 21, 1898. While attending Col. Tew’s school in Hillsboro, when only twelve years old, he was preparing to enter the Confederate Army and the record shows that he enlisted for active service September 25, 1862, and was 4th Sergeant in Company K, 42nd Regiment, Captain Sydenham B. Alexander’s company. He was for a while held at: a prisoner by the Federals at Point Lookout, Md., where his health was seriously impaired, for there is no doubt the exposure in camp and in prison caused his early physical breakdown. He was admitted to the bar in 1870 and practiced law in Lincolnton until 1874, when he gave it up to enter the ministry of the Episcopal church. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Lyman in Saint Barnabas Church in Greensboro, March 12, 1876, and priest by the same Bishop in Saint Luke’s church in Lincolnton March 5, 1882. He served as rector of churches in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Calvary at Fletcher, and Evangelist at large in the Diocese of North Carolina until 1895, when his health gave way, and then with great reluctance he retired from active service. He had brilliant intellect and was a polished, fervent and attractive speaker. His language was classic, his earnest delivery gripping, and the people heard him gladly. He was completely consecrated to his holy task, was loved by the people in all the fields of his active ministry and his faithful work was fruitful and permanent. The Sermon on the Mount was his high standard for the Christian life. He once told the writer that every man should take Christ for a model and strive to live as near as possible to that lofty ideal. His mother possessed remarkable intellect, combined with deep piety and doubtless it was through her influence and training that the son became a clergyman. He was a ripe scholar and a cultured gentleman, who exercised a saintly influence wherever he labored. The high tribute paid to Mr. Bynum by Bishop Cheshire at the Diocesan Convention of 1899 follows: I shall ask indulgence for the introduction of another name in this place, a name not on our clergy list since 1895, but one whose whole ministry was associated with this Diocese. October 21, 1898 the Rev. William Shipp Bynum, of Lincolnton in the jurisdiction of Asheville, fell on sleep. He was Ordained deacon by Bishop Lyman March 12, 1876 and ordained Priest six years later, and until his health failed in 1888 was most faithful and zealous in the work of his holy calling. He submitted with great reluctance to the advice of his physicians that he should cease from Work, and once endeavored to take up the burden which he no longer had the strength to bear. In 1895 at my request he undertook the charge of two Missions, but after a brief service was obliged to give up the attempt. After that he had no charge and was able to perform no regular service. His whole ministry was spent in this Diocese. Page 246 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Mr. Bynum was a very remarkable man in both spiritual and intellectual gifts. In many respects he seemed to me the most brilliant man who has entered the ranks of the ministry in this Diocese within my day, and one who gave the greatest promise of fruitfulness in his ministry; and until the failure of his bodily health he fulfilled that promise. His service was not long in any of the few places where he labored but in all he left an impress upon the people, which will not soon be effaced. In 1882 he acted as Evangelist and traveled through many portions of the Diocese, then embracing the whole state. Wherever he went he attracted large congregations by his earnest and eloquent preaching, and deeply impressed the people by the ardor and enthusiasm of his character. He was indifferent to ease, personal comf0rt and advantage for himself, but unstintedly generous to others and solicitous of the welfare and advantage of his friends. The church commanded all that he possessed, whether of strength or worldly means, and he never turned his face from any poor man. It was my privilege at one time to enjoy his confidence and affection and opportunities of frequent personal intercourse. I have never known a man of nobler qualities or of a more attractive personality. I wish to place on record in the proceedings of our Convention this evidence of my regard and expression of my sorrow, for the loss to the church, of a life which promised so much and which, until touched by the hand of disease, so nobly fulfilled its promise. He rests in peace where no evil can touch him. Mr. Bynum married in Hillsboro, December 8, 1870 to Mary Louise, daughter of the Rev. Dr. M. A. Curtis, rector of the Episcopal church in Hillsboro and who many years before was rector of Saint Luke’s church in Lincolnton. Mrs. Bynum died June 30, 1929, over thirty years after the death of her husband. They had eight children: 1. William Preston died in 1891, when a student at the State University and in his memory his grandfather Bynum, whose name he bore, presented to the University the present Gymnasium building. Dr. Richard H. Lewis in accepting the generous gift referred in high terms to the young student, who was of the class of 1893, but lived to complete only two years of his course. The Dean of the University spoke of him as an exceptionally brilliant student, of fine, manly qualities and lovely character, and added, “I have been teaching for thirty two years and have known many fine young students, but young Bynum’s name always comes first to my mind when I think of them.” 2. Mary deRosset, married William Hoke Sumner, of Lincolnton. They now live in Asheville. 3. Eliza Shipp married B. A. Justice of Rutherfordton. She lives in Rockville, Maryland. 4. Katherine Fullerton, died 1886. Page 247 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina 5. Mina (Barbara) married Dr. Archibald Henderson, Professor of Mathematics at State University, and author of many books and historical sketches. They live at Chapel Hill. 6. Curtis Ashley, married Florence Helen Boyd, of Appleton, Wisconsin on July 10, 1907. He was prepared for college at Horner’s Military school and graduated from State University in 1903; received degree of JD, University of Chicago, 1907; admitted to the bar 1914; served as Captain and Adjutant 321st Regiment U. S. Infantry in World War; graduated at Army General Staff College, Langres, France, 1918; decorated German Red Cross 1933. He rendered valued service to Lincoln county as compiler of “Marriage Bonds of Tryon and Lincoln Counties, 1769 to 1868,” which he published at his own expense and he deserves the gratitude of our people for this splendid and unselfish service. He lives in Asheville and is an attorney in that city. 7. Bartlett Shipp, died 1894. 8. Susan Allen (Susanna) lives in Charlotte. 1899 When the Legislature met in January, an amendment to the Constitution requiring an educational qualification for suffrage was passed and submitted to the people for ratification or rejection at an election to be held in August, 1900. * * * * Judge M. L. McCorkle was born on Mountain Creek, Lincoln county, in 1817 (now Catawba County), graduated from Davidson College in 1838, studied law at Pearson Law School, was licensed to practice law and Settled in Newton, was married November 10, 1850 to Martha Ann Wilfong; was Clerk of Superior Court for Catawba county, 1848-50; Captain and promoted to Colonel in the Civil War; State Senator 1865-6; member of the Constitutional Convention of 1875; appointed Judge of Superior Court in June 1890 by Governor Holt to succeed Judge Shipp, deceased. Judge McCorkle died in Newton, July 11, 1899, in his 80th year. Of lofty character, he commanded the high respect of his countrymen. Page 248 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXVIII 1899 The death of Ephriam H. Cauble, which occurred Oct. 27, 1899, removed a useful citizen. Mr. Cauble was 70 years old. He and Mr. Thomas Wells were, for many years co-partners under the firm name of Cauble & Wells, Contractors and Builders, and many of the old homes in Lincolnton were constructed by them. Mr. Cauble had a reputation for rapid work. It was said that he could drive twice as many nails in a day as the average workman. He was an active member of the Baptist Church. * * * * Lincoln Journal—March 24, 1899 - John C. Tipton, Editor. Bridges Badly Damaged There was a tremendous rainfall Saturday night. I. R. Self reports $5500.00 damage to his land. Dams of Howard’s Creek Milling Co., on Leonard’s Fork and of Bess Roller Mill at Orleans were washed away. Hoover’s bridge on Howard’s Creek; Weaver’s bridge on Mill Creek and Rock Dam bridge greatly damaged. * * * * The body of Lieutenant William E. Shipp was laid to rest in Saint Luke’s Church yard (Episcopal). He was a brave and gallant soldier of the Spanish American war and a Christian gentleman. A monument placed in front of the Charlotte post office bears the following inscription: “Amongst a grove the very straightest plant.” William Ewen Shipp 1st Lieutenant - 10th Cavalry U. S. Army Born August 23, 1861 Killed at San Juan, Battle of Santiago July 1, 1898. 1900 In August the amendment to the State Constitution restricting the right of suffrage to those who could stand the educational test was adopted by a large majority. * * * * Charles B. Aycock was elected Governor at the August election, to succeed Daniel L. Russell. * * * * In November William McKinley was re-elected to the Presidency, defeating William Jennings Bryan, for the second time. * * * * Page 249 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina William Ramsour, a well known citizen of the county, died December 23, 1900, in his 72nd Year. * * * * Beverly C. Cobb, for thirty years a Lincolnton lawyer, and legislator from Lincoln in 1877 and 1879, died September 25, 1900, aged 52 years. * * * * Eben Childs, an old and respected citizen and merchant of Lincolnton, died in 1900 in his 88th year. He was a native of New York, came South with his brothers, L. D. and A. D. Childs, and settled in Mitchell county. About 1864 he moved to Lincolnton where he engaged in the mercantile business until his death. He was the father of the late Capt. Charles E. Childs. and Edward T. Childs. * * * * Mountain Lodge No. 19, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the Town of Lincolnton, was incorporated in 1851 (See Private Laws 1851, Page 638) with William Lander, William J. Hoke, T. J. Eccles, William Williamson, Andrew Motz, Alexander Ramsour, and W. H. Michal, body politic. On January 4, 1851 William J. Hoke was elected Noble Grand, William R. Edwards, Vice Grand; J. M. Shuford, Secretary; and William Ramsour, Treasurer. The Lodge was organized early in the year 1849 and the following were among the Charter members: Alexander Ramsour, William Ramsour, William J. Hoke, William Williamson, Andrew Motz, W. R. Edwards, Jasper Stowe, William Lander, Augustus McLean, Wallace H. Alexander, Augustus W. Burton, J. M. Shuford and W. H. Michal. In March 1850 Abner McCoy and L. E. Thompson deeded land in block 10, East Main street, thirty (30) by forty (40) feet to Alexander Ramsour, Andrew Motz, Jasper Stowe and A. W. Burton, Trustees for Mountain Lodge No. 19, I. O. O. F. for seventy five dollars. A two story frame building was erected. covering the entire lot. On February 12, 1853 Mrs. Harriet Bomar and Jacob A. Ramsour, for twenty four dollars ($24), deeded a strip of land 8 feet front running full length to the street in rear. which was used as an alley, where the members hitched their horses when attending Lodge meetings. The building was used by the various fraternal organizations of the town until it was sold.on the Lodge site now owned by Dr. J. R. Gamble and Dr. J . F. Gamble, is the Reeves Hospital, operated by these physicians. About 1898 the Lodge disbanded and the Charter was canceled. On October 8, 1900 it was re-organized under the same name and number, together with the records of the old Lodge. The charter members of the new Lodge were: John C. Tipton, A. M. Wingate, J. E. Love, W. R. Edwards, Thomas Wells, L. S. Fox, T. N. Hale, Rev. A. E. Wiley, Fred L. Hoffman, Levi Gheen, W. F. Willetts, S. W. McKee. H. S. Hyman, Blair Jenkins, D. A. Yoder, Austin F. Wood, W. W. Motz, Charles E. Childs, Dr. J. E. Pressly, J. H. Lineberger, A. E. Helton, Karl L. Lawing, Elcanah Ramsour, F. E. McLean. and Ed Setzer. Page 250 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina On March 1, 1930 the Grigg building on Main street was destroyed by fire and all the Lodge records and furnishings on the top floor Were lost. The officers of the Lodge at the present time are: Harry Hartman, Noble Grand Grover McGee, Vice Grand J. D. Mitchum, Recording Secretary Frank Rhyne, Financial Secretary N. P. Williams, Treasurer E. L. Rudisill, N. P. Williams and T. H. Thompson, Trustees. Page 251 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXIX (missing) Page 252 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXX (missing) Page 253 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXI (missing) Page 254 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXII (missing) Page 255 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXIII (missing) Page 256 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXIV (missing) Page 257 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXV (missing) Page 258 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXVI (missing) Page 259 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXVII (missing) Page 260 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXVIII (missing) Page 261 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. LXXXIX (missing) Page 262 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XC (missing) Page 263 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCI 1911 This section suffered more on account of the dry weather this summer than at any time since the dry period of 1881. * * * * Rev. Dr. R. A. Yoder died suddenly in Lincolnton in 1911 in his 55th year. He was pastor of the Lutheran church from 1905 until his death. He came of good German stock and was a descendant of Conrad Yoder, one of the early pioneers. When a young man he was a school teacher until he entered the ministry of the Lutheran church. He was the chairman of the local school board at the time of his death. He was regarded as an able preacher and a leader in his denomination in this section. His death occurred in Lincolnton and his sudden taking off was a shock to the community. His body was buried at Daniel’s Church. * * * * In Catawba County, near to the Lincoln line in the neighborhood of Henry post office, James Marcus Randy was born on January 8, 1848, son of Wosley and Martha (Lynn) Bandy. He came of substantial Dutch and Scotch-Irish stock. His mother’s people came from Ireland and. she possessed rare native intellect. The local school facilities were not good so that the boy in his early years had poor school advantages. When but thirteen years old he went as a drummer boy with the local military company into the great Civil War. He was brave in battle and his courage on the field won for him a Lieutenancy in his Company, When the war closed he was acting Captain as the last gun fired from his Company, at Bentonsville. As a seventeen year old lad he returned home from the war in April 1865. A year later he was married to Martha Leonard, in Lincoln County. She was a daughter of Elcanah Leonard (who was killed in the Civil War) and his wife Emma Leonard who was a devout member of Palm Tree Methodist church in North Brook township. Young Bandy was not afraid to work but with the same quality of courage shown in battle, went forth to make a living for his little family. While he had little education he had a brilliant mind and an ambition to make the most of life. When twenty one years old, he was digging stumps in a new ground. Suddenly he dropped his pick and said to his uncle who was helping him: “I am worth. more to the world than digging stumps, so I will take my wife and the two children to the home of her mother, and go to Rotherford College to School.” He went to school awhile and then taught to get money to go back to school. In 1873 he taught a free school in Lincoln County. In 1878 he taught at Black Rock Academy (now Belwood) in Cleveland; In, 1880 - 81 he was a teacher in Shelby High School, and later filled the chair of mathematics in Kings Mountain Military Academy until 1884. In the spring of 1884 he secured a Trinity College catalog in the hope of entering that institution. After careful examination of the course of study he decided that Page 264 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina he could at once stand the examination for the full four years. He asked for that privilege and it was finally granted. He went there, stood the examination on the full course, graduated with the class of 1884; received his diploma, and a medal for fine scholarship. The facility was So impressed with Mr. Bandy that he was at once tendered the chair of mathematics, which he filled with distinction until 1894, when he resigned. He developed into a ripe scholar, was fond of history and classical literature, was a master of mathematics and could have filled with credit the chair of mathematics in any university. He loved the great out of doors and the singing of the birds. He was a fine violinist and the soldiers in the great war marched into battle in step to the music of this drummer boy. When he left Trinity he settled in Greensboro where he was for some years the City Engineer. Later he was employed by the Page Brothers to build the railroad from Asheboro to Aberdeen and then by the Duke‘s to build the road from Durham to Duke. He fought a good fight. He proved his courage in the stormy days of the Civil War when he won laurels which he treasured through life. But it took greater courage to face the trials and overcome the obstacles after the blood struggle. He fought against ignorance and conquered and became a notable and cultured man, a blessing to his fellows and an honor to his family and his State. A Lutheran in faith, he was steadfast to the end. He died in Greensboro, August 23, 1911, and a great company assembled in West Market Street church for the funeral. He was intimately related to Lincoln County and deserves a place in this record. This story should be an inspiration to every boy who feels unable to conquer difficulty in order to make a man of himself. * * * * Ambrose Costner, an honored product of Lincoln county. came of good Revolutionary and Lutheran stock and was a patriotic and christian citizen. He was a son of Jacob Costner (who married Anna Rudisill) son of Michael Costner, son of Thomas Costner. (a Revolutionary soldier pensioned March 4, 1831) son of Adam Costner, the pioneer. Ambrose Costner was educated at the Lincolnton Academy; a school of high grade, and he married March 18, 1846 to Catherine Malinda Quickel and lived on the South Fork river four miles north of Lincolnton. He was an extensive farmer and owned the Costner flour Mill, which in its day turned out a fine quality of flour. He was a modest, wise and dignified gentleman of the old school and commanded the high respect of his fellow citizens. He was not a place seeker, but the people chose him for many positions of responsibility, and he always measured up to their high expectations. In his day he served as Magistrate, Chairman of the County Court, and represented Lincoln five terms in the Legislature, four terms, 1858, 1862, 1864 and 1873, in the House, and 1883 in the Senate, was President of the County National Bank from its organization until his death in 1911. When Gaston College was established in Dallas under the auspices of the Lutheran Church he was one of the largest contributors to the movement. While not physically able to enlist as a soldier in the Civil War he furnished the uniforms for the soldiers of Captain George W. Seagle's company. He died June 5, 1911 full of years and honors. Page 265 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Mr. L. M. Huffman in his valued historical book entitled, “Our Kin," paid high tribute to him as follows: Ambrose Costner was one of nature's noblemen — a most lovable man of born dignity, without the slightest suggestion of egotism, a straight forward, candid man; whose voice and bearing compelled confidence. He was a gentleman of fine intelligence, temper and judgment. He held many places of honor and public trust and always with the utmost fidelity to duty and credit to himself. Most of his life was spent on his farm near Lincolnton, but after the death of his wife he spent his remaining days in Lincolnton. The Lord gave him neither poverty nor great riches, but an abundance of comfort and he always found means to lend a helping hand to others in need and to materially assist in all the charitable work of his community. He was one of the founders of Gaston Female College, and without ostentation or tolerance he was a staunch supporter of his church and all its enterprises — the Church of his fathers — the Lutheran church to which he was devotedly attached. He died in 1911, aged about 86 years and is buried beside his wife in Salem church yard in Lincoln county. Among the children of Mr. and Mrs. Costner were: 1. William.A. Costner, married, 1st, to Sarah Frazier; 2nd to Mrs. Emma Killian. Dr. George Costner, a Lincolnton physician, is his son. 2. Dr. Henry A. Costner (Dentist) married Lizzie Kirk. He practiced his profession in Chicago where he died. 3. Martha, married Abel P. Rhyne, the cotton factor, of Mt. Holly. 4. Dr. Thomas F. Costner married Dora Gatewood. He is now practicing medicine in Lumberton, N. C. 5. Robert E. Costner (Lawyer) married Mamie Parker. He now lives in Mt. Holly. 6. James A. Costner married Gertrude Dewstoe. For many years he was in the banking business in Mt. Holly and lives there now (1935). Page 266 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCII (missing) Page 267 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCIII David A. Barkley, Esq., says that: In Lincoln County there lived a Dutch farmer very precise. His daughter was dropping corn in season and the father followed to cover. The girl was not doing her duty in the eyes of the father, so he hit upon the idea of dropping at exact distances. With a rope he bandaged in the bottom of the girls skirt, (present hobble skirt way) and as the girl jumped, every time a grain of corn dropped same distance apart. Thus originated the hobble skirt long before the style was adopted in Paris. Twas the idea of the Dutch, The hobble of which we hear so much, North Carolina deserves the glory, According to Mr. Barelay’s story. Charlotte Chronicle. 1912. 1913 John T. (“Jack”) DeLane and his brother, Francis H. DeLane, learned the printing business under E. H. Brittain, Editor of the Lincoln Courier, prior to 1868 when that publication was suspended. Afterward the DeLane boys found employment as type setters with the Whig when the brilliant and erratic parson, Gov. W. G. Brownlow was the editor of that sparkling sheet. They saved some money in Knoxville, returned to Lincolnton about 1875, bought the Lincoln Progress from Monroe Seagle and managed the paper successfully for some years. Jack DeLane died in 1913, aged 65 years. * * * * Major John D. Shaw died at his home in Rockingham, October 9, 1913, in his 80th year. He graduated from the State University in 1854. Rev. Dr. W. R. Wetmore (Episcopalian) and Rev. Dr. Needham B. Cobb (Baptist) ministers who are remembered in Lincolnton, graduated in the same class. Mr. Shaw then attended Pearson's Law School, was licensed to practice law, and on November 2, 1858 was married to Margaret, daughter of the late C. C. Henderson, of Lincolnton. He was a Major in the Confederate Army. Immediately after the Civil War he located in Marshall, Texas and became the law partner of the brilliant Judge William B. Ochiltree. He came back to North Carolina and settled in Lincolnton in 1868 where he practiced law until 1879 When he removed to his native county of Richmond, and built up a large practice and was active up to the time of his death. He never held public office but was a learned lawyer. Major Shaw as a speaker was pointed and forceful. He possessed rare reasoning powers and a strong analytical mind. It was his good rule to go into Court well prepared, for he studied the issues from both angles, anticipated the arguments of opposing counsel and was ready to meet them. In the noted trial of the state Page 268 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina against Fuller for the murder of Parker, Major Shaw was one of the counsel for the defendant. Dr. McDuffie, a witness for the defendant, testified that Fuller had been seriously injured in the encounter with Parker. Jones, the leading counsel for the state, in cross examination of Dr. McDuffie, ridiculed the Doctor for saying he used a cold water application to relieve the irritation. Jones was by no means a tidy man and when he chewed tobacco expectorated so freely that his beard and shirt were besmeared. Major Shaw in reply said: “It is plain to see that Jones is afraid of cold water — in or out.” Major Shaw distinguished himself as an able trial lawyer when he represented McDougle, of Cumberland county, charged with the murder of his uncle, in which the evidence was altogether circumstantial. It was a hotly contested trial but he cleared his client. He had two sons who became successful lawyers, John D. Shaw, Jr., a University graduate, (who married to Miss Bettie Thomas, of Laurinburg), was the leading lawyer in Scotland county. He died September 15, 1905 in his 42nd yeah. Another son, A. O. Shaw, died in Portland, Oregon in 1933, aged 67 years. He practiced law with his father in Rockingham, 1888-93; when he became an attorney in the General Land Office in Washington, D. C., until 1910, when he went to Oregon and become famous there as a title lawyer. His eldest daughter, Sallie Glenn, married Henry Fairley, of Scotland county. He died about 1926, and Mrs. Fairley and family now live in Charlotte. Miss Easdale Shaw, the second daughter, for many years an active worker in the King’s Daughter Society, and now (1934) is a Trustee of the Stonewall Jackson Training School, and also, of the Women’s Department of the University of North Carolina. John D. Shaw, III, son of John D. Shaw, Jr., is a practicing attorney in Charlotte and represented Mecklenburg county in the Legislature of 1927. * * * * Joseph Forney Johnston, son of Dr. William and Nancy (Forney) Johnston, was born in Lincoln county, March 23, 1843. Attended Catawba College at Newton, Charlotte Military Institute at Charlotte under General D. H. Hill and Wetumpka Military School in Alabama. On April 21, 1861 enlisted as a private as a Confederate soldier in Company I — 18th Alabama Regiment, promoted to 1st Sergeant and then to 1st Lieutenant. Was wounded at Chicamauga. Was with Bragg at Perryville. Transferred to Army of Virginia and made Aide on staff of his brother, Gen Robert D. Johnston and later Captain. He was wounded four times during his service. Studied law under his kinsman General William H. Forney anti in 1866 was admitted to the bar. Practiced law in Selma, Ala., for 18 years until 1884 when he moved to Birmingham. Was there President of Alabama National Bank until 1904. Governor of Alabama 1896-1900. Was elected U. S. Senator in 1907 to fill vacancy caused by death of Senator Pettus and on same date was elected to fill the full term beginning March 4, 1909 and served until his death in Washington, August 8, 1913. He was buried in Birmingham. He was a successful lawyer, an able advocate, had fine business qualifications, 3 popular Governor and ranked high. in the Senate. He had a fine sense of humor, was a fine story teller, good at impromptu speech, and diligent student of the Bible and a devout Episcopalian. His old soldiers loved him and always called him, Captain. He was a progressive business leader and had a great part in the industrial development of his adopted state. Page 269 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina He married to Theresa Hooper of Alabama, a descendant of William Hooper of North Carolina, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He left one son, 'Forney Johnston, a brilliant lawyer of Birmingham. (CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE) Page 270 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCIV 1913 John Franklin (“Jack”) Reinhardt was for many years a popular and influential citizen of the county. He was as brave as Julius Caesar, with highest quality of moral courage combined with a warmhearted personality, and was liked by all classes, both white and black, and when he was a candidate many Negroes Were his staunch supporters, even if he was a democrat. He was a stranger to fear and when a venturesome youth in his teens volunteered as a soldier in the Civil War. No braver soldier ever faced a foe. He was married first on May 1, 1871 to Leckie, daughter of James Madison Smith, and second to Miss Allie Abernathy on September 16, 1909. After the Civil War he, for a while, operated the old Rehobeth Iron Furnace and bought the old Bartlett Shipp plantation in East Lincoln and lived there until his death in 1913. He represented Lincoln county in the Legislature (lower house) in 1897-99 and 1901 and was Senator in 1903, 1907 and 1911. When a candidate for the House in 1898 it was rumored that the Legislature would attempt to restrict the right of suffrage to those only who could stand the educational test, the purpose being to deprive the ignorant Negroes of suffrage rights. The race question was a tense issue in the campaign, though the suffrage question was not raised. A goodly number of Negroes were for Reinhardt and when they counseled with him about suffrage he frankly told them he would oppose the restriction of it. When the Legislature met in January 1899 the democrats almost to a man were for the educational test, but “Jack” Reinhardt, whose word was his bond, stood square to his promise, running the risk of being discounted for not being “regular.” A weak kneed politician under pressure Would have forgotten the promise and gone with the crowd, but Reinhardt saved his self respect by being true to his word, with the result that he made friends by so doing, as proved In four later contests in which his majorities steadily increased. The people believed in him and stood by him for they could depend upon him always. All of his children were by the first marriage five sons, J. M., W. R., J. F., R. R., and W. H. Reinhardt, and three daughters, Hettie Reinhardt , Edna Reinhardt and Louise Reinhardt. Hettie made a wonderfully fine record as a nurse overseas during the great war; Edna has been a teacher for some years in the Black Mountain schools and Louise has been both a nurse and welfare worker. Mr. Reinhardt was a great citizen and his sudden death under the surgeon’s, knife June 9, 1913, at the age of 69, was a great shock to his multitude of friends. He was a Mason and a Presbyterian. The body was buried at New Hope Methodist church in East Lincoln. 1914 The European War was foreseen by Count Tolstoy, the Russian socialist, in 1910. His vision which was sent to the American press. by his grand-niece Countess Nastasia Tolstoy is said to have struck the German Kaiser as “one of the most remarkable and impressive literary prophecies of this age.” The original copy was presented to the Czar of Russia and by him communicated to Emperor William of Germany, and Edward, VII, King of England. Page 271 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Page 272 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina He said: This is a revelation of events of a universal character which must shortly come to pass. Their spiritual outlines are now before my eyes. I see floating upon the surface of the sea of human fate the silhouette of a nude woman. She is with her beauty, her poise, her smiles, her jewels — a super-Venus. Nations rush madly after her, each of them eager to attract her especially. But she like an eternal courtesan, flirts with all. In her hair ornaments of diamonds and rubies is engraved her name “Commercialism.” As alluring and bewitching as she seems, much destruction and agony follow in her wake. Her breath, reeking of sordid transactions, her voice of metallic character like gold, and her look of greed are so much poison to the nations who fall victim to her charms. And behold she has three gigantic arms with three torches of universal corruption in her hand. The first torch represents the flame of war, that the beautiful courtesan carried from city to city and from county to county. Patriotism answers with flashes of honest flame but the end is the roar of guns and musketry. The second torch bears the flame of bigotry and hypocrisy. It carries the lamps only in temples and on the altars of sacred institutions. It carries the seed of falsity and fanaticism. It kindles the minds that are still in cradles and follows them to their graves. The third torch is that of the law, that dangerous foundation of all unauthentic traditions, which first does its fatal work in the family, then sweeps through the larger worlds of literature, art and statesmanship. The great conflagration will start about 1912 set by the torch of the first arm in the countries of South Eastern Europe. It will result in a destructive calamity in 1913. In that year I see all Europe in flames and bleeding. I hear the lamentations of huge battlefields. But about the. year 1915, a strange figure from the North — a new Napoleon enters the stage of the bloody drama. He is a man of little militaristic training, a writer or a journalist, but in his grip most of Europe will remain till 1925. The end of the great calamity will mark a new political era for the Old World. There will be left no empires and kingdoms, but the world will form a federation of the United States of Nations. There will remain only four great giants — the Anglo-Saxons, the Latins, the Slavs and the Mongolians. The above was uttered by Tolstoy when in a trancelike state and written down by his grandniece. When he finished he roused himself, and slightly confused said “Had I gone to sleep?” Literary Digest, August 22, 1914. * * * * The greatest war of all history, of which Tolstoy in 1910 prophesied would break out in 1912, really did begin almost suddenly in August 1914. and nearly all the Page 273 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina world was drawn into it and it continued until November 11, 1918, at the cost of the lives of half of the young men of nearly all the countries involved, and all lands suffered terrible demoralization after four years of human slaughter, leaving the World in a state of moral degeneracy and financial bankruptcy. It will require many long years to recover from it all. When that war broke out in August 1914 the average American little thought we would ever be drawn into it. * * * * Bartlett Shipp, son of the late Judge William M. Shipp, died in Hendersonville in February 1914, aged 50 years. He was a very handsome man, with a brilliant mind and genial nature. He was a fine story teller and a lawyer of superior gifts. He marriel to Miss Prue Crouse, daughter of the late Dr. W. L. Crouse, who lived a few years only aft er his death. They left one son, Cameron Shipp, an interesting and bright newspaper whiter, now on the Charlotte News staff. * * * * Joseph Pearson Caldwell, the brilliant editor of the Charlotte Observer died in October 1914. He was the son of the late Hon. Joseph P. Caldwell, of Iredell, who represented his district in Congress from 1849 to 1853, and a nephew of Dr. Elam Caldwell, of Lincolnton. * * * * Charles A. Jonas was elected in November to the State Senate from the Lincoln - Catawba district and re-elected in 1916. 1915 Mrs. Thomas Jonathan Jackson, widow of the distinguished Confederate General, “Stonewall” Jackson, was a native of Lincoln County and daughter of the late Rev. Dr. R. H. Morrison. She was born July 21, 1831, married July 16, 1857 to Major T. J. Jackson, then an instructor in the Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington, Virginia. He Was mortally Wounded May 10, 1863. Mrs. Jackson has lived in Charlotte since the Civil War and died there April 8, 1915, at the advanced age of 84 years. Her death brought sorrow to a wide circle of friends and admirers all over the South. Page 274 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCV Capt. B. F. Grigg, died April 9, 1915, in his 80th year. He was born in Lincoln (Now Cleveland) county. He came to Lincolnton when a young man, volunteered as a private in the Southern Stars in 1861, fought at Bethel, came home on furlough and married to Mary, daughter of Mr. A. McCoy, January 1, 1865. He returned to camp, and for valiant service came home a Captain in 1865. He was the census taker for Lincoln county in 1870 and acting postmaster in the early 1880’s. He possessed a strong mind, fine business judgment and high integrity. For many years he was a successful merchant and in 1898 organized the first bank ever established. in the county. As stated, he was a brave Confederate soldier, and died on the fiftieth anniversary of the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. 1916 Woodrow Wilson is re-elected President over Charles Evan Hughes, the Republican candidate. * * * * When the World War broke out. in July 1914 America was on the verge of a financial panic. Cotton was bringing only $20.00 a bale and all other farm products were correspondingly low, and industry in all lines was running on short time, but when the flame of war broke out in Europe the demand for American products was so great that cotton brought nearly $200 per bale. Wheat advanced to $3.00 a bushel and business was so rushed that the fields, furnaces and factories were strained to supply the heavy foreign demands. Every precaution had been taken to maintain our neutrality, but the foreign relations especially with Germany, became more and more strained and many of our people were impatient to enter the conflict against Germany, but President Wilson was slow to take a step so uncertain and perilous until the sinking of the Lusitania by the German destroyer. 1917 We kept out of the World War for 33 months, until America entered April 6, 1917, after the steamer Lusitania was sunk by German submarines a short while before. It seems that all had been done that could be done to keep America out of the World war, for our national policy had been for neutrality, but we sold supplies to England, France and Italy, but very little to Germany, because Germany had no ships to come after the goods. So her attitude became vicious and with her submarines many vessels carrying supplies to her enemies were destroyed at sea, among them the British liner, Lusitania, which went down, carrying hundreds of American passengers. This tragedy aroused the indignation of our people and on April 6, 1917 America entered the war on the side with Britain, France and Italy. Training camps were at once established in many parts of the Republic and four million American boys, the flower of our youth, were called to the colors, went to camps for training and two million of them crossed the sea and bravely fought to make the World safe for democracy. * * * * Page 275 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Isaac R. Self (1842-1917) was a fine citizen and churchman. He lived several miles West of Lincolnton and was a progressive farmer. Among his children are Rev. Marvin Y. Self, of the Methodist Church and Dr. I. R. Self, dentist in Lincolnton, Dr. Lester L. Self, physician of Cherryville and H. A. Self, Register of Deeds in Lincoln county from 1898 to 1908. * * * * Dr. W. W. Noland, one of the oldest and best known citizens of the county died at his home at Crouse, September 18, 1917, aged 84 years. He was for many years a Lincolnton dentist, an officer in the Presbyterian church. and a member of the Masonic fraternity. The following items taken from scattered issues of The Lincoln Times of dates indicated give interesting history in detail in part of the record made by Lincoln county in the World war: “Below is a list of names of the boys Who left September 18th on the train for Columbia: Melvin L. Sipe, George Clifton Warlick, William G. Talent, Jacob Emanuel Miller, Fred Ray Kiser.” Off For Columbia “Off for the training camp at Columbia. Off for the rifles, the smoke and the trenches. On for the drill, the march, the thunder of the brass throated guns. I On September 18th the first contingent was ticketed for the army camp at Columbia, S. C. Five fine, virile specimens of Lincoln's manhood, fresh from the corn and cotton fields answered the call to duty. Messrs; Melvin L. Sipe, George Clifton Warlick, William C. Talent, Jacob Emanuel Miller and Fred Ray Kiser left on the afternoon train for the training camp where they will soon be prepared to take part in training the boys that will follow after them. While many of their friends saw them off with sad hearts, gladness crept in as they thought of the splendid manhood that was going to the front to represent us as a patriotic people.” September 1917 “In accordance with the proclamation of the Governor of North Carolina, Lincolnton was hostess Saturday to her quota of drafted men who are to become soldiers in the national army. She also had as her special guests the. Confederate veterans of this county. The weather was ideal and crowds came from all parts of the county to pay honor to the boys Who are sum to be called into the service of their country, as well as to the boys who once wore the gray. In honor of the occasion all the business houses and a number of residences were decorated with the national colors. Governor Thomas W. Bickett was the orator of the day. From a stand erected in the northwest corner of the court square he spoke for more than an hour, delivering one of the ablest and most patriotic speeches that Lincolnton citizens have been privileged to hear since the declaration of war. He said in part: “The draft law is the very essence of Americanism. It embodies the principles of equal rights and Page 276 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina justice to all, with special privileges to none; it treats every man precisely alike and under it every man is compelled to do his duty. Unless a man is willing to carry his part of the public responsibility in this emergency he is not a good American citizen. I sympathize very deeply with the men who will have to face danger and death on the firing line. I also sympathize with the men and women whose loved ones are going away, but the man who is to be pitied above all these is the able-bodied young man with no sacred obligations to keep him at home, and yet is willing to skulk in the back ground while others do their part in this dark hour of the World’s history.” September 4, 1917 “Many Ask for Exemptions But Few Being Granted—Five Boys Leave Saturday. “List of persons certified back to the Local Board by the District Board. List under date of August 29th, and received by this Local Board peals from; the decision of the Local Board or claims to District Board were allowed by said District Board. Claim allowed - exempt: John Lee Dellinger, Jackson Connor (col.). William Logan Smarr, Carl Loftin Dellinger, James Smith (col.).” List of person certified to this Local Board by the District Board for Western North Carolina whose appeals from the decision of this Board or claims to District Board were disallowed by the said District Board. List under date of August 29th, and received by this Local Board September 1. Claim disallowed — not exempt: Charles C. Leonard, Thomas Sullivan Sherrill, Harris D. Shuford, Edward Yarborough, Burton Edward Houser. R. R. Proctor, Walter Andrew Potts, Henry Summey Smith, Miller Rhyme, Benjamin F. Miller, Thomas Howell (exempt until Dec. 1, 1917), Franklin Little Scronce, Boston Lee Huss, Burgin S. Kistler, Earlie Ernest Abernethy, Charlie T. Keener, Charles S. Long (col.), Connell Johnson (col .), William McKinley Schrum, Robert Summit, Arthur Bailey, Cyrus Houser, Beecher M. Smith, Abram Willis, Russell Poole. Page 277 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCVI (missing) Page 278 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCVII (missing) Page 279 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCVIII (missing) Page 280 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCIV (missing) Page 281 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCV (missing) Page 282 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCVI (missing) Page 283 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCVII (missing) Page 284 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCVIII (missing) Page 285 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. XCIX (missing) Page 286 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. C (missing) Page 287 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Installment No. CI PRIZE WINNERS AT NORTH BROOK COMMUNITY FAIR All First Prizes Best 10 ears corn: T. O. Bess. Best single ear corn: T. O. Bess. Best stalk cowpeas: J. C. Beam. Best stalk soy beans: Frank Leonhardt. Best rye: Ralph Thompson. Best wheat: C. L. Eaker, Best oats: C. O. Childers. Best stalk velvet beans: Dorus Bess. Best stalk sorghum: T. O. Bess. Best bale cowpea hay: Frank Leonhardt. Best bale soy bean hay: M. M. Leonhardt. Best bale clover hay: J. L. Beam. Best stalk cotton: M. W. Leonhardt. Best popcorn: Mrs. Z. M. Dellinger. Best bermuda grass: C. W. Beam. Best sorghum seed: C. E. Carpenter. Best vetch seed: Frank Leonhardt. Best string beans: C. L. Brown. Best stock beets: C. E. Carpenter. Best head cabbage: Miss Maud Hull. Best stalk collards: Tom Beam. Best okra: Mrs. C. O. Childers. Best onions from seed: Miss Maud Hull. Best onions from sets: Mrs. C. E. Carpenter. Best squash: T. O. Bess. Best turnips: T. O. Bess. Best carrots: Mrs. J. C. Beam. Best sweet peppers: Miss Florence Beam. Best hot peppers: Mrs. Julius Howell. Best 1-2 bushel sweet potatoes: C. E. Carpenter. Best 1-2 bushel Irish potatoes: Dorus Bess. Best pumpkin: Mrs. Mary Hull. Best watermelon: C. L. Eaker. Best bush bean seed: Mrs. Z. M. Dellinger. Best pole bean seed: Mrs. C. E. Carpenter. Best watermelon seed: Z. M. Dellinger. Best okra seed: Mrs. Grace Leonhardt. Best cucumber seed: Mrs. Grace Leonhardt. Best ham of meat: C. E. Carpenter. Best lard: Mrs. Ethel Childers. Best 6 apples: Julius Eaker. Best 6 peaches: J . L. Beam. Best 6 pears: Mrs. C. O. Childers. Second Prizes Half bushel sweet potatoes: C. O. Childers. Half bushel Irish potatoes: C. E. Carpenter. Page 288 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina Best ham of meat: Julius Howell. M. W. Leonhardt, Com. * * * * World War and Other Items Taken From The Lincoln Times Issues of 1918 June 2, 1918 Nine-Tenths At War “The population of the world is given, in round figures, as one billion six hundred millions. Today the people of the world are divided into three portions, two of them at war and one neutral. Of the 1,600,000,000, only 120,000,000 less than one- tenth, are at peace. The other nine-tenths are at war, and are in one of two camps, that of the Central Empire or that of the Entente Allies. In the camp of the Central Empires are 160,000,000 people; in the camp of the Enbente Allies are around 1,360,000,000, This means that the Allied people of the world outnumber those of the Central Empires about eight to one.” * * * * June 11, 1918 “The county cemmissioners met in regular session on Monday of last week with all present. Besides the regular routine, the following business was transacted Mr. G. A. Royster was elected by the board to superintend the County Home for the next year. His compensation will be $8.50 for each inmate per month. The levy of the tax for the coming year, 1918, was fixed as follows: For state purposes as levied by the General Assembly: 23 2/3 cents For Pensions 4 cents For Schools 20 cents -------------------------- 47 2/3 cents Poll Tax levy as follows: Poll Tax $1.43 State Pensions 12 cents For Schools 38 cents For County Maintenance of Poor $1.50 ------------------------------------ $2.00 * * * * Jurors for the next term of court which convenes July 15th Were drawn as follows: E. L. Rash, C. D. L. McGinnis, J. F. Cashion, A. L. Mauney, J. A. Leonhardt, J. A. Smyre, A. C. Dellinger, Forney Link, George P. Arney, Webb Hager, Thomas B. Seine, Page 289 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK ** Sherrill’s History of Lincoln County, North Carolina John Noles, D. Claud Hines, J. C. Beam, O. H. Holdsclaw, Robert Jonas, W. M. Rodgers, George Gilbert, A. F. Scronce, E. M. Hallman, J. H. Lucky, J. O. Allen, G. T. Wise, Lewis S. Ballard, M. A. Lawing‘, J. W. Little, P. C. Whitesides, A. A. Summey, T. L. Center, W. C. Asbury, B. W. Saine, N. J. Bland, Coon Reinhardt, L. L. Houser, G. P. Rhyne, J. Lester Little.“ * * * * All alien registrants who are entitled to register in this county both male and female are hereby notified to call on Postmaster John K. Cline for registration which opens on July 17th. For further information call on me or write. John K. Cline, Registrar, Lincolnton, N. C.” Page 290 of 290 ** PAGE BREAK **