Rowan County

by Murphy, Eva B. Evan Shelby Alexander, lawyer and legislator from Salisbury, was born in Mecklenburg County, probably in the Clear Creek Township area, where his father owned a plantation. He was the son of Colonel [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kirkman, Roger N. William Julius Alexander, speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons, solicitor, and superintendent of the Charlotte branch of the U.S. Mint, was born in Salisbury, the son of William Alexander. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Raper, Horace W. Andrew Balfour, Revolutionary War leader, officer in the North Carolina militia, and one of Randolph County's first representatives, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Andrew and Margaret Robertson [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. John Beard, Jr., newspaper editor and politician, was born in Salisbury, the son of Lewis and Susan Dunn Beard. He was graduated from Yale University and was elected to the House of Commons from [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Lewis Beard, county and state official, was born in Salisbury of German ancestry. His father, John Lewis Beard, was born in Germany but immigrated to Philadelphia as a young man. John Lewis Beard was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carraway, Gertrude S., Brawley, James S. John Beckwith, physician and surgeon, was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the son of Elizabeth Dart and John Beckwith, a Revolutionary War veteran of New York. The younger Beckwith was admitted to the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Delp, Robert W. Gotthardt Dellman Bernheim, Lutheran pastor, educator, and author, was born in Iserlohn, Westphalia, East Prussia. His father was John Herman Bernheim, a Jewish convert to Christianity who, following [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Linn, Jo White. Blackmer, Sidney Alderman by Jo White Linn, 1979 13 July 1895–5 Oct. 1973 Sidney Alderman Blackmer, professional actor, was born in Salisbury, the son of Walter Steele and Clara De Roulhac [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by W., Ina, V. Daniel Boone, hunter and trusted leader, was several times a member of the Virginia legislature and a syndic (commander) of the Spanish Femme Osage District, now part of Missouri. Boone lived more [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wall, James W. Boone, Squire by James W. Wall, 1979 6 Dec. 1696–2 Jan. 1765 Squire Boone, pioneer settler in Western Piedmont North Carolina and father of Daniel Boone, was born in Devonshire, England. His [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Morgan, Thomas S. Annie Kizer Bost, commissioner of the North Carolina State Board of Charities and Public Welfare and an active participant in women's clubs, civic work, and the Democratic party, was born in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Williams, Max R. Nathaniel Boyden, lawyer, congressman, and jurist, was born in Conway, Mass., to John and Eunice Hayden Boyden. Both parents were of English ancestry and were descended from settlers who arrived in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Linn, Jo White. Michael Braun (or Brown), frontiersman, master builder, and entrepreneur, is said to have been born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. He stepped upon American soil at the port of Philadelphia 26 Sept. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Davidson, Chalmers G. John Brevard, II, colonial official and patriot, was the son of John Brevard, first of the Brevards in the colonies. According to his grandson, Alexander, the first John Brevard "is supposed to have [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stephenson, E. Frank, Jr. Calvin Scott Brown, educator, editor, minister, and advisor, was born in Salisbury of black and Scot-Irish ancestry. His father was Henry Brown, a farmer, and his mother was Flora Brown. Brought up [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sheppard, Juanita Ann. Cecil Kenneth Brown, economist and educator, was born in Salisbury, the son of Pleasant Marion and Carolina Amery Shelton Brown. After receiving his education in Cleveland County schools, he entered [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brown, Louis A. John Joseph Bruner, newspaper editor, was born on the Yadkin River near Salisbury in Rowan County. His father, Henry Bruner, a gunsmith by trade, died when John Joseph was two. His mother, a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bryan, John K., Jr. By the time of his 1719 marriage to Martha Strode, Bryan owned land in Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pa. Shortly after his marriage, he moved farther west in the county and may then have begun [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bryan, John K., Jr. Bryan, Samuel by John K. Bryan, Jr., 1979; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, July 2023 ca. 1726–98 Samuel Bryan, Yadkin River pioneer and Loyalist officer, was born in what is [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bryan, John K., Jr. William Bryan, early Yadkin River settler and Kentucky pioneer, was born in the vicinity of Winchester, Va., the fifth son of Morgan and Martha Strode Bryan. His father had helped settle a large [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. David Franklin Caldwell, lawyer, legislator, and judge, was born of Scot-Irish ancestry in the eastern section of Iredell County. He was the son of Andrew Caldwell, an early settler of this region [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Krieger, Marvin. Charles Albert Cannon, textile manufacturer, was born in Concord, one of ten children and the youngest of six sons born to James William Cannon, who founded Cannon Mills, and Mary Ella Bost [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gass, W. Conard. Eli Washington Caruthers, Presbyterian minister, educator, and historian, was born in Rowan County, near Salisbury. His parents were James and Elizabeth Lawrence Caruthers. The second of seven [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Knapp, Sharon E. G. Hope Summerell Chamberlain, author, artist, clubwoman, house counselor at Duke University, and civic worker, was born in Salisbury. Although Mrs. Chamberlain did not use her first name, the first [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Maxwell Chambers, planter and manufacturer, was born in Salisbury, the son of Joseph and Mary Campbell Chambers. His father died in 1784, and Maxwell was placed by the court under the protection of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Rea, Kathleen M. Cole, Stephen William by Kathleen M. Rea, 1979; Revised November 2022. 1 Jan. 1813–19 Sept. 1889 Stephen William Cole, planter and banker, son of William Terry and Judith Moseley Leake Cole, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Batson, Whaley W. Mordecai Collins, cabinetmaker, was born probably in Virginia, of unknown ancestry. His name first appears in Rowan County records on 3 Dec. 1809, in an entry stating that Collins purchased from John [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Willard, George-Anne. Charles Lee Coon, educator and reformer, was born on a farm four miles west of Lincolnton, the first of nine children of Frances E. Hovis Coon (1842–1907) and David A. Coon (1834–1921). He was a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Elizabeth Brownrigg Henderson, women's rights leader and librarian, was born at Salisbury, the daughter of John Steele and Elizabeth Brownrigg Cain Henderson. She was a direct descendant of Thomas [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Francis Coupee, printer, was of French origin. He moved to Salisbury in the 1790s to open the first printing shop in Western North Carolina. He and John M. Slump set up the German-English Printing [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Raper, Horace W. Henry Clay Cowles, U.S. clerk of court at Salisbury, Charlotte, and Statesville, U.S. commissioner, and leading industrialist and banker, was born in Hamptonville, the son of Josiah and Nancy Carson [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Mcfarland, Daniel M. Francis Burton Craige, editor, lawyer, and congressman, the youngest son of David and Mary Foster Craige, was born on the south fork of the Yadkin River five miles from Salisbury. He attended [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Kerr Craige, attorney, assistant postmaster general, and banker, was the son of Burton and Elizabeth Phifer Erwin Craige. His father was born in Rowan County and represented Salisbury and Rowan [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Keever, Homer M. Leonidas Wakefield Crawford, Methodist minister, professor of theology at Trinity College, and editor of the North Carolina Christian Advocate, was born on the family plantation just east of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Joseph Dickson, congressman, planter, and military leader, was born in Chester County, Pa., a few miles north of Wilmington, Del. About 1755 he moved with his family to Rowan County, N.C., near [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. George and Jacob Donner, western immigrants for whom the Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California was named, were born in Rowan County, probably in the part that is now southern [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Drage, Theodorus Swaine by William S. Powell, 1986 ca. 1712–[October?] 1774 Theodorus Swaine Drage, Anglican clergyman, explorer, and author, was the grandson of William Drage (1637?–1669), [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Troxler, Carole W. John Ross Dunn, Salisbury lawyer and founder, was born in Ireland. According to Archibald D. Murphey, he studied to be a Roman Catholic priest but "left Ireland suddenly in consequence of some [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Batson, Whaley W. Peter Eddleman (Adleman, Ettleman), cabinetmaker, was born probably in Rowan County of German parentage. His father, Bastian Eddleman, moved to Bucks County, Pa., from Germany in 1750; with his wife, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tolbert, Noble J. John Willis Ellis, legislator, superior court judge, and governor, son of Anderson and Judith Bailey Ellis, was born in the section of eastern Rowan County that later became part of Davidson County. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Ervin, Sam J., Jr. Alexander Erwin, Revolutionary soldier, public official, and legislator, was born in Bucks County, Pa., of Scot-Irish ancestry. His parents, Nathaniel and Leah Julian Erwin, moved to Rowan (now [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Littleton, Tucker Reed. Ferrand, Stephen Lee by Tucker Reed Littleton, 1986 18 Nov. 1787–15 Nov. 1830 Stephen Lee Ferrand, physician and civic leader of Rowan County, was born in Swansboro, the son of Guillaume [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Mcfarland, Daniel M. Charles Fisher, congressman and speaker of the House of Commons was born near Salisbury, the son of Frederick Fisher, who moved to Rowan from Shenandoah County, Va., before the American Revolution [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Grant, Dorothy F. Charles Frederick Fisher, president of the North Carolina Railroad, politician, and soldier, was born in Salisbury, the only son of Charles and Christine Beard Fisher. His grandfather, Frederick [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Foard, John Hanby, Jr. Osborne Giles Foard, planter-enslaver, state legislator, contractor, local official, and religious lay leader, was born in the fork of the Yadkin and South Yadkin rivers in what is now southern Davie [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stumpf, Vernon O. John Frohock, colonial official and land speculator, was living in southeastern Bucks County, Pa., before 1725, the son of John Frohock, Sr., who apparently was a Quaker. The family may have come to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Clark, Edith M. Frontis, Stephen by Edith M. Clark, 1986 18 July 1792–12 Apr. 1867 Stephen Frontis, Presbyterian minister, was born in Cognac, France, the son of John Baptist Jehoiachin and Etiennette Borel [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by White, Emmett R. John Fulenwider, iron manufacturer, was born in Switzerland and as a young boy came to America with his father and family, who settled in Rowan County. During the American Revolution, he was a Whig [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gaither, Kent. Basil Gaither, Rowan County senator, was born in Anne Arundel County, Md., the son of Edward and Eleanor White Gaither, both Maryland natives. He was directly descended from John Gater, a German [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Butler, Lindley S. James Gallaway, merchant and state legislator, was born probably in Scotland and moved to North Carolina before the American Revolution. His uncle, Charles Gallaway, was by 1765 living in the section [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cotten, Alice R. John Gano, Baptist clergyman, was born at Hopewell, N.J., the third of six children of Daniel and Saran Britton Gano. His great-grandfather, a French Protestant, came to New Rochelle, N.Y., soon [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. James Gay, farmer, soldier, and poet, was born in Ulster, Ireland, of Devon forebears. In lieu of a formal education, he avidly read history and the Scottish poems of Allan Ramsay. At age sixteen he [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Batson, Whaley W. James Gheen, cabinetmaker, may have moved to Rowan County from Chester County, Pa., in the late 1770s. The Rowan County tax list for 1778 shows that he resided in "Capt. Craige's District." Nothing [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. Archibald Campbell Godwin, miner, rancher, and Confederate soldier, was born in Nansemond County, Va., the son of Lewis and Julia Campbell Godwin. His mother was the daughter of General Archibald [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Krieger, Marvin. Goler, William Harvey by Marvin Krieger, 1986 1 Jan. 1846–22 Feb. 1939 William Harvey Goler, educator, church leader, and president of Livingstone College, Salisbury, was born in Halifax, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cashion, Jerry C. Arataswa or Oroloswa Hagler, king or head man of the Catawbas (ca. 1749–63), lived and died in the region that was in bitter dispute between the two Carolinas. Upon the murder of The Young Warrior [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stephens, H. Kenneth, II. Allmand Hall, printer, of Scottish ancestry, was the son of Sarah Hall Burney who had been widowed and married William Burney of New Bern. In 1795, Hall moved to Wilmington where he operated a book [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Josephus Wells Hall, physician, was born near South River in Rowan (now Davie) County, the son of Joseph Hall (1770–1850) and Margaret Linster Hall (1771–1842). His mother was the daughter of Moses [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Glass, Brent D. Egbert Barry Cornwall Hambley, mining engineer and industrialist, was born in Penzance, Cornwall, England, the son of James and Ellen Read Hambley. His father was a civil engineer who had explored [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wall, James W. Hardie Hogan Helper, abolitionist, Union soldier, journalist, and moderate Republican Reconstruction leader, was born two miles west of Mocksville, the son of Daniel J. and Sarah Brown Helper. He [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wall, James W. Hinton Rowan Helper, abolitionist author and lecturer and consul to Argentina, was born on the Squire Boone homesite two miles west of Mocksville, the son of Daniel J. and Sarah Brown Helper. He was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Folmsbee, Stanley J. Henderson, Archibald by Stanley J. Folmsbee, 1988 7 Aug. 1768–21 Oct. 1822 See also: Leonard Henderson, brother Archibald Henderson, congressman, legislator, and lawyer, was born [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Putzel, Rosamond. Archibald Henderson, mathematician, teacher, literary critic, biographer, and historian, was born at Lombardy, his grandfather's home in Salisbury. He was the son of Elizabeth Brownrigg Cain and John [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. John Steele Henderson, member of the General Assembly, U.S. congressman, city planner, lawyer, and a founder of rural free delivery of the mail, was born in Salisbury of English ancestry, the son of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carter, Carolyn Howard. Mary Ferrand Henderson, Democratic party official and promoter of women's political rights, was born in Salisbury, the daughter of John Steele Henderson, a North Carolina legislator and congressman, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Glass, Brent D. Moses L. Holmes, gold miner and speculator-merchant, was born on Big River near Flat Swamp in Rowan (now Davidson) County, the son of Jesse and Nancy Owen Holmes. His father owned a large farm and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Urban Tigner Holmes, III, Episcopal priest, teacher, and dean, was born in Chapel Hill, the son of Urban Tigner, Jr., and Margaret Allen Gemmell Holmes. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bell, John L., Jr. James Walker Hood, clergyman, educator, and bishop, the son of Levi and Harriet Walker Hood, was born on the farm of Ephraim Jackson in Chester County, Pa., nine miles from Wilmington, Del. His [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Doerschuk, M. Elaine. Christopher Houston, farmer, soldier, and town planner, was born in Lancaster County, Pa., the fourth son of Robert Houston, a successful Scottish immigrant wheat farmer, and his wife Martha Worke of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jones, Mark H. Herman (or Hermon, Harman) Husband (or Husbands) was a legislator, county official, planter, surveyor, miner, pamphleteer, and social activist. He was born in Cecil County, Maryland, and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. John "Major" Mertz and Mariah Elizabeth Nail Mertz: Circus Performers by Kelly Agan, NC Government & Heritage Library, 2014 1850s-1938 On August 16, 1883 circus performers John [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Powell, William S. Thomas Pinkney Johnston, pioneer Presbyterian missionary, was born in Rowan County, the son of William Smiley and Mary Hall Johnston. He entered The University of North Carolina from Iredell County [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hall, Joan J. Alexander Jones, physician, author, and journalist, was born in Rowan County, the son of Samuel Jones, a planter and schoolteacher who guided his son's early education. In 1818 young Jones went to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. Hamilton Chamberlain Jones, humorist, journalist, and lawyer, was born in Greenville, Va., the son of William Jones, who moved to Stokes County where he died in 1800. His widow married Colonel James [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Pittman, William R. Hamilton Chamberlain Jones, Jr., lawyer, Confederate officer, and state senator, was born at Como, his family's home near Salisbury, the son of Hamilton Chamberlain and Ann Eliza Henderson Jones. His [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Miller, Linda Angle. Roland Jones, attorney, congressman, and judge, was born in Salisbury, the son of Drucilla Brown and Samuel Jones. Samuel Jones was a man of some prominence in Rowan County. Besides having [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Butler, Lindley S., Schweitzer, George K. Thomas William Keen, physician, tobacco dealer, and legislator, was born in Pittsylvania County, Va., the son of Ashford T. Keen (1796–1876) and his first wife, Elizabeth Edwards Keen. He was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by King, William E. King, Mary Elizabeth Eskridge by William E. King, 1988 17 Sept. 1901–28 June 1973 Mary Elizabeth Eskridge King, Christian educator, was born in Arbovale, Pocahontas County, W.Va., the oldest [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Conner, Suzanne. Theodore Franklin Kluttz, businessman, lawyer, and congressman, was born in Salisbury, the son of Elizabeth Moose and Caleb Kluttz, who at the time was sheriff of Rowan County. Orphaned at an early [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hood, Davyd Foard. Krider, Jacob by Davyd Foard Hood, 1988; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, July 2023 17 Aug. 1788–17 Oct. 1874 See also: Western [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Lander, Samuel by William S. Powell, 1991 30 Jan. 1833–14 July [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Lester, Malcolm. Hugh Lawson, pioneer settler of Rowan County and ancestor of statesmen and patriots, was the son of Roger Lawson of Cecil County, Md. Although the elder Lawson was living in Cecil County as early as [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. Augustus Leazar, farmer, educator, and public servant, was born on his father's plantation, Leazarwell, in Rowan County. Descended from French Huguenot, German, and Scot-Irish stock, he was the son [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Lemly, Samuel by James S. Brawley, 1991; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 1 Mar. 1791–14 Jan. 1848 Samuel Lemly, builder and architect, was prominent in Rowan [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Spence, Thomas H., Jr. Lingle, Walter Lee by Thomas H. Spence, Jr., 1991 3 Oct. 1868–19 Sept. 1956 Walter Lee [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Francis Locke, Revolutionary soldier, farmer, trader, and carpenter, was born in Northern Ireland, the son of John and Elizabeth Locke who moved to Lancaster County, Pa., when Francis and his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Locke, Matthew by James S. Brawley, 1991; Revised May 2022, NC Government & Heritage Library  1730–7 Sept. 1801 Matthew Locke, colonial and Revolutionary leader and member of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Grogan, Ralph Houston. William Carter Love, lawyer and congressman, was born near Norfolk, Va., the son of Samuel and Jean Love. He moved with his family to Chapel Hill where his father was steward of The University of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Lyerly, Jacob Martin Luther by William S. Powell, 1991 18 Nov. 1862–17 Mar. 1923 Jacob Martin Luther Lyerly, clergyman, teacher, and newspaper editor, was born [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Macay, Spruce by James S. Brawley, 1991; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 ca. 1755–29 Feb. 1808 Spruce Macay, lawyer, judge, and law tutor of Andrew Jackson, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Davidson, Chalmers G. William Maclean, physician, was born in Rowan County, the son of Alexander, an emigrant from Northern Ireland, and Elizabeth Ratchford McLean. Alexander lived first in Pennsylvania, working to pay [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Taylor, Thomas T. McCorkle, Samuel Eusebius by Thomas T. Taylor, 1991; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, July 2023 23 Aug. 1746–21 Jan. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Price, William S., Jr. Henry Eustace McCulloh, was the only son of Henry McCulloh of Turnham Green, Middlesex, England, the largest land speculator in colonial North Carolina. Henry Eustace entered North Carolina as an [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Means, Alexander by William S. Powell, 1991 6 Feb. 1801–5 June [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Mebane, Charles Harden by William S. Powell, 1991 27 Oct. 1862–16 Dec. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Moore, William John by William S. Powell, 1991 4 Apr. 1837–post-1901 See also:  African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina); African Methodist [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Morrison, Fred Wilson by William S. Powell, 1991 29 Oct. 1890–2 Mar. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wall, James W. George Mumford, congressman, legislator, farmer, merchant, and dealer in real estate, was originally from the Fayetteville and Cumberland County area. His father, Robinson (or Robeson) Mumford, owned [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by London, Lawrence F. Francis Johnstone Murdoch, Episcopal clergyman, teacher, and manufacturer, was born in Buncombe County, the son of William and Margaret Nixon Murdoch. His parents immigrated to America from Ireland [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Murdoch, Mary M. M. Murphy, Spencer by Mary M. Murdoch, 1991 29 July 1904–30 Nov. 1964 Spencer Murphy, journalist and editor of the Salisbury Post, was born in Jamestown, the son of Walter (Pete) Murphy, for [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Murdoch, Mary M. M. Walter (Pete) Murphy, lawyer and state legislator, was born in Salisbury, the son of Andrew, a local merchant, and Helen Long Murphy. He was the grandson of John Murphy, also a Salisbury merchant, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fant, H. B. Daniel Newnan, Georgia planter, general, and congressman, was born in Salisbury. Daniel, his brothers John, Hugh, and Montgomery, and sisters Elizabeth (Gaither), Polly (Payne), Jenny, and Nancy [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Putzel, Rosamond. John Newnan, physician, was born in Salisbury, the son of Anthony Newnan, also a physician, and his wife Mary, the daughter of Hugh Montgomery, a merchant and landowner of Wilkes County. John was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Taylor, George V. Peter Stewart Ney, schoolmaster who died near Salisbury, is believed by many to have been the Napoleonic marshal, Michel Ney, living in hiding to escape persecution. His gravestone at Third Creek [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sims, E. Thomas. John Nisbet, general merchant, Patriot, and state legislator, was born in New Jersey, one of six children of John and Sarah Nisbet. In 1750 his parents moved from New Jersey to that part of Rowan [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Adams, D. W. Adlai Osborne, lawyer and political and educational leader, was the son of Alexander Osborne, of New Jersey, a prominent frontiersman of Rowan County, N.C., and a member of the 1761 colonial [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Caldwell, Marie Osborne. Alexander Osborne, frontiersman, was born in New Jersey but spent his early years in Lancaster, Pa. He moved to North Carolina about 1749 and settled on the headwaters of Rocky River in Anson (now [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Eagles, Brenda M. Lee Slater Overman, lawyer, legislator, and U.S. senator, was born in Salisbury, the son of William H. and Mary E. Slater Overman. He was educated in the private schools of Salisbury and at Trinity [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wall, James W. Joseph Pearson, congressman, lawyer, legislator, and planter, was born in Rowan County. He was the son of Richmond Pearson, Patriot leader and soldier in the American Revolution, who moved to North [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Guy Berryman Phillips, educator, was born in rural Randolph County, southwest of Asheboro, the eldest child of Jessie Lee and Fannie Polk Waddell Phillips. A successful farmer, Jessie Lee Phillips [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hughes, Nathaniel C., Jr. Lucius Eugene Polk, probably the ablest brigade commander in the Confederate Army of Tennessee, was born in Salisbury, the son of Dr. William Julius and Mary Rebecca Long Polk, the grandson of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kirkman, Roger N. Thomas Gilchrist Polk, political figure and general of militia, was born in Mecklenburg County, the eldest child of Colonel William and Griselda Gilchrist Polk. Among his prominent relatives were his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Charles Price, legislator and corporation lawyer, was born in Warrenton, the fourth child of John and Martha Reynolds Price, whose grandfather was a native of Scotland. His father, John Price, was a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Inscoe, John C. Price, Joseph Charles by John Inscoe, 1994; Revised October 2022. Related Entries: Civil Rights; Civil War; African American; Historically Black Colleges and Universities 10 Feb. 1854–25 [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Dwight Wilson Quinn, businessman and longtime legislator, was born in York, S.C., the son of William Lytle and Lucy Wilson Quinn. After attending the public schools of Kannapolis, N.C., he enrolled [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Allen, Walser H., Jr. William Hoke Ramsaur, YMCA secretary, Student Volunteer Movement traveling secretary, Episcopal priest, and missionary, was born in China Grove of German and English ancestry. His father was Dr. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Yearns, W. Buck. James Graham Ramsay, physician and Confederate congressman, was born on his father's small plantation in Iredell County. Both parents, David and Margaret Graham Ramsay, were of Scot-Irish descent. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. John Andrew Ramsay, land surveyor, civil engineer, Confederate soldier, and mayor of Salisbury, was born in Rowan County to Robert and Mary M. Walton Ramsay. Young Ramsay practiced the profession of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Robert Ray, labor organizer, printer, and newspaperman, a native of North Carolina, was probably born in Raleigh. Since his mother, Mrs. Rachel T. Ray, was identified in Raleigh city directories [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Eagles, Brenda M. William McKendree Robbins, educator, lawyer, and legislator, was born in Randolph County to Ahi and Mary Brown Robbins. He received his early education at subscription schools and at a local academy [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Queen, Louise L. Gilbert Theodore Rowe, Methodist minister, editor, and seminary professor, was born in Rowan County, the son of Joseph Columbus and Nannie Brown Rowe. He received an A.B. degree from Trinity College [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Ruth, Earl Baker by William S. Powell, 1994 7 Feb. 1916–15 Aug. 1989 Earl Baker Ruth, congressman, college professor, and governor [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cashion, Jerry C. Griffith Rutherford, colonial and Revolutionary official, military officer, and land speculator, was born in Ireland, the son of John and Elizabeth Griffith Rutherford. His grandfather, the Reverend [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Lennon, Donald R. John Sampson, planter and colonial official, arrived in North Carolina during the 1730s from his native Ireland. He quickly obtained major landholdings in New Hanover County and purchased a residence [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cumming, William P. Claude Joseph Sauthier, one of the ablest civilian and military surveyors and mapmakers of the Revolutionary period, was born in Strasbourg, Alsace, the eldest child of Joseph Philippe, a saddler, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wilson, Paul F. Schloss, Simeon Archibald by Paul F. Wilson, 1994   See also: Opera Houses. 10 Oct. 1865–22 Dec. 1913 Simeon Archibald Schloss, predominant figure in theatrical management in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cashion, Jerry C. Sharpe, William (Lawyer Billy) by Jerry C. Cashion, 1994; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, January 2023 13 Dec. 1742–6 July [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Alexander, Roberta Sue. Francis Edwin Shober, lawyer and congressman, was born in Salem, the son of Emanuel and Anna Hanes Schober and the grandson of Gottlieb Schober. After attending the Moravian schools in Salem and in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Francis Emanuel Shober, minister, journalist, and congressman, was born in Salisbury, the son of Francis Edwin, a lawyer and congressman, and May Wheat Shober, the daughter of the Reverend John [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Gottlieb Shober, industrial and business pioneer, lawyer, state senator, postmaster, and church official, was born in Bethlehem, Pa., the son of Andreas and Hedwig Schubert Schober. His grandfather, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. H[arvey] Hoyle Sink, jurist, was born in the Tyro community, Davidson County, a son of Thomas Franklin and Martha Anne Lanning Sink. The Sink (Zink or Zinck) family emigrated from Germany to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cauble, Frank P. John Martin Slump, schoolmaster, printer, and newspaper publisher, was of German descent but of uncertain family background. His surname may originally have been spelled Schlump or Schlumpf, but it [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Ashbel Smith, Salisbury physician and Texas political leader, was born in Hartford, Conn., the son of Phoebe Adams and Moses Smith, Jr. He had a half brother, Curtis, and three siblings, Henry [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Bennett L. Hildreth Hosea Smith, educator and journalist, was born in Deerfield, N.H., the son of William True, a farmer, and Martha Ambrose Smith. He was the father of Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia. His [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sparrow, W. Keats. Sparrow, Patrick Jones by W. Keats Sparrow, 1994 1802–10 Nov. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Spelman, printer and newspaper editor, was born in England. Nothing appears to be recorded concerning his origin or education, but a number of Spelman men, all from the county of Norfolk, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Turner, Walter R. The town of Spencer, located near Salisbury in Rowan County, was named for one of the nation’s railroad leaders, Samuel Spencer. A native of Georgia, Samuel became the first president of Southern [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Powell, William S. Thomas Melville Stanback, pharmacist, was born in Byhalia, Miss., the son of Charles and Della Ingram Stanback. His parents had moved from Richmond County, N.C., a few years before his birth and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Evans, Esther. Edwin Monroe Stanley, lawyer, chief judge of the U.S. Middle District Court, and religious, educational, and civic leader, was born in Kernersville. Of English-German ancestry, he was the youngest [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by West, William S. Elizabeth Maxwell Steel, Salisbury innkeeper, Revolutionary Patriot, and the subject of legend, was born in western Rowan County. The Maxwell family was of Scot-Irish origins and emigrated from [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by West, William S. John Steele, planter, Federalist legislator, and comptroller of the U.S. Treasury, was born in Salisbury of Scots-Irish ancestry. His father, William Steel, a merchant, innkeeper, and local real [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. John Hardy Steele, designer and builder of textile machinery, was the first man to weave cotton cloth by waterpower in New Hampshire. He served his adopted state as governor for two terms and in 1833 [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Roth, Gary G. Stirewalt, Jacob by Gary G. Roth, 1994 17 Aug. 1805–21 Aug. 1869 Jacob Stirewalt, Lutheran clergyman, was born near Salisbury, the second son and third and youngest child of John and Mary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. John Stokes, Revolutionary patriot, surveyor, lawyer, and first federal district judge appointed for North Carolina, was the son of David and Sarah Montfort Stokes. Born in Lunenburg County, Va., [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Mcfarland, Daniel M. Montfort Stokes, Revolutionary veteran, U.S. senator, governor, and Indian commissioner, was born in Lunenburg County, Va., the eleventh child of David and Sarah Montfort Stokes of Halifax County, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carpenter, Robert C. Carl August Gottlieb Storch, the third Lutheran minister to serve in North Carolina, was the son of Georg Friedrich Storch, a German merchant, and the former Miss von Asseburg. Carl A. G. Storch was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Mary Lindsay Thornton, first librarian of the North Carolina Collection at The University of North Carolina, was born in Cuckoo House, built by her maternal great-great-grandfather in Louisa County, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. Frances Christine Fisher Tiernan, writer whose pen name was Christian Reid, was born in Salisbury, the oldest of three children of Colonel Charles Fredric and Elizabeth Ruth Caldwell Fisher. Her [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Huske Tillinghast, clergyman and Confederate chaplain, was born in Hillsborough, the son of Samuel Willard and Jane Burgin Norwood Tillinghast. His father was a native of Uxbridge, Mass., and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kemp, Amy. Bob Timberlake is a renowned painter and furniture designer. He famously has had no formal art education, but is noted for his intricate attention to color and detail in his paintings as well as his [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Dease, Jared, Smythe, Andrea. Ishmael Titus was a Black Patriot soldier during the American Revolution. Titus was born around 1743 in Amelia County (now Lunenburg County), Virginia. Titus was born under the ownership of his first [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by London, Lawrence F. Harold Leonard Trigg, educator and college president, was born in Lynchburg, Va., the son of Frank and Ellen Preston Taylor Trigg. After attending Princess Anne High School, Md., he earned a B.A. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Gideon McDonald VanPoole, physician and eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist, was born in Salisbury, the son of Otho and Lucretia Lentz VanPoole. In 1894 he entered The University of North Carolina, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bair, Anna Withers. Charles Gildersleeve Vardell, music educator and composer, was born in Salisbury, the only son of Charles Graves, a Presbyterian minister, and Linda Lee Rumple Vardell. He grew up in Red Springs, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Copeland, J. Isaac. Waddel, Moses by J. Isaac Copeland, 1996 29 July 1770–21 July [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carroll, Grady L. E., Sr. Walls, William Jacob by Grady L. E. Carroll, 1994 Related Entries: African American 8 May 1885–23 Apr. 1975 William Jacob Walls, Methodist clergyman, editor, and author, was born at [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. James Wellborn (Welborn), army officer and legislator, was born in that part of Rowan County that first became Surry County and then Wilkes County in 1778. Here he made his home during a long life, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. John Thomas Wheat, Episcopal priest and university professor, was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Thomas and Mary Chatham Wheat. The founder of the line, Francis Wheate, emigrated from England [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Yanchisin, D. A. Philo White, newspaperman, diplomat, and town developer, was born in Whitesboro (Whitestown), Oneida County, N.Y., the son of a man by the same name and the grandson of the town's founder, Hugh [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Simpson, Marcus B., Jr. Richard Henry Whitehead, physician, anatomist, and educator, was born in Salisbury, the son of Dr. Marcellus and Virginia Coleman Whitehead. The family had moved in 1845 from Virginia to North [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)