John Brown (1738–1812) was a teacher, farmer, and statesman from

Wilkes County, North Carolina Wilkes County is a county located in the US state of North Carolina. It is a part of the state's western mountain region. As of the 2020 census the population was 65,969, in 2010 the census listed the population at 69,340. Its county seat is ...

. He was a Captain in the Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War, served as one of the state Treasurers (1782–1784), and served in the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

state legislature (1784–1787).

Background and family

John Brown was born in County Londonderry,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1738, and about 1750 his family emigrated to Pennsylvania. He matured there and taught school in Lancaster County. In 1770 he married Jane McDowell (1750–1833), the sister of Joseph McDowell. The couple settled into frontier life near her brothers. They built a farm on the banks of the

Yadkin River The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, p ...

in Surry County, North Carolina. They would have eleven children: James (1771), William (1774), Elizabeth (1776), John (1780), Ann (1782), Hugh (1784), Hamilton (1786), Thomas (1788), Margaret (1790) and Allen (1793). Elizabeth would marry James Stewart who became a U.S. Congressman. Most of their children would extend the frontier even further, moving to western

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Public career

The farm prospered as the family grew and John become prominent in his community. He joined the Masons and became a captain of the local militia. In 1777 when Wilkes County was organized, the first meeting of the ''Court'' of the new county was held in his home, and he was appointed Justice of the Peace. Throughout the remainder of his life he held a number of county offices, such as recorder. He was a captain in the Wilkes County Regiment under Colonel Benjamin Cleveland from 1780 to 1781. In 1780, he marched his militia company south with Colonel Cleveland's force. Meeting other patriot forces at the

Catawba River The Catawba River originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into ...

, they finally caught up with the British expeditionary force at

King's mountain Kings Mountain is a small suburban city within the Charlotte metropolitan area in Cleveland and Gaston counties, North Carolina, United States. Most of the city is in Cleveland County, with a small eastern portion in Gaston County. The popul ...

, on the

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

border. They were part of the overwhelming victory in the Battle of King's Mountain on October 7, 1780. The company returned with glory. Brown was later promoted to Colonel. As North Carolina struggled to resolve the debts raised during the revolution, Brown was named as state treasurer for his district in 1782. He served until the districts were consolidated in 1784. That same year he was elected to North Carolina's House of Commons, or the lower branch of the legislature. He was re-elected and served until 1787. In 1788 he was a delegate to the state convention in Hillsborough that ratified the United States Constitution in 1789 after its rejection in 1788. He died in 1812, at home on his farm in Wilkes County about 4 miles west of Wilkesboro.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, John Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives State treasurers of North Carolina 1738 births 1812 deaths People from Wilkes County, North Carolina People from colonial North Carolina Politicians from County Londonderry North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution

Background and family

Public career

See also

References