John Nisbet (17381817) was a merchant, patriot during the American Revolution, delegate from the newly formed Iredell County, North Carolina to the

Fayetteville Convention The Fayetteville Convention was a meeting by 271 delegates from North Carolina to ratify the US Constitution. Governor Samuel Johnston presided over the convention, which met in Fayetteville, North Carolina, from November 16 to 23, 1789 to debate o ...

in 1789 that ratified the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

for North Carolina, and first state senator from Iredell County.

Early life

John Nisbet (sometimes Nesbit) was born in New Jersey in 1738. He was one of six children of John and Sarah Nisbet. In 1759, his family moved from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

to Rowan County, North Carolina (the part that became Iredell County in 1788). He married Mary Osborne, the daughter of

Adlai Osborne Adlai Osborne (June 4, 1744 – December 14, 1814) was a lawyer, public official, plantation owner, and educational leader from Rowan County, North Carolina (became Iredell County in 1788). During the American Revolution, he served on the Rowan ...

. They had eight children: James, Nancy, Sarah, Elizabeth, Alexander, John, Milus, and Jane. John operated a store in Statesville, North Carolina and at his plantation four miles northwest of Statesville on Fourth Creek. He was a member of the Fourth Creek Congregation.

Career

In 1774, John was a member of the

Rowan County Committee of Safety The Rowan County Committee of Safety was one of the 18 Committees of Safety in North Carolina authorized by the Continental Congress and endorsed by the Second North Carolina Provincial Congress. It was established in Rowan County, North Carolina ...

along with others that became leaders in the North Carolina militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Soon after Iredell County was created in 1778, he was chosen as a delegate to the

of 1779 that ratified the

for North Carolina. He served as the first member of the North Carolina Senate from Iredell County in 1789 and again in 1790. In 1790, he was chosen as one of the commissioners to lay out the county seat of Iredell County, Statesville.: He died in Iredell County in 1817.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nisbit, John 1738 births 1817 deaths People from Iredell County, North Carolina North Carolina state senators