Thomas Wade (17201786) was a merchant, commander of the Anson County Regiment of North Carolina militia during the American Revolution, and senator from Anson County in the North Carolina Provincial Congress and General Assembly.

Wadesboro, North Carolina Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,049 at the 2020 census. The town was originally found in 1783 as New Town but changed by the North Carolina General Assembly to Wadesboro in 1787 to honor Co ...

was named for him.

Biography

Thomas Wade was born in 1729, possibly in Craven County, Province of North Carolina. His father may have been John Wade, an English emigrant. He married Jane Boggan in 1743. Jane was a sister of Captain

Patrick Boggan Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...

of Anson County, North Carolina. They had five children. He was a communicant of the Anglican Church. He received a land grant in Surry County, Virginia in 1746 but returned to live in Granville County, Province of North Carolina in 1747. He moved to

Anson County Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro. History The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Ba ...

in 1770, where he became a tavern keeper at the courthouse. He served for two two-year terms as justice of the Anson County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. He was chairman of the Anson County Meeting of Freeholders in 1774 and also elected to the Anson County Committee of Correspondence. He was elected as a delegate to the North Carolina Provincial Congress in Hillsborough in August 1775 and in Halifax in November 1776. He was chosen as commissioner for Anson County to supervise prisoners, especially former Loyalists, and to take care of "unhappy women and children."

Military service

On September 9, 1775, the

North Carolina Provincial Congress The North Carolina Provincial Congresses were extra-legal unicameral legislative bodies formed in 1774 through 1776 by the people of the Province of North Carolina, independent of the British colonial government. There were five congresses. They ...

appointed him as colonel and commandant of the Salisbury District Minutemen. When the

Salisbury District Salisbury was a local government district in Wiltshire, England from 1974 to 2009. Its main urban area was the city of Salisbury. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 and the pursuant The English Non- ...

force was split into two battalions on Dec 21, 1775, he was not selected commander of either battalion. The battalions were disbanded in April 1776 in favor of county and district militia. He was selected as colonel and commandant of the Anson County Regiment of the North Carolina militia on March 2, 1776. He retained this position through the end of the war. He led the Anson County Regiment in the following battles and skirmishes: * March 3, 1779,

Battle of Brier Creek The Battle of Brier Creek was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on March 3, 1779 near the confluence of Brier Creek with the Savannah River in eastern Georgia. A mixed Patriot force consisting principally of militia from North Carolin ...

in Georgia * March 31, 1781, battle at Cole's Bridge #2 in Richmond County, North Carolina * August 3, 1781, massacre of Piney Bottom Creek in Cumberland County, North Carolina * August 4, 1781, Battle of Beatti's Bridge in Richmond and Bladen Counties, North Carolina * August 9, 1781, skirmishes in search of Loyalists in Richmond and Cumberland Counties * September 1, 1781, Battle of Little Raft Swamp in Bladen County against Colonel David Fanning Loyalists * September 13, 1781,

Battle of Lindley's Mill The Battle of Lindley's Mill (also known as the Battle of Cane Creek) took place in Orange County, North Carolina (now in Alamance County), on September 13, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War. The battle took its name from a mill that sat ...

in Orange County against Colonel David Fanning Loyalists When the British invaded North Carolina in September 1780 and February 1781, Colonel Thomas Wade went to Virginia to avoid capture. After Lord Cornwallis left North Carolina in May 1781, he returned to Anson County. There was a constant threat from Loyalist Colonel David Fanning in the county and very active until 1782.

Civilian service

He was elected to represent Anson County in the senate of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

in 1780, 1782, and 1783. During these sessions, he was chairman of the committee of State Papers and Petitions. He was on the committee that laid out the streets of Fayetteville in 1783. In 1785, he was the Sheriff of Anson County. He was elected to serve another term in the senate in 1786 but died before he could serve. He was buried in the family burial ground in Mount Pleasant in Anson County. In 1787, the General Assembly voted to change the name of the town of New Town to Wadesboro in his honor.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Thomas 1786 deaths 1720 births North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses Members of the North Carolina General Assembly 18th-century American politicians