William Person (November 30, 1734 - 1778) was a planter, member of the colonial assembly of the Province of North Carolina (1771-1774), Revolutionary War Colonel, and commander of the Bute County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1775-1776)., there are some variations in the birth and death dates in this reference

Early life

William Person was born on November 30, 1734 in

Surry County, Virginia Surry County is a county (United States), county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 6,561. In 1652, Surry County was formed from the portion of James City County, Virginia, Jame ...

. He was the son of William and Ann Person. He moved with his parents to Granville County (later became Bute County and now Warren County), North Carolina. He was granted six Granville Grants in the mid-1700s and became a large planter. On December 16, 1771, he succeeded his brother, Benjamin, as representative of Bute County in the

Province of North Carolina Province of North Carolina was a province of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern Colonies, Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies, thir ...

House of Burgesses and continued in this position until 1775. Then, he was elected member of the first four Provincial Congresses in North Carolina in 1774, 1775, and 1776. He was also a justice of the peace of Bute County. He married Martha Eaton on September 2, 1759 in Granville County, Province of North Carolina. She was the daughter of William and Martha Rives Eaton. William and Martha had six children. William died in 1778 in Bute County, North Carolina.

Revolutionary War service

On September 9, 1775, the Provincial Congress appointed William as a colonel and commander of the Bute County Regiment, subordinate to the

Halifax District Brigade The Halifax District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the ...

under Brigadier Allen Jones of the North Carolina militia. He resigned his commission in April 1776. He was replaced by Colonel Philemon Hawkis, Jr. The Bute County Regiment ceased to exist on January 30, 1779, since Franklin and Warren counties were created from Bute county and they both had regiments of militia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Person, William North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution People from Warren County, North Carolina 1734 births 1778 deaths Members of the North Carolina House of Burgesses Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses