Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell Jr. (February 15, 1756July 11, 1801) was an American planter, soldier, and statesman from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. He was known as "Quaker Meadows Joe" to distinguish him from his cousin

Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell (February 25, 1758 – May 18, 1795) was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman from Morganton, North Carolina. His estate was named " Pleasant Gardens", and he was nicknamed "Pleasant Gardens" Joe to dist ...

, who was also a legislator and

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

officer from North Carolina. The two men are not always clearly distinguished in historical records; both were in the 1780

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pl ...

, one as a major in the Burke County Regiment of the North Carolina militia, and the other in a subordinate role as a captain.

Early life

McDowell was born in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia was a British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colony lasted for t ...

on February 15, 1756. His parents were Joseph McDowell, Sr. (1715–1771) who was an

Ulster Scot The Ulster Scots people or Scots-Irish are an ethnic group descended largely from Lowland Scottish and Northern English settlers who moved to the northern province of Ulster in Ireland mainly during the 17th century. There is an Ulster Sc ...

immigrant who was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Scottish descent Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (or ...

from

Ballycarry Ballycarry () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is midway between Larne and Carrickfergus, overlooking Islandmagee, and is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. In the 2001 census it had a population of 981. H ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

(in what has since become

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and Virginia Margaret O'Neil (1717–1790) who was Catholic from

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

. The family moved to Rowan County, North Carolina in 1758. Joseph McDowell grew up on his family's estate, " Quaker Meadows", in

Rowan County, North Carolina Rowan County ( ),Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Col ...

(in the area that became Burke County in 1777)., about the confusion of the two Joseph McDowells

Congressional service

He was a delegate to the Hillsborough Convention in 1788 and 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 ...

in 1789 that approved the U.S. Constitution for North Carolina. McDowell served in the

5th United States Congress The 5th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penns ...

from 1797 to 1799. He is sometimes credited as also having served in the

3rd United States Congress The 3rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pen ...

(1793–1795), but according to the ''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...

'', it was his cousin, Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, who served at that time. His son Joseph J. McDowell also served in Congress.

Military service

He served in the North Carolina

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

during the American Revolution. * Major in the

2nd Rowan County Regiment The 2nd Rowan County Regiment was first established on October 22, 1775, as a local militia in Rowan County in the Province of North-Carolina. This regiment was created from the existing Rowan County Regiment of militia. Its original officers ...

of the North Carolina militia (1776-1777) * Major in the Burke County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1777-1781) * Lt. Colonel in the Burke County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1781-1782) * Colonel over the Burke County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1782-1783) Known engagements that he participated in included: * April 10–20, 1779 Chickamauga Towns * June 20, 1779,

Battle of Stono Ferry The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by po ...

, South Carolina * July 15, 1780, Earle's Ford, South Carolina * June 20, 1780,

Battle of Ramseur's Mill The Battle of Ramsour's Mill took place on June 20, 1780 in present-day Lincolnton, North Carolina, during the British campaign to gain control of the southern colonies in the American Revolutionary War. The number of fighters on each side of th ...

* August 18, 1780, Battle of Musgrove's Mill, South Carolina * September 12, 1780, Battle of Cane Creek/Lindley's Mill * October 8, 1780,

, South Carolina * January 17, 1781,

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot forces, estimated at 2,000 militia and reg ...

, South Carolina * 1782,

Cherokee Expedition The Cherokee Expedition, also known as Christie's Campaign, was a military offensive that occurred during the American Revolutionary War between American forces and Cherokee tribes allied to Great Britain. The British encouraged and facilitated C ...

Death

McDowell died July 11, 1801Our Kentucky Pioneer Ancestry
/ref> in

Burke County, North Carolina Burke County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the state's western mountain region, containing sections of the Blue Ridge Mountains including the Linville Gorge and South Mountains. As of the 2020 census, its po ...

. He was buried at the Quaker Meadows Cemetery, Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina.

References

*''Dictionary of American Biography'' *Purcell, L. Edward. ''Who Was Who in the American Revolution''. New York: Facts on File, 1993. . {{DEFAULTSORT:McDowell, Joseph Jr. North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Politicians from Winchester, Virginia American planters 1756 births 1801 deaths American people of Irish descent American people of Scotch-Irish descent Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Burke County, North Carolina 18th-century American politicians 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves