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

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 So ...

. He was known as "Quaker Meadows Joe" to distinguish him from his cousin Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

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 plac ...

, 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 Nation ...

in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

on February 15, 1756. His parents were Joseph McDowell, Sr. (1715–1771) who was a Scotch Irish immigrant and Virginia Margaret O'Neil (1717–1790) who was Irish. The family moved to Rowan County, North Carolina in 1758. He grew up on his family's estate, " Quaker Meadows", in

Rowan County, North Carolina Rowan County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was formed in 1753, as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was originally a vast territory with unlimited western boundaries, but its size w ...

(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 The Hillsborough Convention, was the first of two North Carolina conventions to ratify the United States Constitution. Delegates represented 7 boroughs and 59 counties, including six western counties that became part of Tennessee when it was creat ...

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 o ...

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, Penn ...

(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 from ...

'', 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 generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

during the American Revolution. * Major in the

2nd Rowan County Regiment The 2nd Rowan County Regiment was first established in 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 we ...

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 p ...

, South Carolina * July 15, 1780, Earle's Ford, South Carolina * June 20, 1780, Battle of Ramseur's Mill * 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 an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...

, South Carolina * 1782, Cherokee Expedition

Death

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

Burke County, North Carolina Burke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,570. Its county seat is Morganton. Burke County is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. 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 American slave owners