© t ograpljtcal Q tetorp ofJ X orttl Claroltna From C olonial Times to the Present Editors Samuel. A Ashe Stephen B . Weeks Charles L . Van Noppen VOLUME V I Charles L . Van Noppen PUBLISHER G reensboro, N. C. MCMVII THEIW N Yi. X PUBLIC U E>;.r.Y 39213 5 A ASTOK, L ENOX AND TILDEN F OUNDATIONS R I B^S L CopvrkIht, 1 907 By C harles L. Van NnerEN All rights reserved 7 Kemp. P Battle . Chapel H ill John C. Buxton Winston-Salem Theo. F. Davidson . A sheville Junius Davis . W ilmington rufus a. doughton Sparta Thomas J. Jarvis Greenville James Y. Joyner . Raleigh *Charles D. McIver Greensboro William L. Poteat Wake F orest James H. Southgate Durham Charles W. Tillett . C harlotte • D eceased Advisory B oard vii Contents i x Portraits x iii Contributors x v Alston, W illis, Jr i Bailey, J ohn L 6 Battle, E lisha 9 Battle, J ames Smith 12 Battle, W illiam Horn 20 Battle, K emp Plummer 25 Battle, T homas Hall 33 Battle, H erbert B 36 Battle, R ichard H 39 Battle, W illiam Smith 44 Battle, S amuel Westray 48 Battle, J acob 55 Battle, G eorge Gordon 58 Bingham, W illiam 65 Bingham, W illiam James 69 Bingham, W illiam 74 Bingham, R obert 83 Boylan, W illiam 89 Bragg, T homas 94 CONTENTS Branson, W illiam Henry 101 Brogden, C urtis Hooks 106 Brown, T homas 113 Cain, W illiam 122 Ciiaddourne, J ames H . 127 Clewell, J ohn Henry 131 Cobb, N eedham Bryan 135 Cobb, C ollier 141 Cole, S tephen William 147 Cooke, C harles Mather 151 Craig, L ocke 162 Dancy, F rancis Little 166 Dancy, W illiam Francis 171 Dancy, F rank Battle 176 Daves, G raham 183 Davie, W illiam Richardson 188 Divine, J ohn Francis 197 Dixon, B enjamin Franklin 202 Dobbin, J ames Cochrane 209 Gallaway, J ohn Marion 227 Goodwin, E dward McKee 233 Goodwin, A ndrew Watson 238 Grimes, W illiam 243 Grimes, B ryan 250 Grimes, J . Bryan 262 Hay, J ohn 267 Haywood, J ohn 274 Haywood, J ohn .. 282 Haywood, E dmund Burke 289 Haywood, W illiam H., Jr 296 Haywood, R ichard B 304 CONTENTS Haywood, M arshall De Lancey 315 Holden, J oseph William 320 Jones, J o. Seawell 329 Joyner, J ames Yadkin 335 Ludwell, P hilip 342 Manly, C harles 349 Manly, M atthias Evans 357 Malloy, H enry Winthrop 366 Marsh, R obert Henry 370 Montfort, J oseph 376 Moore, L arry 1 379 Murphy, P atrick Livingston 384 Peace, W illiam 391 Pettigrew, C harles 396 Pettigrew, J ames Johnson . 403 Pullen, R ichard Stanhope 411 Rondthaler, E dward 416 Shepherd, J ames E 420 Shepherd, H enry Elliot 428 Smith, W illiam Alexander 434 Stephens, S amuel 442 Tillett, C harles W 447 Turner, H enry Gray 451 Turner, V ines Edmunds 460 Turner, W ilfred Dent 465 Vance, R obert Brank 469 Vance, Z ebulon Baird 477 Vass, W illiam Worrell, Sr 495 Weaver, W illiam Trotter 501 Woodruff, C arle Augustus 505 Vance, Z ebulon Baird Frontispiece Bailey, J ohn L facing 6 Battle, J ames Smith " 12 Battle, W illiam Horn 20 Battle, K emp Plummer 25 Battle, T homas Hall " 33 Battle, R ichard H " 39 Battle, W illiam Smith 44 Battle, S amuel Westray 48 Battle, J acob " 55 Battle, G eorge Gordon 58 Bingham, W illiam James 69 Bingham, W illiam 74 Bingham, R obert 83 Boylan, W illiam " 89 Branson, W illiam Henry " 101 Cain, W illiam " 122 Chadbourne, J ames H " 127 Clewell, J ohn Henry " 131 Cobb, N eedham Bryan " 135 Cobb, C ollier " 141 Cole, S tephen William " 147 Cooke, C harles Mather " 151 Craig L ocke " 162 Dancy, F rancis Little " 166 Dancy, W illiam Francis "171 XIV P ORTRAITS Dancy, F rank Battle facing 176 Divine, J ohn Francis a 197 Dixon, B enjamin Franklin i4 202 Gallaway, J ohn Marion it 227 Goodwin, E dward McKee tt 233 Goodwin, A ndrew Watson ii 238 Grimes, W illiam i . 243 Grimes, B ryan . ti 250 Grimes, J . Bryan- Ii 262 Haywood, J ohn " 274 Haywood, J ohn ii 282 Haywood, E dmund Burke " 289 Haywood, W illiam H., Jr. ii 296 Haywood, R ichard B. .• 304 Haywood, M arshall De Lancey 315 Holden, J oseph William u 320 Joyner, J ames Yadkin 335 " Manly, C harles . 349 '' Manly, M atthias Evans 357 Malloy, H enry Winthrop " 366 Marsh, R obert Henry . n 370 Moore, L arry I. ii 379 Rondthaler E dward : i. 416 Shepherd, J ames E. ii 420 Smith, W illiam Alexander 4. 434 Tillett, C harles W. ii 447 Turner, H enry Gray ii 45i Turner V ines Edmunds ii 460 .. Vass, W illiam Worrell, Sr 495 Weaver, W illiam Trotter . ii 501 Woodruff, C arle Augustus " 505 Edwin. A Alderman, Ph.B., J.. G De R. Hamilton, Ph.D. D.C.L., L L.D. William F . Harding, Ph.B. John P. Arthur, B.L. eMarshall D L. Haywood Samuel A. Ashe John. P Kerr Kemp P. Battle, A.M., LL.D. John. C Kilgo, A.M., D.D. W. T. R. Bell James. H Myrover Robert Bingham, A.M., LL.D. W.. H Ragsdale Wm. A. Blair, A.M., LL.D. Chas.. M Stedman, A.B. Collier Cobb, A.M. Henry J erome Stockard, A.M. Henry G. Connor Alfred.W M a ddell, A.M., LL.D. R. D. VV. Connor, Ph.B. N.. W Walker, A.B. William E. Dodd, Ph D. Gforge S . Wills, A.M. ArmisteadC. Gordon, LL.D. .Laura A Winston Mrs. Preston Lewis Gray Stephen B . Weeks, Ph.D., LL.D. WILLIS A LSTON, Jr. OHN A LSTON, the first of the family known to North Carolina history, was granted a tract of land in 171 1 on Bennett's Creek, near Gates- ville, in Gates County. He was a large land holder in 1724, and was made a justice of the peace by the governor of the province at a time when this office meant a great deal. In 1729 he is referred to as "Colonel" Alston, which indicates that he had served as colonel of the county militia. A s on of John Alston, Joseph John, married as his second wife a daughter of Willis Wilson, of Norfolk County, Virginia. The eldest child of this union was Willis Alston, of Halifax, born in 1750. He was a member of the North Carolina Provincial Congress which met at Halifax in April, 1776, and again of the convention which drew up the first State constitution at the same place in the following November. He was made colonel of the Halifax militia by the convention toward the close of its session. For some cause not stated in the records of the State he was superseded in command in 1778 by Samuel Weldon. Willis A lston, Jr., son of the colonel of the Halifax militia, born in 1770, was the most important member of his race. He entered the House of Commons in the year 1791, when he was only twenty-one years of age. He served in this body again in 1799, and in 1820 and 1821. From 1794 to 1796 he was in the State Senate. But t he important period of his life was from December, 1799, NORTH C AROLINA to M arch, 1815. In the very exciting campaign of 1799 Gen eral William R. Davie, of Halifax, a staunch Federalist, was elected a member of the House of Commons ; he was made gov ernor by the same General Assembly as a Federalist. Willis Alston was chosen the same year a member of the national House of Representatives from the Halifax district, and as a Republican. North Carolina was evenly balanced in 1798 to 1800 between the Federalists and the Republicans. Davie permitted President Adams to appoint him a member of his second commission to France late in 1799. In accepting this mission, Davie put himself out of the first place in the State at a critical time for himself and his party. A year later Thomas Jefferson, the matchless leader of the Republicans, became President of the United States, and Davie returned to North Carolina to find the State in the hands of the new President's followers. Alston was one of these, and Nathaniel Macon, of the neighboring county of Warren, was their chief. Jefferson a sked Macon to interview Davie on his return from Paris and find out if he (Davie) would not probably lend his support to the party in power. Davie was seen in Raleigh ; he was non-committal. However, the liberal-minded President appointed him to an important office of a temporary nature — that of Indian commissioner for the Southwest. Meanwhile, A lston had proven a very acceptable member of Congress, and in 180 1 he had been re-elected. But Davie returned to Halifax on the expiration of his mission to the Indians, and decided soon after, in 1803, to become a candidate for Alston's place. Davie was an unusually strong man — popular because of his brilliant Revolutionary War record, powerful through his wide circle of Federalist friends and family connections, and attractive to the popular mind as the ex-governor and minister to the Court of Napoleon. It was a foregone conclusion that Alston would be defeated. The Republicans became uneasy. President Jeffer son, rather displeased at Davie's refusal to heed his overtures, took a hearty interest in the struggle.