Newspapers / Forest City Courier (Forest … / July 3, 1930, edition 1 / Page 10
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Some Revolutionary Heroes of Rutherford Incidents of The Revolutionary Period in Ruth erford County and Sketches of Some of the Participants. PART EIGHT. William Gilbert. Lyman C. Draper, who puolishe in 1881, his "Kings Mountain an Its Heroes," says on page 159: "William Gilbert, with whom h e (Major Dunlap) was stop ping (at Gilberttown) while re covering from his wound, was a loyal friend of King George; and while he himself seems to have gone off with Ferguson, Mrs. Gilbert and family remain ed to take proper care of the invalid." ~ ~ In making this assertion Drapei placed Gilbert in an unpleasant light and made an error which has been regretted by the many des cendants and relatives of this worthy man until this day. In December, 1898, there appeared an article in a Nashville, Tennessee, newspaper, written by Hon. Flournoy Rivers, of Pulaski, Tenn., one of the state's outstanding historians, in which he proceeded to correct this error made by Draper, which was also copied by others. The clipping has been pre served by Mr. Horace L. Carpenter, of Rutherfordton, and through his kindness the portions of the article vindicating. th e good name of bert is reproduced here: William Gilbert, of "Gilbert-Town." j This article is intended at present j to be only an outline as to these two pioneers, William Gilbert and • James Holland, because I am under promise to compile at some early j date a more extended refutation of the statement contained on page 159 of Draper's "Kings Mountain and its Heroes", that William Gilbert, of Gilbert-Town "was a loyal friend of j King George." Judge David Schenck, of Greens boro, N. G* follows Draper's state ment in his "North Carolina in 1780" but he has conceded his error. Dr. Draper is dead. He never visited this locality, never examined the court records of either Tryon, Lincoln or Rutherford, a strange oversight for so indefatigable an investigator, and he seems to have presumed that Gil bert was a loyalist simply because Major Ferguson camped at Gilbert town, as though an invading army would ever quarter on a friend while in an enemy's country. As a fact, the Assembly was then sitting at Hillsborough, and Gilbert being the county's Representative in the House of Commons was most likely absent there, and Ferguson in his absence most probably quartered en him as an object-lesson by way cf "making treason odious," as it were. It was often so done during the recent civil war. At the July term, 1775, William Gilbert took his seat as a Justice of the Court of- Pleas and Quarter Ses sions with William Graham and sev eral others known to North Caro lina history, and this court, he ad journed for lack of a quorum at its .April term, 1776. "Under Which King, Bezonian?" On October 25, 1775, he and many others, including the "Committee of Safety," signed the "Association Oath," which reads more like a min iature "Grand Remonstrance" thar an oath of fealty—profound regret that his Brittannic Majesty had been so ill advised as to encroach on the undoubted rights of the colonies as Englishmen, with the firmly express ed intention of sustaining both the Continental and the Provincial Con gresses. See North Carolina State Records, Volume 10, pages 296, 297. In 1777 and 1778 Gilbert was as sessor of taxes in Capt. McFadden's militia district, and in 1778 collec tor. At the July court, 1778, he took his seat as a Justice of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Session un der the new Government.) In January, 1779, he represented Tryon county in the House of Com mons, and on Monday, February 8, 1779, h e was expelled from the Fouse and forced to resign his commission as J. P., on the charge of duplicating his vouchers as com missary of the militia of Tryon county. See N. C. State Records, Vol. 13, pages 603, 703, 708, 714, 715. How He Was Vindicated. What was the right of the ques tion, in, all likelihood will never be By CLARENCE GRIFFIN. Courier News Editor and County Historian. known, for Gilbert, denying his guilt, was again chosen Representative l( j from the new Rutherford county in ,1780, 1782, 1783. In 1781 he was again appointed a Justice, and at the October term he was made Chair man of the Court. The court vindi cated him of the Legislative charge | of duplicating his vouchers by the. •following order; - • j j "On motion of William Gilbert,! j Esq. ,and testimony produced to the , j satisfaction of the court, it is order- ■ 'ed that the opinion of the court be j r'entered on the records, to-wit: It! the opinion of the court that the j 5 ) said William Gilbert is not guilty of j . I the charge laid against him to the I r! General Assembly, and we do certi (>fy that the said William Gilbert t 'never plundered, nor was guilty of t J plundering, to our knowledge." j In October, 1783, he designed to ( 11 visit his wife's relatives in Philadel phia, and the court, sitting at his j | son-in-law's house, prepared, under , (the seal of th e court, a statement t jof his standing and civic virtues, by j . way of a letter of introduction: j 1 | "That the said William Gilbert hath j | long been an inhabitant of this j ( | county, hath frequently represented j | the same in General Assembly, thai j jhe is first in commissions of the j j | place, and that it appears from the j { lists of assessment returned into the ■ | clerk's office that, he is possessed of . and hath given in for assessing more A j taxable property than any other' ( person in the County of Rutherford, and that he hath uniformly distin guished himself as a warm Whig and a true friend to his country in j j times of the greatest distress and ( (defection during the warr." 1 After the "warr" he lost hi sprop- j crty, was engaged in numberless! 1 suits at Rutherfordton in consequence of this, sojourned for a time in j 1786, 1787 and part of 1788, at ( Charleston, $. C., and died at Gil-1 berttown (which h e had sold to Maj. j James his son-in-law) in 11790; but the locality of his gravel j there is unknown. His wife survived '{him until December 22, 1822, hav ing been born in 1737. She is bur ied wher e her son-in-law settled, at ! 1 "Holland's Ford," "Holland's Fer ry." on Duck River, above Columbia, 1 1 in the fourth District of Maury Coun : | ty. Gilbert's 5,000-acre grant there J jwas No. 110, July 10, 1788, entry : j 542, October 27, 1783. See Land l jOffice Records; capitol, deed book lj2, page 593, Franklin, Tenn. u I He was a Presbyterian in religion. "iHis wife was Sarah McCandless, of ' the Scotch-Irish family of that name in Southeast Pennsylvania, and he \ himself was a Scotch-Irish immi ■ grant. Major James Holland. James Holland was sheriff of old Tryon county before its division in , 1779, from July 1777, to July 1778. He qualified as sheriff July 23, 1777, ; On November 26, 1776, by the j Provincial Congress, then sitting at £ Halifax, he was named Second Lieu y tenant of Capt. Joseph Hardin's .company, Col. Francis Lock's Regi a ment, North Carolina Militia. See N. t .C. State Records, Vol. 10, pages 931 1 i 937. (Capt. Joseph Hardin was the e j member from Tryon county in that s | Congress, afterwards removed, to -' Tennessee; Hardin county was named 2 ;foi him, ajid I think he was the pro- of the Hardins of that sec tion.) . I Lock's Regiment defeated the Tor ies at the battle of Ramsour's Mill, s near, the present Lincolnton, N. C.. 'on June 20, 1780, but I am not able v Ito give any details of Holland's mili tary services or rank. Book A, entry, .'6,908, in the Auditor's office at Raleigh, Ni C., shows an allowance \of eleven pounds, thre e shillings, _ | made him under the head of "ser . vices". ' j 2 1 After the war he was in the State s 'Senate, 1783, 1797, and in the House > 1786, 1789. i -j He was a member of the First " i board of trustees of the University ' ;,[of North Carolina, 1789-1795. He! »: was also a member of the second j'North Carolina Constitutional Con- 1 . vention, that adopted thie Federal - Constitution, 1789, and was in Con -1 gress in 1795 to 1797 and 1801 to " • • THE FOREST CITY COURIER, THURSDAY, JULY 3 811- _ , On October 15, 1793, he was li- . censed to practice law in Ruther- j fcrdton. i In January, 1780, he married Sarah Gilbert, daughter of William Gilbert, the marriage bond being dated January 12, 1780. I During his first term in Congress his oldest son, William Blount Hol land, had been sent with his effects and negroes to open a settlement !on his lanfi grant on Duck River, in 'the present Maury county (Tenn.,) This removal to Tennessee must have been in the winter of 1808-09, be cause taxes were assessed between the November term and the Februa ary term of every County Court, and I found at Columbia, Tenn., a petition from Maj. Holland—Tues— icay, March 17, 1812, page 342 praying to be released from the ! double tax penalty laid on delin quents for the year 1809 and 1810. ! His property was evidently there |then, and his son, William Blount, died at the new settlement June 16, :1810, the first burial in the new [graveyard there. Major Holland serv- Jcd his last term as a North Carolina j Congressman, 1809-11, after the par jtial removal of his family and effects to his Tennessee settlement. He con templated an earlier removal, but being taunted by some unfriends that his removal was timely, he ac- j cepted the challenge,, announced his I candidacy and was once mor e elect- i ed- I In 1812 he was named a Justice of the Peace for Maury county, Tenn., (Legislative Journal) and served until 1818, I think. I have him noted as signing the court min utes as late as January 26, 1818. 182— he was an unsuccessful can didate for Congress in this district. For a full history of his land grants, see the case of Childress vs Holland, Third Haywood's Tenn. Rep. page 274. His will is construed in Second Yerger's Tenn. Rep., page 341, in the case of Tyree Rodes and wife vs. James Holland, Jr., and others, - The Haywood case was decided hi J 817, and the will cas e in 1830. The former case discusses both his and Gilbert's grants, which were continuous, at the mouth of Foun tain Creek, on Duck River, Maury county. Both are "treasury" not "service" grants, as they show on j their face, and chapter 51, page 55, [acts of 1820, allowing him time to i prove that the consideration of the entire grant had been paid, shows the sam e thing. - Holland's grant lay on both sides of Duck River, at the mouth of Fountain Creek, and the Gilbert grant embraced both sides of Foun tain Creek. By tradition in Tennessee and in western North Carolina, by such writers as Draper (Draper's Kings Mountain and its Heroes") and in the epitaph on his tombstone, he is call ed "Maj. Holland", as he is in the Childres's-Holland lawsuit (1817) in Third Haywood's Report. I do not know if he really was a major in service during the Revolu tionary War or in the militia after wards. The epitaph on his tombstone is a long one." "In memory of Maj. James Holland, who was born A. D. 1754, and departed this life on the 19th of May, 1823, in his seventieth year. He served his country in a military and civil capacity throughout the war of American Independence, and was afterwards for many years a member of the Legislature of North Carolina, and a Repre sentative in Congress from that Stat© i In 1811 he retired to private life with great popular ity and weight of character af ter an ardous and faithful pub lic service of thirty-seven iyears." The grave yard is now owned by Jeff Gilliam, and is in the present District Four, of Maury county. I omit the moralizing part of the epitaph. He made his will February 25, 1816 probated January 8, 1824, and of record in Will book "C," vol ume 1, pages 145, 146, county clerks office at Columbia. His widow died at Tuscaloosa, Ala., September 10, 1841, and Is buried there. Major Holland is even yet called by tradition in Western North Car olina "Big Jim" Holland, from his size. His people were Episcopalians. He had doubts about the equality of the Christ in the God-head and was most likely a Deist. I am told he was. Major Holland's 5,000 acre grant was No. 74, issued July 10, 1788, on entry No. 421, October 25, 1783. See records in the Tennessee Land (Continued on Next Page) A TIRE FOR EVERY PURSE Jk) We have a fully Guaranteed Fisk Air-Flight Principle Tire to fj t wr every car in this city at a price to suit every buyer. C New Principle Tires » Regardless of whether you want the most expensi grade of tire or if your purse demands that you select Quality Tire at Low Price and you want "dependahi 2 service at a low figure whatever your needs mav b ■ we are here to serve you, to help you in selecting th tire which will best answer the purpose of your ow personal requirements. Come in today and insDerr this super-line of fully guaranteed Fisk Air-Flight Princ pie Tires. Learn what Fisk Service really means. - \y" are responsible, wide-awake and ready to serve voi & Bring your tire problems to us. * FISK PREMIER BWfelll ° uty 8 P ' y H|l 1 J (6 Ply) $8 32x6 Heavy 28x4.75 j>g-4o Dut y io-piy Here Is a Real Guarantee one that assures you of satisfactory mileage —• S j \\U Fisk Tires carry a guarantee for service urhich is II I unlimited as to time or Mileage. Should you as ISM Mil [B I>l a purchaser fail to receive the mileage from a Fipk • j II > Tire that you should reasonably expect, u-e uill I 1 II * replace or repair, charging only for the propor- * « iwJnV tionate mileage it has delivered. DOGGETT MOTOR COMPANY ' FOREST CITY, N. C. AT AUCTION IN FOREST CITY, N. C., ON Thurs.July 24, 2 P.M. The very best business property in Forest City, N. C., consisting of the following Property: No. I—The modern and up-to-date building and all of the equipment of the Farmers Bank & Trust Company. This building is new, modern in every res pect, fire proof and designed for present day banking. House built of the best material and construction. This is the best business building in Rutherford Coun ty, also the best banking equipment in the county. You will have to come and inspect this building and equipment to appreciate what it is. No. 2—The three story brick building known as The Cyclone Auction Com pany's building, now occupied by Horn's Cash store and joins the Romina Thea tre. This is a new modern building and the best located mercantile stand in town. No. 3- —The brick building occupied by the People's Drug Store and Western Union which is an ideal location for any kind of business or a dandy rental pro position. Located on the South side of the Putolic Square and Depot street. No. 4—The brick building located next to Blanton's Cafe and Southern Hard ware Company. This is another dandy piece of business property and well located. No. s—One modern frame six room residence located at corner of Broadway and Beaver streets. This will make you a dandy home and is located near the busi ness section of town, also near churches and schools. Known as the Oscar Price home. No. 6—Farmers Bank and Trust Co., bank building and equipment at Caro leen, which is a dandy building and equipment, and is the best building and loca tion in Caroleen. Now, Good People, of this section of North Carolina, this is your golden op portunity to bu> some of the best business property in the growing, thriving, town of. Forest City, N. C. Opportunity is knocking at your door, so wake up and take advantage of this opportunity, which only comes once in a lifetime. Forest City is located in the center of the progressive county of Rutherford. In a radius of 10 miles of Forest City we have 35,000 people, and the pay roll in the same radius is around $50,000 per week. Rutherford county raised 24,000 baies of cotton in 1929, and other farm pro ducts in proportion, and a prospect for 1930 crops are the best we have ever had. Forest City is growing fast; 1920 census,2,3oo; 1930 census, 4 082. We have just started to grow. No better place and no better time to invest in some of the above property, and watch your money grow. You won't make any money on this property unless you buy some of it. Good reasonable terms on all of the above property announced on day of sale on each piece as it is sold. All of this property is drawing a good rental. This is an absolute' auction sale; you make the price,' the liquidating agent makes* the deed. No strings. No Fixed Prices. No by-bidding. The only instruc tions we have is to sell this property. The Caroleen Bank building will be sold at 4 P. M., the same day. BAND CONCERT. HARRILL KjIING . SELLING AGENTS For John D. Biggs, Liquidating Agent, Farmers Bank:and Trust Co.
Forest City Courier (Forest City, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 3, 1930, edition 1
10
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