History Of Col. Cleveland For
Whom County Was Named
(The following article published in
the Gaffney Ledger and written by Rev
j. [>. Bailey will be of much interest
to people of this county as this county
was named for Colonel Cleveland,
Kings Mountain hebo and subject of
this sketch. Daughters of the Ameri
can Revolution should preserve the ar
ticles along with others relating im
portant local history of the Revolu
tionary war period.)
Lyman C. Draper begins his narra
tive of Benjamin Cleveland with the
following story: “A beauty of the time
of Charles the First—so runs the
story—named Elizabeth Cleaveland, a
daughter of an officer of the palace of
Hampton court, attracted the atten
tion of her sovereign, and an amour
was the result. When Oliver Cromwell
became the rising star of the empire,
the same charms won his sympathies,
and a son was born unto them. The
mother retired from the public gaze,
and subsequently married a Mr.
Bridge. When this wild colt of a son
grew up. he took his mother’s name
and was the reputed author of a book
—"The Life and Adventures of Mr
Cromwell, Natural son of Oliver
Cromwell,” published after his death,
by consent of his son, first in 1731, a
second edition, with a French transla
tion. in 1741, and yet another edition
in 1760.”
Continuing', Draper says. ‘‘The per
usal of the work more than thirty
years ago, left on the mind of the
writer the strong conviction that it
war a romance and a recent re-emam
ination of it, confirms that opinion.
Noble in his learned production on the
Cromwell family, published nearly a
century since, declares that these pre
tended adventures are ‘too marvelous
to be true; and a writer in Notes and
Queries, in 1856, states that from ‘the
extraordinary adventures related in
it,' he ‘considers it a fictitious narra
tive.’ Whether or not this work is a
romance, or records a series of facts
more wonderfuj than fiction, it is nev
ertheless true, that Colonel Benjamin
Cleveland had a copy of it, to which
be used to point with no little pride,
[aiming his descent through this Mr.
Cleveland from the illustrious Oliver
Cnnhwell.- Others of the Cleveland
connection made the same claim.”
“While Noble, Guizot, and other
writers on Cromwell, agree that the
renowned Protector, with all his re*
ligious seeming, ‘probably had natur
al children,’ yet it is exceedingly doubt
fu! if our Kings Mountain hero des
cended from any such questionable orl
gin. History informs us that the Cleve
lands were an accident family, deriv
ing their name from a tract of country
in the North Riding of Yorkshire, Eng
I land, still called Cleveland. Tradition
designates Alexander Cleveland, sr.,
and jr.; and that John Cleveland, with
his father, the younger Alexander
Cleveland, early migrated to Virginia,
and married a Miss Martha Coffee. He
| settled on the since famous Bull Run,
in Prince William county, where he en
gaged in the employment of a house
' joiner. His son, Benjamin Cleveland,
the subject of this sketch, was born
there May 2Gth 1738; and while yet
very young, his father removed some
GO miles to the southwest, locating In
a border settlement on Blue Run, some
six or eight miles above its junction
with the Rapidan, in Orange county,
near the line of Albemarle. Not only
young Cleveland's parents, but his
grandfather Cleveland and wife also
settled on Blue Run; the latter cou
ple dying there about 1770, within
three days, of each other, when about
a hundred years old; and here his par
ents lived ar.d died at a good old age.’
“If then, Alexander Cleveland, the
younger, who died about 1770, was a
hundred years <>ld, he must have been
born about 1070—only seventeen years
after Cromwell became protector. This
would seem to spoil the story of de
scent from Oliver Cromwell through
the pretended ‘Mr. Cromwell’; and that
he must have descended from Alexan
der Cleveland sr„ whose birth evi
dently was considerably anterior to
the time of the protectorate.”
Having acquainted our readers with
the controversy concerning the ances
try of Benjamin Cleveland, we leave
it to them to form their own conclu
sions. Whether a descendant of Crom
well or not, he certainly had an equal
courage and audacity. As a hunter and
Indian fighter, he was a peer of David
Crockett, and Daniel Boone, as a sol
dier he knew neither fear nor danger.
Puts Drunken Rowdies to Flight.
One day, when about 12 years of
age, Ben was left in charge of the
I house, while his parents went away,
either on a visit or business. While
thus alone, some drunken rowdies
came along and began to throw some
of the household belongings into the
fire. The little fellow, satisfied what
his father would do were he at home,
snatched the old man’s rifle from its
place above the door, and said, “gen
tlemen, do you see this?” Drunken
though the y were, they saw it, and
also, the attitude of the young defend
er, which caused them to think that
discretion was the better part of va
lor; hence one of the party said to his
fellows: “We’d better be off; we don’t
know what this excited child might
do.” Thus, a lad of twelve summers
put a bunch of lawless drunkards to
flight, and saved his father’s property.
Such an example of youthful brav
ery has seldom, if ever, been equaled,
much less excelled.
Becomes Mighty Hunter.
Young Cleveland had a great aver
sion to the tame drudgery of farm
life, as he regarded it. The thrills and
excitement of the chase appealed to
his animate nature; hence, like Nim,
rod of old he became “a mighty hun
ter,” and the sparsely settled wilder
ness which spread out in all directions
around him was an ideal hunter’s par
adise. About the heads of the Dan
Staunton and Pig rivers, in the re
gion that afterwards became Pitt
sylvania county, was a favorite resort
for hunters, and here young Cleveland
reaped a rich harvest of skins
and furs, for which he found a ready
market.
Torchlight Hunting,
This was a very easy and success
ful mode of procuring deer m those
days. Finding their resorts at nitrht,
especially in the summer time, the
flaming torches carried by the hunt
ers would so disconcert the animals
that they would stand quietly gazing
on. This would enable the hunter to
"shine their eyes” which would make
the man easy prey for the rifle bullet.
A Puzzled Dutchman.
There was an old Dutchman in that
region who had a favorite stand for
“fire-hunting”, and young Cleveland
concluded that he would have some
fun out of him. Peeling some bark
from a tree, he shaped and placed it
so as to represent a deer. The next
night Cleveland secreted himself near
by where he could see the fun. In Cue
time the Dutchman put in his appear
ance and seeing the supposed deer, he
fired but did not bring him down. He
shot again, and still the deer stol un
moved. This alarmed the Dutchman,
and he exclaimed, “It’s de duy-vil,”
and precipitately fled—Cleveland In
the meantime chuckling with great
glee over the success of his stratagem.
Gets Married.
Benjamin Cleveland married Miss
Mary Graves in Orange county, at a
date unknown to us. The Graves fam
ily was of excellent character, and in
quite comfortable circumstances. Ac
cording to tradition Cleveland took an
active part in the French and Indian
war, but history is silent as to the
particulars. It is most probable, that,
in that border conflict he was initiat
ed into military life, which proved to
be a preparatory school for his sub
seq uent and brilliant Revolutionary
career.
Remove* to North Carolina.
In order to break away from such
habits and associations, Cleveland
about the year 1769, removed with his
, father-in-law and family, to North
Carolina, and settled, near the foot ot
the Blue ridge, on Roaring Creek, a
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northern tributary of the Yadkin, in
what was then Rowan, afterwards
Surry, and later still Wilkes county.
Here Cleveland with the aid of his
father-in-law’s servants, opened up a
farm, raised stock, and devoted much
of his time to his favorite occupation
— hunting. After remaining on Roar
ing Creek for some years, he removed
to, and located„n the nted tract, on the
northern bank of the Yadkin, 15
miles below Wilkesboro, known as the
Round-About, taking its name from
the horse-shoe shape of the land, it
being nearly surrounded by the river.
Begins His Military Career.
Cleveland's achievements as a woods
man-hunter and adventurer were about
to end. It was no longer a war with
wild beasts, birds and reptiles, but
one with an invading foe, his fellow
countrymen and treacherous Indians.
The story of the taxing of the Coln
ies by the Kings and Parliament—tax
ation without representation—reached
the ^ adkin \ alley, and was soon fol
lowed by the tidings of Lexington and
Bunker Hill. Benjamine Cleveland was
among the first to resent the threat
ened tyranny. The North Carolina pa
triots flocked to arms, and W'ere soon
organized into companies, regiments
and brigades. On the first of Septem,
ber, 1775, Cleveland was appointed an
i ensign in the second regiment com
manded by Colonel Robert Howe; but
it appears that he did not accept it,
preferring to serve in the militia in
his immediate neighborhood, where
he considered his presence and service*
would be more effective.
Leads Party Against Oppressors.
In the latter part of the year 1775,
Cleveland's friends and neighbors had
occasion to go to Cross creek to sell
their produce, and purchase their sup
plies of iron, sugar, salt and other
necessities of life; but before they
were permitted to sell or buy, they
were compelled to take the oath of al
legiance to the king. This stirring the
ire of Cleveland, for, when he hear,d
of those tyrannical acts, and efforts to
force the people to join the King’s
standard, he swore roundly that he
would like nothing be tter than to dis
lodge those Scotch scoundrels at Cross
Creek, He did not have long to trait,
for in February, 1776, the Highland
Tories of that locality raised the
British standard. It appears that this
caused Cleveland to raise a company
of volunteer riflemen, of which he was
chosen captain. At any rate, Captain
Cleveland, with such a party, marched
down from the mountains; and accord
ing to tradition, he reached the front
in time to share in the contqpt and jp
suppressing the revolt.
Goes After the Loyalists.
Soon after the war began, British
emissaries were sent out, and by in
trigue and delusive arguments, suc
ceeded in inveigling the Cherokee In
dians into hositlities against the
Americans. This caused Captain Clev
eland, in the summer of 1776, go on a
tour of scouting duty in the western
frontier. While there he received in
telligence that a Tory Colonel Roberts
had embodied a party of Loyalsits on
the northwest side of the Blue Ridge,
on the borders of North Carolina and
Virginia. He went after them, but
these frteruis of the king, hearing of
Cleveland’s approach, disbanded and
dispersed. In the autumn of that year,
General Griffith Rutherford led a
strong force on his famous campaign
against the Cherokees. Cleveland and
his company went on this campaign,
in the Surry regiment, under Colonel
Joseph Wiftt&ms and Major Joseph
Winston. William Lenoir, who was a
Lieutenant in Cleveland’s company,
was accustomed, in after years, to re
late the hardships and privations suf
fered by the troops on that expedition
—“often destitute of provisions, with
out tents, with but few blankets, dress
ed in clothing made of rude materials,
derived from hemp, tow, and the wild
nettle. Though often harrassed on
their march by parties in ambush,
Captain Cleveland sharing in the skir
there was no general engagempsi,—
mishes and bush-whackinsrs of the
campaign. The ' villages and settle
ments of the hostile Cherokees were
laid waste, their crops and provisions
destroyed, and they were compelled to
sue for peace.” Captain Cleveland’s de
meanor on this campaign having prov
ed his special fitness for frontier serv
ice, led to his selection, in the spring
of 1777, to lead his command to the
Watauga settlement for their protec
tion against the yet troublesome
Cherokees. Passing through the rug
ged intervening mountain county,
Cleveland and his men reached Wa
tauga valley, and took post at Carter’s
Port, while the Virginia troops were
stationed at Long Island of Holston.
Though scouting parties were sent out
and a vibilant watch kept, every legi
timate means was used to bring the
Indians to terms, and they were not
ineffective; for, in July, the North
Carolina and Virginia troops having
concentrated at the Long Island, a
treaty of peace was signed. Cleveland
and his company, then returned to
theij; distant home.
IDDIESCOLOS
Children have very deli
cate digestions, easily
disturbed by too much
, “dosing.” Treat croup
and all colds “externally”
by applying—
Over 17 Million Jan Vnd Yaart*
If only the brakes would get tight
when the driver does.—St. Thomas
Times-Journal. _
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LICARBO prevents septic poboning.
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BETTER THAN IODINE
Sold by all druggists
PAUL WhilllJ & SON, Shelby. V C
DR. O. L. HOLLAR
Rectal Specialist and
Genito-Urinary Diseases
Piles treated and cured with
out pain, knife, chloroform,
or loss of time.
Treated With Electric
Needle.
Hickory every Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday.
HICKORY, N. C.
Don’t Let That Cold
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Rub on Good Old Mueterole
That cold may turn into grip, “Flu,”
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Colds are merely congestion. Muster
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Rub Musterole on with the fingers.
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For infants or very small children,
ask for the milder form — Children’s
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Better than a mustard platter
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“Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription
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SHELBY BUILDING
& LOAN ASSO
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air Secretary-Treasurer
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Next Week
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Hens-21c per lb, 7
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Cocks___10c per lb. \
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Turkeys__20c per lb.
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