Battle of Kings Mtn

Bowman, Grizzee: Grace Greenlee Bowman was known by Grizzee, the German nickname for Grace. Her husband John had a tract on the south side in the crook of Catawba River east of Morganton and a tract at current downtown Morganton. The residence is presumed to have been the one in the Calvin NC area nearer to Dr. Dobson’s home.
Grizzee had an encounter with Ferguson’s troops several days before the Kings Mountain expedition. Lt. Allaire wrote in his diary that she had a four year old boy who had been smoking tobacco for three years. Allaire was probably unaware of the frontier mothers’ practice of using tobacco smoke waved into a baby’s nostrils to use nicotine as an aid to soothe a fretting child.
Grace Greenlee grew up in Augusta County Virginia and moved to Burke County with her brothers, James and Samuel Greenlee.
Thomas Biecknell’s wife, Rachel, came to Mrs. Bowman’s house from Wilkes County to treat his wounds from the Battle at Kings Mountain. She stayed eleven weeks before he died 31Dec1780. Four months after returning home their sixth child was born.
Bowman, John: Johann Baumann was the grandson of Jacob Heydt (Hite), the first settler of Old Frederick County Virginia in 1732. The McDowell clan also migrated from Frederick to Augusta to Burke County. (Many of William Campbell’s Virginia corps at BKM also had Frederick County roots around Opequon Creek.) John took on the Anglicized spelling of his German name. John, while serving as second sheriff and a militia man for Burke County, was killed 20Jun1780 at Ramsour’s Mill.
Brandon, Josiah: Loyalist Captain on Crooked Creek about 3 miles east of Old Fort.
Davidson, Benjamin: Lived on Newberry Creek north of Catawba and Old Fort.
Davidson, Samuel: Samuel Davidson built the fort, now Old Fort NC, at the western extreme of the Catawba River just below the eastern continental watershed divide.
Dobson, Joseph: Doctor Joseph Dobson treated about 16 of the wounded from the Battle of Kings Mountain in his neighborhood 8 or 10 miles upstream from the Burke County Courthouse (at the time on Hunting Creek east of Morganton). Dr. Dobson was paid by the state for treating patriots from several campaigns and skirmishes. He used the income in currency of dubious value to buy land.
Dobson, Joseph Junior: Joseph Dobson Jr was wounded at Kings Mountain. He was taken in for treatment at the home of George Wilfong (Hildebrand).
Edmiston, James: Edmiston’s Nov 1778 deed is for a tract on the path from Davidson’s Fort to Swannanoa. It is in the area of Andrew’s Geyser NE of Old Fort off US70. The link to the Edmiston’s of Augusta County VA who changed spelling to Edmondson’s in Fincastle County VA is not here researched.
Greenlee, James: James Greenlee owned land on both sides of the Catawba River above Morganton at a well known crossing called Greenlee’s Ford. James married a McDowell granddaughter from Rockbridge (then Augusta) County Virginia. Reputed to be a Liberty Hall student, he became sheriff of Burke County and was a land baron. The link shows him as second Burke sheriff despite showing two prior sheriffs.
link to Burke sheriff page
Greenlee, Samuel: Samuel Greenlee is listed by Washington & Lee University as an alumnus. Other graduates of the Augusta County Virginia college, precursor to W&LU were Arthur Campbell, David Campbell, William Campbell, Samuel Doak, Robert Edmondson (listed under the family’s old spelling as Edmiston), and Samuel Newell played parts in the Kings Mountain expedition. Liberty Hall, the 1776 name of W&LU also lists William McDowell as a graduate. No trace of his relation to the Burke County McDowell’s is attempted herein. Other Burke County Greenlee’s are reputed to be Liberty Hall students, though not graduates. Samuel Greenlee was 4th sheriff of Burke County. He is listed on the deed to a tract SW of Morganton on the Wagon Road to the Broad River.
Hemphill, Thomas: Thomas Hemphill was a Burke County militia captain with Colonel Charles McDowell in several engagements. Some reports state that he was at the battle of Kings Mountain, but others indicate that he was not. Note that James Hemphill’s deed and others to his south are described on White Fork of Silver Creek. White Fork is shown on current maps as Hall Creek around Brindle Town. The old Burke County Wagon Road to Broad River proceeded into Rutherford County on Cane Creek (aka Cain Creek).
Lytle, Susannah: Mrs. Thomas Lytle was at home when Patrick Ferguson’s troops came to the house south of Davidson’s Fort on the Catawba River. Thomas had joined other upper Catawba patriots to herd cattle into obscure mountain coves thus denying food from the enemy.
Lytle, Thomas: Thomas Lytle lived on Crooked Creek about three miles south of Old Fort NC.
Mackey, John: John and Ann Mackey owned a tract on Silver Creek adjacent south of John Bowman and west of James Greenlee. This location, among other Mackey property is presumed to be the Dr. Dobson neighborhood home which kept four wounded officers from Colonel Benjamin Cleveland’s Wilkes County militia. Three Lewis brothers, Micajah, Joel, and James M., were with Minor Smith at Mr. Mackey’s for treatment by Dr. Dobson. The house was close enough that after several days of recovery, a dozen or more of the BKM wounded visited there. Samuel Newell visited there. He might have stayed at his college clasmate Samuel Greenlee’s house. James Greenlee was in the neighborhood at Greenlee’s Ford, but I do not know on which side of the river his house stood. With all the rain, it is safe to assume that the patients were all on the south side of the Catawba.
Mackey Thomas: Thomas Mackey (spelled with other variations) owned tracts south of John Mackey and James Greenlee.
McDowell, Charles: Colonel Charles McDowell was the senior officer of both the Burke County militia and the collective militias of the Kings Mountain expedition. He went to Hillsborough to get the governor to appoint a general to lead the swelling army and missed the battle.
McDowell, Joseph: Major Joseph McDowell took command of the Burke County militia in the absence of Colonel Charles McDowell and led them to BKM. Joseph lived on Johns River on the way toward Lenoir NC from Quaker Meadows. James McKinney and Elisha Perkins were “next door neighbors.” Jacob Forney, Christine Isom, and Hugh Montgomery lived in the adjacent area.
On their return trip home, Joseph offered the Vols his fence rails for firewood. It was again rainy and quite a bit colder than the prior days..
Wilfong, George: George hosted Joseph Dobson Jr after the Battle of Kings Mountain in his Drowning Creek (Hildebran) home. When Dobson was able to travel, he loaned him a horse and sent his son to escort Dobson up the Catawba Valley to Glen Alpine.

12 November 1782 – PROSECUTIONS: Persons accused of being Tories were summoned to Burke County, NC, Court this date to hear charges and witnesses against them. Among those charged:
Vezy Husband, accused by John Baker, William White, and James Davenport.
Joseph Holt, accused by William White, James Davenport, Thomas White, Jr.
Alexander Clark, accused by Benjamin White, James Taylor White, John Baker.
Matthew Sharp, accused by Thomas White, John Mackey.
James Wilson, accused by Charles Adams, William White and Philemon Franklin.
William Baldwin, Joshua Baldwin, John Baldwin, Elisha Baldwin, Jacob Baldwin, John Grider, Spencer Wilson, as a group, accused by James Davenport, Philemon Franklin, William White, Thomas White, Charles Wakefield, Thomas Wakefield, Charles Adams.
John Simpson, accused by Thomas White Sr., David Baker, Jacob Anthony.
Thomas Simpson, accused by Thomas Mackey, Silver Creek, William White.
Paschal Estis, accused by James Taylor White, Maj. Joseph White.
Charles Coker, William Coker, accused by James Davenport, William White, John Baker.
Charles Smith, accused by James Taylor White, Charles Adams.
Abraham Little, accused by William White, James Davenport, Charles Wakefield.
Robert Powell, accused by William White, Thomas White, Charles Wakefield.
Joshua Young, accused by Elizabeth Hardin, Rebecka Cooper, Jane Cooper,
Ann Hughes, Jane Welch, William White, Captain.
Joseph Step, accused by William White, Col. Joseph McDowell.
[Edith Warren Huggins, Burke County, North Carolina Misc. Records, Vol. II (Easley SC: Southern Historical Press, reprint 1985), 151-152]
As reported by Kathy Gunter Sullivan, CG: “Bills of Indictment were presented to the Grand Jury at Burke County Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions in October 1782. The indictments were found to be A True Bill. Subpoenas were issued on 12 November 1782 commanding the parties to appear and answer at January Sessions 1783.