Davidson County

by Underwood, William, Jr. Eugene Morehead Armfield, writer, teacher, and translator, was born in Thomasville, the son of Jesse L. Armfield, first cashier of the Bank of Thomasville, and Dion Griffith Armfield, whose parents [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smythe, Andrea. Bauer, Rachael Blythe by Andrea Smythe, September 2023 May 15, 1870 – January 9, 1897 See also: Bauer, Adolphus Gustavus Rachael Blythe Bauer, stenographer and typist,  was a [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Harris, Tyndall P., Jr. William Olin Burgin, congressman, lawyer, and businessman, was born on a farm in McDowell County, one of five children of Merrett Burgin, farmer, merchant, and Confederate Army veteran, and his wife, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Taylor, R. Hargus. John Lee Carrick, clergyman and educator, was born in Davidson County, the son of Christopher Columbus and Nancy Elizabeth Thayer Carrick. His paternal ancestors appear to have migrated to North [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Batson, Whaley W. Jesse Clodfelter (Gladfelder), cabinetmaker, was the first child of Maria Magdalena Walk and John George Gladfelter Jr. The spelling of the family was changed later, and they were from the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Batson, Whaley W. Mordecai Collins, cabinetmaker, was born probably in Virginia, of unknown ancestry. His name first appears in Rowan County records on 3 Dec. 1809, in an entry stating that Collins purchased from John [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Morgan, Thomas S. Cramer, Stuart Warren by Thomas S. Morgan, 1979 31 Mar. 1868–2 July 1940 Stuart Warren Cramer, leader in the development and improvement of textile mills, inventor, and leader in the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Keever, Homer M. Charles Force Deems, clergyman, educator, and author, is best known for his connection with the Church of the Strangers in New York City during the late nineteenth century and for his friendship with [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. Thomas Jefferson Finch, pioneer furniture manufacturer, banker, and farmer, was descended from English settlers who came first to Virginia and then to Person County, N.C. Succeeding generations moved [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Clark, Edith M. Frontis, Stephen by Edith M. Clark, 1986 18 July 1792–12 Apr. 1867 Stephen Frontis, Presbyterian minister, was born in Cognac, France, the son of John Baptist Jehoiachin and Etiennette Borel [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, Claiborne T., Jr. Charles Gerrard, Revolutionary patriot and philanthropist, was born in Beaufort County. Little is known of his antecedents. His mother, Dinah, was married a second time—to one Sirmon—and was living [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Matthews, Mary G. Philip Palmer Green, army medical corps officer and pathologist, was born in Davidson County, the second of six children of Robert S. and Nettie Lopp Green. His education began in a one-teacher [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hairston, Peter W. Peter Hairston, Revolutionary War officer, North Carolina state senator, planter, iron manufacturer, and merchant, was born in Franklin County, Va. His father was Robert Hairston, a landowner and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hairston, Peter W. Hairston, Peter Wilson by Peter Wilson Hairston, 1988; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 25 Nov. 1819–17 Feb. 1886 Peter Wilson Hairston, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Lewis Hanes, newspaper editor, was born in Forsyth County but spent most of his life in Davidson County. In addition to his work as a journalist, Hanes was active in politics. He was a Whig member of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Knapp, Sharon E. Benjamin Sherwood Hedrick, educator, chemist, and antislavery activist, was born in western Davidson County near Salisbury, the son of Elizabeth Sherwood and John Leonard Hedrick, a farmer and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Constantine Alexander Hege, merchant, inventor, and manufacturer, was born near Friedburg Moravian Church in Davidson County, the son of Solomon and Catherine Guinther Hege. Joining the Moravian [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tise, Larry E. John Franklin Heitman, educator, clergyman, editor, and historian, was born in Davidson County near Lexington, the son of Henry and Eve McRary Heitman. In 1861 he entered Trinity College around which [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Keever, Homer M. Paul Henkel, Lutheran pastor, missionary, and organizer on the American frontier, was born on Dutchman's Creek in present Davie County, the oldest son of Jacob and Mary Barbara Dieter Henkel, who had [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Glass, Brent D. Moses L. Holmes, gold miner and speculator-merchant, was born on Big River near Flat Swamp in Rowan (now Davidson) County, the son of Jesse and Nancy Owen Holmes. His father owned a large farm and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Ham, Marie Sharpe, Blake, Debra A., Morris, C. Edward. Holt, Louisa Matilda Moore by Marie Sharpe Ham, Debra A. Blake, and C. Edward Morris. Excerpted from North Carolina's First Ladies, 1891-2001, copyright 2001. Reprinted with permission from [...] (from North Carolina's First Ladies: 1891-2001, North Carolina Historical Publications.)

by Holt, Rachel Y. William Edwin Holt, textile manufacturer and civic and religious leader, was born at Locust Grove in Alamance County, near the site where the Regulators fought in 1771. He was one of ten children [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. William Rainey Holt, physician, public servant, and planter-enslaver, was born in Alamance County, the oldest son of Michael and Rachel Rainey Holt, and the grandson of Captain Michael and Jean [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnson, Gerald W. Archibald Johnson, editor, was born in what is now Spring Hill Township, Scotland County, the son of Duncan and Catherine Livingston Johnson, both of whom were of Highland Scots ancestry. He was six [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Willard, George-Anne. James Yadkin Joyner, educator, farmer, and North Carolina superintendent of public instruction, was a member of the generation of gifted educational statesmen who led North Carolina in an educational [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. Lambeth, John Walter, Jr. by M. Jewel Sink, 1991 10 Jan. 1896–11 Jan. 1961 See also: Lambeth, John Walter, Sr. John Walter Lambeth, Jr., manufacturer and congressman, the son of John [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. John Walter Lambeth, Sr., pioneer furniture manufacturer, banker, and civic leader, was born in the Fair Grove community, two miles south of Thomasville, the sixth child of David Thomas and Caroline [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Southern, Gilbert Edwin, Jr. Lanning, John Tate by Gilbert Edwin Southern, Jr., 1991 13 Sept. 1902–15 Aug. 1976 John Tate Lanning, historian, was born in Linwood, Davidson County, the son of Baxter Franklin and Carrie [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. Leach, James Madison Brown by M. Jewell Sink, 1991 17 Jan. 1815–1 June 1891 James Madison Brown Leach, lawyer, congressman, and advocate of education and internal [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Davidson, Chalmers G. Edward Herman Little, industrialist and philanthropist, was born on a farm in Mecklenburg County, the fifth of twelve children of George W. and Ella Howie Little. His family was of respectable [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brawley, James S. Macay, Spruce by James S. Brawley, 1991; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 ca. 1755–29 Feb. 1808 Spruce Macay, lawyer, judge, and law tutor of Andrew Jackson, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Mcgeachy, Neill R. McClure, Albert Bonner by Neill R. Mcgeachy, 1991 16 June 1905–28 Oct. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brown, Nevin C. McCorkle, William Parsons by Nevin C. Brown, 1991 2 Apr. 1855–7 Mar. 1933 William Parsons McCorkle, clergyman and religious writer, was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brabham, Robin. McKnight, Colbert Augustus (Pete) by Robin Brabham, 1991 19 Aug. 1916–16 Aug. 1986 Colbert Augustus (Pete) McKnight, newspaper editor, was born in Shelby, one of three sons of John Samuel, a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jordan, John R., Jr. William Belvidere Meares, II, physician, planter, and Confederate officer, was the fifth son of William Belvidere and Catherine Grady Davis Meares. He followed in the footsteps of his father in many [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jordan, John R., Jr. John Mitchell, Baptist clergyman, educator, benefactor of denominational causes, colporteur of religious tracts, and missionary in the Confederate army, was born in Bertie County, the son of Mary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Albert Murphy, clergyman and poet, the son of John and Mary ("Molly") Livengood Murphy, was born in Davidson County on his father's farm between Abbott's Creek and Rich Fork. The 1850 census [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sanders, John L. William Nichols, architect and builder, was born in Bath, County Somerset, England, and probably received his early training in England. Arriving in North Carolina in 1800, he was a resident of New [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holland, Irma Ragan. Hubert Ethridge Olive, Sr., superior court judge, legislator, and Baptist layman, was born in Randleman of English-Irish ancestry, the sixth child of Andrew Jackson (24 Oct. 1894–18 Feb. 1911), a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bowman, Charles H., Jr. John Tyrant Patrick, journalist and resort developer, was born in Wadesboro, the youngest of six children of William H. and Margaret A. Campbell Patrick. The Civil War interrupted his formal [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wright, David C., III. Harvey Cloyd Philpott, manufacturer, legislator, and lieutenant governor, was born in Bassett, Va., the son of Benjamin Cabell, Sr., and Daisy Hundley Philpott. The family moved to Lexington, N.C., [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Queen, Louise L. Alva Washington Plyler, Methodist minister and editor, was born in Iredell County, the son of Robert Conrad and Mary L. Kimball Plyler and the identical twin of Marion Timothy Plyler. He married [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Liston Pope, clergyman, theological educator, and ecumenist, was born in Thomasville, one of three children of Robie Lester and Dora Vivian Younts Pope. His sisters were Mildred (Mrs. Frank H. Wood) [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Simpson, Marcus B., Jr. William Olin Puckett, educator and biologist, was born in Cornelius, the son of William Lawrence and Mary Alice Washam Puckett. His family was of English, German, and Scottish descent and his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. John Andrew Ramsay, land surveyor, civil engineer, Confederate soldier, and mayor of Salisbury, was born in Rowan County to Robert and Mary M. Walton Ramsay. Young Ramsay practiced the profession of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Copeland, J. Isaac. Arthur Franklin Raper, social science analyst, was born in Davidson County, near Lexington, the third of eight children of William Franklin (Frank) and Julia S. Crouse Raper. Frank Raper was a farmer [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Copeland, J. Isaac. John Robert Raper, botanist of international note, was born in Davidson County, near the hamlet of Welcome. He was the youngest of eight children—seven sons and one daughter—of William Franklin [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Preyer, Norris W. J[acob] Henry Smith Richardson, president and chairman of the board of the Vick Chemical Company (now Richardson-Merrell, Inc.), through his sales and marketing techniques and his long-range [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Pennywitt, Neil C. James Robertson, pioneer, surveyor, soldier, Indian agent, political leader, and founder of Nashville, Tenn., was the son of John and Mary Gower Robertson. Born in Brunswick County, Va., he moved [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. H[arvey] Hoyle Sink, jurist, was born in the Tyro community, Davidson County, a son of Thomas Franklin and Martha Anne Lanning Sink. The Sink (Zink or Zinck) family emigrated from Germany to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Massengill, Stephen E. Edward Featherston Small, Confederate soldier, photographer, and salesman, was born near Washington, Beaufort County, the son of Henry H. and Margaret Hill Small. He was a cousin of Congressman John [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Thomas Melville Stanback, pharmacist, was born in Byhalia, Miss., the son of Charles and Della Ingram Stanback. His parents had moved from Richmond County, N.C., a few years before his birth and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Evans, Esther. Edwin Monroe Stanley, lawyer, chief judge of the U.S. Middle District Court, and religious, educational, and civic leader, was born in Kernersville. Of English-German ancestry, he was the youngest [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Spence, Thomas H., Jr. Tenney, Samuel Mills by Thomas H. Spence, Jr., 1996 25 Oct. 1871–23 Dec. 1939 Samuel Mills Tenney, minister and curator, was born at Crockett, Tex., the son of Samuel Fisher and Sarah Mills [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Louise Marcellus McPhetridge Thaden, businesswoman and aviatrix, was born in Bentonville, Ark., the daughter of Roy Fry and Edna Hobbs McPhetridge. She attended the University of Arkansas (1921–25), [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Matthews, Mary G. Thomas, John Warwick by Mary G. Matthews, 1996; edited April 2022. 27 June 1800–17 May [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kemp, Amy. Bob Timberlake is a renowned painter and furniture designer. He famously has had no formal art education, but is noted for his intricate attention to color and detail in his paintings as well as his [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Powell, William S. Totten, Henry Roland by William S. Powell, 1996 6 Nov. 1892–9 Feb. 1974 See also: Totten, William Theophilus, from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography Henry Roland Totten, botanist [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Rives, Ralph Hardee. William Theophilus Totten, minister, educator, and president of Yadkin Collegiate Institute (later Yadkin College) for twenty-six years, was born in Rockingham County, the eldest son of the Reverend [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. Henry Walser, politician and college founder, was born in northern Davidson County near the Yadkin River, the youngest son and pen-ultimate of nine children of Frederick and Margaret Earnest Walser, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Walser, Richard Gaither by William S. Powell, 1996 23 Oct. 1908–25 Nov. 1988 Richard Gaither Walser, college professor, author, and cultural leader, was born in Lexington in a family of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. Zeb Vance Walser, lawyer and politician, was born near Yadkin College in Davidson County, the oldest son of Frances Edith Byerly and Gaither Walser. He attended Yadkin College, founded by his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. James White, physician, legislator, congressman, and western pioneer, was born in Philadelphia, the son of James and Ann Willcox White. His father was a native of Ireland, and Jesuits established [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Thomas F. Wrenn, manufacturer and financier, was born near Liberty in Randolph County, the son of Merritt C. and Nancy Elizabeth Jarrell Wrenn. His father, a Confederate soldier, died near the end of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by King, William E. York, Brantley by William E. King, 1996 3 Jan. 1805–7 Oct. 1891 Brantley York, Methodist clergyman, educator, lecturer, and author, was born near Bush Creek [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)