Lenoir County

by . Among the musicians from Kinston, North Carolina who have created legacies in the world of music, one of the earliest to be recognized was the jazz composer and band leader J. Tim Brymn. Born in [...] (from North Carolina Arts Council.)

by Johnson, F. Roy. Tom Blunt (or Blount), a head chief and king of the North Carolina Tuscarora Indians, of obscure parentage, lived in the Upper Towns. During his time these numbered seven and formed one of three [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. Levi Branson, educator, Methodist minister, writer, editor, and publisher, was born and reared on a farm in Randolph County about five miles south of Asheboro. He was the second of nine children born [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. Bright, Simon by Charles R. Holloman, 1979; Revised November 2022. ca. 1757–1802 Simon Bright, Revolutionary War soldier, planter, county official, member of the convention that ratified the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. Bright, Simon by Charles R. Holloman, 1979 ca. 1702–ca. 1777 Simon Bright, colonial planter, county official, Anglican church leader, and militia officer, was the son of John Bright (ca. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. The grantee index of deeds (1746–1880) of old Johnston, old Dobbs, and early Lenoir counties indicates that in or about 1758 deeds from Simon Bright the elder were registered by his sons Simon and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. Richard Caswell, militia officer and governor of North Carolina, was born at Joppa, then a flourishing seaport and the county seat of Baltimore County, Md. His parents were Richard Caswell and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Becker, Donald E. Francis Child, Revolutionary War officer, was apparently living in New Bern in 1768, when he was witness to a will there. He entered McRee's company of the Sixth North Carolina Regiment of the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Flowers, John B., III. Hardy Bryan Croom, planter, politician, naturalist, and enslaver, was born at his father's estate in Lenoir County. He was the son of Major General William Croom and his first wife, Mary Bryan, a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Flowers, John B., III. William Croom, planter, politician, and militia officer, was born probably on his father's dwelling plantation on Lower Falling Creek in Dobbs (now Lenoir) County. His father, Major Croom, Sr., a son [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Kathryn Rachel Sarah Rebecca Speight Darden Davis, physician and legislator, who was usually known as Rachel Darden Davis, was born at Seven Springs, Wayne County, the daughter of Herbert W. and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cowper, Albert W. John Gilmer Dawson, lawyer and legislator, was born in Institute Township, Lenoir County, the son of John H. and Ann Daly Dawson. His grandparents were Thomas J. Dawson and Huldah Daniels. The [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Joseph Dixon, congressman, was born in rural Greene County just across the county line from the town of Farmville in Pitt County. There apparently is no record of the names of his parents nor [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Martin, Katherine F. Harriet Laura Herring, social science researcher and student of socio-industrial relations in the South, was born in Kinston, the seventh and last child of William Isler Herring and his second wife, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Willard, George-Anne. William Herritage, lawyer and planter, served for thirty years as clerk of the General Assembly of North Carolina. His parents were Thomas Herritage (1658-1719) and Sarah Durbridge Herritage [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by York, Maury. Lovit Hines, merchant, the son of James Madison and Nancy Thompson Hines, was born in Wayne County but the next year the family moved to Lenoir Institute, Lenoir County. During the 1870–71 session, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Long, Joe O'Neal. Edmund Jones, soldier, attorney, and public servant, was born into a life of ease on his father's plantation, Clover Hill, situated about six miles north of Lenoir in Caldwell County. The family name [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carroll, Grady L. E., Sr. Gerald Ray Jordan, Methodist clergyman, professor, and author, was born in Kinston. He was graduated from Trinity College (now Duke University) with highest honors and received the B.D. degree from [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Malone, E. T., Jr. Edmund Noah Joyner, Episcopal priest, missionary, soldier, poet, and newspaper editor, was born in the Marlboro community near Farmville in Pitt County, the son of Dr. Noah and Emily Adelaide [...] (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 Cecelski, David S. As a boy in Kinston, Halie Kelley delivered telegrams to what was one of the most notorious red light districts in America, Sugar Hill. Folks used to say it was the wildest place between New Orleans [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Shrader, Richard A. William Lenoir, soldier, justice of the peace, state legislator, and planter-entrepreneur, was born in Brunswick County, Va. The youngest of ten children of Thomas and Mourning Crawley Lenoir, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Thorp, John Mercer, Jr. Lewis, McDaniel by John Mercer Thorp, Jr., 1991 24 Feb. 1894–13 Aug. 1978 McDaniel Lewis, investment banker, civic leader, and supporter of various cultural and historical projects, was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stephens, H. Kenneth, II. Richard Henry Lewis, educator and physician, was born in Edgecombe County, the son of Dr. John Wesley and Catherine Battle Lewis. He received his early schooling in the Edgecombe Academy and Lovejoy [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gass, W. Conard. Manning, John Hall by W. Conard Gass, 1991 27 Sept. 1889–21 July 1963 John Hall Manning, lawyer and government official, was born in Durham County, the son of Julia Tate Cain [...] (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 Steelman, Lala Carr. James Marion Mewborne, farmer, Farmers' Alliance leader, state senator, and public servant, was born in Vance Township, Lenoir County, the son of Levi and Susan Parrott Mewborne. He became prominent [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. William Dunn Moseley, first governor of Florida, was born at Moseley Hall in Lenoir County, the son of Matthew and Elizabeth Herring Dunn Moseley. A descendant of colonial official Edward Moseley, he [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Paris, Methodist Protestant clergyman, Confederate chaplain, and author, was born in that part of Orange County that became Alamance in 1849, the son of Henry and Mary Johnston Paris. There [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. Joseph Parker, general Baptist (now Free Will Baptist) clergyman, founded churches in Halifax, Pitt, Greene, and Lenoir counties. According to tradition, he was a member and probable pastor of the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carrier, Sarah. Lenoir County native Kellis Earl Parker, an accomplished lawyer, activist, scholar, and musician, was born January 13, 1942 in Kinston, North Carolina. In addition to his distinguished career, Parker [...] (from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries.)

by Cecelski, David S. Maceo Parker: These Kids are Fantastic by David Cecelski. "Listening to History," News & Observer. Published 6/13/2004. Copyrighted. Reprinted with permission. See also Maceo and [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Anderson, Walter W., Jr. Joshua Ernest Paschall, banker, lawyer, and legislator, was born near Black Creek in Wilson County. The son of Joshua Walter and Sallie Poole Paschall, he attended the public schools of Wilson County [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Copeland, J. Isaac. Bruce Ryburn Payne, college president, was born in the Mull Grove community of Catawba County, the son of Jordan Nathaniel and Barbara Anne Eliza Warlick Payne. The elder Payne was a teacher and a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Uzzell, Odell. Perry, Samuel L. by Odell Uzzell, 1994; Revised October 2022. Related Entries: African American; Civil Rights; Transportation; Exodusters b. 1849 Samuel L. Perry, teacher and civil rights [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Lewis Peyton, european agent for the state of North Carolina (1861–65), lawyer, and author, was born near Staunton, Va., the son of John Howe and Anne Lewis Peyton. One of his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Alfred Pollock, physician, legislator, and novelist, was born at Stones Bay, Onslow County, of Scottish descent, the son of W. A. J. Pollock, also a physician, and his wife, Olive Branch [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Woodard, John R., Jr. Weston Cosby Reed, Baptist minister and child care executive, was born on a farm near Sylva, in Jackson County, the fifth child of James Phillip and Marcella Farmer Reed. He attended the public [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, Claiborne T., Jr. Frank Murchison Register, physician and public health officer, was born in Cumberland County, one of ten children of Robert and Mary McDuffie Register. Reared in Moore County, he was educated at the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cauble, Frank P. John Melancthon Rhodes, textile manufacturer, temperance leader, and patron of education, was born in Gaston County, four miles north of the town of Dallas. Of German ancestry, he was the son of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cauble, Frank P. Abel Peterson Rhyne, textile manufacturer, Confederate soldier, and patron of education, was born on a farm near Mount Holly in Lincoln (now Gaston) County. Of German ancestry, he was a descendant of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Robinson, Blackwell P. Joseph Edward Robinson, lawyer, newspaper editor, and civic leader, was born near White Hall (now Seven Springs) but in Lenoir County, of Irish parentage. He was the son of John, a graduate of the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hill, Steven. Rose, Junius Harris By Steven A. Hill, Copyright 2017. Published with permission. For personal educational use and not for further distribution. 7 Jan 1892 - 29 Mar 1972 J.H. Rose was [...] (from Research Branch, NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Cowper, Albert W. George Rountree, attorney and judge, was born in Kinston, the son of Robert Hart and Cynthia Biddle Loftin Rountree. As a ten-year-old boy he witnessed the Battle of Kinston shaping up as he rode his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Judith Shaw was born and raised in New York City, but every summer of her childhood she visited her father's hometown of La Grange, 75 miles east of Raleigh. She loved the little town that calls [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Hohenwarter, William F. Abraham Sheppard, sheriff, legislator, and soldier. The first documentary evidence of Sheppard's private and public life is the notice of his appointment as a justice of the peace at the time of the [...] (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 Johnston, Hugh B., Jr., Eagles, Brenda M. Owen Lun West Smith, U.S. minister to Liberia and Methodist leader, was born in Giddensville, Sampson County, the son of Ollen and Maria Hicks Smith, both of African descent. As a youth he served as [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Taylor, R. Hargus. Bernard Washington Spilman, Baptist clergyman and denominational Sunday school executive, was the fourth of five children born to Bushrod Washington and Helva Roxanna Barham Spilman, of Weldon. Of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Lucien Douglas Starke, newspaper editor and Confederate officer, was born at Pleasant Level near Cold Harbor, Hanover County, Va., the son of Colonel Bowling and Eliza G. New Starke. His mother was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sumner, Jim L. Suggs, George Franklin by Jim L. Sumner, 1994 7 July 1883–4 Apr. 1949 George Franklin Suggs, professional baseball player, was the first North Carolina–born major league star of the modern [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fountain, A. M. Taylor, Simon Bruton by A. M. Fountain, 1996 16 Mar. 1834–27 Jan. 1929 Simon Bruton Taylor, Confederate officer, merchant, public official, and farmer, was born on a farm in southern Lenoir [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Long, Dorothy. John Graham Tull, physician and surgeon, the son of Isaac and Eliza Graham Tull, was born in Lenoir County, near Kinston. He was graduated from The University of North Carolina in 1836 and from the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sumner, Jim L. James Harvey Weaver, athletic administrator, was born at Rutherford College, of which his father was president. One of five children of the Reverend Charles Clinton and Florence Stacy Weaver, his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Schenck, William Z. White, George Henry by William Z. Schenck, 1994 Related Entries: Legislative Branch; African Americans See also: George Henry White for K-8 students 18 Dec. 1852–28 Dec. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jolly, Benjamin A., Wooten, Patrick S. Thomas Jackson White, Jr., legislator, attorney, lobbyist, and adviser to governors, was born on a farm near Concord, the son of Thomas Jackson and Mary Isabelle Culp White. The given names of father [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jones, H. G. Whitfield, Nathan Bryan by H. G. Jones, 1996; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, February 2023 19 Sept. 1799–27 Dec. 1868 Nathan Bryan [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)