Johnston County

by Pollitt, Phoebe Ann. Originally published in "North Carolina Nursing History." Republished with permission. For personal educational use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other uses [...] (from Appalachian State University.)

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 Powell, William S. Joshua Bodley, attorney and land agent, may have been a native of Dublin, Ireland. He was living in the port city of Lorient, Britanny, France, on 3 Nov. 1755, when a marriage contract was drawn up [...] (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. 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 Crabtree, Beth G. Edwin Borden Broadhurst, Air Corps general, was born in Smithfield, the son of Jack Johnson and Mabel Borden Broadhurst. Among his forebears were early American patriots Richard Warren, signer of the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. Martin Caswell, colonial planter, county official, and colonel in the revolutionary militia of Dobbs County, was the third son of Richard Caswell the elder and his wife, Christian Dallam, and was a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holloman, Charles R. William Caswell, North Carolina adjutant general in the Revolution, Continental army captain, county official, state legislator, and planter, was the son of Governor Richard Caswell and his first [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Watson, Alan D. Richard Cogdell, merchant, planter, and politician, was born in Beaufort, the eldest of fourteen children of George and Margaret Bell Cogdell. Contrary to the popular assumption that the Cogdells [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gass, W. Conard. William Edward Dodd, educator, historian, and diplomat, was born on his father's farm near Clayton, the oldest of the seven children (five boys and two girls) of John Daniel and Eveline Creech Dodd [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stephens, George M. Kenneth Raynor Ellington, partner in architectural firm, was born in Clayton, the son of Jesse and Sallie Williamson Ellington. In 1914 he received the LL.B. degree from The University of North [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cannon, Doris Rollins. A child destined to become an international movie sensation, with a personal life that rivaled fiction, Ava Gardner, was born on December 24, 1922 in the small farm community of Grabtown, eight miles [...] (from NCpedia.)

by Holloman, Charles R. Glasgow, James by Charles R. Holloman, 1986; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 ca. 1735–17 Nov. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Paul Davis Grady, businessman and legislator, was born in Seven Springs, Wayne County, the son of James Calhoun and Ella Smith Outlaw Grady. He attended Tennessee Military Institute and Wake Forest [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Woodard, John R., Jr. Needham Yancey Gulley, founder and dean of the Wake Forest Law School, was born near Clayton in Johnston County, the son of N. G. Gulley, a farmer, and Jaylie Grady Gulley. After spending his early [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Pittman, William R. Ashley Horne, businessman and farmer, was born at the family estate near Clayton, one of the nine children of Benajah and Elizabeth Tarboro Horne. His father was of Scottish descent and served the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Moore, James Elliott. Herman Harrell Horne, educator, was born at Clayton, the son of Hardee and Ida Caroline Harrell Horne. In 1895 he was graduated with A.B. and A.M. degrees from The University of North Carolina, where [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Long, Dorothy. Calvin Jones, physician, politician, and newspaper publisher, was born near Sheffield, Mass. His father, Ebenezer Jones, was of Welsh ancestry, a descendant of Thomas Ap Jones, who arrived in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by London, Lawrence F. Edward Jones, legislator and lawyer, was born in Lisburn, Ireland. He was the second son of Dr. Conway and Mary Wray Todd Jones and the brother of William Todd Jones, the Irish patriot. On his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Roff, Carolyn F. Benjamin Rice Lacy, Jr., Presbyterian clergyman, educator, and author, was born in Raleigh. His father was a pioneer in promoting labor organizations in North Carolina and treasurer of the state from [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I interviewed Carl Lamm in his broadcast studio at WMPM-AM in Smithfield. Legendary as "the voice of Johnston County," Lamm has been a part of country music radio since 1946. He has been a disc [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Woodard, Frances P. Rena Bingham Lassiter, editor, columnist, and community leader, was born in Smithfield, the daughter of James Carroll and Isabelle Grantham Bingham. Her father and a brother, C. Elbert Bingham, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Yearns, W. Buck. Leach, James Thomas by Buck Yearns, 1991; Revised by Government & Heritage Library, July 2023 1805–28 Mar. 1883 James Thomas [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. On April 9, 1968, 16-year-old Fred Lockamy and four of his longtime friends decided to strike back at the Ku Klux Klan by burning down its local meeting hall. They lived in a black neighborhood in [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

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 Green, C. Sylvester. Perry Morgan, Baptist youth leader, was born in Meadow Township of Johnston County, the son of William James and Negelena Barefoot Morgan. They had sixteen children (eight daughters and eight [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Marcus Cicero Stephens Noble, educator and author, was born at Louisburg, the son of Albert Morris and Mary Ann Primrose Noble. He was ten years old when the Civil War ended, and as a result of the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

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 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 Powell, William S. Edward William Pou, lawyer and congressman, was born in Tuskegee, Ala., the son of Edward William and Anna Maria Smith Pou. The family moved to Johnston County, N.C., in 1867 to land inherited by [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. Edward William Pou, Reconstruction politician and legislator, was born in Orangeburg District, South Carolina, the oldest son of Joseph and Eliza Margaret Felder Pou. The Pous and the Felders had [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brown, Charlotte Vestal. James Hinton Pou, lawyer, politician, and Raleigh land developer, was born in Tuskegee, Ala., the middle son of Edward William and Anna Maria Smith Pou of Johnston County. The family moved to a farm [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. William Cary Renfrow, governor of Oklahoma Territory, was born in Smithfield, the son of Perry and Lucinda Hawkins Atkinson Rentfrow [sic ]. After attending local schools young Renfrow volunteered [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Rives, Ralph Hardee. James Manly Rhodes, Methodist minister, educator, and college owner and administrator, was born in Four Oaks, Johnston County, the son of Atlas J. K. and Spicey West Rhodes. He received bachelor's [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hinds-Brown, Lindsey. Lunsford Richardson II Inventor of Vicks VapoRub by Lindsey Hinds-­Brown Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, Fall 2006; Revised October, 2022. Tar Heel Junior [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

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 Preyer, Norris W. Lunsford Richardson, pharmacist and founder of the Vick Chemical Company, grew up on a plantation in Johnston County southeast of Raleigh. His father, Lunsford Richardson, Sr., died before he was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnston, Hugh B., Jr. Thomas Ruffin, attorney, congressman, and Confederate officer, was born in Greene County not long before his parents, Henry John Gray and Mary (Polly) Tartt Ruffin, moved to their new plantation near [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Taylor, R. Hargus. John Catre Scarborough, educator and educational administrator, was the eighth of ten children of Daniel and Cynthia Horton Scarborough, whose farm was located about fifteen miles east of Raleigh, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

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 Killingsworth, M. Jimmie. Michael Smith, preacher and poet, was born in County Meath, Ireland, the son of the Reverend Robert Smith. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he was ordained an Anglican priest by the bishop of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Deaton, Carol Dalton. Smith, William Alexander by Carol Dalton Deaton, 1994 9 Jan. 1828–16 May 1888 William Alexander Smith, farmer, railroad president, legislator, and congressman, was born in Warren County, the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Parker, John M., III. Jasper Leonidas Stuckey, geologist, college professor, and state administrator, was born on a small farm in eastern Johnston County. The oldest of seven children, he was the son of John Haywood, a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, Claiborne T., Jr. Alexander Telfair, Loyalist, was born at Town Head in Kirkcudbright on the Firth of Solway, southwestern Scotland. He came to America in 1759 with his brothers Edward, Hugh, and William. The Telfairs [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Detrick, Robert H. John W. Thomson, Texas pioneer, was born in North Carolina, probably in Orange or Johnston County. He migrated to Tennessee and in 1835 joined a group that was traveling to Texas. Arriving there in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Turlington, Edgar Willis by William S. Powell, 1996 24 Oct. 1891–27 Sept. 1959 Edgar Willis [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Zebulon Vance Turlington, lawyer, was born in Johnston County, the son of Eli and Sarah Woodall Turlington. After attending Turlington Institute, a noted school operated by his brother in Smithfield, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnston, Hugh B., Jr. Josiah Ogden Watson, army surgeon, politician, and planter of immense wealth, was a son of John Watson of Pineville in Johnston County. About 1815 he married Penninah Tartt (1790–30 Jan. 1848), the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Knapp, Richard F. James Edwin Webb, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other federal agencies, corporate executive, management expert, and attorney, was born in Tally Ho, near Stem [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)