King's Mtn Papers - 14DD64


Office of County Court Clerk
Washington County
Abingdon, Va [printed heading on paper]

                                                             Decr 7th 1880

Mr. Lyman C Draper
                                 Madison Wisconsin
                                                             Dear Sir
                   Your asking information as to Kings Mountain and its Heroes was received this morning.
We cannot get much information from the Records about the men whose names you mention.  There are decendents [sic] of most of them living in the county.  I am personally acquainted with all of them and have written them to day asking them to come and see me.  I will write you again in a few days and give you such information as I get from them & their address also such other information that I may gather from others or from the Records.  I refer you to Ramseys History of East Tennessee which gives some acount of Kings Mountain.
 Being a decendent
[sic] of a Kings Mountain

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soldier who lost his leg in the fight I feel an interest in your work and will __ [aid?] you so far as I can.
                   Respectfully
                                   Yours
                                                            Wm G.G. Lowry, C.C.

King's Mtn Papers - 14DD65

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Office of County Clerk
Washington County
Abingdon, Va [heading printed on paper]
       Feby 17th 1881

Mr. Draper
                Dear Sir
                          I have been very much overburdened with work for the last three months for that reason have not answered your letter as soon as I otherwise would.  I have examined the records of my office with a good deal of care but do not find much that will be of any use to you in preparing a history of Kings Mountain and its Heros.  I have also written to several of the descendants of Kings Mountain Heros none of whom could give any reliable account of their ancestors.  I have also found an old manuscript of Maj. John Campbell which if it had been properly preserved would have given you all the information you wish but that part of it which gave an account of the troops under Genl Campbell at Kings

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Mountain has been destroyed by rats until you can make nothing out of it.  There is left about fifty pages which treats principally upon the iffect [sic] the Battle of Kings Mountain had upon the British Army, and the early surrender of Cornwallis.  I find from the records of my office that John Beaties will was admitted to probate September 1790.  David Beaties will was probated May 17, 1814.
Andrew Colvills estate was appraised October 17th 1797.
Knowing that the Edmondsons figured conspicuously as brave men in the Battle of Kings Mountain I called upon
[Col, Conl?] WmC Edmondson for any information he could give me.  he furnished me the - transcript of the Family Bible Record of Maj Wm Edmondson

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who if I am not mistaken was Maj in Genl Campbells Regiment.
Maj Edmondsons first wife was a Miss Montgomery she had seven children
Margaret born 1762                      John  born 1764
Esther  born 1766                        Saml  born 1768
Robt  born  1771                         Thomas  born 1773
Mary  born  1776

his second wife was Miss Kennedy who had eight children
Martha M  born 1779                   William  born  1781
Andrew  born 1783                      Genl WmCampbell 1785
Betty  born 1788                         Sally  born 1790
Helty
[Kitty] M   born 1795           Ann  born 1798

From this you will observe that Maj. Edmondson was a brave man at home as well as in battle.
Our people are guilty of unpardonable negligence in not preserving said record of the troops who went from this county to Kings Mountain.  We cannot find even the names of

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those who went from this  county .  At my request our Senator _ ? [John W.] Johnston had the Records at Washington searched for the Rolls but found nothing. 
You will please pardon me for giving an occurrance
[sic] which took place in my own family.
My Great Grandfather Wm Moore was wounded at Kings Mountain and his leg was amputated on the field
[.] when the news reached my great Grand Mother she mounted a horse and alone went to him. remained with him until he was well enough to remove and brought him home.  I give this to show you the kind of weomen [sic] we had at that day.
I regret that I cannot furnish you with all the information you desired.
                                    Yours _
                                            Wm G.G. Lowry
     

The Lyman C. Draper Manuscript Collection

transcribed by Diana Powell with Bob and Donna Jean Ford; Sutro Library (San Francisco, CA) microfilm #DR-95