Tag Archives: Farthing

WILLS, Norman H.

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Norman H. Wills, farmer, was born in this county October 18; 1847, the son of Peter D. and Sophia J. (McQuonn) Wills, the former born January 16, 1816, in this county the son of Lewis, who in turn was son of Lewis, Sr., a native of Strasburg, Germany, and a pioneer of this state. The father was an extensive farmer, and accumulated property. His death occurred July 14, 1878. The mother was born in Washington County, Va., August 20, 1821, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Wilson) McQuonn, the former of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas, Sr., also a farmer. The mother died March 2, 1877, and had the following children: Macon H., Norman H., Virginia C., James N., Francis C. and Sarah H. Our subject was educated at LibertyHall, Virginia, and was reared on the farm. Martha A. Hawthorn, of Washington County, Va., became his wife October 13, 1870, and died January 17, 1874. He next married Martha C., a daughter of Maj. James and Harriet M. (Farthing) Brown, December 11, 1877. She was born in this county July 19, 1852, and their children are Lura J. and Lewis Karl; the former born October 4, 1878, and the latter July 22, 1885.

Transcribed from Godspeed’s History of TN (1896)

BROWN, S.J.

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S. J. Brown, farmer and stock dealer, was born in 1843, in Watauga County, N. C., the fourth of ten children of James and Harriet (Farthing) Brown, natives of North Carolina, who came to this county in 1846, the former of English and the latter of Scotch-English stock. They were engaged in farming and stock dealing. Our subject was three years old when they came to this county, and when seventeen began for himself. In 1861he enlisted in Company D, First North Carolina Confederate Cavalry, serving at Chickamauga, where he was wounded, and then transferred to the Sixth North Carolina Regiment, and surrendered with Johnston’s army. After returning, he studied law, and attended school, and was admitted to the bar January 18,1868, by the supreme court of North Carolina. Circumstances compelled him to become a hardware clerk at Salisbury, N. C., and six years later at another place. where for two years he engaged independently, and since then has been at his present location, as a farmer. In February, 1874, he married Addle, a daughter of Jacob and Celia (Perkins) Wagner, natives of this and Ashe County, N. C., respectively. The former is a son of Mathias, who settled in this county on our subject’s present farm, about 1789. Our subject’s children are Tallulah W., Charles W. W., Thomas J. and Addielee. Both are Methodists, and he a Democrat, and a Master Mason. Our subject received about $3,000 of property through his wife, but now owns a fine farm of 400 acres, and is an enterprising farmer.

Transcribed from Godspeed’s History of TN (1896)

BROWN, James

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James Brown, farmer and stock dealer, was born October 21, 1811, in Ashe County, N.C., the youngest of eight children of Joseph and Anna (Hayler) Brown, natives of Wilkes and Anson Counties, N. C., respectively. The father was an expert deer hunter. The grandfather, James Brown, was a native of England, and his wife was of German descent. He was a farmer. When of age, our subject began independently as a farmer and now owns a fine place of 800 acres, besides a farm in Hawkins County. September 14, 1837, he married Harriet N., a daughter of William and Polly (Halliburton) Farthing natives of North Carolina, the former a Missionary Baptist minister. Their children were Joseph H., Nancy E., Barton H., Stephen J., Mary E. (deceased), Sallie L. (deceased), Eva A., Martha C., Julian M. and Dudley F. He and his wife are Baptists, and also several of their children. He had two sons in the late war, one, Barton R., having organized the only Confederate company in this county, of which company Stephen J. was first lieutenant. Our subject is a Democrat.

Transcribed from Godspeed’s History of TN (1896)