Alexander MEBANE, Sr.

1716 - Bef 1793  (< 76 years)

• Name	Alexander MEBANE
  Suffix	Sr.
  Birth	26 Nov 1716	Ireland [now Northern Ireland]
  Gender	Male
  Will	30 Apr 1789	Orange County, NC
  Death	Bef Feb 1793	Orange County, NC
  Probate	Feb 1793	Orange County, NC
  Notes	(1) Weeks, Stephen B., "Alexander Mebane, Sr.," in Ashe, Samuel A. and Weeks, Stephen B., Biographical History of North Carolina from Colonial Times to the Present, Vol. VII, Greensboro, NC: Charles L. Van Noppen, 1905, pp. 327-334: THE Mebane family of Orange County, N. C., which has gone out from this home into the adjoining counties of Caswell, Alamance and Guilford, in North Carolina, and into the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and elsewhere, came originally from the north of Ireland, and we may confidently assume that they belonged to that masterful people, the Scotch- Irish - a people Scotch in blood, but modified by long residence on Irish soil. Besides the official documents to be found in the Colonial and State Records the history of the family has come down to us in a sketch, all too brief, written by James Mebane, about 1850, for Caruthers' "Revolutionary Incidents in the Old North State." As he was a man of education, intelligence, and experience and a grandson of the North Carolina immigrant, we may assume that his sketch, which has been copied almost verbatim in Wheeler's "Reminiscences," and is here much condensed and reinforced by references from the. Records, is substantially correct. According to this account, the founder of the American family is Alexander Mebane, who first settled in Pennsylvania; from that colony he came south between 1744 and 1751 and settled at the Hawfields in Orange County. We are told that he was industrious, upright, thrifty, and that he acquired considerable property. We find that on April 1, 1751, Alexander "Maybeen" was commissioned a J. P. for Bladen County. . . . Now Orange was formed in 1752 from Granville, Johnston and Bladen and we may safely assume that this J. P. was the immigrant. He was also appointed by the act creating the county the first sheriff of Orange and was made a vestryman of St. Matthew's parish. . . . In 1754 he was a commissioner to fix the location of the county court of Orange and in 1757 was again made a J. P. . . . In 1755 as "major of militia in the county of Orange" and in absence of the commanding colonel he lays before Governor Dobbs "the defenseless state of said county" and makes certain recommendations in the premises . . . ; in April of that year he was recommended for lieutenant-colonel. . . . He is again mentioned in connection with the Regulation troubles, for in 1768 he, or his son of the same name, was nominated as a juror in Orange . . . and on April 13th of that year Edmund Fanning orders "Captain Mebane" and others to raise militia to check the Regulators. . . . These troops were to rendezvous at "Colonel Mebane's," but they refused to muster and "Captain Mebane" and others were then appointed a committee to treat with "the most reasonable of the rioters". . . . The sketch by James Mebane quoted above says that he was "commissioned colonel" under the royal government. If such was the case I have found no further confirmation than the above incidental references. He was made a J. P. by the Provincial Congress in December, 1776, and seems to have held the office till 1789, when he resigned. . . . Alexander Mebane, the immigrant, had six sons and six daughters, all of whom but one married, while most of them reared families in Orange. The sons were : (1) William; (2) Robert; (3) Alexander; (4) John; (5) James; (6) David. As we have seen, in the Regulation troubles he and his sons were supporters of the government. When the Revolutionary struggle began they became strong Whigs and active defenders of American liberty. The father had many Tory neighbors and suffered much from their depredations. The Tories burnt his barns and fences; plundered his dwelling and took away everything they could carry. The sons all saw service in one form or another in behalf of independence. I shall now give a brief sketch of each of these sons. The oldest was William. He was a captain in the militia, probably the "Captain Mebane" already mentioned in connection with the Regulators. He signed the protest against the Hillsboro riots drawn up by the Loyal Regulators' Association in 1770 . . . and perhaps was the one of that name who signed the petition for the pardon of Hunter, the Regulator leader . . . , but we have no particular record of his military service. He was in the Assembly from Orange in 1782; was also a member of the convention which met in Hillsboro in July, 1788, and like his better known brother was a consistent opponent of the Federal Constitution. He was twice married, first to Miss Abercrombie, second to Miss Rainey (Wheeler reverses this order), but left no children by either marriage. Robert Mebane played a more important military role than any of his brothers and his career is fairly well preserved in the State Records. His first service was with Rutherford in his expedition against the Overhill Cherokees in 1776, when the Indians were defeated and their towns and crops destroyed. He was commissioned as lieutenant-colonel of the Seventh regiment (called also battalion), North Carolina Continental Line, November 24, 1776, being next in authority to Colonel James Hogun; during the summer of 1777 he was stationed in Halifax, was transferred to the First North Carolina battalion June 1, 1778, in place of Lieutenant-Colonel William Davis . . . and saw service in the north that summer. . . . When Hogun was made a brigadier-general Mebane was promoted to a colonelcy, his commission being dated February 9, 1779. In April, 1779, he was in command of the Third regiment . . . and was ordered to North Carolina to recruit. . . . He was again in Halifax during that summer, but his health was then so bad that his retirement from the army seemed inevitable; he recovered, however, for he proceeded under orders with Hogun to Charleston and was captured at its fall in May, 1780. . . . We find him again in Granville in 1781, when he was seeking clothing for troops, and from this time was engaged in partisan warfare to his death in October, 1781, which may be told in the words of the original narrative: "Colonel Robert Mebane was a man of undoubted courage and activity. . . . He was in many battles and skirmishes with the British and Tories. At the battle of Cane Creek [against Fanning in September, 1781, on his retreat from Hillsboro after capturing Governor Burke. . . . He displayed great prowess and valor and fought hero-like. General Butler having ordered a retreat Colonel Mebane rushed before the retreating army and, by violent efforts, got a part of them stopped, and gained a victory. Toward the close of the battle, ammunition becoming scarce, he passed along the line carrying powder in his hat and distributing it among the soldiers, encouraging and animating them to persevere in the bloody strife. He was afterward with his regiment on the waters of the Cape Fear [still following Fanning], contending with the Tories; but being notified that his services were needed in the northern part of the State, he set out accompanied only by his servant. On the way, he came upon a noted Tory and horse thief, by the name of Henry Hightower, who was armed with a British musket. Knowing him, and perhaps too fearless and regardless of the consequences, he pursued him and when within striking distance with his arm uplifted, Hightower wheeled and shot him. . . . In person he was large, strong, active and of commanding appearance." To this account Caruthers adds other facts gathered from Nathaniel Slade, who had been on more than one expedition with Robert Mebane. He says that after Mebane had by his efforts changed the Cane Creek skirmish from a defeat into a drawn battle he went to General Butler, the commanding officer, told him that he had disobeyed orders and offered him his sword, which Butler declined to take. He then continues: "Immediately after the battle of Cane Creek, General Butler collected as many men as possible, . . . and pursued the Tories. Slade and Mebane were both on this expedition, . . . but they did not overtake the Tories and could not rescue the governor. At a place called the Brown Marsh they met a party of British and Tories, and a skirmish ensued. Slade told me that Butler, under the impression that the enemy had field pieces, ordered a retreat after the first fire and set the example himself; but Mebane did just as he had done on Cane Creek, disobeyed orders, rallied as many men as he could, and continued to fight till they were overpowered by numbers, or by British discipline, and were obliged to retreat. Slade said that he was not far from Mebane, and heard him giving his orders in a bold, strong voice. 'Now give it to them, boys, - fire.' . . . It was on his return from this expedition that he was killed, . . . and his death was much regretted by the Whig party." Colonel Robert Mebane left no descendants. The most distinguished member of the family in the second generation, however, was Alexander Mebane, 2d, who was born in Pennsylvania, November 26, 1744. It is probable that his father came to North Carolina soon after the birth of this son, for as we have seen he became a justice of the peace in April, 1751 - It is certain that the son grew to manhood in Orange County. He was perhaps a wagoner in the Regulation campaign and is there styled "captain". . . . The first certain reference to him in the Colonial Records is as a member of the last Provincial Congress of North Carolina, but as he had been chosen at a special election and did not take his seat till December 16, 1776, he had little opportunity to show his capacity. He was appointed by this Congress a J. P. and in July, 1777, became sheriff of Orange. In 1780-81 he was commissioner of specific supplies for Orange and in September, 1780, we find the Board of War ordering him to gather supplies for the defeated army of Gates. . . . His most important work seems to have been as a member of the General Assembly. He represented Orange in the lower house in 1783 and 1784 and in 1787 to 1792, inclusive, where he served on important committees and in 1788 was chairman of the whole. He was a commissioner to repair the public buildings in Hillsboro in 1782 and auditor of Hillsboro district in 1783 and 1784; was elected colonel of cavaliy for Hillsboro district in 1788 and brigadier-general in 1789, although against his desire. . . . He was a member of the Hillsboro Convention of 1788 from Orange County, and of the Fayetteville Convention of 1789 and was one of those prescient radicals who, like his neighbors David Caldwell and Thomas Person, voted uniformly against the adoption of the Federal Constitution. He was a member of the first board of trustees of the University of North Carolina and was elected a representative in the Third Congress, 1793-95. He was elected to the Fourth Congress, but died in Orange County, N. C., July 5, 1795. He was distinguished for his sound practical sense, his unblemished integrity and unflinching firmness. He married in February, 1767, Miss Mary Armstrong, of Orange County, and by her had twelve children, four sons and eight daughters; all of the sons and seven of the daughters married and had families. One of his sons was James Mebane, who represented Orange County in the lower house in 1818, 1820-24, was speaker in 1821 and was in the senate in 1828. He had been one of the earliest students in the University of North Carolina and a founder of the Dialectic Society. His wife was Elizabeth, the only child of William Kinchen, and one of their sons was the late Giles Mebane of Caswell County. William, another son of General Alexander Mebane, lived at Mason Hall, Orange County, while another, Dr. John Alexander Mebane, resided in Greensboro; their sister, Frances, married Rev. William D. Paisley, while another, Elizabeth, married William H. Goodloe, of Madi-son County, Miss. Wheeler states that General Alexander Mebane married as his second wife Miss Claypole, of Philadelphia. John Mebane, the fourth brother, also saw service in the Revolution. I have found one reference to John Mebane as "private and captain" . . . , but I know of nothing to identify him with the family of whom I am writing. In the absence of documentary materials we must again have access to the Narrative of James Mebane. He says: "Colonel John Mebane. late of Chatham County, entered as captain in the service of his country in the time of the Revolution. When Hillsboro was taken by the British and Tories, the Tories commanded by the notorious David Fanning, he was captured and with Thomas Burke, governor of the State, and William Kinchen and others, was marched under the Tory Colonel McDugal, who, although there was an attempt made by the Whigs to rescue them at Lindley's Mill [Cane Creek], succeeded in taking them to Wilmington, N. C., when they were put on board a prison ship and from there taken to Charleston, S. C., where they were still confined on board the ship for a long time, suffering extremely by the privations, heat, filth and vermin and the diseases common on board prison ships. As John Mebane and William Kinchen after their release were on their way home, Kinchen was taken sick and died. . . . Colonel John Mebane, late of Chatham County, was elected for that county, and served in the house of commons of the General Assembly in 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793 [also 1795], 1798 to 1803 [also 1807], 1808, 1809, 1811. About the close of the war [of the Revolution] he married Mrs. Sarah Kinchin, widow of William Kinchin, who died on his way home from the prison ship at Charleston, S. C, by whom he had one son, John Briggs Mebane, who represented the county in the house of commons in 1813, and one daughter, who married Thomas Hill, of Rockingham County." John Mebane's will is dated May 31, 1834. James Mebane, the fifth son, was also in the public service. He is probably the same as the James Mebane, sheriff of Orange County, who on May 21, 1784, was allowed £70 for executing fourteen criminals. . . . In the same year he was a commissioner to repair the public buildings in Hillsboro and Salisbury. In December, 1789, he was nominated as commissioner of confiscated property for Hillsboro district, and in 1790 was settling his accounts with the State. Mr. James Mebane's Narrative says: "Captain James Mebane was also actively employed during the Revolutionary war. He married Margaret Allen, of the Hawfields, by whom he had a large family of children. He died some years before his wife." David Mebane, the youngest son of Alexander Mebane, Sr., does not appear in the Colonial and State Records, but he served two terms in the militia and his campaigns were probably tours of duty to put down Tory marauders. He represented Orange County in the house of commons in 1808, 1809 and 1810. He married Miss Ann Allen of the Hawfields and had a large family of children, one of whom was George A. Mebane, of Mason Hall, merchant and postmaster, who was the father of Cornelius Mebane and grandfather of Robert S. Mebane, now secretary and treasurer of the Alamance Cotton Mills at Graham, N. C. After the death of his first wife David Mebane married Mrs. Elizabeth Yancey, of Caswell County, by whom he had a daughter, Martha Holt, of Arkansas. He died several years before his last wife. From this brief record it will be seen that few families in North Carolina contributed more to the founding of the commonwealth than did that of Alexander Mebane, of Orange County. (2) Shields, Ruth Herndon, Abstracts of Wills Recorded in Orange County, North Carolina, 1752-1800 and (202 Marriages Not Shown in the Orange County Marriage Bonds) and Abstracts of Wills Recorded in Orange County, North Carolina, 1800-1850 [Two Volumes in One], Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979, Vol. 1, p. 87: B-216 Will in Archives. Dated 30 April 1789, proved Feb '93. ALEXANDER MEBANE wife: name not stated. sons: William, Alexander, James, John. daus: Jennett Anderson, Ann Morrow, Margaret Murdaugh. granddaughter: Margaret Anderson. grandson: Alexander Anderson. Executors: Alexander Mebane, James Mebane. Witnesses: Thos. Mulholland, Edward Wilson, William Wilson. (3) www.findagrave.com: Alexander Mebane Birth: 1716, Ireland Death: 1792, Orange County, North Carolina, USA Father: William Mebane, Sr. Mother: Mary ? Married Mary Tinnin in 1740 in Pennsylvania . . . NOTE: Burial location unknown. Some researchers claim burial was in Hawfields Presbyterian Cemetery, but Church records don't support that. The details are as follow: Camille Aydt's research includes talking to the current pastor of the church, who reported that there is no record of an interment for either Alexander Mebane Sr. or his son, Alexander Mebane Jr. at the current [Second] Hawfields Presbyterian Church Cemetery. This church was rebuilt in 1859 and the only records of burials started in the early 1800's. The pastor also had a listing of people they believe were buried in the old [First] Hawfields Cemetery from early church records and neither Alexander was listed. The original church was built in the mid 1750's and the old cemetery has only a handful of stones, none of which are legible today and the cemetery itself is in total disrepair. Camille was also able to contact the greenskeeper for the Hawfields Presbyterian Church Cemetery, who confirmed that Alexander Mebane Sr. is not buried there. He did, however, tell her that Alexander was listed on the first church's roll in a book "Church in the Old Fields" by Herbert Turner. This source states that Alexander Mebane Sr. was too old for service during the Revolutionary War, but he used his grist mills to supply food for the war and that he was also the Sheriff in 1753. It is possible that both Alexander Sr. (died 1792) and Alexander Jr. (died 1795) are buried in the old [First] Hawfields Cemetery, but it may not be possible today to prove or disprove this theory. Diane Gravlee, who took the overview photo of the cemetery as posted for the Hawfields Presbyterian Church Cemetery on Findagrave, reports that the tall monument in the photograph is for Stephen A. White, who died in 1908 and the plot surrounded by the curbing is for the White family. Some researchers appear to be claiming the tall monument as Alexander Mebane Sr.'s grave marker and this is not correct. Family links: Spouse: Mary Tinnin Mebane (1716 - ____) Burial: Unknown Created by: RTerry Record added: Nov 20, 2008 Find A Grave Memorial# 31565702
  Person ID	I39693	Frost, Gilchrist and Related Families
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family	Mary TINNIN   d. Aft 30 Apr 1789
  Marriage	Abt 1740	PA
  Children	1. Gen. Alexander MEBANE, Jr.,   b. 26 Nov 1744, PA d. 5 Jul 1795, Orange County, NC (Age 50 years)
  Family ID	F17042	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024