John Sloan (1740 - 1780)

Born 2 Aug 1740 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Green) Sloan — married 23 Dec 1765 in Rowan County, NC

Descendants

Died 20 Jun 1780 at age 39 in Ramsours Mill, Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

Captain John Sloan served with North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

John Sloan is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A105281.

John Sloan is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 291130
Rank: Captain / Patriotic Service

John Sloan was born 2 Aug 1740 in Lancaster Co., PA to Archibald and Margaret Warren Sloan.^[1]. The father, Archibald, brought members of his family, including John, to Rowan County, NC before the American Revolution. John settled in the Northwest part of Rowan County, which became Iredell County later, in the area of Snow Creek, which is a tributary of Fourth Creek.

There were several John Sloans in Rowan County during this time period, but he was the only one living near Fourth Creek.

He is probably the John Sloan that served on the Rowan County Committee of Safety.^[2] (See link in notes below.)

John Sloan served as a Militia Captain during the American Revolution under Col. Francis Locke. He was killed in action during the Battle of Ramsour's Mill in Lincoln Co., NC on 20 Jun 1780. Some researchers have claimed that it was Robert Sloan of Paw Creek in Mecklenburg Co., NC that was the Captain Sloan killed at Ramsour's, and his FindAGrave entry perpetuates that myth. No record of Robert Sloan as an NC Militiaman from either Rowan or Mecklenburg Co., NC has been found. Sources confirm that it was this person that is the proper individual. The Rev. War Pension application of William McHargue^[3] names Capt. John Sloan as a Captain under Francis Locke who was killed in battle with the Tories on the South Fork of the Catawba River in Lincoln Co., NC in 1780. There was only one battle fought at that location - Battle of Ramsour's Mill.

John Sloan, while a young man of 38, wrote his Will in 1779. In it he left his sword to his son Jeremiah and his "smooth bore" (musket) to his son John. He also mentioned his wife Mary, son Archibald and daughters Margaret & Mary. A third daughter, Anna, had not yet been born. His Executors were Patrick & Archibald Sloan, and the witnesses were William Sharpe, Jacob Sharpe and J. Cathey. His Will was proved by James Cathey 6 Nov. 1780 and Administration was granted to Mary & Archibald Sloan.

Patrick Sloan was John's brother. Archibald is probably his other brother, but there were three Archibald Sloans at the time. His father, Archibald, was still alive in Rowan County. His brother Archibald was also a Revolutionary soldier in Francis Locke's Regiment. His son Archibald was not yet of legal age.

His spouse, Mary Green (1740-1830), is believed to be the daughter of Jeremiah Green^[4]

Children:

1. Archibald Sloan (1766-1836), married Rebecca Guy, moved to Crawford County, Indiana
2. Margaret Sloan
3. John Sloan (1769
4. Jeremiah Green Sloan (1775-1841), married Nancy Jordan in Salisbury, North Carolina in about 1809
5. Mary Sloan
6. Anna Sloan Stewart (1780-1846), married David Stewart, moved to Crawford County, Indiana

Death: Captain John Sloan was killed at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill on Jun 20, 1780.^[5]

Will

Will of John Sloan, Rowan Co., NC, 7 Aug 1779^[6]
(reformatted from original to improve readability)

IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I John Sloan of the County of Rowan of State of North Carolina being in health of body and of perfect mind and memory, Thanks be given unto God, calling unto mind the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for man to die, do make and ordain this my last Will & Testament. That is to say, principally and first of all, I give and recommend my Soul into the hand of Almighty God that give it, and recommend my body I recommend to the Earth, to be buried in a decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Executors, nothing doubting but at the general Resurrection I shall have the same again, by the mighty power of God. And as touching such worldly estate wherewith it pleases god to bless me in this life, I give devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form.

First, I will that all my lawful debts be carefully discharged.

Second, I give and bequeath to Mary my dearly beloved wife, one bay mare called Phenia, and sorrel mare, three milk cows, one heifer and two mares, taking her choice of all the sheep and hogs together with all my household goods, and plantation utensils, and two thirds of the plantation while she lives unmarried allowing her to keep the children and school them, having them taught to read, right and cypher legible, but if she marries, I will the children to be put to trades, such as they may choose, under good Christian masters and mistresses, the boys to serve until eighteen and no longer, and the girls until fifteen years of age, no longer and her right to the plantation then to be void if of none effect. And only one third of the sheep, hogs, household goods and plantation utensils to be her property, with her saddle and bridle, the other two thirds to be equally divided amongst the children. I also wish to her to a sixth part of my books, loom and taclings, to be her property forever.

I give to my well beloved son Archibald my lot of books in the Grammar School, and the sixth of my other books, together with the choice of the spring colts and that entry of land where James Cathey now lives, with all my clothes, a rifle gun and the new saddle and bridle when finished and one hundred pounds lawful money of this state to carry him on in his learning.

Also I give to my beloved sons John and Jeremiah my lot of books, in Fourth Creek new library with their equal part of the other books and the plantation on which I dwell, to be divided equally betwixt them, if it cannot be divided, into two places, in that case three honest men are to be chosen to value said land, at the time it falls in their hands, or John must pay Jeremiah half of the value and take all the land for his part: but if any of the boys die before their estate comes in their hands, their part shall be equally divided betwixt the surviving brothers. I give the smooth bore to John and my sword to Jeremiah, and a hive of Bees to each of them, and I give my sun dial to John..

Also, I give my well beloved daughters, Margaret and Mary the other two sixth part of my books, together with one hundred pounds each lawful money of this state, to be raised and levied out of my Estate.

Also I will that the horse creatures and meat cattle, not herein bequeathed, be sold and that sum thence arising with my other Debts to repay the sums of money herein mentioned and the remainder equally divided amongst all my children.

I likewise make and ordain Mary my dearly beloved wife Executrix, and Patrick and Archibald Sloan executors of this my last Will and Testament, And aIso hereby utterly disallow, revoke, and disannul all and every other former Testament, Wills, Legacies, bequeaths and Executors by me in any ways before - named null and bequeath, ratifying and confirming this and not other to be my last Will and Testament.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this Seventh Day of August in the Year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and Seventy-nine.

Signed, Sealed published, pronounced, and declared by the said John Sloan, as his last Will and Testament in the presence of us, who in his presence, and in the presence of each other have hereto subscribed our names.

William Sharpe

Jacob Sharpe

J. Cathey.

Added in margin:

Whatever tools of any trade I have, I allow to be divided amongst the three boys, and kept for the use of the family, until some of the boys come of age & want their part --- Excepting the loom & taclings I give to Mary, my beloved wife forever -- I also allow my watch and what gold and silver I have to be sold at public sale and divided among the children. Whatever kind of grain, feed [flax?], hay or fodder, I leave for the support of the family and stock, and none to be sold unless my wife sees fit to do so.

Jno Sloan.

Will Proved

(Monday Nov 6, 1780) "Will of John Sloan proved by James Cathey. Mary & Archibald Sloan are Exrs."^[7]

Notes

Patrick Sloan Bible Record of Rowan Co. NC. and Smith Co. TN.^[1]

Archibald Sloan and Margret Sloan was married August the 2 Day 1739

John Sloan their son was Born August the 2, 1740

Isabella Sloan their Daughter was Born July 10th , 1742

Mary Sloan was Born Febuary 14th , 1745

Patrick Sloan was Born June 27th , 1747

Jean Sloan was Born June 18th 1750

Margaret & Arch.d was Born June 3rd 1753

Elizabeth Sloan was Born December 7th,1756

Samuel Sloan was Born August 3rd, 1758

Healenor Sloan was Born January 5th 1761

This memorandum was wrote February 18th, 1773

By Me Patrick Sloan

Rowan Co., NC Committee of Safety

There were several John Sloan's of Rowan County, NC at the time of the American Revolution, but only this one seems to have taken an active role in the Revolution, and it is probable that he was the John Sloan who served on the Rowan Co., NC Committee of Safety.

• Rowan County (N.C.). Committee of Safety October 17, 1775 - October 18, 1775
• Rowan County (N.C.). Committee of Safety February 06, 1776 - February 08, 1776
• Rowan County (N.C.). Committee of Safety May 07, 1776 - May 08, 1776

The Battle of Ramseur's Mill^[8]

(Excerpts)

"Hearing that the Tories were embodying in Tryon County, he (Gen. Griffith Rutherford) ordered Colonel Francis Locke, of Rowan, and Major David Wilson, of Mecklenburg, to raise a force in northern Mecklenburg and west Rowan to disperse the Tories, as he did not think his present force could undertake this task until Lord Rawdon's intentions were developed..."

"Taking the Beattie's Ford Road, he soon met Major Joseph McDowell with twenty-five men, among whom were Captain Daniel McKissick and John Bowman. Major McDowell, who had been moving about the country awaiting reinforcements, probably informed him of the position occupied by the Tories. These troops, in order to unite with the forces being raised by Colonel Locke, kept the road up the river, passing Beattie's Ford, and three miles above, Captains Falls, Houston, Torrence, Reid, and Caldwell, who had crossed at McEwen's Ford with forty men, joined them. McEwen's Ford was near where McConnell's Ferry was, up to 1870, but both ford and ferry have long been abandoned.

"Marching the road that is now the Newton Road, past Flemming's Cross Roads, they camped on Mountain Creek at a place called the "Glades," sixteen miles from Ramsaur's. Here, on the 19th, they received additional forces under Colonel Locke, amounting to two hundred and seventy men, among whom were Captains Brandon, Sharpe, William Alexander, Smith, Dobson, Sloan, and Hardin. Colonel Locke had collected most of this force as he proceeded up the river and had crossed with them at Sherrill's Ford, which is used to this day, and where General Morgan crossed the following January. The whole force now amounted to about four hundred - McDowell's, Fall's, and Brandon's men (perhaps one hundred) being mounted."

"Leaving the mountain, Colonel Locke's force would follow the "State" Road until they came into what is now Buffalo Shoal Road, then into Sherrill's Ford Road as it ran to Ramsaur's Mill.

There seems to have been three attacking parties: first, mounted men, probably under McDowell, on the old road; second, mainly infantry under Locke, on the Tuckasegee Road, upon which the Tory picket was placed, near where the Burton residence is now; third, Captain Hardin, who came over the hill where Lincolnton now stands, then through the ravine near McLoud's house and gained position on the right flank of the Tories.

"...Among the Whigs killed were Captains Dobson, Falls, Armstrong, Smith, Sloan, and Bowman."

"Captain John Sloan was from Fourth Creek."

Rev War Pension Application of William McHargue (& Sarah) R6731^[3]

"In August 1780 I volunteered in Rowan County State of North Carolina into the Militia service in the Company of John Sloan Capt as Minute Man, under this obligation of service I spent about 5 months or more under the command of Col. Lock and marched through different parts of North Carolina and at one time had a battle with the Tories in Lincoln County on the South fork of the Catawba, we whipped the tories having killed 60 of the tories we lost 18 men one of these was my brother in law John McBroom who fell in a few feet of me- our Capt John Sloan and Lieutenant Archy McHary was among the slain."

(Researcher's note on McHargue Pension by Tim Treadwell) William McHargue was a close neighbor to Capt. John Sloan on Snow Creek in NW Rowan County, NC. McHargue states his service with Capt. Sloan began August 1780 which was after the date of the Battle of Ramsour's Mill. Without naming the location as Ramsour's, he otherwise describes the location and battle at Ramsour's. McHargue made his application 26 Nov 1832, so possibly the intervening 52 years had slightly affected his memory of the actual dates.

Rev War Pension Application of Jonathan Hunt, S18048^[9]

State of Kentucky Barren County This day Jonathan (Who Has Been an applicant for a Pension as a private in the Revolutionary War as will appear by reference to his application & declaration & amended declaration as certified by the clerk of Barren County Court dated 17 July 1833) Personally appeared in Open Court before me a Circuit Judge of the Barren Circuit Court and made oath...We had an engagement with the Tories, .... at Ramsour's Mill Colonel Francis Locke commanded as Colonel & Captain John Sloan commanded as Captain & was killed there & James Rutherford commanded as Major. Given under my hand this 17 March 1834 S/ Jonathan Hunt, H his mark

NC Land Grants^[10]

Iredell Co. File No. 77, John Sloan

Issued 07 Jul 1794 for 400 acres "On Snow Creek beg. at a white oak"

Patent Book image

NARRATIVE: John Sloan was issued 400 acres of land on 07 Jul 1794 in Iredell County, located "On Snow Creek beg. at a white oak". This was recorded in Land Patent Book 82 page 271 as Iredell County Grant # 68. The original request for this land was entered on 25 Jun 1779 and assigned Iredell County Entry # 648. It took 15 years exactly to issue the grant.

Iredell Co. File No. 101, Archibald Sloan

Issued 07 Jul 1794 for 400 acres "On Snow Creek beg. at a white oak"

Patent Book image

Grant 1 of 4

NARRATIVE: Archibald Sloan was issued 400 acres of land on 07 Jul 1794 in Iredell County, located "On Snow Creek beg. at a white oak". This was recorded in Land Patent Book 82 page 281 as Iredell County Grant # 92. The original request for this land was entered on 17 Jun 1778 and assigned Iredell County Entry # 603. It took 16 years and 1 month to issue the grant.

Iredell Co. File No. 135, Archibald Sloan

Issued 07 Jul 1794 for 500 acres "On Snow Creek including the High Shoals"

Patent Book image

Grant 2 of 4

NARRATIVE: Archibald Sloan was issued 500 acres of land on 07 Jul 1794 in Iredell County, located "On Snow Creek including the High Shoals". This was recorded in Land Patent Book 82 page 293 as Iredell County Grant # 126. The original request for this land was entered on 05 Oct 1779 and assigned Iredell County Entry # 2258. It took 14 years and 9 months to issue the grant.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Patrick Sloan Bible Record of Rowan Co. NC. and Smith Co. TN. Posted by Frank Mitchell (Sloan Researcher Extraordinaire) to RootsWeb: Sloan Message Board on Thu, 06 May 1999. Frank credits Loretta Sloan Davidson of Atwood, Tn. for providing a copy in 1987. Location of original unknown. Message retrieved through Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
2. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 4 April 2024), "Record of John Sloan", Ancestor # A105281.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Rev War Pension Application of William McHargue (& Sarah) R6731, Knox Co., KY, Archived on Fold3.com: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Publication Number: M804, Record Group: 15, Roll: 1685, Pg 11.
4. ↑ #Heritage
5. ↑ #Tracks, #Keever, #Heritage
6. ↑ Will of John Sloan, Rowan Co., NC, 7 Aug 1779. Oriinal Document: NC State Archives, Jones St., Raleigh, NC - Rowan Co. Wills - John Sloan 1779. On Ancestry.com: North Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, Rowan, Film Roll: "Original Wills, Morris, Benjamin - Verble, Daniel". Imgs 1197-1199
7. ↑ Rowan Co., NC Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, 6 Nov 1780. Abstracts of Minutes. Ancestry.com: North Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998. Rowan. Film Roll: "Abstracts of Minutes, 1753-1795", 406
8. ↑ Maj. William A. Graham, "THE BATTLE OF RAMSAUR'S MILL, JUNE 20, 1780". Webpage: The Battle of Ramseur's Mill Carolana, © 2011 - J.D. Lewis - PO Box 1188 - Little River, SC 29566
9. ↑ Rev War Pension Application of Jonathan Hunt, S18048. Archived on Fold3.com: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Publication Number: M804, Record Group: 15, Roll: 1371, Pg 57.
10. ↑ Website: NC LAND GRANT IMAGES AND DATA

• Source: Iredell Piedmont County, by Homer M. Keever, with illustrations by Louise Gilbert and maps by Mildred Jenkins Miller, published for the Iredell County Bicentennial Commission by Brady Printing Company from type set by the Statesville Record and Landmark, copyright, November 1976, see Iredell, Piedmont County, Captain John Sloan: pp 66, 74, lived along Snow Creek; killed at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill
• The Heritage of Iredell County, 1980, published by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County, Statesville, North Carolina. page 490, Cap. John Sloan, No 581, article by Ralph Sloan; page 490, Captain John Sloan, No 582, by Monita Horn.
• "Genealogical Society of Iredell County, Inc., NC Revolutionary Soldiers’ Graves – Iredell, Davie & Alexander Co., Iredell County Tracks, Fall 2006." See Part 1 and Part 2
• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed date), "Record of John Sloan", Ancestor # A105281.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #50029211 retrieved Jan 14, 2018, Captain John Sloan, Ramsour's Mill Battleground, Lincoln County, North Carolina
• Granville grant on 27 Nov 1757 in Rowan County, North Carolina