The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
George Wilfong was born on 18 May 1740 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Johannes and Elisabeth (Gruber) Wilfong.
George and his older brother Jacob came south in 1761 with Heinrich Weidner to a new settlement in North Carolina. Shortly after arrival, George married the young widow, Mary Poffh Mull, and they became the first marriage in the relatively new community and new congregation of the Dutch Meeting House, later to become Old St Paul's Lutheran Church in Newton, North Carolina. George and Mary had at least five children:
John Poffh was born on 8 April 1762 and was wounded at Kings Mountain. He married Hannah Sigmon.
Mary was born on 31 March 1765 and married Daniel Whitener.
Elizabeth was born on 18 March 1767 and married Jacob Cline.
Catherine was born about 1774 and married Andrew Hoyle.
Peter Poffh was born in 1775 and married Susan Hoyle.
Sally was born in 1778 and married Adam Gross.
George was referred to as "Adjutant of the Regiment" in the Revolutionary War Pension Application of Sarah Beekman, wife of Colonel Christopher Beekman. Rowan County, North Carolina, had two regiments and two sets of field officers. Of the second Regiment, Christopher Beekman was Colonel, Charles McDowell was Lieutenant Colonel, and Hugh Brevard and George Wilfong were Majors. In 1766, George was listed as a lieutenant in the North Carolina Militia. He was appointed Major with the Second Regiment of Rowan County by the Provincial Congress in 1776. He was associated with Major Hugh Brevard in Colonel William Beekman's Regiment.
After the Battle of King's Mountain, 7 October 1780, James Coyle/Cowles and John Brown or Jones, two notorious Tory plunderers, passed through Lincoln County and robbed the house of Major George Wilfong of everything they could carry away. They made off with two of his horses, using the clothesline for halters. Major Wilfong, with a party, followed the culprits, overtaking them near Wilkesboro. They recovered the horses, but the thieves escaped. Major Wilfong left the halters made of his clothesline with Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, with which to hang them should they ever be captured. Not long after, as they were returning to Ninety-Six District, they were captured by some of Cleveland's scouts and brought to Wilkesboro, and Colonel Cleveland had them hung with George's clothesline on the oak tree that is yet standing north of the courthouse at Wilkesboro.
George acquired much land after the war and was heavily involved in civic duties, often appearing at the Lincoln County, North Carolina, Court sessions at Lincolnton.
Burke County was formed from Rowan County, North Carolina, on 1 June 1777 during the mist of the war and named for Thomas Burke, a local delegate to the Continental Congress, and included today's Hickory, Newton, and Conover. George Wilfong, Christopher Beekman, Charles McDowell, Hugh Brevard, and several others were appointed to a commission to select a sight for the county seat, courthouse, and prison stocks in the center of the county. George Wilfong and Hugh Brevard opposed the location, which led to a petition to return the settlement in the South Fork area to Lincoln County because of the distance to the county seat. This was done in July 1784. By 1784, the Burke County Seat was chosen, and 100 acres were set aside for the town that was to be called Morgansborogh but became Morganton, North Carolina. Catawba County was not formed until 1842.
Some other recorded actions of George Wilfong were: The January session of Lincoln County Court of Pleas, Quarter Session 1785 called George to be on the Grand Jury. In January 1787, Session George was appointed to lay a road from Grosses Mill to the county line and a road from Three Trees Corner to Sherrill's Ford. In the July Session of 1787, George, along with four others, was appointed to lay out a wagon road from the Rutherford County line to the bridge on Liles Creek. In 1788, he was appointed overseer of the construction of a road from Captain Friday's district, past Heinrich Weidner's property to the county line, and chose persons to work on the road from Clark's Creek, South Fork area. In April 1795, he served on a committee with John Yoder to lay off a road from the Old Dutch Meeting House (today Old St Paul's Church) to Samuel Carpenter's place. George Wilfong, along with John Smith and Jacob Cline, appeared in court in April 1808 to lay off and provide provisions for the widow of Joseph Hart for a period of one year. Social programs for widows and orphans were basically unheard of at the time, but these men made it a point to take care of their community. George Wilfong was instrumental in building infrastructure in the South Fork Community of Lincoln County that became Catawba County, North Carolina, and continued to serve his nation, state, and county throughout his life.
George and his son John fought at King's Mountain, and he was noted for his bravery. The Patriot died on 3 November 1818 and was buried at Old St Paul's Lutheran Church in Newton, North Carolina.
Author: Charles Haywood Nixon Meagher
Major George Wilfong was born November 3 1740 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Johannes Wildfang. His mother’s name is unknown. Major Wilfong married Mary Poffh Mull in 1761 in the Dutch Meeting House Old St. Paul's Church, Catawaba, Lincoln, NC.
In the book "Historical Sketches of Willkes County" it states: "Trouble for the Tories" James Coyle and John Brown, two notorious Tory plunderers, passed through Lincoln county and robbed the house of Major George Wilfong of everthing they could carry away and then made off with a couple of his horses, using the clothesline for halters. Major Wilfong with a party following the culprits, overtaking them near Wilkesboro, recovering the horses, but the ruffians made good their escape. Major Wilfong left the halters made of his clothesline with Cleveland, with which to hang the rascals, should they ever be captured. Not long after, as they were returning to Ninety Six, they were captured by some of Cleveland's scouts and brought to Wilkesboro and Col. Cleveland had them hung with Wilfong's clothesline on the oak tree that is yet standing just north of the court house in Wilkesboro.
Major Wilfong, and his oldest son, John, were two of the Heroes who fought at the Battle of King's Mountain on October 7, 1780. John was wounded in the battle.
Wilfong died November 3 1818 in Lincoln County, North Carolina. He is buried in Old St Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, alongside his wife Mary, in the same place where the two were married.
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