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.
Birth: 08 Apr 1762 Newton / / NC Death: 18 Jun 1838 / Lincoln / NC
Qualifying Service Description:
Captain JOHN SIGMAN, Colonel CHARLES MCDOWELL, NC; CAPTs COWAN, JOHNSON, Colonel SAMUEL HAMMOND, SC
Wounded in Battle of Kings Mountain. Recovered to fight again at Eutaw Springs
Additional References:
Pension # S7951
Spouse: Hanna Sigmon Children: Sarah; George; John; Elizabeth; Mary; Susannah;
Members Who Share This Ancestor
None*
*This means that the NSSAR has no applications for this Patriot on file.
Instead the information provided is best effort, and from volunteers who have either researched grave sites, service records, or something similar. There is no documentation available at NSSAR HQ to order.
Photos used with permission of Fredrick Arnold Weyler, Andrew Jackson Chapter, TNSSAR and Beb Setser, NC SAR
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
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Author: Fredrick Arnold Weyler
John Wilfong was a son of George Wilfong born 08 Apr 1762 at Newton, NC. John married Hanna Sigmon 17Apr1787. He died 18 Jun 1838 and was buried at Old St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery in Catawba County NC.
With Lt Van Horn in John Sigmon’s Company of Burke County NC militia, John retreated from Patrick Ferguson to refuge on the Watauga. Wilfong returned with the Virginians and was wounded in the left arm at Kings Mountain on 07Oct1780. Recovered at home by Summer 1781 and joined SC Col. Samuel Hammonds at the battle of Eutaw Springs. Neither Wilfong nor any of the Burke County casualties are listed on the Kings Mountain battlefield monument with their compatriots who also shed blood.
In 1822 John received a $24.00 per year pension from the state of North Carolina. In 1832 he was awarded a federal pension ( http://www.revwarapps.org/s7951.pdf). Kings Mountain veteran Vardry McBee was a civil servant administering Wilfong’s pension.
John was active in Whig Politics, was an elector for Martin Van Buren, opposed Hugh Lawson White of Tennessee, and toasted James Pinckney Henderson who was serving with Sam Houston in Texas seeking independence.
Author: SN Bennett Lee Setser
John Poffin Wilfong Sr was born in Lincoln County, North Carolina (today Catawba County) on the 8th of April 1762, the first son of George Henry and Mary Poffh Mull Wilfong. John Married Hannah Sigmon on the 17th of April, 1787, and they raised six children.
John served during the Revolution War in Colonel McDowell's Regiment and later with General Pickens. He enlisted in the Whig Militia on the 1st of September 1780 under the command of Colonel McDowell and in the Company of Captain Sigman and Lieutenant Van Horn. He marched to Morganton, North Carolina, then Cane Creek, at Burke County, North Carolina, and finally to Watauga County, North Carolina.
John Wilfong returned with Colonels Sevier, Campbell, and Shelby to Cane Creek, and from there, on to the Cowpens, where they were joined by the troops commanded by Colonels Cleveland, Williams, and Lincoln. The force crossed the Broad River and fought at Kings Mountain.
At Kings Mountain, Wilfong was wounded in the left arm and returned home the following day. After his recovery, he returned to service in July 1781 and served for ten months with General Greene.
He fought at the Battle of Eutaw Springs on the 6th of September, 1781. In March 1782, he marched with Captain Jesse Johnson against the Cherokee nation and served the remainder of his enlistment under General Pickens in South Carolina.
The Wilfong family home was destroyed in a fire during a raid by Cherokee tribesmen. In 1838, 76-year-old John was on his way to the Springs alone, about fourteen miles from his home. After traveling about five miles, he was noticed by some neighbors, and after another hour or two, his horse was found tied to a tree and his unresponsive body in the woods about three miles from his home. He apparently was taken ill, turned back, and is supposed to have lain down to rest. Every means was employed by his family and neighbors to revive him to no avail as he died there.
John Wilfong is buried at Old St Paul's Lutheran Church in Newton, North Carolina. The inscription on his gravestone reads:
"He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, A true lover of his country. Died beloved and regretted By all who knew him. Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord."
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