Display Patriot - P-327613 - John MCNEELY

John MCNEELY

SAR Patriot #: P-327613

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.
 

State of Service: NC      Qualifying Service: Private

Birth: 01 Dec 1756 / / PA
Death: bef Nov 1843 / Rowan / NC

Additional References:
  1. Rev War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files - NARA microfilm publication M804, Roll 1,698, pg 14
  2. A Census of Pensioner for Rev War or Military Services 1841, North Carolina, Rowan County, pg 140

Spouse: Margaret XX;
Children: David;
Members Who Share This Ancestor
Date Approved Society ACN SAR Member Info Lineage via Child View Application Detail
2013-01-21 NC 50577 Bobby Jay Ervin (180508) David   
2013-04-30 NC 52853 Zachary James Thompson (181841) David   
2013-04-30 NC 52854 David Nicholas Morketter (181842) David   
2013-04-30 NC 52855 William Jay Morketter (181843) David   
Burial:
Back Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery (C-0372226)
Location:
Mount Ulla / Rowan / NC / USA
Find A Grave Cemetery #:
1988136
Grave Plot #:
Sec J;Row #1,
Grave GPS Coordinates:
35.651160 / -80.706735
Find A Grave Memorial #:
85099914
Marker Type:
SAR
SAR Grave Dedication Date:
16 Aug 2014

Comments:

Photoo by permission: Bob Ervin, North Carolina Society SAR



Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:


Author: Bob Ervin
John McNeely was born in Pennsylvania on 01 December 1856. He moved to Rowan County, NC sometime prior to 1779 with his parents David and Margaret McNeely. In 1779, he enlisted as a private in the North Carolina Militia in a company commanded by Captain Cowan in the 1st Rowan Regiment under Colonel Matthew Locke, and General Rutherford. He served a tour of 3 months. He served under Captain Belk for an additional 3 months in Colonel Locke’s 1st Rowan Regiment.

After his service, he returned home to Rowan County, NC.

He married Margaret Elizabeth Kilpatrick on 27 February 1787. Elizabeth was one of the daughters of John Kilpatrick, who was also a Revolutionary War soldier. This was a second marriage for John.

John and Elizabeth had three sons: David born in 1800, James Kelsey born on 02 Jul 1807 and Ebenezer. They had several daughters who are not named.

John was granted a pension (S7261) in 1833. Margaret was also granted a widow pension based on John’s service in the Revolutionary War.

In John’s will, dated November 1843, he left to his “beloved wife Margaret” a mare named Smith, a Bible, a saddle, a spinning wheel, bed and bedding and the maintenance of his land during her widowhood. To his daughters (not named) he left a bible, a horse, saddle, bed and bedding. To his son David, he left five dollars, to James twenty dollars, and to Ebenezer his land and utensils, horses and cattle, sheep and hogs and household furniture for the use of the family.

He is shown on the 1840 census living in Rowan County, NC at age 84. John resided in Rowan County, North Carolina until his death on 15 October 1843. He was a member of the Thyatira Presbyterian Church with his parents. He moved his membership to Back Creek Presbyterian Church, Mount Ulla, Rowan County, North Carolina sometime after 1803 when the church was formed. He is buried at Back Creek Cemetery in Plot: Section J; Row # 1. His grave was marked by SAR on 14 August 2014.

John must have had a lot of respect for his Regimental Commander, Colonel Matthew Locke. His grandson was named John Locke McNeely, a civil war soldier who was killed at the Battle of Richmond on 11 July 1862.

Sources:

SAR RC 180508, 181841, 181842 & 1818843
Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, Roll 1,698, p. 14).
A Census of Pensioner for Revolutionary War or Military Services 1841, North Carolina, Rowan County, p. 140


Send a biographical sketch of your patriot!

Patriot biographies must be the original work of the author, and work submitted must not belong to another person or group, in observance with copyright law. Patriot biographies are to be written in complete sentences, follow the established rules of grammar, syntax and punctuation, be free of typographical errors, and follow a narrative format. The narrative should unfold in a logical manner (e.g. the narrative does not jump from time period to time period) or have repeated digressions, or tell the history of the patriot's line from the patriot ancestor to the author. The thinking here is that this is a patriot biography, not a lineage report or a kinship determination project or other report published in a genealogy journal. The biography should discuss the qualifying service (military, patriotic, civil) of the patriot ancestor, where the service was rendered, whether this was a specific state or Continental service, as well as significant events (as determined by the author) of the patriot's life. This is the entire purpose of a patriot's biography.

Additional guidelines around the Biography writeup can be found here:

Send your submission1, in a Microsoft Word compatible format, to patriotbios@sar.org for inclusion in this space

1Upon submission of a patriot biography, the patriot biography becomes the property of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and may be edited to conform to the patriot biography submission standards.

Additional Information:
  • No DAR GRS record found - Sep 2022
  • John's father, David, is also an SAR Patriot (P-329175)


© 2025 - National Society of the American Revolution (NSSAR)