Author: Tracy Brian Barfield
Jesse Barfield was born in Halifax County, NC on 21 January, 1737. Jesse's family resided in Ahoskie, NC and later moved to Duplin County, NC where Jesse married Sarah Castellaw on 3 January, 1756. Jesse and Sarah had the following children: Stephen, Frederick, Charity, Solomon, Lewis, Jon, Thomas C., and Mary Ann. There is mention of a possible intermarriage with the Tuscarora Indians with this Barfield family line (Source: Rootsweb ID: I219)

Pvt. Jesse Barfield served in the NC Militia in Duplin and Sampson Counties and took part in the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, serving there for 34 days. (Source: Militia Revolutionary War Records Duplin and Sampson Counties, NC 1997 By Virginia L. Bizzell and Oscar M. Bizzell). He also fought in the Battle of Camden along with his son Frederick Barfield who would later settle in Rutherford County Tennessee, and who is the namesake of Barfield, TN (unincorporated town near Murfreesboro)

Jesse left North Carolina and moved to Camden, Kershaw County, SC to join the South Carolina Militia under General Francis Marion. Jesse died in Camden, SC in 1780 when he was taken suddenly ill and died just a few miles from his home near the close of the Revolutionary War while driving cattle to the patriot army.

Ironically, there was another Jesse Barfield (family relation unknown) from the Marion County area, who was known as Jesse “The Tory” Barfield who fought against General Marion and the patriot cause.

There is a family story about Jesse Barfield included in the “HISTORY OF THE BARFIELD FAMILY” written by Garner Hughes who was a grandson of Catherine McCulloh Barfield, which read as follows:

"Jesse Barfield, the father of the family a sketch of which is written on the foregoing pages died near the close of the war while driving beef cattle to the Patriot Army. He was taken suddenly ill and died away from home, although he was but a few miles distant. After his death the mother lived with her oldest son, Frederick. She had the misfortune to lose her eyesight when he was an infant, and although she was the mother of nine children, he was the only one whose features she ever saw. She lived to be ninety yrs old and was ever cheerful and apparently happy."

There is reference of an historical account in “GOODSPEEDS HISTORY OF TN, the Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1886 which states Jesse and his son Frederick were in the Battle of Camden, South Carolina in the Revolutionary war. There is also reference to an application to General Francis Marion for payment of a horse, saddle and bridle made by Jesse's wife according to Mr. Gene Barfield, a descendant of Jesse the Tory. In addition, there is reference to Jesse in the book “SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND DESCENDANTS” by Joseph T. Maddox and Mary Carter, Georgia Pioneers Publication; 197[?], which shows Jesse Barfield (1738-1780) as a patriot and shows him being married to a Sara Castillo [Sarah Castellaw].