| Notes |
The following notes are based primarily on (a) John Monroe's will, (b) the publication entitled "Pathfinders Past and Present: A History of Davidson County, North Carolina" (c) The Monroe File in the McCubbins Collection, Rowan County Library, Salisbury, NC. and (d) research done by Hattie Ree Lanier Snellings of Lexington, NC. Much of this information was collected by Stephen Pate and supplemented by additional info furnished by Chris Morgan. Both Stephen and Chris are direct descendants of John Monroe.
Ms. Snellings' research suggests that John Monroe married a Sally Sheperd ( ? Shepherd/Sheppard) on Feb. 8, 1787 when he was nearly31 years old. His age at this marriage indicates the strong possibility that John may have been married even earlier. Following his marriage to Sally Sheperd he is known to have married Sally Daniel on Jan. 25, 1806. Sally, at the time of their marriage, is believed to have lived in Clemmonsville Township(now part of Forsyth County). Her parents were Randal (Randolph ?) Daniel and Lucy Smith Lanier.
John Monroe is buried in the cemetery behind the Old Mount Vernon Church located on the south side of Friendship-Ledford Road--approximately one-fourth of a mile from the intersection of Friendship-Ledford
Rd and Old Lexington Road (near the Forsyth County-Davidson County Line.
Based on information in the McCubbins Collection, it is apparent that John Monroe, known to have emigrated from Scotland in Great Britain, was a respected, well- educated gentleman --the owner of considerable property. He was an active participant and served with distinction in the affairs of his adopted land.
The McCubbins Collection ( Book 9, Page 388) states that on Oct. 10, 1783 John Manrow (Monroe) received a State of NC grant of 250 acres on the Sand Run waters of Abbots Creek located in the northeast corner of present-day Davidson County and southwest Forsyth County. Could this be the land John owned at his death near Dobson's Cross Roads.
Other land entries show that John Monroe bought and sold several tracts of land in the Abbots Creek area between 1783 and 1815. It is believed that John settled in this area (then part of Rowan County) in the early 1780's. By 1775 a small settlement had been built, at the site of present-day Lexington, on the road leading from Salisbury to Greensboro.
Abstracts of early land records reveal that as early as May 7, 1783 John Monroe was overseer from the Guilford Line to Brushy Fork (an arm of Abbots Creek). He was qualified repeatedly by the Court, as early as Feb. 4, 1784, to serve as a Deputy Sheriff under John Brevard, Esq. He was listed, on Nov. 6, 1784 and repeatedly thereafter, as a collector in Captain Davis' Company. On Feb. 8, 1787 it is recorded that "James Cra(n)ford, James Daniel and John Monrow(e), Esquires appeared in Court and in consequence of a Commission to Them Directed took the Oath prescribed for the Qualification of Public Officers and an Oath of Office as Justices". It appears that John Monroe served as a Justice of the Peace until his death in 1831.
John Monroe, according to "Pathfinders Past and Present-A History of Davidson County, NC", had an integral role in the founding of Davidson County, NC (1822). The area from which the new county was formed was not heavily populated. There were only two villages, Lexington and Clemmonsville.
John and one of his sons, Henry, are listed as two of the first 36 Justices of the Peace who met in Lexington, NC in Jan., 1823 to serve as Davidson County's first Court of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions. It is recorded that John Monroe was unanimously elected to serve as Chairman of the new county's first Court of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions, a position he held for three years.
In March, 1824 John, in his capacity as Chairman of the Court, received 25 acres of land adjoining the village of Lexington for construction of a courthouse and a jail.
The listing of John Monroe's children--by Sally Sheperd(? Shepherd/Sheppard) and Sally Daniel--is based primarily on his will, probated in 1832, and by additional information collected by Hattie Ree Snellings (referenced above). Information concerning the ties between John Monroe's descendants and the MARKLAND family was furnished by several researchers, including B. Zimmerman and Billy Markland.
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1756 - 1831 (75 years)
