General Joseph Martin Chapter

Cumberland Gap, TN

 


Cumberland Gap Patriot



Stephen Jones

 
Stephen Jones was born on August 19, 1750 in St. Mart County Maryland. In 1770, Jones married Mary Adams and had 7 children from this union. In 1772, Jones moved to Surry county NC.
     In 1779, at the age of 29, Jones began his Revolutionary war career by signing up for a 3 month enlistment in the North Carolina Line as a private under the command of Richard Cook. For the next 3 months they marched around the Catawba River gathering information on the Catawba Indians and their Tory allies.
Later Jones and his fellow troops marched to the Yadkin River in Granville NC where they came across a British Company. The baggage train of the Continentals soon came under fire from the British army. After a brief skirmish, the British were soon defeated and taken prisoner. After this engagement, Jones was discharged from the army.
 In 1780, Jones reenlisted and fought at the battle of Cross creek, a minor skirmish in Surry county NC. In March 1781, Jones said he was with a Col. Haynes Morgan at Guilford courthouse.
    At Guilford Courthouse, the NC militia was placed on the first line of defense and took the brunt of British sharpshooters and was forced to retreat to Winn’s mill in Guilford County NC. After Guilford courthouse, Jones moved back to Surry County.
 In 1782, Jones moved to lee county VA making him one of the first pioneer families to do so. In 1794, Jones would be part of the Vincent Hobbs militia to capture Chief Robert Benge of the Cherokee Indians.
Benge started his raids in 1785 by attacking the Archibald Scott family at Wallen Creek. These raids continued until 1794. In April 1794, Vincent Hobbs and his militia waited for Benge at Stone Gap, a gap used by both the Shawnee and Cherokee for their raids into Lee County. Benge was in route bringing some prisoners his braves had captured to be adopted into their tribe to replace family members killed by the white settlers. Hobbs and his men ambushed Benge killing him and 3 Indian braves. This was the last Indian battle fought in Southwest VA.
 In 1794, Jones moved to Harlan County. Jones was the first settler to settle in the Verde KY region. In 1807, Mary, Jones’s first wife died and was buried in Verde KY.  Later that year Jones married Nancy Thompson. In 1828, Nancy died and also buried in Verde KY. Later that year Jones marred Susannah Wilburn.
In 1832, Jones applied for a pension for his service in the revolutionary war. Sometime before 1840, Jones died and was buried near Jones creek    

 


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