Here are Five (5) Antebellum 1859-1860 State of North Carolina Bench Warrants and other “Superior Court of Law” Documents Signed by Rowan County, NC Politicians

THOMAS McNEELY

(1796 – 1866)

·          CIVIL WAR ERA CLERK OF THE ROWAN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT OF LAW,

·       CHAIRMAN OF THE FIRST BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF MOCKSVILLE, ROWAN COUNTY, NC AFTER THE TOWN'S INCORPORATION IN 1839,

·       POSTMASTER FOR MOCKSVILLE, NC, APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON ON JAN 4, 1830,

·       CO- TRUSTEE and BUILDER OF THE “MOCKSVILLE ACADEMY” ON SALISBURY ST., BUILT AROUND 1828, and

·       OWNER OF A STEAM-POWERED COTTON FACTORY THAT WENT BANKRUPT IN 1849 - - DURING THE CIVIL WAR, UNION GENERAL STONEMAN'S MEN BURNED THE UNUSED McNEELY MILL AROUND APRIL 11, 1865.

McNeely built and lived in what was later called the W. A. Weant house on Salisbury St. in Davie, NC in the early 1830's.

Since Rowan County was developed for tobacco, cotton cultivation, and mixed farming in the antebellum period, many of the plantation owners and some farmers were dependent on enslaved labor. The population of Rowan County was 27.1 percent slaves in 1860 – during the time these documents were executed.

<> 

Three of the documents are arrest warrants that bear the signature endorsement (on the verso) by

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS WALTON

(1815 – 1872)

CIVIL WAR ERA ROWAN COUNTY SHERIFF 1858-1865, and 1867-1872.

The three separate arrest warrants are for member of the Kennerly family in Rowan County, North Carolina, a family with a long-established local family history. 

One of the documents is signed by Two Confederate Rebel Privates, one wounded-in-action at the battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia:

DANIEL C. KENNERLY

~and~

GEORGE A. KENNERLY

<>

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES: THOMAS MCNEELY

Birth   30 Sep 1796

Death  4 Jun 1866 (aged 69), Rowan County, North Carolina, USA

Burial  Old English Cemetery, Salisbury, Rowan County, NC

Married Margaret Gaither on 3-20-1820; children were: Maria 1821-1838, Thomas Chalmers 1828-1895, Laura Emily 1830-1903, William Gaither 1832-1899, Julius Dwight 1835-1891, Francis M. Y. 1840-1865 and Amanda, dates unknown

Thomas was a merchant and was chairman of the first board of commissioners of Mocksville after it's incorporation in 1839. He was also a postmaster for Mocksville sometime after 1825. Thomas was one of the builders and trustees of the Mocksville Academy on Salisbury St. built around 1828. He built and lived in what was later called the W. A. Weant house on Salisbury St. in Davie, NC in the early 1830's. Thomas built and owned a steam powered cotton factory; when it went bankrupt in 1849 he moved to High Rue, Philadelphia and was listed as a salesman in the 1850 census. During the Civil War, Stoneman's men burned the unused mill around April 11, 1865. He had moved back to NC by 1860 and was living in Rowan County.

General Assembly

 Thomas McNeely one of original commissioners

 Mockville Town limits set at ½ mile in each direction of the court house.

Mocksville

 Mocks Old Field in late 1700s

 Post Office formed in 1810

 Town of Mocksville incorporated 1839 by NC

The documents are in very fine+ condition.

I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society & the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service & historical memorabilia online for over 25 years.~

WE ONLY SELL GENUINE ITEMS, i.e., NO REPRODUCTIONS, FAKES OR COPIES!