The Big Man of Salisbury

By Eilene Lyon

My North Carolina German family lines did not make that colony/state their first stop on this continent. For the most part, they arrived in Philadelphia and settled in established German communities in Pennsylvania.

They, or their descendants, later moved to North Carolina where good land could be had for less money. There was a 435-mile-long road leading from Philadelphia to western North Carolina. The maps below show the route from Philadelphia through Lancaster and York, then bending south through Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.¹

This interactive map show the major points along the route to western North Carolina. You can zoom in to see details.

These German lines all stem from my great-grandfather, Sterling Price Davis. Looking at the third and fourth columns in the pedigree chart below, the German lines are: Mock, Hoover, Beard, Snapp, Leibengut, Hornberger, and Eddinger. I suspect Jesse Taggart’s (second column) line is also German, but he’s currently a brick wall.

Most of these names were directly translated or changed phonetically to be Americanized: Mack/Mock, Huber/Hoover, Barth/Beard, Schnepp/Snapp, Leibengut/Livengood. I have not done much research into the Hornbergers or Eddingers, though I’ve found several different spellings for Eddinger. John Lewis Beard will be the primary focus of this post.

John Lewis Beard relocated to North Carolina in the 1750s. The others came after the Revolution or just prior. Some of them served during the war, all on the side of the Americans. Born Johann Ludwig Barth in Germany about 1715, Beard arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 at the age of 34.²

Embracing his new homeland, he Anglicized his name, settled in North Carolina, in the Salisbury District, and soon became an important citizen of the region. The Salisbury District encompassed (at the time of the Revolution) Anson, Tryon, Surry, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and Rowan Counties.

Sometime prior to his arrival in Salisbury (perhaps along the way!), Beard married Christiana Snapp of the Opequon Settlement in Frederick County, Virginia. Christiana married at 14 and had her first child at 15. That seems awfully young, considering Beard was 22 years her senior.

Beard established a farm on Crane Creek in Rowan County, and a butcher shop in the new town of Salisbury nearby.³ He obtained a license to run an ordinary or inn there in 1756.⁴ He later also ran a tannery.⁵

In 1768, Beard deeded an acre of land to the German Evangelical Lutheran congregation for a graveyard and church. This gift resulted from the death and burial of a daughter, but I can find no record for this child. It was the first Lutheran church in western North Carolina and used by other denominations, as well.⁶

Eleven Salisbury town commissioners, including Beard, were appointed by statute in 1770.⁷ An interesting document from 1772 issued by the Salisbury District Chief Justice, Martin Howard, to the county coroner ordered the latter to round up Daniel Boone, John Lewis Beard, and Rob Johnson to bring them into court to pay a debt.⁸

In 1774, after the Boston Tea Party led to the British blockade of Massachusetts, the other colonies rallied to support their embattled peer in New England. The North Carolina citizens soon set up Committees of Safety. Beard was appointed to serve on the committee of 25 men for Rowan County.⁹ This committee issued a list of resolutions. Though it started with one avowing loyalty to the Crown, the remainder were clearly revolutionary in character.

They state an unequivocal support for the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Boston; that only the General Assembly of the colony has the authority to levy taxes on the citizens; any taxes imposed by Parliament deprive them of their property without consent; and a great deal more. One that stands out states:

“Resolved, That the African trade is injurious to this colony, obstructs the population of it by freemen, prevents manufacturers and other useful emigrants from Europe from settling among us, and occasions an annual increase of the balance of trade against the colonies.”¹⁰

Of course, some of the men writing this document were slaveholders, including John Lewis Beard. They also included a resolution to do without imported luxuries, though I doubt much of this document had any impact on the daily realities for the Rowan County people.

Though I can’t state exactly how Beard became so wealthy, it’s clear that he further enriched himself as a result of the war. The Patriots confiscated land belonging to Loyalists. In Rowan County, much of this land had belonged to Henry McCulloch. It was auctioned off after the war and Beard bought a substantial amount.¹¹ He also bought a 640-acre land grant warranted to a Continental army private for his service.¹²

In addition, perhaps because he had rendered supplies to the Patriots, and maybe also because the British Army had occupied his home as their headquarters during their Southern campaign, he received ₤4,152 by an act of the General Assembly for “sundrey publick claims.”¹³

Beard’s oldest son, Valentine, was in the Continental Army during the war.¹⁴ His son, John, after the war belonged to the Rowan Light Horse company and in 1791 he met Gen. George Washington as the general approached the North Carolina border, and escorted him to Salisbury.¹⁵ His daughter, Margaret, married George Hoover and they were my 5^th great-grandparents.

John Lewis Beard wrote his final will and testament and addendum on December 13–14, 1788 and died shortly after. He endeavored to split the estate equally amongst his heirs: his widow, Christiana and their nine children. Along with real property and some household items, he included bequests of four enslaved persons: Boatswain, Tom, Bob, and Cloe.¹⁶

Feature image: City Seal of Salisbury, N.C. (Wikimedia Commons)