Anthony Bledsoe (1733–July 20, 1788) was an American surveyor, politician and military colonel. He served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
Anthony Bledsoe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1733 Culpeper County, Virginia |
| Died | July 20, 1788 Castalian Springs, Sumner County, Tennessee |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupations |
|
| Title | Colonel |
| Spouse | Mary Ramsey Bledsoe |
| Children | 10 |
| Relatives | Isaac Bledsoe (brother) Jacob Bledsoe, Sr. (brother) |
Biography
editEarly life
editAnthony Bledsoe was born in 1733 in Culpeper County, Virginia (or Spotsylvania County, Virginia).[1][2][3] His father was Abraham Bledsoe.[3] His brothers included Isaac Bledsoe (1735–1793) and Jacob Bledsoe Sr. (1724–1817).[1][4]
Career
editHe served in the French and Indian War of 1754–1763 in the Virginia militia.[1]
After the war, he served as a justice of the peace for Augusta County in 1769, Botetourt County in 1770 and 1771, and Fincastle County in 1773 and 1774.[2] He also served on the Fincastle Committee of Safety from 1775 to 1776.[2] In 1776, he commanded Fort Patrick Henry on Long Island of the Holston in Tennessee.[1] The following year, in 1777, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.[1]
In 1779, he became a surveyor of the Western parts of Virginia and North Carolina to establish borders for further explorations to come.[2] The following year, in 1780, he became a justice of the peace for the newly created county of Sullivan County, North Carolina; in 1781 and 1782, he served as its state Senator.[2] In 1783, he was one of the surveyors of the North Carolina military land grant reservation.[2] The same year, in 1783, he became a justice of the peace for new Davidson County, Tennessee, then part of North Carolina and named after North Carolina General William Lee Davidson (1746–1781).[2] During the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he served as a Colonel over the Davidson County Regiment of the North Carolina militia. Units that he served in During the American Revolution include:[1][5]
- Major in a Virginia unit (1776)
- Major in the Washington County Regiment of Militia (1777–1779)
- Major in the Sullivan County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1779–1781)
- Lt. Colonel in the Sullivan County Regiment of Militia (1781–1783)
- Colonel over the Davidson County Regiment of Militia (1783)
Shortly after the war, 1785 to 1786, he served as a state Senator for Davidson County.[2] He also became an early settler of Sumner County, Tennessee, building what came to be known as Bledsoe's Station in Castalian Springs, Tennessee.[1][4] By 1787, he served as the Chairman of the Sumner County court.[2] He also served as a surveyor of the area, trying to keep Indians at bay.[4]
Personal life
editHe married Mary Ramsey Bledsoe (1734–1808) of Augusta County, Virginia, in the 1760s.[2][3] They had five sons and six daughters:
- Abraham Bledsoe[3]
- Thomas Bledsoe[2][3]
- Sarah Bledsoe[3]
- Anthony Bledsoe Jr.[2][3]
- Isaac Bledsoe[3]
- Henry Ramsey Bledsoe[3]
- Rachael Bledsoe[3]
- Polly Bledsoe[3]
- Prudence Bledsoe[3]
- Susan Bledsoe[3]
Death
editHe was killed by Native Americans on July 20, 1788, in Castalian Springs, Tennessee.[4]
Legacy
edit- Bledsoe County, Tennessee, was named in his honor when it was created in 1807 with land from Roane County and land formerly owned by Native Americans.[4]
- A chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution located in Sumner County, Tennessee, is named in his honor.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Anthony Bledsoe Archived 2014-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, Sons of the American Revolution, Col. Anthony Bledsoe Chapter (Sumner County, Tennessee). Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l William T. Durham, Anthony Bledsoe (1733–1788), The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, December 25, 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Jay G. Cisco, Historic Sumner County, Tennessee: With Genealogies of the Bledsoe, Cage and Douglass Families and Genealogical Notes of Other Sumner County Families, Genealogical Publishing Com 2009, p. 103 [1]
- ^ a b c d e Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005–2006, pages 508–513
- ^ Lewis, J.D. "Anthony Bledsoe". carolana.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.