Charles Gordon Jr. (abt. 1756 - 1799)

Born about 1756 in Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Lenoir) Davenport — married 20 Jan 1790 (to 4 Mar 1799) in Wilkes County, North Carolina

Descendants

Died 24 Mar 1799 at about age 43 in Patterson, Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mark Phillips [send private message]

Biography

On October 7, 1780, brother met brother, neighbor met neighbor, Patriot met Loyalist on a battlefield in rural South Carolina. The battle lasted an hour: the brevity belied the import. Thomas Jefferson proclaimed the Battle of King's Mountain turned "the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary War, with the seal of our independence."

Their participation in the Battle of King's Mountain was documented^[1]

DAR

The Daughters of the American Revolution documented their participation in the battle. The organization has designated

• Major Gordon DAR Ancestor #A045995
• Chapman Gordon DAR Ancestor #A045987
• Nathaniel Gordon DAR Ancestor #A046070
• Col Ben Herndon DAR Ancestor #A054139
• Maj Joseph Herndon DAR Ancestor #A054205

Major Gordon was the son of Charles Gordon,^[2], and Mary Boswell Herndon Gordon, widow of Joseph Herndon.

Issue

When Joseph Herndon died, he left his young wife with six young children:

• Joseph Herndon
• Stephen Herndon
• Philadelphia Herndon
• Benjamin Herndon
• Mary Ann Herndon
• Sarah Herndon

Mary remarried to Charles Gordon, Sr. Gordon adopted the Herndon clan and then he and Mary added three sons to the brood:

• Charles Gordon
• Nathaniel Gordon
• Chapman Gordon

Their son, Major Charles Gordon married Mary Lenoir, daughter of Major General William Lenoir and Nancy Ann Ballard. General Gordon was a Captain when he fought and was wounded at the Battle of Kings Mountain.^[3]

(Mary's maternal uncle, Devereaux Ballard, was part of the BKM Campaign, but sickness prevented his participation in the Battle of Kings Mountain.)

Major Gordon and Mary Lenoir were the parents of:

• Nancy Ann Gordon
• Nathaniel Chapman Gordon
• Mary Boswell Gordon

Major Gordon died at forty-three. His widow remarried. Her second husband was Colonel William Davenport.

Sources

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=125199855

• Home for History - Gordon Family of Wilkes County [1]

• Ancestry.com link

1. ↑ in the "The Patriots at Kings Mountain" by Bobby Gilmer Moss which, along with "King's Mountain And Its Heroes: History Of The Battle Of King's Mountain, October 7th, 1780, And The Events Which Led To It" by Lyman Copeland Draper, Anthony Allaire, and Isaac Shelby, has long been recognized as the definitive listing of the participants.
2. ↑ DAR Ancestor Number A045993
3. ↑ His DAR Ancestor Number is A069232 (Reference Find A Grave Memorial# 10876073).