George Newton (1765 - 1840)

Born 1 Dec 1765 in Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (McCall) Newton — married 19 Mar 1794 in Lincoln, North Carolina, United States

Husband of Ann (Unknown) Newton — married about 1829 in Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee, United States

Husband of Helen Fannie (Martin) Newton — married 1833 in Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 4 Dec 1840 at age 75 in Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Laura Anonymous [send private message]

Biography

George was born in 1765. He died in 1840 at the age of 75.

1) "George Newton, educator and Presbyterian minister, was the youngest of seven children of Ebenezer Newton and his wife of Shrewbury District, York, Pennsylvania. The family moved to North Carolina before the American Revolution and on 1/10/1774, sold some land in Mecklenburg County. In 1778 George Newton took an oath "to bear faithfull and true allegiance to the State of North Carolina." There is some evidence to suggest that he also served in the war.

Because of the destruction of local records, little is known of Newton until 1797. In the autumn of that year he arrived in the newly chartered town of Asheville to begin a classical school for boys, with which he was associated until 1814. His school came to be highly regarded and it attracted pupils from several adjacent states. Named Union Hill, it was chartered by the General Assembly in 1805. In 1809, when it occupied a new brick building, its name was changed by legislative act to Newton Academy. An early effort to establish a female seminary with funds coming from a lottery was not successful. Among Newton's students were David Lowry Swain, governor and president of The University of North Carolina; B. F. Perry, governor of South Carolina; Waddy Thompson, of South Carolina, congressman and minister to Mexico; and numerous other state and local officials.

The academy building was also the site of religious services on Sunday, with Newton officiating. He was only a licentiate when he began his teaching career, but when local congregations were organized by visiting missionaries in 1794, he received a call to become the pastor of churches at Swannanoa, Bee Tree, Reems Creek and Asheville. He was readily ordained after preaching a prepared sermon on a stated passage of Scripture and passing an examination on the chronology, history, and government of the Presbyterian church. Traveling on foot and on horseback, he kept a schedule of services at the various places, but two or three Sunday afternoons each month were reserved for worship at the academy building by his largest congregation.

Late in 1813 or early the following year, Newton consented to go to Bedford County, Tennessee. There he generally repeated the process that he had followed in North Carolina, operating schools and nurturing Presbyterian congregations. His Mount Reserve Academy (later called Bethsalem Academy) was the first-known school in the new county. Having established several schools and Presbyterian congregations, Newton moved to Shelbyville, Tennessee, where he spent the final years of his life.

Newton's first wife, Mary McCall (or McCaule), whom he married in Orange County, North Carolina, in 1794, died in 1828. His second wife, Ann, died on 7/5/1831. Sometime before 12/1833, he married Helen M., who survived him. His children, all by his first wife, were William, Jane McCall, John, Ebenezer James, Alexander and Elizabeth.

2) A portrait of Newton, painted by his great-grand-daughter, was unveiled at the Newton School in Asheville, site of the old Newton Academy, on 4/14/1954."

3) From the program for the service: Observing the 150th Anniversary of the Congregation, 10/17/1965. A new marker was unveiled (see pictures on his burial page). A newspaper article in the Shelbyville, Tennessee, Times-Gazette, dated 10/14/1965 says the service was held at his grave. The memorial service was conducted by the Rev. Robert E. Cogswell, the current pastor of the congregation. The new marker was placed by the congregation as a token of its esteem and gratitude for Newton's life and ministry. A wreath was placed by several of his descendants. The new marker is the date of birth and death of Newton and years of his pastorate in Shelbyville.

Inscription the the stone slab marking the grave of Reverend George Newton, Old City Cemetery, Shelbyville, Tennessee.

"In Memoriam. Sacred to the memory of the Rev. George Newton. Who, in sure and certain hope of a blessed immortality, departed this life, 12/4/1840 in the 75th year of his age. Early converted to God, for nealry 50 years he preached His glorious gospel and for the greater part of this period as Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in this village. He testified to all repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Whilst the work of faith and labor of love, patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, exhibited in his long life and happy death, evinced the life, power and triumph of God's Grace.

His memorial is written on many hearts and this stone, which covers his earthly remains, is erected by the hand of widowed love, as a frail remembrance of his many virtues and an expression, though feeble, of his appreciated worth, whose faith follow, considering the end of his conversion. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever."

I have a copy of the program and the newspaper article. I believe my grandparent's went to the service in 1965 for my Grandfather, Joseph Lewis Whitfield's 2nd Great Grandfather, George Newton. Kathy, Whitfield-2407

Sources

• Ancestry Trees, Kentucky Death Records, North Carolina Marriage Index.

• Reverend George Newton was buried at the Old City Cemetery in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA. His page lists and has links to 3 spouses, 3 children. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8756629/george-newton#add-to-vc. Note: All Children were with his 1st wife, Mary "Polly" (McCall) Newton. Children not listed on his profile: William, Jane, John.

• 1800 he appeared as George Newton, HOH on the census in Morgan, Rutherford, North Carolina. 1 Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 2. Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1. Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 1. Number of Slaves: 1. Number of Household Members Under 16: 3. Number of Household Members Over 25: 1. Number of Household Members: 6.

• 1810 he appeared as Geo Newton, HOH on the census in Buncombe County, North Carolina. 2 Free White Persons - Males - Under 10:2. Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15: 1. Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 1. Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1. Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44: 1. Numbers of Slaves 3. Number of Household Members Under 16: 5. Number of Household Members Over 25: 2. Number of Household Members: 11.

• 1820 he appeared as George Newton on the census in Bedford County, Tennessee. 3 Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 1. Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 18: 1. Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 2. Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1. Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 2. Slaves - Males - Under 14: 4. Slaves - Males - 45 and over: 1. Slaves - Females - Under 14: 3. Slaves - Females - 26 thru 44: 1. Slaves - Females - 45 and over: 1. Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 5.

• 1830 he appeared as George Newton on the census in Bedford County, Tennessee. 4 Free White Persons - Males - 60 thru 69: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39: 1. Slaves - Males - Under 10: 1. Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23: 1. Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23: 1. Free White Persons - Under 20: 1. Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:1. Total Free White Persons - 3. Total Slaves - 3. Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored) - 6.

• 1840 he appeared as Reverend George Newton, HOH on the Census in Bedford County, Tennessee. 5 Free White Persons - Males - 70 thru 79: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9: 1. Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49: 1. Slaves - Males - Under 10: 2. Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23:1. Slaves - Females - Under 10:1. Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23:1. Slaves - Females - 24 thru 35:1. Persons Employed in Learned Professional Engineers - 1. Free White Persons - Under 20 - 1. Free White Persons - 20 thru 49 - 1. Total Free White Persons - 3. Total Slaves - 6. Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves - 9.

• Burial records: Rev George Newton, 1765 - 1840. Old City Cemetery, Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee. Parents: Ebenezer Newton 1730 - 1812. Spouses: Mary McCall Newton 1768 - 1828. Helen Fannie Martin Newton (____ - 1859. Children: James Ebenezer Newton 1800 - 1856. Elizabeth Newton Bell 1803 - 1853. Siblings: Benjamin Newton 1748 - 1835. William Newton 1755 - 1824. John Newton 1759 - 1797. George Newton 1765 - 1840.

• Marker for: Newton Academy. Est. before 1793 as Union Hill Academy. Named for Rev. George Newton. http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=P-18

• Newton Academy in Asheville, North Carolina: https://ncccha.blogspot.com/2009/12/newton-academy-asheville-north-carolina.html and https://www.carolana.com/NC/Education/nc_education_buncombe_county.html

• George Newton: https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/newton-george

• Bible Record : http://msgw.org/library/copiah-newtonbib.html

• Reverend George Newton: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L51G-7JC

• Newton Genealogy. Genealogical, Biographical, Historical. Being a Record of the Descendants of Richard Newton of Sudbury and Marlborough, Massachusetts 1638. With Genealogies of Families Descended from the Immigrants. Rev. Roger Newton of Milford, Connecticut. Thomas Newton of Fairfield, Connecticut. Matthew Newton of Stonington, Connecticut. Newton's of Virginia. Newton's near Boston. Compiled by Ermina Newton Leonard. Published by Bernard Ammidown Leonard. De Pere, Wisconsin, 1915. https://www.cga.ct.gov/hco/books/newton_genealogy.pdf

• "The first school taught in the county, or at least the first one of any consequence and of which there is a record, was Mount Reserve Academy, which was established in about 1815 or 1816 by the Rev. George Newton, who came from North Carolina a few years previous to that time. The school was located three miles cast of the present site of Wartrace in a log house at the place now known as Bethsalem Presbyterian Church. Rev. Newton was a classic scholar, and taught with great success the English as well as the higher branches of a liberal education. This school continued at different periods until the civil war, when it was abandoned." https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~khopkins/GdspdBedford.html

• Book, "Written on Many Hearts" (whose title was taken from inscription on Newton's grave marker). Judge Hugh Davidson in his sketch of Bedford County included this statement about George Newton: "He was a man of learning; indeed, some thought too much so for the times; very grave and serious in manner, not eloquent, but profound and doctrinal as a preacher, respected by all -- a man wtihout guile." From newspaper article about the graveside tribute. Shelbyville, Tennessee, Times-Gazette, dated 10/14/1965