Anthony Bledsoe
Anthony Bledsoe (1733–1788) 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 |
| Occupation |
|
| Title | Colonel |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ramsey Bledsoe |
| Children | 10 |
| Relatives | Isaac Bledsoe (brother) Jacob Bledsoe, Sr. (brother) |
Biography
Early life
Anthony 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
He 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, 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, Tennessee.[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
He married Mary Ramsey Bledsoe (1734–1808) of Augusta County, Virginia, in the 1760s.[2][3] They had five sons and six daughters:
Death
He was killed by Native Americans on July 20, 1788, in Castalian Springs, Tennessee.[4]
Legacy
- 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
- 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.
- William T. Durham, Anthony Bledsoe (1733-1788), The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, December 25, 2009
- 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
- Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513
- Lewis, J.D. "Anthony Bledsoe". carolana.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.