Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Revolutionary War Heroine


Oh, the stock of women we come from! Eli Loveday's wife Callie (Spurgeon)'s great-great-great grandmother was Jane Spurgeon, a Revolutionary War heroine, whose husband William remained loyal to the crown and eventually (1788) had to go live in Canada, where he raised a second family. Even William's brothers were split between the Loyalist and Patriot causes.

While William was away fighting in the king's army, Jane stayed behind and assisted General Greene when he came to Abbott's Creek, North Carolina, and stayed at their house (1781), anticipating an attack by Cornwallis. Patriot Jane offered her young son to act as a scout to learn key information about redcoat activities.

Earlier (1775), her husband, William Spurgeon, Jr., had been a part of Daniel Boone's Transylvania Company that ventured into Kentucky. He returned to NC but left a son there to manage the land, which was later traded for a horse so the son could return to NC, too, after Indians attacked.