Col. Joseph McDowell, of Quaker Meadows

https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/mcdowell-joseph

Joseph McDowell, Revolutionary War officer and U.S. congressman, was born in Winchester, Va., the son of Joseph McDowell, who settled at Quaker Meadows, west of present-day Morganton in Burke County, N.C., and his wife, Margaret O'Neil. Because of the several contemporary men of the same name, the subject of this sketch was sometimes designated as "of Quaker Meadows," as "Quaker Meadows Joe," or simply as Q.M. He was the brother of Charles McDowell and the second cousin and brother-in-law of Joseph McDowell "of Pleasant Gardens" or P.G. He was also a cousin of "Hunting" John McDowell. They all moved with their families to western North Carolina. Joseph of Quaker Meadows was sent back to Winchester for his early education and then attended Washington College (later Washington and Lee) in Lexington, Va.

With the outbreak of the American Revolution, McDowell served with his cousin Joseph in the Burke County militia, commanded by his older brother Charles. The regiment was involved in incursions against the Cherokee Indians under General Griffith Rutherford and in suppressing Tory uprisings in its own area. Early in 1780 it participated in the Battle of Ramsour's Mill. Joseph and his brother are credited with initiating the plan to organize a force to challenge the Tory troops under British Colonel Patrick Ferguson, and it was under the "Council Oak" on their Quaker Meadows estate that their regiment joined the "Overmountain Men" of Isaac Shelby and John Sevier and proceeded towards Kings Mountain. Just prior to the battle there, Charles left his troops and turned the command over to his brother Joseph, though some believe that it was his cousin Joseph (of Pleasant Gardens) who took charge. The Burke County regiment played a decisive role in the victory over Ferguson, after which Colonel McDowell led his troops home. However, they were soon active again and in January 1781 fought in the front ranks of General Daniel Morgan's force at the Battle of Cowpens. In 1782 McDowell led a final expedition against the Cherokee.

After the war, he, like his brother, was noted for his tolerance towards the former Tories. On several occasions he offered protection to persecuted Loyalists and ordered those formerly under his command to cease their maltreatment of them. He practiced law in Burke County and served with his brother and cousin in the state legislature; he was in the House of Commons for consecutive terms between 1780 and 1789 and then moved to the state senate, where he served from 1790 to 1795. In 1786 he held a seat in the Council of State, and in 1787 he was elected to the Continental Congress although there is no record of his attendance.

All three McDowells, Charles and the two Josephs, were delegates to the North Carolina conventions for the ratification of the federal constitution in 1788 and 1789. Of the three, only Joseph of Quaker Meadows, a strong anti-Federalist, voted against it, stating that he still had reservations as long as the proposed Bill of Rights was not approved by the requisite number of states. In 1789 he was named a member of the first board of trustees of The University of North Carolina. He served as a representative in the Third and the Fifth Congress (1794–95 and 1797–99). During his first term he was identified as a Federalist, but in the second he was a Republican and worked against various Federalist policies such as the Alien and Sedition Acts. He chose not to run for reelection in 1798.

In 1797 McDowell served on the commission to survey the boundary line between Kentucky and Tennessee. Impressed with the land he traveled through, he moved to Kentucky in 1800. In 1801, however, he returned to Burke County and died soon afterwards of apoplexy at his brother's home at Quaker Meadows. He was survived by his wife, Margaret Moffitt McDowell, and two sons and six daughters.

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DAR Ancestor #: A076495

Brigadier General Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell, Jr.

• Birth: 8-8-1756 - Winchester, Frederick, Virginia
• Death: 8-11-1801 - Quaker Meadows, Burke, Norh Carolina, United States
• Parents: Joseph McDowell b: 1715, Margaret O'Neill
• Married: Margaret Moffett
• Children include: Joseph Jefferson McDowell, Hugh Harvey McDowell

Joseph McDowell of Quaker Meadows in Burke County took part in the Battle of Ramseur's Mill and the Battle of Cowpens. His home was the meeting place for the groups of Overmountain men. After refreshing the men with his fine home brew, he joined them as they followed Ferguson's retreating army. (Source: Western North Carolina: Its Mountains and Its People to 1880, Ora Blackmun (1977) at 119.)

from Find A Grave Memorial# 36472376

American Patriot. Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell was a planter, soldier, and statesman who was born in Winchester, Virginia to Joseph McDowell (1715 – 1771) and Margaret O'Neil McDowell (1723 – 1780) but moved to North Carolina when he was two years of age. He was often known as "Quaker Meadows Joe" to distinguish him from his cousin Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, who was also a legislator and American Revolutionary War soldier from North Carolina serving in the same campaigns and same units as his cousin which results in some confusion between the two. Joseph of Quaker Meadows married Margaret Moffett (1763 – 1816) in 1783.

Joseph served in the same North Carolina Regiment as his older brother Captain Charles McDowell at the start of the American Revolution. The two McDowell brothers served under General Griffith Rutherford in his campaign against the Cherokee in 1776.

Charles and Joseph are credited with formulating the plan for the Overmountain Men and the North Carolina militia to engage the loyalist forces of British Col. Patrick Ferguson when the frontiersmen gathered at Quaker Meadows on September 30, 1780. At the resulting Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, Charles had earlier consigned his troops to his brother after having been dispatched to General Horatio Gates. The bayonet charge down the mountain by British Col. Ferguson's Loyalists was driven back by the well directed fire from the rifles of the Overmountain men commanded by Col. Isaac Shelby and the North Carolina militia commanded by Col. Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell. The entire Loyalist force of Col. Ferguson was killed, wounded or captured. The Battle of Kings Mountain was noteworthy in that American victories to this point in the Revolution were scarce but now became more frequent as confidence increased eventually resulting in the successful conclusion to the American Revolution.

Joseph also fought with the militia at Ramsour Mills on June 29, 1780, Musgrove's Mill on Aug 19, 1780 and the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781 where the milita defeated the forces of General Banastre "Bloody" Tarleton who was portrayed as the brutal Col. William Tavington in the movie "The Patriot" staring Mel Gibson.

Joseph went on to serve in the North Carolina state legislature and the Constitutional Conventions along with his brother Charles. Joseph also served in the 5th United States Congress from 1797 to 1799.

Links

• [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McDowell,_Jr. Wikipedia], McDowell's Congressional Biography, The Great Joseph Controversy, Caswell County Family Tree

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• Residence: 1790 - Burke County, North Carolina
  • Updated from FamilySearch Family Tree via sister Mary Ann McDowell by SmartCopy: Apr 17 2015, 19:21:53 UTC

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American Patriot. Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell was a planter, soldier, and statesman who was born in Winchester, Virginia to Joseph McDowell (1715 – 1771) and Margaret O'Neil McDowell (1723 – 1780) but moved to North Carolina when he was two years of age. He was often known as "Quaker Meadows Joe" to distinguish him from his cousin Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, who was also a legislator and American Revolutionary War soldier from North Carolina serving in the same campaigns and same units as his cousin which results in some confusion between the two. Joseph of Quaker Meadows married Margaret Moffett (1763 – 1816) in 1783.

Joseph served in the same North Carolina Regiment as his older brother Captain Charles McDowell at the start of the American Revolution. The two McDowell brothers served under General Griffith Rutherford in his campaign against the Cherokee in 1776.

Charles and Joseph are credited with formulating the plan for the Overmountain Men and the North Carolina militia to engage the loyalist forces of British Col. Patrick Ferguson when the frontiersmen gathered at Quaker Meadows on September 30, 1780. At the resulting Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, Charles had earlier consigned his troops to his brother after having been dispatched to General Horatio Gates. The bayonet charge down the mountain by British Col. Ferguson's Loyalists was driven back by the well directed fire from the rifles of the Overmountain men commanded by Col. Isaac Shelby and the North Carolina militia commanded by Col. Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell. The entire Loyalist force of Col. Ferguson was killed, wounded or captured. The Battle of Kings Mountain was noteworthy in that American victories to this point in the Revolution were scarce but now became more frequent as confidence increased eventually resulting in the successful conclusion to the American Revolution.

Joseph also fought with the militia at Ramsour Mills on June 29, 1780, Musgrove's Mill on Aug 19, 1780 and the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781 where the milita defeated the forces of General Banastre "Bloody" Tarleton who was portrayed as the brutal Col. William Tavington in the movie "The Patriot" staring Mel Gibson.

Joseph went on to serve in the North Carolina state legislature and the Constitutional Conventions along with his brother Charles. Joseph also served in the 5th United States Congress from 1797 to 1799.

Joseph and Margaret had the following children: Sarah McDowell Feb 5, 1784 – Aug 19, 1828. Elizabeth McDowell Feb 5, 1786 - Aug 25, 1821. Margaret McDowell Oct 26, 1787 - Mar 21, 1808. Hannah McDowell Dec 24, 1791 - Aug 25, 1850. Hugh Harvey McDowell Jun 23, 1792 - Apr 1859. Celia McDowell Feb 20 1795 - Apr 12, 1859. Clarissa McDowell Jan 10, 1798 - 1863. Joseph Jefferson McDowell Nov 13, 1800 – Jan 17, 1877.

Joseph had the following brothers and sisters: Sarah Nancy McDowell (1739 - ?). Elizabeth McDowell (1741 - 1825). Hugh McDowell (1742 - 1772). Charles McDowell (1743 – 1815). Hannah McDowell (1747 - 1817). Jane McDowell (1750 – 1838). John McDowell (1751 – 1822).

Joseph is buried at Quaker Meadows in an unmarked grave beside his brother Charles at the base of a white oak tree with the letter "J" carved in its trunk. The white oak tree existed in 1890 but has long since been removed so Joseph is probably located in what appears to be a vacant unmarked space beside his brother Charles on the oppsite side of Charles' wife Grace Greenlee McDowell who is known to be buried next to her husband.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 28 2020, 3:51:24 UTC
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KHLM-HPN