His parents are not known. He may have been connected to the large Panther/Painter family of Rutherford County, which is of German origin (original name Bender), but after extensive research I've not yet found a connection. There is very little chance that he was connected to the Cherokee Indian Panther family. One other possibility is that he is the John Painter listed as son of Alfred or Alford Painter of Person County, NC, a family tracing back to Surry County VA.

In the 1860 census, John PANTER is living in Henderson County (Tryon P.O.), NC, with wife Harriett and two infant children. Also in household are John C. Pace, age 30 and his wife Matilda (nee Matilda Caroline Hetherly or Heatherly, married 9 July 1853 in Henderson County) and their two infant children. Next door on one side are Bailess and Armina Pace, 30 and 28, and their 4 young children; and yet another John Pace, 30, his wife Mary A. and two infants. So there is a chance that he was related to the Pace family--perhaps his mother was a Pace?

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Note: Several distinct John Panthers existed in western North Carolina, perhaps even in Rutherford County, in the mid-1800s. Please keep them disambiguated.

The John Panther of this profile was married to Harriett Rhodes, daughter of Jesse Rhodes and Adeline Williams. Known children were John Bailis (or Baylis) Panther, Jane Adaline Panther and Mahala E. Panther, all of whom survived him.

Records provided in 2015 by David Smith <d.smith.7363@gmail.com> show that this John Panther enlisted in the Union Army in Company H, North Carolina 2nd Infantry Regiment, and served as a Recruiting Officer. In the Spring of 1865, well after the war was over, he claimed that he was sent by the U.S. government to avenge the deaths of the 4 Unionists killed in Columbus, NC (referring to the 1864 political murders discussed here--and in doing so, after capturing four of the Home Guard men, he was in turn killed by former Home Guard soldiers on 29 May 1865 near the home of John W. Hampton in Polk County, NC.

VARIOUS "JOHN PANTHER" RECORDS from Ancestry.com:

Name: John S Panther

• Rank at enlistment: Private
• State Served: North Carolina
• Service Record: Enlisted in Company E, North Carolina 64th Infantry Regiment.
• Sources: Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records

Name: John S Panther

• Rank at enlistment: Private
• State Served: North Carolina
• Service Record: Enlisted in Company H, North Carolina 2nd Infantry Regiment.
• Sources: Index to Compiled Military Service Records

Name: John S . Panther

• Side: Union
• Regiment State/Origin: North Carolina
• Regiment: 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Mounted Infantry
• Company: H
• Rank In: Private
• Rank Out: Private
• Film Number: M391 roll 2

Name: John S . Panther

• Side: Confederate
• Regiment State/Origin: North Carolina
• Regiment: 64th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry (Allen's)
• Company: E
• Rank In: Private
• Rank Out: Private
• Film Number: M230 roll 30

State of North Carolina ) County of Polk )

On this 25th day of October 1869, personally appeared before me R. S. Abrams Clerk of the Superior Court in and for the County and State aforesaid, it being a Court of Record, Harriet Rollins, late Panther, a resident of Polk County, aged 28 years, who, being duly sworn according to law, makes the following declaration in order to obtain the pension provided by the Acts of Congress granting pensions to widows.

That she was formerly the wife, and widow, of John S. Panther, who enlisted into the Union Army under the name of John S. Panther at Cumberland Gap, East Tenn., about the first of February 1864, as a private in Company “H” 2nd Regt of N Ca M. Inft. Com’d by Col Smith in the War of 1861. That soon after his enlisting as aforesaid, he was detailed as a Recruiting Officer for the 2nd & 3rd Regts, and by the orders of Cols Smith and Kirk was sent to NC for recruits, see papers filed with formal declarations, marked “A” and dated 14th February 1864, signed by Col Kirk assigning him to duty in NC.

That her said husband after engaging in the recruiting service, as aforesaid, occasionally passed through Polk, and the adjoining counties soliciting recruits, keeping his movements and whereabouts, as far as possible from the Rebels, to whom his business as a Federal Recruiting Officer was known, and at the time he was killed, he, with a small possy, had captured and held as prisoners, four of Capt Lanes Company of Confederate soldiers, who had some weeks previous thence, arrested in Polk County at or near the Court House four highly respectable prominent Union Citizens of Polk County, took them out a short distance from the C.H. and shot them til dead. This cold blooded murdering of union citizens being made known as to Cols Smith and Kirk, Capt. Panther “so called”, in his return to Polk, sometime after, stated that he rec’d orders from Head Qtrs. to arrest these Confederate murderers of Union men, if opportunity offered. Assisted by a small posse, he had succeeded in capturing some four of said party, and while passing through the County with his prisoners, he called at the house of J.W. Hampton, Esqr, a prominent Union Citizen, whose son was one of the murdered party, spoken of above, and while there was overtaken, and captured, by a party of Rebel soldiers who swore they would kill Panther, and in trying to make his escape, by flight, was shot by the Rebel party and instantly killed, which was on the 29th day of May, 1865.

She further declares that she was married under the name of Harriet Rhodes to said John S. Panther in Polk County NC on the 8th day of May 1857 by E.G. Forter, a Justice of the Peace, there being no legal barrier to such a marriage, that neither she nor her husband had been previously married, and that she remained his widow wife to the 8th day of June 1868, when she intermarried with one Daniel Rollins which took place in Polk County at the time above stated and whose name she now bears, and that the following are the names and dates of births of their children yet surviving, all of whom were under sixteen years of age at their father’s death viz:

• John Balis Panther was born 21st January 1858
• Jane Adaline Panther was born 30th September 1859
• Mahalia E. Panther was born 15th November 1861

All of whom are the legitimate issue of her marriage with the aforesaid John S. Panther dec’d, that she has not abandoned the support of any one of their children, that they are still under her care and maintenance, that she has not in any manner been engaged in or abetted the Rebellion in the United States that she has herself made out and forwarded her application for a pension which was forwarded to the P. Office about 1st June 1868.

That she hereby appoints B.D. Hyam Esq of Washington D.C. her attorney to prosecute her claim.

Her Post Office address is } Columbus Polk County NC }

Name: John Pantor Titles and Terms: Event Type: Census Event Date: 1860 Event Place: Henderson, North Carolina, United States Gender: Male Age: 21 Race: White

Birth Year (Estimated): 1839 Birthplace: Page: 102 Household ID: 692 Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Affiliate Publication Number: M653 Affiliate Film Number: 901 GS Film Number: 803901 Digital Folder Number: 005170492 Image Number: 00248

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace John Pantor M 21 Harriet Pantor F 20 Bailas Pantor M 2 Jane Pantor F 1 John C Pace M 30 Matilda Pace F 30 Finch Pace F 2 Infant Pace F 1

Citing this Record: "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD68-PNX : 12 December 2017), John Pantor, 1860.

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Name: John S. Panther Event Type: Pension Event Date: 01 Jul 1868 Event Place: North Carolina, United States

Military Regiment: 2 Military Service Branch: Military Unit: Infantry

Shipping Company: H File Name: 5808527 Affiliate Name: National Archives and Records Administration Affiliate Publication Number: T289 Affiliate Publication Title: Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 Affiliate Film Number: 5808527 Image Number: 0436.jp2

Citing this Record: "United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NH63-SMS : 24 March 2016), John S. Panther, 1868.

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Name: John S Panther Event Type: Pension Event Date: 1868 Beneficiary's Name: Harriet Panther Affiliate Publication Number: T288 Affiliate Publication Title: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 Affiliate Film Number: 361 GS Film Number: 000541117 Digital Folder Number: 005081799 Image Number: 03300

Citing this Record: "United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDG-KFN5 : 3 April 2015), John S Panther, 1868.

=

Name: J S Panther

Event Type: Probate Event Year: 1870 Event Place: Polk, North Carolina, United States

Digital Folder Number: 007526432

Number of Images: 36

Citing this Record: "North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Z7-S5J6 : 21 November 2016), J S Panther, 1870; citing Polk, North Carolina, United States, State Archives, Raleigh; FHL microfilm .