Joseph Marcus Welch

Born in Oct., 1778 in Rutherford County North Carolina, USA and died 1860 in Macon County, North Carolina, USA. His parents were Thomas Welch and Nancy Agnes Alexander Welch. He married Catherine Dyche (1779 - 1867).

"Joe is buried either in Swain Coungty or in Macon County, NC. He was a pioneer settler of Macon County, moving there from Rutherford County . He purchased land in Cowee from the state when the lands acquired from the treaty with the Cherokee were put up for sale in Sept. 1821. Later he moved to the mouth of the Tuckaseegee River. An election precinct was established at his home there in 1847, and it was named Welches District in the census records."

"Joe was a prominent citizen of the county, and was appointed the General Assembly of NC to serve on the county's first Board of Magistrates, as well as selected to help lay out the streets of the town of Franklin. He obtained a charter and built a turnpike from the mouth of the Tuckaseegee to the Tennessee line, but was forced into bankruptcy because of the expense. He was a merchant in Franklin for awhile, partnering with Robert Hall and James Truitt, under the name of Joseph Welch and Company. When the Cowee Baptist Church was organized in 1828, he was a charter member. Joe was a productive citizen and a leader in many other civic activities, helping get Macon County into a thriving mode."

Most of the information in this article was submitted to the book MACON COUNTY HERITAGE---NORTH CAROLINA by descendant Thomas P. Welch.

• Created by: Frances Rogers
• Record added: Sep 07, 2010
• Find A Grave Memorial# 58291589