General George Doherty

Biography

“ Revolutionary War: George Doherty of Early Tennessee”
Compiled by C. Hammett, 2001 . for TNGenWeb (TNGenNet) and the Combs &c. Research Group

According to Armstrong, George DOHERTY "...was the son of Major George DOHERTY and Elizabeth WILLIAMS Doherty whose brother was George WILLIAMS.

He was a member of the first county court of Greene County, Tennessee, in 1783; he was a leader in the State of Franklin movement. He was Colonel of a regiment of militia in Caswell County, State of Franklin. In 1785 he moved to a site west of the present Dandridge, Tenessee and was a member of the Jefferson County Court. He was a member of the North Carolina Convention of 1789. He was Lieutenant Commandant for Jefferson County. He was a member of the first Territorial Assembly in Tennessee and the first Constitutional Convention in Tennessee. He was a member of the first Tennessee Senate and served in the Assembly several terms. He served in the Expedition to Natchez in 1803. In the Creek War he was a Brigadier General of an East Tennessee brigade. He was in the battle of the Horseshoe. He was given a grant of 2,000 acres by North Carolina for service in the Revolution.

He married twice: first Priscilla GOFORTH and second Sally RANDAL, December 3, 1823.

His will in Jefferson County signed January 15, 1833, mentions his wife, Sally; his sons, George, William and James Tennessee; and his daughters Jenny, Dorcas INMAN, Prescilla MORROW, Rachel LEATH: his granddaughter Sally, daughter of his son George; his grandson George, son of James T.; his grandson George, son of George; The children mentioned were all by his first wife. George married Nancy MCDOWELL, Dorcas married Benjamin [INMAN], Priscilla married David MORROW, Rachel married Joseph LEATH."

George Doherty enlisted in the Virginia troops during the Revolutionary War at Greenbury, VA. During the Revolution he moved to Washington County, NC (now Tennessee). In 1779 he was engaged against the Cherokee and in 1780 he served in the Battle of Kings Mountain under Col. John Sevier.

He later served as a member of the first county court of Greene County, Tennessee in 1783; he was a leader in the State of Franklin movement. He served as colonel of a regiment of militia from Caswell County, State of Franklin. In 1783, he alongwith Colonel McFarland lead a volunteer expedition of 200 mounted frontier-men against the Cherokee in North Carolina, destroying six of their towns. In the fall of the same year he was on Sevier's Hightower Campaign. In 1785 he moved to a site west of present Dandridge, Tennessee and was a member of the Jefferson County Court. In 1788 he served in the the Hiwassee and Martin Campaigns and the following year was a member of the North Carolina Convention. He served as Lieutenant Commandant for Jefferson County. He was a member of the first Territorial Assembly in Tennessee and the first Constitutional Convention in Tennessee. He served in the Expedition to Natchez in 1803. In the Creek War he served as a brigadier general of an East Tennessee brigade in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, AL and was cited for his gallantry.. He was given a land grant of 2,000 acres by North Carolina for his service during the Revolution.

Gen. George Doherty resided on the north bank of the French Broad River. He is described as tall, well-formed and of dark features, and as a man of remarkable common sense. Plain and unaffected, he was a natural leader of the border people both in war and in civil life.

On a personal note, I used him to get into the Sons of the American Revolution. He can be used to join the Sons of the War of 1812. His name is on the monument to those participating in the Battle of Kings Mountain when the British under Ferguson were thrashed.

Further information on this most interesting ancestor can be gleaned from the internet. However, a book written by Pat Alderman, "The Overmountain Men", is very good reading, full of interesting stories of this area of North Carolina which later became East Tennessee, and a must for folks doing genealogy. If you had an ancestor who lived in this area, I can assure you that you will see family names in this book that will link you up to all manner of kin because these people inter-married and moved in many cases as a group.

Further: On a recent trip to East Tennessee to attend the Blackburn Family Reunion, I found his and Priscilla's gravesites in the Shady Grove Cemetery. The cemetery is located off Hwy 139 about 5 miles west of Dandridge. Look for Harold Patterson Road; turn in on the one-way road and look to your right for the old headstones. The DAR has marked his gravesite. Good hunting - Ed Killgore in Alexandria, Alabama

DAR Ancestor #: A032958 Service: NORTH CAROLINA - VIRGINIA Rank: CAPTAIN

Gen George Doherty

• BIRTH 18 Jan 1749 Augusta County, Virginia, USA
• DEATH 27 May 1833 (aged 84) Jefferson County, Tennessee, USA
• BURIAL Shady Grove Cemetery Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee, USA
• MEMORIAL ID 10755133 · View Source

Family Members

Spouse
Photo Priscilla Goforth Doherty 1757–1822

Children Rachel Doherty Leath 1775–1850

Photo Josiah Isaac Daugherty 1777–1852

Photo John H Doherty 1807–1881

Data from Doris Ross Johnson: George "had a wife and two children when he enlisted in the Virginia Colonial Militia... served two years as Pvt. in Virginia Line, was reported AWOL at Upper Station, and was pensioned in TN." In his will, probated in Jefferson Co. in 1833, he named all children except Josiah, and "states that Jenny does not have the understanding to take care of herself, and he instructs his sons, George and William, to take care of her."

Possibly confused with General George Doherty