William Lenoir (general)
| William Lenoir | |
|---|---|
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Speaker of the North Carolina Senate |
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In office 1790–1795 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 8, 1751 Brunswick County, Virginia |
| Died | May 6, 1839 (aged 87) Fort Defiance, Wilkes County, North Carolina |
| Resting place | Fort Defiance Cemetery Lenoir, North Carolina |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Ballard |
| Relations |
William Ballard Lenoir (son) Israel Pickens (son-in-law) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch | Colonial and state militias |
| Years of service | 1775–1812 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | Fifth North Carolina Division |
William Lenoir (May 8, 1751 – May 6, 1839) was an American Revolutionary War officer and prominent statesman in late 18th-century and early 19th-century North Carolina. Both the City of Lenoir, North Carolina and Lenoir County, North Carolina are named for him. Additionally, Lenoir City, Tennessee is jointly named for him and for his son, William Ballard Lenoir. The USS Lenoir (AKA-74) was also (indirectly) named for him.
The Lenoir name is of French origin, literally translating to "the black," which was a term that was similar to how we now use "dark" to speak of someone with dark hair and complexion. Lenoirs came to the English colonies in America from Brittany as a result of 17th century religious troubles. Brittany was just across the English Channel from Southern England. Because it had such a long coastline, it is no surprise how many mariners came from the area. The Lenoir coat-of-arms, "Le Noir de Nantes" is named for Nantes, the largest city of Brittany and an important seaport.
William Lenoir was born the youngest of ten in a French Huguenot family in Brunswick County, Virginia. His mother was Mourning Crawley, the daughter of a well-to-do Virginia planter. Her grandfather was Robert Crawley who was an early vestryman of the most noted surviving colonial church, Bruton Parish in Williamsburg. Lenoir's father was Thomas Lenoir, who, like his own father, was a mariner in early life before his marriage when he became a tobacco planter for the remainder of his life. The family moved to eastern North Carolina when William was nine years old, which was where his father died in 1765. Of the four daughters, Ann, Betty, Leah, and Mary; Leah lived the longest, marrying John Norwood and dying in North Carolina at age 94. One of the six sons of Thomas and Mourning died unmarried, Robert remained in Virginia, Thomas Jr., Isaac and John settled in South Carolina, and William remained in North Carolina, where he went on to have a distinguished public career and founded the Fort Defiance branch of the family.
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Wikipedia