John Medearis

Ancestor Number

A077029 »

Date of Birth

February 22, 1744

Place of Birth

Essex County, Virginia

Date of Death

March 31, 1834

Place of Death

Bedford County, Tennessee

Spouse(s)

Sarah Hicks Bell

Children

George Washington Davis Medearis, Benjamin Whitehead Hicks Medearis. Martha Jerusha Medearis, and Mary (Polly) Medearis

American Revolution Service

Assistant Deputy Quartermaster General to Col Nicholas Long. Also 2LT, 1LT, Capt, Major, Continental Line

State of Service

North Carolina

Donor

Jane Granstaff Dugger made the Pathway of the Patriots donation in memory of her mother and grandfather, Mary Medearis Granstaff and Robert E. Medearis. Mrs. Dugger was admitted to NSDAR in 1989.

John Thomas Medearis was the son of Rachel Davis and John Thomas Medearis.

He married Sarah Hicks Bell, the widow of Thomas Bell and the daughter of Robert Hicks, Sr. of Granville County, North Carolina. The marriage is recorded in a family Bible as occurring on December 20, 1780. They had four children: George Washington Davis Medearis, Benjamin Whitehead Hicks Medearis, Martha Jerusha Medearis, and Mary (Polly) Medearis.

Jane G. Dugger, descendant of John Medearis, at TN Historical Marker 3G12 at Liberty Valley, TN. Photo credit: Jane Dugger.

Jane G. Dugger at the grave of her ancestor, John Medearis, on October 29, 2016.

Medearis TN Historical Marker

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At the age of 32, Medearis was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the North Carolina Continental Line.

He was promoted to Captain on December 23, 1777. In 1783 he was advanced to the rank of Major. George Washington’s general orders of May 29, 1778, at Valley Forge mention Captain Medearis of the North Carolina Brigade. Medearis served as Assistant Deputy Quartermaster General to Colonel Nicholas Long. His pension file (S-2823) indicates that he was at Halifax, North Carolina, on November 3, 1778, as requested by Colonel Nicholas Long and Colonel Jethro Sumner, and assigned to the Quartermaster Department.

Medearis was given land grants in Bedford, Davidson and Hamilton Counties in Tennessee. In 1809, he moved his family to his land grant in Bedford County, now Marshall County, Tennessee. He named his new home “Liberty Valley,” the name it still bears today. Tennessee Historical Marker 3G12 stands near the location to commemorate his Revolutionary War Service.