1780-1804
William Barry Grove (1764-1818)
A Cross Creek native, he was a leading advocate for ratification of the U.S. Constitution at the state convention in Fayetteville in 1789. He served as a Federalist congressman from 1791 to 1802.
He composed this motto for the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry: "He that hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart."
Henry Evans (circa 1760-1810)
This free black preacher is known as the "Father of Methodism," for blacks and whites, in Fayetteville.
Evans, who was from Virginia, was a shoemaker by trade and a licensed Methodist preacher. He met opposition from whites when he began preaching to slaves in Fayetteville, but his preaching later attracted whites to his services.
He is credited with building the first church in town, called the African Meeting House, in 1796. Evans Metropolitan AME Zion Church is named for him.
Isaac Hammond (d. 1822)
As a teenager, this free black man served in the 10th Regiment of the N.C. Continental Line during the Revolutionary War, spending the harsh winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. He became a barber in Fayetteville and was active in politics, even though blacks could not vote.
He became the first company fifer for the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry after it was organized in 1793. He served the FILI for nearly 30 years and was buried on its parade grounds near Cross Creek in 1822.
Col. Alexander McAllister (circa 1715-1798)
This early settler of the "Bluff" area in northeastern Cumberland was a leader in the Patriot cause during the Revolution. He served as a colonel in the Cumberland militia and in the state legislature in the 1760s, 1770s and 1780s.
He came to America from Scotland before his fellow Highlanders had to swear an oath of allegiance to the British crown. He found himself on opposing sides with many former Highlanders who were Loyalists in the Revolution.
Farquhard Campbell (circa 1730-1808)
Which side was he on during the Revolution? In the life and career of this Scottish-born major landholder, that question and others remain murky.
He was a prominent public figure in Cumberland County before the Revolution, as a legislator and justice of the peace and militia captain. He briefly aided the Loyalists and was taken prisoner at Moore's Creek. After the war, he regained his status and again served in the legislature.
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