Thomas Jefferson Hadley (1728 – September 1, 1781) was an American politician,
settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settl ...
and soldier in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
Thomas Jefferson Hadley was born in 1728, in New Castle,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacen ...
to Joshua Hadley, a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
County Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hon ...
), Ireland, and Mary Rowland of
Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee, United States
* Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West En ...
, Pennsylvania. Prior to travelling to the United States, his family were members of the Quaker Meetinghouse in
Moate
Moate (; ) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.
The name ''An Móta'' is derived from the term motte-and-bailey, as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the m ...
,
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivis ...
.
Career
Hadley travelled to North Caroline with his father c1759, firstly settling in
Bladen County
Bladen County () , from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
region of North Carolina, however following his participation in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
, he was excommunicated. During the war he reached the rank of captain. In 1776 he represented Campbellton at the North Carolina Constitutional Convention.
Death and legacy
Captain Hadley was killed in 1781 by a party of
Tories
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
under the command of Col.
Hector McNeill
Hector McNeill (October 10, 1728 – December 25, 1785) was an Scotch-Irish immigrant to the Province of Massachusetts Bay who became a merchant mariner for the Royal Navy during the North American theater of the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). H ...
at his home on
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Ca ...
, on the night following the Battle of Cross Creek. His grandson Joshua Hadley became a settler in Texas, after becoming a recipient of a league of land in Anderson County.