Watauga County North Carolina Biographies

An AHGP Project

Watauga County North Carolina

The Banners of Watauga

From Murphey's Papers (Vol. H, p. 381) we learn that Joseph Banner was born in Pennsylvania in 1749 and moved to Stokes County, North Carolina, in 1751. Stokes was then Anson County, and it was there that Joseph's father settled. His home was on Town Fork, near the present village of Germantown, N. C. One of the Banners entered land in Ashe soon after its formation. Banner is a Welsh name and used to be written Bannerman. It seems, however, that Henry Banner was the first of the name to come to America, arriving between 1740 and 1750, and married a Miss Martin from England. They settled on Buffalo Creek, then Rowan, now Stokes County. He bought land from Lord Granville in 1752. There were three sons of this union: Ephriam, Joseph and Benjamin.

Ephriam was the father of Joshua, and Joshua of Lewis, and Lewis of Edward J. Banner. Lewis Banner's brothers were Martin, who married Mary Ogburn; Anthony, who married; John, who married a Miss Shiposh; Edward, Mathew and Joshua, who married, but the surnames of their wives have been forgotten. All these came to Banner's Elk about three years before the Civil War, except Martin, who came in 1849. Martin died at Montezuma, Anthony and John at Banner's Elk, Edward at Elk Park, Mathew in Texas in 1914, and Joshua in Surry County.

Martin Banner's children were: Virginia, born in 1832; Napoleon, in 1834; William, in 1836; Oliver, in 1838; Columbia, in 1840; Newton, October 8, 1842; Luther, in 1844; Martin, in 1846; Mary, in 1848, and Missouri, in 1850. Newton Banner married Sophronia Mast in 1866.

Source: A History of Watauga County, North Carolina with Sketches of Prominent Families, By John Preston Arthur, Richmond: Everett Waddey Company, 1915.

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