WAYNE COUNTY.
Goldsboro', the capital of Wayne, is situated near the center of the County, about a mile from the Neuse river. The land on which the town is located was originally owned by Arnold Borden, Lemuel H. Whitfield, Wright Langstone and James Rhodes, and called in token of regard after M. T. Goldsboro', the assistant engineer of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. On February 23, 1839, the first train reached Goldsboro'. The first building erected in the village was by Mr. Borden for a hotel. In 1848 the County seat, which was at Waynesboro', was moved to Goldsboro'.
Ezekiel Slocumb was a native of Wayne County, and rendered important service to his country in the Revolutionary struggle. He was at the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, February 27, 1776, the earliest battle in the Revolution in the South, and he would say his wife, too, was there. Her heroic and romantic conduct is noticed in Mrs. Ellett's "Women of the Revolution," and also in Wheeler's History of North Carolina, II, 457. She was one of the most remarkable women of her day. Her maiden name was Hooks, sister of Hon. Charles Hooks, who was a member of Congress in 1816, 1819-25 from the Wilmington district, and who moved to Alabama. She was born in Bertie County in 1760. During her husband's absence in the army she took the entire charge of his farm, and she used to say she did all the work a man ever did except mauling rails, and to do away with that exception she went out "one day and mauled a few."
Mr. Slocumb was an officer in the battle of Camden, (August 16, 1780,) where General Gates was defeated by Lord Cornwallis. On the march of the British Army in 1781, after the battle of Guilford, from Wilmington to Virginia, his farm was visited and ravaged by the troops, and Slocumb, in attempting to protect his friends and family, had many narrow escapes. He, with the aid of Major Williams, raised a troop of about two hundred men and followed the royal army, succeeded in cutting off their foraging parties, and greatly harrassed the enemy until they crossed the Roanoke, when, with his troop, he joined La Fayette, and was at Yorktown October 19, 1781. Then he resigned and returned to his home blessed with the esteem of his brother officers and the respect of his fellow-citizens. The latter so appreciated his services that they tendered him every position of honor and trust in their gift. He was a member of the House of Commons in 1808, also 1812-18. Their son Jesse was elected a member of Congress 1809-21, and died while a member, December 20, 1820, and was succeeded by William S. Blackledge, of New Berne.
In the Congressional Cemetery at Washington are cenotaphs erected to members of Congress who died before their terms of office expired. We copy from one of these as follows: "In memory of Hon. Jesse Slocumb, a Representative of the United States from the State of North Carolina, died December 20, 1820, aged forty years."
A biographical and historical account of the Slocum and Slocumb families of America was published by the author, Charles E. Slocum, M. D., Ph. D., of Syracuse, New York, in 1880. The work is well executed, handsomely printed, illustrated with portraits and the family arms in colors. The Hon. Edward Salter, (a member of the Legislature in New Jersey in 1857-8-9, and Speaker in 1859,) has also given the results of his investigation into the history of the Slocumb family. He says that the family in America is supposed to have been Anthony Slocum or Slocome, as his name was sometimes given, who, after he came to this country, settled at Taunton, Massachusetts, and who was one of the first purchasers of Dartmouth, in the same State. He had a son, Giles, who settled near Newport, Rhode Island, and who in turn had sons, Giles, born March 27, 1647; Nathaniel, born December 25, 1652, and John. The last two settled in Monmouth, New Jersey, about 1667. John Slocum, better known as Captain John Slocum, became quite prominent in the country. In 1683 he was appointed by the Colonial Legislature captain of the militia, and the same year was appointed Chief Ranger of the County. The duties of this office were to keep a register of all horses and cattle in the County, and to visit all parts of the County to see that no stolen stock was bought or sold,
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