The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-08-06
PENN, Signer.
BY DR. T. Is. ~kINGSBIRY.
(CONCLUDED.)
or OF the eighteenth

century.
The leading men Of the Granville
section who lived in the early years
Of the nineteenth century knew but
lttlc OF Ir. Penn, He died
IN his prime and but little in the way
Of personal description or other
reminlScence came to those who lived
from 1920 and upward. so far as I
have learned. / have found but little
Of interest concerning him outside OF
mention IN some North Carolina his
tories. Major John w. Moore, In his
History Of North Carolina" in two
volumes, published in 1880, twenty
seven years ago., a work possessing
both value and interest, but unfort-
unately Astounding in errors that must
be carefully watched. says Of Nh. Penn
in 1915: John Penn, of Granville,
was making his first appearance in
public, and soon became conspicuous
IN debates A stranger and young
and yet so early a foremost speaker
and certainly popular. Moore. CVol
!, 286 D), states thai North Carolina
fully endorsed the Formations Of a gov
nj on July 21st, 1878, when John
Penn and John Williams. of Granville.
and Cornelius Harnett. of New Han
over, carried out the Legislatures in
structiOns to that effect" Moore in a
note refers to Hickey on the Consti-
tuition" page 40. Hon. William A.
Graham was not only a man Of fine
abilities and wide experience, but he
was Wise, JidIClOuS, SAFE, Wen DdI-
anced." in his we'll known historical
lecture, page 172, saws of the Board Of
War, Of which John Penn was a
member, that ne regards the constitu-
ton of this Board as a wise commit
tee"
Mr.. Penn had q personal difficulty
while in the Continental Congress with
the President of the body, Mr.. Henry
LaurenS. of South Carolina. AS was
the fashion or way of those fiery
times. pistols and coffee for two"
were to be resorted to by the threaten
ed combatants. They were fellow
b~oarders and breakfasted together the
morning they were to fight or not
to fight. as it turned out. The place
of meeting was ION a vacant lot" op-
posite the Masonic Hall on Chestnut
street. In crossing at Fifth street,
where was then q deep slough, Mr..
Penn kindly offered his hand to aid
Mr.. Laurens, then much the older. who
Laurens, who had challenged him.
that it was a foolish affair. and it was
made 10 on the spot" There was not
much blood and thunder" in that
performance. But Cancellation may
not come too late when offered. Dis
erection is the better part of valor."
Mr.. PENIS plantation in Granville
was owned in 1876. and later. by the
late Col. William l.. Taylor, a highly
estlmable Christian gentlemen and
farmer. l knew him well. In the
year named | was conversing with him
about Mr.. Penn. vas engaged in
the preparation of IN address upon
the History OF Granville County" by
the invitation of the citizens of the
county, and worked upon it for over
uine weeks merely from a sense of
obligation and devotion. | SpOpe on
4th July of that year to some 1900
or more people, occupying the short
time of but two hours and three quar-
ters. The first salutation and compli-
ment was from an "Old MAZDA
Baptist lady of standing-who met me
just as / left the hall. and said gra-
ciously, MI. X. you can take longer
to say nothing than any one | have
ever heard" [ smiled and passed on.
l have at different time published pro-
badly some ten or twelve columns Of
extracts from the address. but the
mass has been but little touched. But
to return to the conversation with Col.
Taylor: He told me that Mr.. PENIS
grave was on the plantation he then
owned, and he knew where it was. He
said that the remains Of an old grlst-
mill once used by Mr.. Penn We're to
be seen on the site then. in 1876. This
useful, honored. faithful, able man
died at mis- home in Granville county,
on Aaron's Creek. Ca tributary of Big
Island Creek), in September. 1883, in
the very prime of and in
the forty-eighth year of his life. He
( w a. SISNANt 1oAA IAAiAS' ~ IAt> ~
tinental Congress, the last time in
1879. My record states that in 1884,
he was appointed to the office Of Re
CeiVer of the taxes of the State. so II
figures be true he could not have died
as reported to me. and as [ stated in
the Wake Forest College Student in
1898 or 1899. His grave IS near Island
Greek, iii Sassafras Fork Township, in
Granville, and nearly north from OK
ford, and not more than perhaps
fyxrp1yn nJ> fn1lTfann miles Rnt in INN
there was no such place known as OK
ford. 1t began business " about 1910
or 1912, but it was a Crossroads as
far acA as 1856, as may be seen by
reading the Diary kept by Rev.
Hugh McAden, the well known Pres
byterian minister, in that year. for he
went by the Crossroads" supposed
to be where the progressive town of
Oxford, with its 300 inhabitants,
more or less. is now located.
Mr.. Penn had a sister. who either
came with him to Granville. or fol-
lowed him at d later time. She mar
ried a Mr.. Hunt, whose given name |
can not state. The late John Penn
Hunt. who lived and died some two
or three miles north of Oxford, was
her son and was named after her
brother. I remember to have seen him
many times in my boyhOOd. ! knew
personally we'll five of his sons. He
has manv descendants in the county
in his year of grace. He was a man
of character and intelligence and good
means. and he has many worthy
grandchildren living in the county and
in Vance and Person.
Some writer in the Fayetteville OBJ
server, a decided favorite Of my own,
about 1898, stated that John Penn was
a descendant of the very celebrated
English Quaker. of historic fame. Will
liam Penn, who settled PENNSYLVANIA.
named in honor of his great merit.
But Mr.. Penn was not a descendant
Of the distinguished Quaker, but Dos
sibly a kinsman, according to tradition.
So far as | know or have been able
to discover. there is no descendant
living Of the highly meritorious Signer
of the worldwide famous Declaration
of independence on July 4th, 1176.
The descendants of his sister. Mrs
Hunt, are many and are good citizens
generally. The Hunts I have known
we're mostly merchants or armer
mentioned that Mr.. Penn married
in his Virginia county, Caroline, a
| Miss Susan Lyme. l followed the
spelling of such authorities accessible
to me as to her name. But / am
5onbtful if if is correct. and for this