Captain Pearson

I had a great time speaking to the groups in Bessemer City and Greensboro. However, all of this zipping around the state has me tired.

I’ve spent the morning researching the Captain Pearson I alluded to a couple of days ago. I believe that this is Isaac A. Pearson, born ca. 1815 on Silver Creek, Burke County. He appears in the 1850 and 1860 Yancey County census. In the latter, he is a 43 year old merchant residing in Bakersville. John W. McElroy mentions him in a letter to Vance on February 5, 1861. McElroy writes: "I do not know who will Run as a candidate in this County but I suppose Pearson, Broyles or old Sam Byrd, as I understand that they all want to be elected to that Body. I Suppose a disunion man will be elected." I would take this to mean that Pearson was a Union man.

It appears that Pearson moved to Catawba County after the war, and is listed in the 1870 census as a revenue officer, and in 1880 as a farmer. He was remarried to a widow from Virginia. He is not in the 1900 census, so we can assume that he passed on between 1880 and 1900.

Can I say that the Pearson living in Bakersville is the Pearson who was trying to recruit a local company in January 1861? No, not yet. If it is not, then I’ll have a lot of research on Isaac A. Pearson from Bakersville. Maybe this afternoon I should ride over to the Mitchell County historical society and see if I can find anything else.

All of this work for something that will probably just appear as a footnote in the 58th NCT book.