Jonas was born to Stephen Bedford II and Sarah (last name unknown) in 1735 in what was once called Elizabethtown, Essex County, Royal Colony of New Jersey.
The first home of Jonas and Mercy Bedford after they were married was in New Jersey, but they moved from there to Jack's Narrows in Pennsylvania. Indian trouble drove them out of that region but Jonas raised a group of 250 men and joined other companies in fighting the Indians just prior to the opening of the French & Indian Wars. Following this the Bedford's moved to the Carolina frontier and settled 60 miles west of the Catawba River on Matthew Floyd's Creek, which is in present day Rutherford County.
Jonas and Amasa "Mercy" Bedford had many children including:
Raymond (1758-1820)
Elizabeth Bedford Byars (1763-1847)
Jonas (1765-1859)
Rebeckah Bedford Hunt (1771-1851)
Lydia Bedford Wiseman (1773-1823)
Seth (1774-1819)
Eunice Bedford Lyles (1776-1820)
James Franklin Bedford (1776-1853)
Stephen Bedford (1779-1820)
In 1768 Jonas Bedford, Captain in the Provincial Militia of North Carolina, with his troops assisted Governor Tryon against the Regulators. The Regulators were a group of colonists from the western reaches of North Carolina (Wiseman country) who rebelled in 1768 against heavy taxes and lack of representation. They were defeated at the battle of Alamance Creek in 1771. As a result of his participation, Jonas Bedford was given a permanent commission in the militia and appointed magistrate in Tryon County, and in 1772 took the oath of justice of the peace for Tryon County. These activities didn't exactly endear him to the people of Western Carolina. He continued to hold public offices up to the time of the American Revolution.
From 1776 to 1778 the Bedfords lived fairly routine lives and Jonas had little difficulty maintaining his political loyalty to "mother" England. Things began to change after the British took Charleston, South Carolina and Georgia in December of 1778, and in 1780 Jonas and Mercy received warning that raiders planned to hang Jonas. Jonas rallied members of his old militia company to serve in defense of their homes and families. When the British under Patrick Ferguson arrived in Tryon, Jonas volunteered his services and those of his men as loyal subjects of the king, and he was made Captain of the militia. This group fought against the colonists at Bedford Hill (northeast McDowell County) on September 12, 1780 and at King's Mountain. Both battles were losses to the British, and Jonas Bedford was one of the few to escape to Georgia where he rejoined the British. He was later captured at Fort Gaupin on the Savannah River. He was sentenced to hang, but again he managed to escape. He walked through rough country for nine days without food and made it to Savannah. He later joined the loyalist Militia in Charleston.
In the summer of 1781 Mercy Bedford and her children were forced out of their home by the American patriots of the region, and they joined Jonas Bedford in Charleston. The family stayed together until December of 1782; then Jonas left with the British, served their cause in east Florida and then went to New York. In March of 1784 he left for London, England.
Mercy and her children were literally left to "shift" for themselves. Her intention was to return to Rutherford County to try and pick up the pieces of her life, but this did not come about immediately. In January of 1783, the Rutherford County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions ordered that all of Jonas Bedford's property "be adjudged and forfeited" and Mercy began an unsuccessful campaign to retain Bedford lands. During this trying period, Mercy and one of her sons were commended for assisting the men who were fighting for American independence; thus it would appear that Mercy herself did not share the political views of her husband. In the DAR Index Mercy Bedford is listed as rendering patriotic service to the new nation.
Eventually friends and neighbors came to the aid of the Bedford family and in a petition for Mercy's relief was introduced in the General Assembly of North Carolina on 29 Dec 1785, and the "landed estate" of Jonas Bedford was return to Mercy. By 1787, Jonas himself returned to Rutherford County. He must have had a very winning personality and persuasive ways because all seems to have been forgiven him by family, friends, and neighbors -- so much so, that he was appointed magistrate and during the 1790's he was elected to three terms in the state legislature. By 1802 at the age of 67, he returned to his land. As Carolyn Backstrom states in her account of the Bedford's, Jonas was probably the only loyalist who was never made to suffer for his activities.
Jonas eventually was laid to rest in 1823 at the age of 88, having outlasted five of his nine children. He is buried somewhere in Logan Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina.
The first home of Jonas and Mercy Bedford after they were married was in New Jersey, but they moved from there to Jack's Narrows in Pennsylvania. Indian trouble drove them out of that region but Jonas raised a group of 250 men and joined other companies in fighting the Indians just prior to the opening of the French & Indian Wars. Following this the Bedford's moved to the Carolina frontier and settled 60 miles west of the Catawba River on Matthew Floyd's Creek, which is in present day Rutherford County.
Jonas and Amasa "Mercy" Bedford had many children including:
Raymond (1758-1820)
Elizabeth Bedford Byars (1763-1847)
Jonas (1765-1859)
Rebeckah Bedford Hunt (1771-1851)
Lydia Bedford Wiseman (1773-1823)
Seth (1774-1819)
Eunice Bedford Lyles (1776-1820)
James Franklin Bedford (1776-1853)
Stephen Bedford (1779-1820)
In 1768 Jonas Bedford, Captain in the Provincial Militia of North Carolina, with his troops assisted Governor Tryon against the Regulators. The Regulators were a group of colonists from the western reaches of North Carolina (Wiseman country) who rebelled in 1768 against heavy taxes and lack of representation. They were defeated at the battle of Alamance Creek in 1771. As a result of his participation, Jonas Bedford was given a permanent commission in the militia and appointed magistrate in Tryon County, and in 1772 took the oath of justice of the peace for Tryon County. These activities didn't exactly endear him to the people of Western Carolina. He continued to hold public offices up to the time of the American Revolution.
From 1776 to 1778 the Bedfords lived fairly routine lives and Jonas had little difficulty maintaining his political loyalty to "mother" England. Things began to change after the British took Charleston, South Carolina and Georgia in December of 1778, and in 1780 Jonas and Mercy received warning that raiders planned to hang Jonas. Jonas rallied members of his old militia company to serve in defense of their homes and families. When the British under Patrick Ferguson arrived in Tryon, Jonas volunteered his services and those of his men as loyal subjects of the king, and he was made Captain of the militia. This group fought against the colonists at Bedford Hill (northeast McDowell County) on September 12, 1780 and at King's Mountain. Both battles were losses to the British, and Jonas Bedford was one of the few to escape to Georgia where he rejoined the British. He was later captured at Fort Gaupin on the Savannah River. He was sentenced to hang, but again he managed to escape. He walked through rough country for nine days without food and made it to Savannah. He later joined the loyalist Militia in Charleston.
In the summer of 1781 Mercy Bedford and her children were forced out of their home by the American patriots of the region, and they joined Jonas Bedford in Charleston. The family stayed together until December of 1782; then Jonas left with the British, served their cause in east Florida and then went to New York. In March of 1784 he left for London, England.
Mercy and her children were literally left to "shift" for themselves. Her intention was to return to Rutherford County to try and pick up the pieces of her life, but this did not come about immediately. In January of 1783, the Rutherford County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions ordered that all of Jonas Bedford's property "be adjudged and forfeited" and Mercy began an unsuccessful campaign to retain Bedford lands. During this trying period, Mercy and one of her sons were commended for assisting the men who were fighting for American independence; thus it would appear that Mercy herself did not share the political views of her husband. In the DAR Index Mercy Bedford is listed as rendering patriotic service to the new nation.
Eventually friends and neighbors came to the aid of the Bedford family and in a petition for Mercy's relief was introduced in the General Assembly of North Carolina on 29 Dec 1785, and the "landed estate" of Jonas Bedford was return to Mercy. By 1787, Jonas himself returned to Rutherford County. He must have had a very winning personality and persuasive ways because all seems to have been forgiven him by family, friends, and neighbors -- so much so, that he was appointed magistrate and during the 1790's he was elected to three terms in the state legislature. By 1802 at the age of 67, he returned to his land. As Carolyn Backstrom states in her account of the Bedford's, Jonas was probably the only loyalist who was never made to suffer for his activities.
Jonas eventually was laid to rest in 1823 at the age of 88, having outlasted five of his nine children. He is buried somewhere in Logan Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina.
Jonas was born to Stephen Bedford II and Sarah (last name unknown) in 1735 in what was once called Elizabethtown, Essex County, Royal Colony of New Jersey.
The first home of Jonas and Mercy Bedford after they were married was in New Jersey, but they moved from there to Jack's Narrows in Pennsylvania. Indian trouble drove them out of that region but Jonas raised a group of 250 men and joined other companies in fighting the Indians just prior to the opening of the French & Indian Wars. Following this the Bedford's moved to the Carolina frontier and settled 60 miles west of the Catawba River on Matthew Floyd's Creek, which is in present day Rutherford County.
Jonas and Amasa "Mercy" Bedford had many children including:
Raymond (1758-1820)
Elizabeth Bedford Byars (1763-1847)
Jonas (1765-1859)
Rebeckah Bedford Hunt (1771-1851)
Lydia Bedford Wiseman (1773-1823)
Seth (1774-1819)
Eunice Bedford Lyles (1776-1820)
James Franklin Bedford (1776-1853)
Stephen Bedford (1779-1820)
In 1768 Jonas Bedford, Captain in the Provincial Militia of North Carolina, with his troops assisted Governor Tryon against the Regulators. The Regulators were a group of colonists from the western reaches of North Carolina (Wiseman country) who rebelled in 1768 against heavy taxes and lack of representation. They were defeated at the battle of Alamance Creek in 1771. As a result of his participation, Jonas Bedford was given a permanent commission in the militia and appointed magistrate in Tryon County, and in 1772 took the oath of justice of the peace for Tryon County. These activities didn't exactly endear him to the people of Western Carolina. He continued to hold public offices up to the time of the American Revolution.
From 1776 to 1778 the Bedfords lived fairly routine lives and Jonas had little difficulty maintaining his political loyalty to "mother" England. Things began to change after the British took Charleston, South Carolina and Georgia in December of 1778, and in 1780 Jonas and Mercy received warning that raiders planned to hang Jonas. Jonas rallied members of his old militia company to serve in defense of their homes and families. When the British under Patrick Ferguson arrived in Tryon, Jonas volunteered his services and those of his men as loyal subjects of the king, and he was made Captain of the militia. This group fought against the colonists at Bedford Hill (northeast McDowell County) on September 12, 1780 and at King's Mountain. Both battles were losses to the British, and Jonas Bedford was one of the few to escape to Georgia where he rejoined the British. He was later captured at Fort Gaupin on the Savannah River. He was sentenced to hang, but again he managed to escape. He walked through rough country for nine days without food and made it to Savannah. He later joined the loyalist Militia in Charleston.
In the summer of 1781 Mercy Bedford and her children were forced out of their home by the American patriots of the region, and they joined Jonas Bedford in Charleston. The family stayed together until December of 1782; then Jonas left with the British, served their cause in east Florida and then went to New York. In March of 1784 he left for London, England.
Mercy and her children were literally left to "shift" for themselves. Her intention was to return to Rutherford County to try and pick up the pieces of her life, but this did not come about immediately. In January of 1783, the Rutherford County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions ordered that all of Jonas Bedford's property "be adjudged and forfeited" and Mercy began an unsuccessful campaign to retain Bedford lands. During this trying period, Mercy and one of her sons were commended for assisting the men who were fighting for American independence; thus it would appear that Mercy herself did not share the political views of her husband. In the DAR Index Mercy Bedford is listed as rendering patriotic service to the new nation.
Eventually friends and neighbors came to the aid of the Bedford family and in a petition for Mercy's relief was introduced in the General Assembly of North Carolina on 29 Dec 1785, and the "landed estate" of Jonas Bedford was return to Mercy. By 1787, Jonas himself returned to Rutherford County. He must have had a very winning personality and persuasive ways because all seems to have been forgiven him by family, friends, and neighbors -- so much so, that he was appointed magistrate and during the 1790's he was elected to three terms in the state legislature. By 1802 at the age of 67, he returned to his land. As Carolyn Backstrom states in her account of the Bedford's, Jonas was probably the only loyalist who was never made to suffer for his activities.
Jonas eventually was laid to rest in 1823 at the age of 88, having outlasted five of his nine children. He is buried somewhere in Logan Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina.
The first home of Jonas and Mercy Bedford after they were married was in New Jersey, but they moved from there to Jack's Narrows in Pennsylvania. Indian trouble drove them out of that region but Jonas raised a group of 250 men and joined other companies in fighting the Indians just prior to the opening of the French & Indian Wars. Following this the Bedford's moved to the Carolina frontier and settled 60 miles west of the Catawba River on Matthew Floyd's Creek, which is in present day Rutherford County.
Jonas and Amasa "Mercy" Bedford had many children including:
Raymond (1758-1820)
Elizabeth Bedford Byars (1763-1847)
Jonas (1765-1859)
Rebeckah Bedford Hunt (1771-1851)
Lydia Bedford Wiseman (1773-1823)
Seth (1774-1819)
Eunice Bedford Lyles (1776-1820)
James Franklin Bedford (1776-1853)
Stephen Bedford (1779-1820)
In 1768 Jonas Bedford, Captain in the Provincial Militia of North Carolina, with his troops assisted Governor Tryon against the Regulators. The Regulators were a group of colonists from the western reaches of North Carolina (Wiseman country) who rebelled in 1768 against heavy taxes and lack of representation. They were defeated at the battle of Alamance Creek in 1771. As a result of his participation, Jonas Bedford was given a permanent commission in the militia and appointed magistrate in Tryon County, and in 1772 took the oath of justice of the peace for Tryon County. These activities didn't exactly endear him to the people of Western Carolina. He continued to hold public offices up to the time of the American Revolution.
From 1776 to 1778 the Bedfords lived fairly routine lives and Jonas had little difficulty maintaining his political loyalty to "mother" England. Things began to change after the British took Charleston, South Carolina and Georgia in December of 1778, and in 1780 Jonas and Mercy received warning that raiders planned to hang Jonas. Jonas rallied members of his old militia company to serve in defense of their homes and families. When the British under Patrick Ferguson arrived in Tryon, Jonas volunteered his services and those of his men as loyal subjects of the king, and he was made Captain of the militia. This group fought against the colonists at Bedford Hill (northeast McDowell County) on September 12, 1780 and at King's Mountain. Both battles were losses to the British, and Jonas Bedford was one of the few to escape to Georgia where he rejoined the British. He was later captured at Fort Gaupin on the Savannah River. He was sentenced to hang, but again he managed to escape. He walked through rough country for nine days without food and made it to Savannah. He later joined the loyalist Militia in Charleston.
In the summer of 1781 Mercy Bedford and her children were forced out of their home by the American patriots of the region, and they joined Jonas Bedford in Charleston. The family stayed together until December of 1782; then Jonas left with the British, served their cause in east Florida and then went to New York. In March of 1784 he left for London, England.
Mercy and her children were literally left to "shift" for themselves. Her intention was to return to Rutherford County to try and pick up the pieces of her life, but this did not come about immediately. In January of 1783, the Rutherford County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions ordered that all of Jonas Bedford's property "be adjudged and forfeited" and Mercy began an unsuccessful campaign to retain Bedford lands. During this trying period, Mercy and one of her sons were commended for assisting the men who were fighting for American independence; thus it would appear that Mercy herself did not share the political views of her husband. In the DAR Index Mercy Bedford is listed as rendering patriotic service to the new nation.
Eventually friends and neighbors came to the aid of the Bedford family and in a petition for Mercy's relief was introduced in the General Assembly of North Carolina on 29 Dec 1785, and the "landed estate" of Jonas Bedford was return to Mercy. By 1787, Jonas himself returned to Rutherford County. He must have had a very winning personality and persuasive ways because all seems to have been forgiven him by family, friends, and neighbors -- so much so, that he was appointed magistrate and during the 1790's he was elected to three terms in the state legislature. By 1802 at the age of 67, he returned to his land. As Carolyn Backstrom states in her account of the Bedford's, Jonas was probably the only loyalist who was never made to suffer for his activities.
Jonas eventually was laid to rest in 1823 at the age of 88, having outlasted five of his nine children. He is buried somewhere in Logan Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina.
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