Cabarrus County, NC - Jack Ross

Jack Ross
Oldest Colored Man in Cabarrus County

March 15th 1856
The Concord Weekly Gazette

A REVOLUTIONER.

The oldest man, perhaps, in the County, is Jack Ross, a colored man, 
the property of Capt. H. P. Towndsend, of this county.

Jack must be a hundred years old or over. He lives on his master's 
plantation a few miles from town, and may be seen almost every week 
in town, buying dellicacies for his family, or offering the productions 
of his prolific "patch" for sale. He does all the work required of him 
by his indulgent master, and raises, besides, more produce on his own 
little farm, we venture, and gets better prices for it, than many of 
the small farmers of the North.

Jack is a native of Africa, having been brought to America when young, 
an event which he distantly remembers and loves to talk about. He was 
an unflinching patriot during the war of the Revolution, says his young 
master was one of the famous "Black Boys," who dealt such sanguinary 
retribution upon the tories and red-coats, in this county and Mecklenburg. 
He has seen the illustrious Washington -- was a teamster at the time, 
hauling munitions of war for the Continentals. He has been married twice 
and is the father of twenty-four children - - nine by his first wife and 
fifteen by the second. He is still active, healthy, and able to do a good 
day's work, and from his looks gives promise of being spared for many 
years to come.

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