LINCOLN COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - The Forney Family --------------¤¤¤¤¤¤-------------- From THE STATE March 11, 1944 THE FORNEYS by Edgar Abernethy "They were one of Lincoln County's great families. Jacob Sr came to North Carolina in 1754. He and his descendants were outstanding figures in the progress of the area in which they lived." In the early history of Lincoln County no family played a more important part in its progress and development than did the Forneys. The great days of this family covered three generations, Jacob Sr carved out a home in the wilderness; his sons, Jacob and Abram and especially, Peter brought the family to its highest point of wealth and prestige; while Peter's son, Daniel built the family monument in the form of the magnificent dwelling which today, more than one hundred years later, is still one of the show places of the county. Jacob Forney Sr was born in Alsace in 1721. Son of a Huguenot who had fled from France for religious reasons, he was left an orphan at the age of four. ten years later he went to Amsterdam. Here he heard glowing accounts of the New World, and in 1739, he reached Philadelphia where he hoped to find greater opportunity for advancement. COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE A Few years later he returned to Germany to procure a small legacy, and it was on the return voyage to America that he met his future bride, Maria Bergner, a Swiss Emigrant from the Canton of Berne. A trans Atlantic voyage in those days was an affair that took months, so the young people had plenty of time to get acquainted. Their marriage took place soon after their ship reached Pennsylvania. Joining the great tide of migration to the South, in 1754 the Forneys reached Tryon County and settled in that portion which now is Lincoln. At that time the country west of the Catawba was thinly settled, and its dense forests offerred ideal cover for marauding bands of Cherokees who kept the scattered colonists in a continual state of alarm. It was not uncommon for these pioneer settlers to be compelled to abandon their homes for a time,retreating to safer territory east of the river. Those who were unable to leave , constructed rough forts or blockhouses in which to take refuge in times of danger. Forney took an active part in these Indian wars. On one occasion he and two companions came upon a war party of eleven Indians. Forney , who knew not the meaning of fear, wished to give battle, but the more prudent counsels of his companions prevailed, and they prepared to make an orderly retreat to a fort several miles distant. A MAN OF REAL VALOR Soon one of his companions was wounded by a Cherokee bullet and the other lost his courage and fled.Forney refused to abandoned his wounded companion but stood off the savages single handed while the injured man made a slow and painful retreat, sometimes under his own power and again on Forney's back. After several hours of the unequal combat which was maintained so long only because the Indians had a deadly fear of Forney's gun, the wounded man became so faint from the loss of blood that he begged his companion to leave him and save his own life before it was too late. This Forney was was very reluctantly constrained to do and reached the fort in safety.Numerous bullets had penetrated his clothing but his only wound was a scratch on the back of his hand. By that time, Jacob Forney himself was too old for military service, but his sons fought with courage worthy of their dauntless father. Abram , the youngest, took part in several engagements at the tender age of sixteen and served both at Ramsour's MIll and King's Mountain. Peter, after serving in various places during the war was in command of the troops which defeated Major Craig and his British dragoons near Wilmington thus capturing the last Britian position in NC. Jacob Jr rendered service to the Patriot cause. VISIT OF CORNWALLIS In 1781 Lord Cornwallis passed through Lincoln County in pursuit of General Morgan. Reaching the Catawba, he found it in flood and was unable to cross until the high waters subsided. A local Tory conducted him to the Forney plantation, where he remained encamped for three days, while his men systematically looted the place. All of Forney's accumulated wealth- cattle,horses,sheep, hogs, poultry,forage, forty gallons of brandy and thousands of rails was consumed, destroyed or carried away. While this was taking place, Lord Cornwallis was occupying the second story of the Forney home where he had established his headquarters. In deference to his age , Forney was not molested in his occupation of the ground floor of the building. In spite of these depredations he managed to retain his self control until he learned that the British had found the hiding place of the family gold, silver and jewelry. This was the last straw. The doughty old Indian fighter boiled over, and seizing his gun made for the house, fully determined to kill the British General then and there. His wife intercepted him at the foot of the stairs, and by her entreaties brought him to a calmer frame of mind. The log house in which this took place is still standing in an excellent state of preservation. Some additions have been made, and the logs have been covered with weather boarding. nearly two hundred years old. It looks good for at least another hundred. A few hundred yards distant is a flat-topped rock known as the" Cornwallis tea- table" According to tradition, it was here that Lordship and his staff took their afternoon tea while at the Forneys The close of the war found the Forneys in reduced circumstances, but they were not long in recouping their losses. In 1789 Peter Forney in association with his brother Abram and others, erected the first forge in the western portion of the state, thus beginning the industry which was to make eastern Lincoln County an industrial center for generations. When his father died in 1806, the latter had the satisfaction of knowing thast a solid foundation had been laid for the future prosperity of the family. ACTIVE IN POLITICS Peter Forney was usually called by the title he acquired as a general in the state militia. Not only was he a leading industrialist and an extensive farmer,but also he took a prominent part in politics, serving both in the state legislature and as congressional reprentative from his district. On four occasions he served as a Presidential Elector, a fact which is chronicled on his tombstone. In all likihood this is the only tombstone in the state which goes into particulars about the politics of the deceased. Here's the Inscription in full: Gen. Peter Forney A Patriot soldier of the Revolution Who was born April 21st 1756 And died Februaury the 1st 1834 In public life the deceased acquited himself with a reputation as a useful and efficient member of Congrsss As an Elector from the People for President of the United States He carried out the Republican principles. upon which he had acted through life by Voting successively for Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Madsion. Mr. Monroe and General Jackson And in all the relations of private life he acquired the love and eteem of all who knew him. Major Daniel M.Forney was the oldest son of the General and in every way was worthy of his illustrious father whom he succeeded in Congress in 1815. He served with distinction in the War of 1812 and under his management the family business continued to prosperity. Among his neighbors was Capt. Alexander Brevard. Capt Brevard's daughter, Harriet, was a girl of rare charm and beauty and the Major became one of her numerous suitors. Fully aware of her beauty, wealth and social positions, the young lady must have been something of a coquette. At any rate she couldn't seem to make up her mind which suitor she preferred. Finally she came to a decision."I shall marry the man who builds me the finest house," She announced. Major Forney was an energetic man, and when this announcement reached him he went into action in high gear. From Philadelphia he summoned Benjamin.Henry Latrobe, the architect who had designed the National Capitol which the British burned in 1812, as well as the building which replaced the ruined edifice. To carry out Mr. Latrobe's plans, it was necessary to secure the services of the most highly skilled craftsman obtainable, and no expense was spared in providing them with the very best materials money could buy. the brick were made on the plantation by Major Forney's own slaves, but the interior finish came all the way from France. All the furnishings were of the finest. If any others of Miss Harriet 's suitors entered into the competition no record of it remains. Perhaps they realized the hopelessness of attemping to complete with the Forney resources. It may be that the lady herself knew all the time how things would come out, and that the whole thing was simply her way out of inducing her chosen mate to build a home she considered worthy of herself. One thing is certain: when on Ocrober 18,1817, she married Daniel Forney she became mistress of the finest dwelling ever built in that section of the state. For the next seventeen years , her household was maintained on a lavish scale. Every possible comfort and luxury was provided for the family and their guests, for Ingleside, as the home was called., was known far and wide for its hospitality. It was during those years that the prosperity of the Lincoln iron-mining district reached its highest point. The whole neighborhood was a beehive of activity. In crop time the rolling fields were full of toiling slaves, while at other seasons the mining industry kept everyone occupied. Scores of wagons struggled over the red clay roads, often hub-deep in mud, bearing ore,lime, wood for charcoal, and the finished product of the furnaces and forges which dotted all the streams, wherever a little water-power could be developed. ERA OF PROSPERITY A golden stream of prosperity flowed into the coffers of the fortunate owners of all this, and none prospered to a greater degree than the Forneys. It would seem that the Major,blessed with everything heart could desire, would have been content to end his days in his elegant home, but the Forneys were pioneers. It was part of their heritage to prefer the adventure of the new and untried to proven safety and security. In 1834 Gen. Peter Forney died at the age of 78. In that same year, Daniel disposed of his property in North Carolina and joined several of his brothers and sisters in emigrating to Alabama. Not all the family left, and there are still a few of the name in the county, but the date 1834 marks the end of the Forneys in this state. Today the name is extinct in the neighorhood where it once flourished so greatly; even the great house, which is the family monument is known locally as the " Hall place" so called after a later owner. The surrounding fields, wasted by generations of shiftless tenant farming, give no hint of their former style. Even some of the tremendous white-oaks which once added to the beauty of the estate have yielded to the passing years. Only the house itself remains unchanged, an enduring memorial to an almost forgotten family, and a way of life long since gone forever. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Josephine Gee jgee2@sc.rr.com ___________________________________________________________________