Author: Andrew Duppstadt, DNCR
This article is scheduled to appear in Recall, the magazine of the North Carolina Military Historical Society, and is published here with permission.
North Carolina created Stokes County from Surry in 1789, honoring John Stokes, a soldier in the American Revolution who was severely wounded at the Waxhaw Massacre in 1780. Born in Virginia in 1756, Stokes served as a captain in the Continental Army from 1778 to 1783. Following the war, Stokes served as state’s attorney in Rowan County, NC and was elected to the NC Senate from Montgomery County. He also served one year in the NC House of Commons. President George Washington appointed Stokes US District Court Judge for North Carolina in 1790, but he died two months after his appointment, on October 12.
Located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, Stokes County encompasses 456 square miles along the Virginia border and has a population just under 45,000 residents. Danbury is the county seat. Stokes County is bordered by Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, and Surry counties, as well as Patrick and Henry counties in Virginia. The county is home to Hanging Rock State Park.
For more information on the NC Military Historical Society, visit: https://www.ncmilitaryhistoricalsociety.org/