Rev. John Culpepper Congressman of NC

Male, #3954, (10 Apr 1765 - Jan 1841)

ParentSampson Culpepper son of Joseph & Martha (circa 1737 - circa 1806)
ParentEleanor Gilbert (25 Apr 1745 - 19 Jul 1823)
Rev. John Culpepper Congressman of NC|b. 10 Apr 1765\nd. Jan 1841|p3954.htm|Sampson Culpepper son of Joseph & Martha|b. circa 1737\nd. circa 1806|p3948.htm|Eleanor Gilbert|b. 25 Apr 1745\nd. 19 Jul 1823|p3949.htm|Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC|b. say 1696\nd. 1745|p3209.htm|Martha (?)|b. say 1700\nd. 24 Jan 1764|p3210.htm|||||||

Birth*10 Apr 1765 John was born at Anson Co., North Carolina, on 10 Apr 1765. 
 He was the son of Sampson Culpepper son of Joseph & Martha and Eleanor Gilbert. 
Revolutionary War*circa 1783 He provided service in the American Revolutionary War circa 1783
(He may have served in the Revolutionary War, perhaps in Georgia where he lived for a while before 1784. He said in 1820 that "he knew what it was to be a soldier himself, and to serve when a morsel of bread was a luxury.").1 
Marriage*1788 He married Mary Yarbrough at Montgomery Co., North Carolina, in 1788. 
Deed*13 Apr 1793 A deed was granted to him on 13 Apr 1793 at Cabarrus Co., North Carolina.
(Deed Book 2, p. 404: 13 Apr 1793 Frederick Carlock, planter, to John Culpepper for £40, 92 acres on the head of Nobody's Branch joining Lofton, Robert Hill, and William Waggoner, a grant dated 7 Aug 1787. Witnesses: George Carlock and Jno. Yarbrough. Proven Oct 1797).2 
Deed16 Sep 1796 A deed was granted to him on 16 Sep 1796 at Cabarrus Co., North Carolina.
(Deed Book 2, p. 496: 16 Sep 1796 Frederick Carlock to John Culpepper for £150, 200 acres on the Back Branch of Cold Water Creek including his other improvements joining Isaac Loftin, William Townsend, Peter Rape, and William McCraw, being a Grant dated 2 Nov 1784. Witnesses: Frederick Plyler, James McGraw. Proven: Apr 1798).2 
Deed23 Jan 1799 He granted a deed on 23 Jan 1799 at Cabarrus Co., North Carolina.
(Deed Book 3, p. 78: 23 Jan 1799 John Culpepper to David Cline, taylor, for $300, 200 acres on the Back Branch of Cold Water Creek including the plantation where Frederick Carlock, Sr. formerly lived except for a small piece taken off the upper end to run with Robert Lee, Isaac Lofton, James McGraw and William Townsend and William Wagner. Witnesses: George Corzine, John Underwood. Proven: Jan 1799).2 
Deed15 Jul 1799 He granted a deed on 15 Jul 1799 at Cabarrus Co., North Carolina.
(Deed Book 3, p.172: 15 Jul 1799 John Culpepper, Attorney for John Keiser of Knoxville to George Keiser of Cabarrus Co. NC for $50, 25 acres on the South side of Rocky River joining Peter Keiser. Witnesses: James Bridges, Hugh Patterson, Jurat. Proven: Oct 1799).2 
Deed16 Aug 1799 He witnessed a deed grant on 16 Aug 1799 at Cabarrus Co., North Carolina.
(Deed Book 3, p. 222: 16 Aug 1799 Robert Smith and Robert W. Smith to George Corzine for £97.10, 78 acres on the waters of Irish Buffelow Creek joining Alexander Forgueson [sic] and James Morrison, part of a plantation since sold by Smith to Jacob Hudson. Witnesses: John Culpepper, Joseph Gray. Proven: Jan 1800).2 
Deed18 Jan 1800 A deed was granted to him on 18 Jan 1800 at Anson Co., North Carolina.
(Book F, Page 215: James Sparks and wife Sarah, power of attorney to John Culpepper to act on their behalf regarding the estate of John Lynch, Sarah's brother. Witnesses: Henry Marshall, James Marshall. Signed: James (X) Sparks, Sarah (X) Sparks. Recorded January 1800.). 
1800 Census4 Aug 1800 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1800 Census at Cabarrus Co., North Carolina. Enumerated in census but otherwise unidentified are 1 M10-16 and 1 F0-10. Rev. John Culpepper appears to have been enumerated in both Cabarrus and Anson Counties in 1800..3 
1800 Census*4 Aug 1800 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1800 Census at Anson Co., North Carolina. Enumerated in census but otherwise unidentified is 1 M10-16. Also, it is not clear if a F26-45 was recorded. There should be 1 for Mary Yarborough..4 
1810 Census*6 Aug 1810 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1810 Census at Anson Co., North Carolina. Enumerated in the census but not otherwise identified are 1 M0-10, 2 M16-26, 2 F10-16.5 
Marriage*27 May 1828 He married Abigail (?) at Montgomery Co., Maryland, on 27 May 1828. 
1830 Census*1 Jun 1830 John was listed as the head of a family on the 1830 Census at Montgomery Co., North Carolina.6 
Death*Jan 1841 He died at Society Hill, Darlington District, South Carolina, in Jan 1841.7 
Burial*Jan 1841 His body was interred in Jan 1841 at Welsh Neck Baptist Church Cemetery, Society Hill, Darlington Co., South Carolina.7 
Biography* The following biography of John Culpepper appeared in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, by William S. Powell:

John Culpepper, Baptist clergyman and Federalist congressman, son of Sampson Culpepper, was born near Wadesboro in Anson County, in the area later made into Montgomery County.

Nothing is known of his personal life, although one reference indicates that he may have served in the Revolutionary War, perhaps in Georgia where he lived for a while before 1784. He said in 1820 that "he knew what it was to be a soldier himself, and to serve when a morsel of bread was a luxury."

He attended local schools and was ordained in the Sandy Creek Association some time prior to 1812. It is probable that he preached at Meadow Branch Church in Union County, where he acquired a reputation as a "great evangelist." By 1815 the number of Baptist congregations had increased, and the new Pee Dee Association, to which Culpepper belonged for the remainder of his life, was created. At the 1816 meeting of the Sandy Creek Association, he was the guest preacher, using as his text for the opening discourse Hebrews 4:16.

Unconcerned over the issue of separation of church and state, Culpepper ran for the General Assembly of North Carolina and was elected as one of the two Anson County representatives in 1801. His service was not remarkable; he favored the calling of a constitutional convention for revision of the state constitution, and he favored stricter laws to regulate gambling. On the last day of the session, however, he and two other clerical members were challenged by the House of Commons on the basis of having violated Section 31 of the constitution, which forbade practicing clergy to hold office in the General Assembly. His seat was thereupon declared vacant, he was awarded all his back pay, and a new election in Anson County was called.

This event did not discourage him, for in 1807 he ran for Congress as a Federalist against Duncan McFarland and won in a contested election. McFarland appealed to the House of Representatives, which, after taking testimony evidencing such irregularities as an insufficient number of judges and failure to administer proper oaths to election officials, declared the seat vacant but would not award it to McFarland. A new election returned Culpepper again, whereupon he took his seat and began the first of six terms in Congress (1807-9, 1813-17, 1819-21, 1823-25, 1827-29).

Philosophically, Culpepper was more nearly an Old Jeffersonian than a Federalist. As he himself stated, he "had always been independent enough to disregard precedents in his course, and he should continue to do so." He stood with the Federalists in opposition to the War of 1812, averring his willingness to support a defensive war but never a war "for the purpose of invasion of Canada." He voted against the Loan Bill of 1814 in a lengthy speech, referring to "this premature, this ill-advised, this miserably conducted war......"

Culpepper did not follow the nationalist surge that ensued at the close of the war. He voted against the charter of the second Bank of the United States and against the protective tariffs of 1816, 1824, and 1828. Although he initially supported an appropriation for roads and canals, by 1824 he also opposed these expenditures, on the grounds of invasion of states rights. He did not hesitate to vote for appropriations that would benefit the "little man," supporting pensions for all Revolutionary War soldiers, for instance, and salary increases for government clerks.

Although it is not known if he was a slave holder, Culpepper supported the institution. During the 1820 struggle over the admission of Missouri, he voted consistently for slavery in the new state but was willing to support its prohibition north of 36 degrees 30 minutes. Further, he opposed an authorization for the president to negotiate with foreign countries to abolish the African slave trade, and he also objected to the use of resolutions in the House as vehicles for abolitionist propaganda.

To some, the country preacher was good only for "log-rolling or corn shucking." Indeed, once the members of the House walked off the floor in the midst of a Culpepper speech. To others, he "was deemed a man of sound sense, but not brilliant, useful rather than showy." Not a wealthy man, he did not consider himself able to serve in Congress without adequate compensation. "My family are to be provided for, and I shall vote for the compensation I deem just, and use my wages to support myself, to pay my debts, to support my family, etc., just as I would the avails of my labor on my farm, or any where else...."

His socioeconomic status and his views are generally Jeffersonian, and it must remain a mystery why he called himself a Federalist. Following the end of his sixth term he retired; he died twelve years later, at the age of eighty, at the home of a son in Darlington County, SC. He was buried in the Welch Neck Church cemetery at Society Hill, SC.

The following is from the online "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005."

CULPEPPER, John, a Representative from North Carolina;born near Wadesboro, Anson County, N.C., in 1761;attended the public schools; became a minister in the BaptistChurch; presented credentials as a Federalist Memberelectto the Tenth Congress and served from March 4, 1807,until January 2, 1808, when the seat was declared vacantas the result of a contest on account of alleged irregularities;subsequently reelected to fill the vacancy declared by theHouse of Representatives and served from February 23,1808, to March 3, 1809; elected as a Federalist to the Thirteenthand Fourteenth Congresses (March 4, 1813-March3, 1817); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1816 tothe Fifteenth Congress; elected to the Sixteenth Congress(March 4, 1819-March 3, 1821); unsuccessful candidate forreelection in 1820 to the Seventeenth Congress; elected tothe Eighteenth Congress (March 4, 1823-March 3, 1825);unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1824 to the NineteenthCongress; elected to the Twentieth Congress (March4, 1827-March 3, 1829); declined to be candidate for reelectionin 1828 and retired from public life; died at the residenceof his son in Darlington County, S.C. in January1841; interment in the cemetery at Society Hill, S.C.
(Names referenced above: Rev. John Culpepper Congressman of NC Rev. John Culpepper Congressman of NC). 
Research note*26 Apr 2004 John is a known son of Sampson Culpepper and Eleanor Gilbert. 

Family

Mary Yarbrough (circa 1769 - 5 Feb 1827)
Marriage*1788 He married Mary Yarbrough at Montgomery Co., North Carolina, in 1788. 
Children

Charts Descendants of Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC (Six Generations)
Last Edited 8 Oct 2007

Citations

  1. Biography of John Culpepper from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, by William S. Powell.
  2. Cabarrus Co., NC Deed Book transcribed by Lew Griffin.
  3. 1800 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 686, Ancestry.com Image 11, Unknown Township, Cabarrus Co., NC
    John Culpepper, 2 M0-10, 1 M10-16, 1 M26-45, 2 F0-10, 1 F26-45.
  4. 1800 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 218, Ancestry.com Image 21, Unknown Township, Anson Co., NC
    John Culpepper, 2 M0-10, 1 M10-16, 1 M26-45, 1 F0-10, ? F26-45 (Not clear if anyone recorded or not).
  5. 1810 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 5, Ancestry.com Image 2, Unknown Township, Anson Co., NC
    John Culpepper, 3 M0-10, 4 M16-26, 1 M45+, 2 F10-16, 1 F16-26, 1 F26-45, 4 slaves.
  6. 1830 Federal Census, United States.
    Page 094, Ancestry.com image 59-60, Unknown Township (West), Montgomery Co., NC
    Alexander Culpepper, 1 M20-30, 3 slaves
    John Culpepper, 1 M60-70, 1 F60-70, 0 slaves.
  7. Old Darlington District Chapter, compiler, Old Darlington District Cemetery Survey, Vol. I, Hartsville, SC: SC Genealogical Society, 1993, Repository: Hartsville SC Genealogical Research Library.
    Welsh Neck Baptist Church Cemetery, Society Hill, Darlington Co., SC
    302. Thomas R. Culpepper, died 8 Jun 1856, age 18 years
    303. B. F. C.
    304. S. P. C.
    305. Broken stone
    306. Rev. John Culpepper, died Jan 1841, age 76 yrs. Preach for 54 yrs.
    + from an earlier survey: Catherine E. Culpeper, died Mar 1845, age 9 years.