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Refn: Johnson City Press - Visiting the grave of a Continental Army soldier - July 19, 2025
Born in Virginia, Deaderick enlisted at age 17 and served in the Continental Army under General George Washington. He rose to adjutant sergeant of the 8th Virginia Regiment under General Peter Muhlenberg and fought in the pivotal battles of Monmouth and Brandywine.
Following the war, Deaderick became one of Jonesborough’s earliest merchants, opening a general store in 1788. His frontier business wasn’t without challenges, including a tense encounter with John Sevier and a group of armed men demanding whiskey - a dispute that ended with gunfire and injury.
Despite such challenges, Deaderick became a respected civic leader. He was instrumental in founding Washington College in 1795, served on the board of East Tennessee College (now the University of Tennessee), and was a state senator representing Washington and Carter Counties in 1799. He also held leadership in early banking efforts and helped govern the town as one of its appointed commissioners.
David Deaderick passed away on October 20, 1823. His obituary in the Knoxville Register praised him as a man of great integrity, morality, and public service - “one of the noblest works of God.”
The Kings Mountain Chapter of the SAR honors the memory and legacy of this exemplary Patriot whose life helped shape early Tennessee.
Born in Virginia, Deaderick enlisted at age 17 and served in the Continental Army under General George Washington. He rose to adjutant sergeant of the 8th Virginia Regiment under General Peter Muhlenberg and fought in the pivotal battles of Monmouth and Brandywine.
Following the war, Deaderick became one of Jonesborough’s earliest merchants, opening a general store in 1788. His frontier business wasn’t without challenges, including a tense encounter with John Sevier and a group of armed men demanding whiskey - a dispute that ended with gunfire and injury.
Despite such challenges, Deaderick became a respected civic leader. He was instrumental in founding Washington College in 1795, served on the board of East Tennessee College (now the University of Tennessee), and was a state senator representing Washington and Carter Counties in 1799. He also held leadership in early banking efforts and helped govern the town as one of its appointed commissioners.
David Deaderick passed away on October 20, 1823. His obituary in the Knoxville Register praised him as a man of great integrity, morality, and public service - “one of the noblest works of God.”
The Kings Mountain Chapter of the SAR honors the memory and legacy of this exemplary Patriot whose life helped shape early Tennessee.