Jacob Kornegay

Jacob Kornegay
Born abt 1735, Died 1795

Jacob Kornegay was a Captain in the Revolutionary War (documentation in Dept. of Archives & History, Raleigh, NC Claim #173-year 1781; #211, #56-year 1782; #350, #877-year 1781). The Kornegays came first to Kornegay's Bridge section of Goshen Swamp. It is believed that they were among the founders of the German Reformed or High German Church at Simmons Neck on the Trent River in what is now Jones County. These two churches were the oldest known Reformed or Presbyterian Churches in North Carolina. It is also believed that there were no white settlers in what is now Duplin Co until 1718 or 1720, after the Tuscaroras Indian War. After the first settlement was started in the Duplin area, the Kornegays moved to Goshen, because the Northeast Cape Fear afforded them a direct route to the Atlantic Ocean and thus enhanced their naval stores or turpentine production because they could transport the turpentine, tar, etc., to a port in reach of British shipping.

Jacob married twice, first to Mary Elizabeth FONTAINE sometime after 1759 in Craven County, NC. Elizabeth bore Jacob six children and then died about 1776 in Duplin County, NC. On July 19, 1777, Jacob married Mary WARD in Duplin County and had eight more children. Jacob died about 1795 at age 60 leaving a large estate in land and slaves, and a large family of 12 children. His second wife Mary lived until about 1826 when she died in Duplin County, NC.

See Jacob's will.