d, William Steele, she had only one child, the Hon.
John Steele, who died in Salisbury on the 14th of August, 1815. He was
a conspicuous actor in the councils of the State and Nation, and one
whose services offer materials for an interesting and instructive
biography.

Mrs. Steele died in Salisbury on the 22d of November, 1790. She was
distinguished not only for her strong attachment to the cause of
freedom, but for the piety which shone forth brightly in her
pilgrimage upon earth. Among her papers was found, after her death, a
written dedication of herself to her Creator, and a prayer for support
in the practice of christian duty; with a letter, left as a legacy to
her children, enjoining it upon them to make religion the great work
of life.

CHAPTER IV.

IREDELL COUNTY.

Iredell county was formed in 1788 from Rowan county, and named in
honor of James Iredell, one of the Associate Judges of the Supreme
Court of the United States.

At the time of the war of the Revolution the county of Rowan embraced
all that beautiful and agricultural region extending from the foot of
the Blue Ridge Mountains, eastwardly, to where the Yadkin river loses
its name in the great Peedee; comprising a territory equal in extent
to several of the States of the American Union, and presenting a
varied topography, unsurpassed for bold mountain scenery and lovely
landscapes spreading over the charming champaign country lying between
the Yadkin and Catawba rivers. Within this territory are now organized
many counties, with attractive features, one of which is the county of
Iredell.

COLONEL ALEXANDER OSBORN.

Alexander Osborn was born in New Jersey in 1709, and emigrated to the
western part of Rowan county (now Iredell) about 1755. He was a
Colonel in the Colonial government, and as such marched with a
regiment of Rowan troops to Hillsboro in 1768 to assist Governor Tryon
in suppressing the "Regulation" movement.

He married Agnes McWhorter, a sister of Dr. Alexander McWhorter,
president of Queen's Museum College in Charlotte. His residence
(called Belmont) was one of the earliest worshiping places of the
Presbyterians of Rowan county before the present "Center Church" was
erected, and became by compromise the _central_ meeting-house of
worship for a large extent of surrounding country. Colonel Osborn was
a man of fine character and wielded a strong influence in his day and
generation.

In the graveyard of Center Church, on a