Skip to content
Orange County Public Library (opens the library’s website in a new tab)

Local figure

James Mebane

James Mebane (1774–1857) was born at the Hawfields in Orange County, a son of Alexander Mebane Jr. He entered the University of North Carolina with its first students in 1795 and was the first president of the Dialectic Society. He sat many terms in the legislature, was Speaker of the House of Commons in 1820-21, and served as a university trustee from 1811 until his death.

Source: NCpedia: Mebane, James

Orange County Indexed has not yet linked an indexed work directly to James Mebane. The biography and the dated events on this page provide sources about James Mebane’s life and work. Suggest a source.

Research sources

Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each has its own page.

Orange County and the 1835 constitutional convention, 1822–18351822–1835 · 11 events · Reforming the state constitution threatened Hillsborough's borough seat, the town's own member in the House of Commons, yet Orange pressed for reform. Toasts at Hillsborough in 1822 and 1823 said the constitution needed mending, and in 1823 a county meeting named four delegates, Thomas Ruffin among them, to a reform meeting at Raleigh; voters elected all four. In April 1835 Orange voted 1,648 to 111 for a convention, and Hillsborough itself voted 228 to 23 in favor. Candidates were pressed on the 32nd article, the religious test for office. At Raleigh, James S. Smith moved to abolish borough seats entirely and lost 61 to 67, but Hillsborough lost its member. Orange voters approved the amendments that November. Internal improvements and the 1833 Hillsborough railroad convention, 1828–18371828–1837 · 16 events · From 1828 Orange County leaders pressed for river navigation and, above all, a central railroad through the state. That year James Mebane brought a flour boat down the Haw from Murphey's Mills, and a meeting with Joseph Caldwell giving the address urged a central railroad. The 1833 convention at Hillsborough chose Thomas Ruffin president, called for a Roanoke and Yadkin Rail Road and adopted Willie P. Mangum's report that the state should pay two-fifths of any work for which private citizens secured three-fifths. By August 1834 every Orange candidate for the Assembly had declared for the central railroad, and in 1837 Cadwallader Jones of Hillsborough was named to the Board of Internal Improvement. The University’s debts and the sale of its Tennessee lands, 1830–18371830–1837 · 11 events · With debts of about $37,500 and only some 82 paying students in 1830, the University's trustees refused the General Assembly's terms for help and sold property instead. The Assembly offered a $25,000 loan only as a lien on all University property, with the legislature free to take over the charter, and the trustees refused. They sold the Grammar School lot and, in 1833, their Bank of Newbern stock. In 1835 a new executive committee sent Treasurer Charles Manly to Tennessee, where 42,345 acres plus the 20,000 Smith acres went to Orme and Gifford of Boston. In 1837 the endowment went into Bank of the State shares, whose dividends, with tuition, made up the University's income until the Civil War.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 24 dated events in the chronology →

  1. The county court appoints John Nichols high sheriff of Orange County The court appointed John Nichols high sheriff of Orange County on February 27, 1787. He qualified and gave bond on March 2, with William McCauley, Alexander Mebane, James Mebane, John Taylor and William Lytle as his sureties, and Henry Thompson qualified as his deputy the next day. People: William McCauley, Alexander Mebane, James MebaneSearch the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: February Term 1787
  2. James Mebane serves as the first president of the Dialectic Society Orange County student James Mebane is the first president of the university's Dialectic Society, one of the two student debating societies formed in the university's first year. People: James MebaneLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 334
  3. Hillsborough men organize a company to build a cotton and woolen factory Citizens of Hillsborough and Orange County met in 1813 to set up a joint-stock company for a cotton and woolen factory in or near the town, with at least a hundred shares at $25 each. Calling it the Hillsborough Manufacturing Company, the stockholders adopted rules that gave large holders proportionally fewer votes. John Umstead chaired and John Taylor Jr. was secretary; subscription books went to James Mebane, John Craig, Michael Holt and Duncan Cameron of Orange and to Frederick Nash, William Whitted and John Taylor Jr. of Hillsborough, with agents in a dozen other places. The author found no sign the company went beyond organizing. People: James Mebane, Duncan Cameron, Frederick NashSearch the index · Internet Archive: North Carolina Historical Review 34 (1957), p. 22
  4. The court licenses James and Anderson Mebane to retail liquor at Mason Hall The court granted James and Anderson Mebane a license to retail spirits at Mason Hall.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: May Term 1817
  5. Orange County elects Michael Holt to the state senate over Duncan Cameron Orange County voters chose Michael Holt over Duncan Cameron for the state senate, 695 to 555, and sent Willie Shaw and James Mebane to the House of Commons ahead of William Barbee. The borough of Hillsborough re-elected John Scott to the Commons. People: Duncan Cameron, James Mebane, William BarbeeSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 16, 1820, p. 3
  6. Orange County elects Michael Holt, Willie Shaw and James Mebane to the General Assembly Orange County voters returned Michael Holt to the state senate and Willie Shaw and James Mebane to the House of Commons. People: James MebaneSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 22, 1821, p. 2
  7. James Mebane of Orange is elected Speaker of the House of Commons On the fifth ballot, after Alfred Moore of Brunswick withdrew, the House of Commons chose James Mebane of Orange as its Speaker over James S. Smith of Hillsborough. People: James Strudwick Smith, Alfred MooreSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, November 28, 1821, p. 2
  8. The Orange County Agricultural Society is organized at Hillsborough A meeting at Hillsborough during superior court week organized an agricultural society for Orange County, with William Kirkland in the chair and John Taylor Jr. as secretary, adopted a constitution and offered premiums for the largest yields of corn, cotton, turnips and potatoes on reclaimed land; Duncan Cameron, James Mebane, William Norwood and Dr. James S. Smith formed its corresponding committee. People: William Kirkland, Duncan Cameron, James Mebane, William Norwood, James Strudwick SmithSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, March 27, 1822, p. 3
  9. The Orange County Bible Society holds its first anniversary meeting The Auxiliary Bible Society of Orange County met at Hillsborough, heard its first annual report and re-elected Judge William Norwood president. The board reported that it had given out 110 of the 100 Bibles and 75 Testaments received from the American Bible Society in a county of 23,492 people, cut annual dues to one dollar, and moved future anniversaries to the first Monday in August. People: William Norwood, James Webb, Duncan Cameron, William Kirkland, James Mebane, William Huntington, John Witherspoon, Walker AndersonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, July 16, 1823, p. 3
  10. The West Cane Creek Agricultural Society asks James Mebane to stand for the Commons The West Cane Creek Agricultural Society resolved that its chairman, John Newlin, ask James Mebane whether he would serve in the House of Commons if elected. Mebane agreed to run but said that, because of the electioneering of recent years, he would not canvass and would leave the choice to the voters.Search the index · Hillsborough Recorder, June 29, 1825, p. 3
  11. James Mebane takes a flour boat down the Haw and Cape Fear from Murphey's Mills James Mebane set out from Murphey's Mills in a boat sixty feet long, able to carry a hundred barrels of flour, and brought it safely down the Haw and Cape Fear rivers in five or six days, the first time the Haw had been navigated from so high up. Onlookers at once raised a subscription for a second boat of the same size to carry flour to Fayetteville in the winter.Search the index · Hillsborough Recorder, June 11, 1828, p. 3
  12. Farmers of Orange, Chatham and Guilford meet to talk about a railroad On August 1, 1828, citizens of Orange, Chatham and Guilford met at William Albright's store in Chatham County, with James Mebane of Orange in the chair, to urge a central railroad through North Carolina, the first such meeting in the state. The Rev. Joseph Caldwell gave the address, which was to be printed as a pamphlet, and Caldwell, Duncan Cameron and Michael Holt were named the Orange members of a committee of correspondence. Public meetings on a line through the county went on into the early 1850s. People: Duncan Cameron, Joseph Caldwell, James MebaneSearch the index · NC Digital Collections: Historic Resources of Orange County, National Register multiple property documentation form (1993), p. 19 · Also: Hillsborough Recorder, August 13, 1828, p. 3
Show all 24 dated events
  1. Orange County elects James Mebane to the Senate and John Stockard and Hugh Waddell to the Commons Orange County voters chose James Mebane for the state Senate and John Stockard and Hugh Waddell for the House of Commons, while the borough of Hillsborough returned Frederick Nash by 42 votes to 40. Polls were held at Hillsborough, Mason Hall and about nine other places across the county. People: James Mebane, Hugh Waddell, Frederick Nash, John StockardSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 20, 1828, p. 3
  2. A Chapel Hill meeting sets out to make New Hope Creek navigable A meeting at Chapel Hill, with James Mebane in the chair, adopted Joseph Caldwell's resolutions to clear New Hope Creek for boats from Patterson's mill to the Haw, named committees to rally the people along the creek and to have it surveyed mile by mile, and raised a subscription toward the survey. People: James Mebane, Joseph Caldwell, Thomas D. WattsSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, October 21, 1829, p. 3
  3. The Orange County Bible Society finds a thousand families without a Bible Meeting at Salem meeting house, the Orange County Bible Society elected William Norwood president and reported that its agents had found about a thousand families in the county without a Bible; it resolved to supply every one through paid agents the next spring and then to join the state society's drive. People: William Norwood, Frederick Nash, James Webb, James Mebane, John WitherspoonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, October 28, 1829, p. 3
  4. Trustees offer the university's Chapel Hill lands for sale Pressed by debt, the trustees named William Polk, James Mebane and James Webb to offer the unimproved university lands around Chapel Hill for sale. Only a small sum came in, from the sale of the Preparatory School acre; that school had been closed for more than ten years. People: James Webb, William Polk, James MebaneSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. I (1907), p. 334
  5. Orange County railroad meeting names fifteen delegates to the Hillsborough convention A meeting at the Hillsborough court house, with James Mebane in the chair and Dennis Heartt as secretary, heard Thomas Ruffin, Frederick Nash, Willie P. Mangum and Hugh Waddell and named fifteen Orange delegates to the internal improvement convention called for Hillsborough in September. The speakers rejected the Raleigh convention's view that state money should go only to works that begin and end inside the state. People: James Mebane, Dennis Heartt, Thomas Ruffin, Frederick Nash, Willie P. Mangum, Hugh WaddellSearch the index · The Harbinger (Chapel Hill), September 3, 1833, p. 2
  6. Hillsborough convention calls for a Roanoke and Yadkin Rail Road and two-fifths state aid On its last day the Hillsborough convention adopted James Mebane's committee report calling for a railroad from at or near Weldon, by or near Oxford, to the western part of the state, with county committees to circulate petitions and seek a charter for a Roanoke and Yadkin Rail Road Company. By 34 votes to 6 it also adopted Willie P. Mangum's report that the state should pay two-fifths of any public work for which private citizens secured three-fifths. People: James Mebane, Willie P. MangumSearch the index · The Harbinger (Chapel Hill), September 17, 1833, p. 1
  7. Orange citizens name Duncan Cameron, Frederick Nash and James Mebane to the state improvement convention An adjourned meeting of Orange County citizens at Hillsborough chose Duncan Cameron, Frederick Nash and James Mebane as the county's delegates to the state internal improvement convention due to meet at Raleigh in November. People: Frederick Nash, James Mebane, Duncan CameronSearch the index · The Harbinger (Chapel Hill), September 17, 1833, p. 3
  8. A Hawfields muster meeting nominates convention candidates and demands their views on the religious test After a militia muster at David Mebane's in the Hawfields, a meeting chaired by Dr. James A. Craig nominated William Montgomery, James S. Smith and James Mebane for the constitutional convention, added Joseph Allison, and resolved to support no candidate who would not state his views on the 32nd article (the religious test for office) and on judges' salaries. People: William Montgomery, James Strudwick Smith, James Mebane, Joseph Allison, James A. CraigSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, May 15, 1835, p. 3
  9. Orange returns Joseph Allison to the Senate and John Stockard and James Forrest to the Commons In the August election Orange County voters chose Gen. Joseph Allison for the state Senate and Col. John Stockard and James Forrest for the House of Commons, defeating James Mebane for the Senate seat; William A. Graham was returned for the town of Hillsborough without opposition. People: William A. Graham, James Mebane, John Stockard, Joseph AllisonSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, August 14, 1835, p. 3
  10. Orange County supporters of Hugh L. White meet at the court house More than a hundred Orange County opponents of Martin Van Buren met at the Hillsborough court house during county court week, endorsed Hugh L. White for president, John Tyler for vice president and Edward B. Dudley for governor, and named James Mebane, Dr. Edmund Strudwick and Harrison Parker to meet Granville and Person delegates and choose a district elector. James S. Smith, Hugh Waddell and James Mebane spoke, and the meeting adjourned to the Wednesday of superior court week to name candidates for the legislature. People: James Strudwick Smith, Hugh Waddell, James Mebane, Edmund Strudwick, Dennis Heartt, Harrison ParkerSearch the index · Hillsborough Recorder, February 26, 1836, p. 3
  11. Literary societies move into new halls in the enlarged Old East and Old West The northward extensions of Old East and Old West, designed by A. J. Davis and built by Isaac J. Collier and Kendall B. Waitt for $9,360, were finished in 1848 with debating halls and library alcoves for the two societies. At the Dialectic opening James Mebane, the society's first president in 1795, sat beside the student president, Kemp P. Battle. People: Samuel (Samuel Field) Phillips, Alexander Jackson Davis, Kemp Plummer Battle, Isaac J. Collier, Samuel Field Phillips, James Mebane, Kendall B. WaittSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. I (1907), p. 513
  12. Kemp P. Battle presides over the Dialectic Society fifty years after his own term At the society's request Kemp P. Battle took the chair of the Dialectic Society about October 28, 1898, fifty years after he had been its president as a senior, and spoke on the society as it was in his day. He told how it had moved from its old hall in South Building to Old East and how James Mebane, its first president in 1795, had sat beside him to preside jointly in 1848. People: James MebaneSearch the index · The News (Chapel Hill), November 4, 1898, p. 1

Places in this person’s story

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows the 4 with a known location.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS and OpenStreetMap; town and community pins show approximate locations.

All places and the county map →

People named in the same events

People named in the same dated entries as James Mebane, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

Show 21 more

Research sources

Sources and research tools for this person. For ready-made searches of other catalogs, see Search further.

Background

Records of the time

Collections and databases

  • NC LIVE: prepared search for James Mebane Library card Search NC LIVE for this subject and Orange County. You can change the search terms. Sign in through your North Carolina library to access the materials.
  • Ancestry Library Edition In the libraryOrange County Public Library Census, birth, death and marriage records, and more, free on the public computers at OCPL libraries

Local help

Search further

Search other catalogs and collections for this name. Results may include other people with the same name and have not been reviewed by the Friends.

Books about James Mebane

Find copies at other libraries

Photographs, papers, and newspapers

Historical records and collections

These searches use James Mebane’s name without birth or death dates, so results may include namesakes. Links open in a new tab.

Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.

More to discover

Keep Reading Local

The Friends connect people with new library materials, local writers and publishers, and resources documenting Orange County.

Browse New Arrivals → Meet Local Authors → Explore Local Publishers →
Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026