Mecklenburg People

William Belk

The Belk family moved from Lancaster, S.C., to Monroe, N.C. in 1873. Without money to attend college, William Henry Belk (1862-1952) went to work at age 14 in a local store for $5 per month. He learned on the job and saved what he could of his earnings. By 1888 he had saved $750 and opened his own store in Monroe. His brother, Dr. John Montgomery Belk, joined the family business three years later. Their advertising claimed that their store offered customers the lowest possible prices.In 1895 the store they opened in Charlotte bore the name Belk Brothers.

John Garibaldi

John Garibaldi (1831 - October 28, 1921) was born in Genoa, Italy. He came to the United States, arriving in New York in 1858. He moved to Charlotte a few weeks later. He was the father of Joseph Garibaldi, founder of Garibaldi and Bruns Jewelry Store in Charlotte. He served in the Civil War, enlisting first under Captain White in Fort Mill, and later Unter Captain John Wilkes, for whom he was later employed.Garibaldi amassed extensive land holdings in Charlotte. He farmed and had a cotton gin and a corn mill on South Mint Street, in what is now downtown Charlotte.

Lillian Arhelger

Lillian Arhelger (1907-1931) was a native of Fredericksburg, Texas. She was a graduate of the University of Texas. She came to Charlotte to join the faculty of Central High School as the coach of girl's sports. Miss Arhelger was a counselor for the Girl Scout troop at Myers Park Presbyterian church. On June 21, 1931, while on a trip to Glen Burnie Falls in the North Carolina mountains, she was killed in an attempt to save a young camper who had fallen into the water. In recognition of Arhelger's heroism, the people of Charlotte raised money to erect a public memorial.

Alexander Brevard

One of eight sons and four daughters, Alexander Brevard (1755-1829) was a Revolutionary War officer, planter, and iron manufacturer. He was born in Iredell County.

In 1776, he joined the Continental Army and rose quickly from the rank of ensign to first lieutenant in the 4th North Carolina Regiment. During a brutal winter with George Washington at Valley Forge, he was ordered home due to health problems. In 1779, he was made captain of the North Carolina Militia, and fought at Camden, S.C. with Gen. Horatio Gates in 1780.

King George III

George III (1738-1820, reigned 1760-1820) was ruler of Britain during the years in which American colonists fought for their independence in the Revolutionary War. Both the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County were named to honor his wife, Charlotte-Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany.

Queen Charlotte

At age 17, Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) in Germany became the bride of England's King George III. Queen Charlotte bore 15 children, including George IV, who succeeded his father to the throne.

In 1762, settlers in the Carolina colony honored the king's new wife by naming a newly formed county for her homeplace. They called it Mecklenburg. When a town was established within the county in 1768, founders named it Charlotte Town in an attempt to win favor with the crown.She never visited the town named for her.

Abraham Alexander

Abraham Alexander (12/9/1717 - 4/23/1786) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. The Alexander family is one of the most prolific of any in Mecklenburg County. Abraham descends from Scotch-Irish immigrants who came from Ulster to America. He was born in Maryland, the child of Elias and Sophia Alexander.

Ephraim Brevard

Ephraim Brevard (17??-1781) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. Dr. Brevard was one of this area's first physicians. He was born in Maryland and moved at a young age with his family to North Carolina.

William Graham

William Graham (1740 - 7/17/1818) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. His ancestors were Scotch-Irish and first settled in Pennsylvania before coming to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Born in Ulster, Ireland, he married Margaret Graham of Rowan County. Her grandfather, James Graham, Sr., was from Inverrary, Scotland. Whether William and Margaret were related or just coincidentally had the same surname is unknown.

Bonnie Cone

Bonnie Ethel Cone (June 22, 1907 – March 8, 2003) is best known as the driving force behind the development of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Cone, the daughter of C.J. and Addie Harter Cone, was born in Lodge, South Carolina. She earned an A.B. degree from Coker College and an M.S. from Duke University.

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