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James Sevier was the second oldest son of John Sevier and his first wife Sarah Hawkins. He was born on October 25, 1764, in what is now Rockingham County, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. When he was eleven years old, he moved south with his family: two uncles, one aunt, and his Grandfather Valentine (the family pioneer originally from London.) They moved quite far south, down the Valley into what was later determined to be the overmountain territory of North Carolina. The large family caravan arrived in this new area on Christmas day, 1773. James' uncles, Robert and Valentine, had already moved there. James grew up in this promising new frontier land, in and around the Watauga Settlement. These were hard times however, with many unpleasant encounters and attacks by the Cherokee Indians. In early 1780, James' mother, Sarah, died. Later that year his father married Bonnie Kate Sherrill who quickly took over being mother to all of John's ten children.
In September 1780, James' father John, a Militia Colonel, was one of the two organizers of an expedition to pursue British Col. Patrick Ferguson and a large force of Loyalist troops. Ferguson had vigorously threatened the "Overmountain People", a move he would later regret. John Sevier and his brothers Valentine, Robert, Abraham, Joseph, along with John's oldest son Joseph, were all slated to go on the expedition, James also wanted to go, but his father said he was not old enough and should stay with the Home Guard along with his younger brother, John, and his grandfather. James was insistent however, and he enlisted the help of his new stepmother, Bonnie Kate. She interceded with Col. Sevier and convinced him that James could hold his own in the upcoming fight. James, not yet 16 years old, became one of the two youngest participants in the expedition and ensuing battle.
For the expedition, James was assigned as a Private in his uncle Robert's Company, which was a part of Col. John Sevier's Regiment. After the several "Overmountain" regiments of the expedition crossed over the mountains, they finally caught up with Col. Ferguson and his army on Oct. 7, 1780, and destroyed them in the Battle of King's Mountain (in South Carolina). All of the Seviers emerged from the battle unscathed, except for Robert Sevier. He had been shot in the side with the bullet lodged in his kidney. He was assisted by some of his brothers, his nephew James, and the Tory army surgeon, but they could not remove the bullet. Robert insisted on returning home immediately and left the battlefield accompanied by two of is men and James. After nine days on the trail, Robert died and was buried high in the North Carolina mountains.
James and all the other Seviers eventually returned to their homes and families over the mountains. But in December 1780, they were called out again to pursue a large Cherokee war party which had been incited by the British. This brief expedition resulted in the violent but very successful Battle of Boyd's Creek (in present day Sevier County, Tennessee). James was involved in several other Indian expeditions and battles, all considered part of the Revolutionary War. These ranged from additional forays into South Carolina to lastly, in 1782, the Lookout Mountain area of present day Tennessee and the Coosa River area of North Georgia.
James became active in district politics and was elected Clerk of Washington County Court during the proclaimed State of Franklin period (1784-1788), when his father John was Franklin's Governor. At one time during this period, James was arrested and imprisoned for a short time by anti-Franklin North Carolina authorities, a similar experience that his father John was to suffer a little later. The County Clerk position was held by James for the next 47 years, during which time Washington County shifted back to North Carolina, then to a U.S. Territory, and finally in 1796 became a part of the new state of Tennessee. James also achieved the rank of Major in the North Carolina and Tennessee militias.
James Sevier married Nancy Conway on March 29, 1789. She was born on March 22, 1772. They had eleven children all born in Washington County. They were Elizabeth Conway, Sarah Hundley, Maria Antionette, Minerva Grainger, Pamela Hawkins, Susannah Brown, Elbert Franklin, Elbridge Gerry, Clarissa Carter, Louisa Maria, and Mary Malvina.
James and Nancy continued living on their farm for many years. Nancy died on July 15, 1843. James died January 21, 1847. Both are buried in Washington County, along with other family members, in a family cemetery which was very close to their old home place.
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