John Wesley Pentecost, the fourth child of Richard William and
Delilah Pentecost, was born March 06, 1794, probably in Hancock County,
Georgia, as his father was at the time Clerk of the Inferior Court in
Sparta. He enlisted in Jackson Co., during the War of 1812 and served in
the company of Captain Wilson McKinney in the 1st Regiment of the Georgia
Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Samuel Groves. Also in the same company
were his brother Matthew Mayes Pentecost and a neighbor Green Wood, who
later married their sister, Selah Pentecost. John Wesley received his
discharge at Milledgeville in Sept. of 1813 and on June 25, 1817 he was
elected Justice of the Peace for the 240th District of Clarke County,
located near Jackson County.
On June 25, 1818, John Wesley returned to Jackson County for his
marriage to Mary Polly Combs, a daughter of Sterling Combs, the ceremony
having been performed by Minister John Pendergrass. The 1820 census of
Clarke County shows that he and Mary, with their oldest son, William were
residing there; owners of one slave and with two members of the household
engaged in agriculture. From October 14, 1818 until April 20, 1820, John
Wesley held the rank of Captain in the Georgia State Militia of Clarke
County.
He evidently moved back to Jackson County soon after this as his
name appears in numerous court records as witness and security for
various land transaction. In 1824, John Wesley and his brothers, Richard
Wood, George and Matthew Mayes Pentecost, granted power of attorney to a
lawyer, Richard A. McRee, of Henderson County, Tennessee, for the purpose
of investigating their claim to the land due their uncle, Dancy
Pentecost, Dec'd, for his service as Sergeant 3rd Regiment of the
Continental Line of North Carolina in the Revolutionary War. Shown in
land records from the North Carolina Archives, Dancy Pentecost was,
although killed in action, granted two Military Land Warrants, one for
356 acres and one for 644 acres. Part of this land was given to the
University of North Carolina on the strength of a signed statement by an
acquaintance that Dancy Pentecost was a French National and not a citizen
of the United States. There does not seem to be a record on the balance
of the land granted to him so it is not possible to determine whether or
not Attorney McRee was successful in his attempt to secure it for the
Pentecost brothers.
John Wesley moved to Newnan in Cowetta Co. in 1830 and opened a
store. The census of that year shows a number of people other than
members of the family in the household and it is possible that the store
was also a stage station on the newly opened trade route. On February
80, 1839, John Wesley was elected Colonel in the 70th Regiment of the
Georgia Militia and remained very active in the Militia and in political
affairs until his death. In 1835 he moved his store from Newnan to
Sewell's Mill, a new and thriving industrial community on Cedar Creek,
several miles north of town.
The Creek Indian uprising had become more violent by this time and
it was necessary for the State Militia to the request of the Govenor for
an enlistee regiment. Fearing that a draft would become necessary,
Colonel John Wesley Pentecost read a proclamation to the assembly urging
a formation of a regiment in order to avoid the stigma of a draft. The
proclamation was approved and the regiment was formed, an election was
held to choose the new commanding officers. William W. Anderson was
elected captain and the Cowetta Volunteers were included in a detachment
of seven companies under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel William Wood.
John Wesley then enlisted as a private and after completing his term of
service, was honorably discharged at West Point, Georgia, on August 12,
1836.
John Wesley Pentecost died on November 19, 1836, only two months
after his return from the Indian War, leaving his widow with eight young
sons. Mary Pentecost was appointed guardian of the children when they
received a legacy from the estate of their grandfather, Richard William
Pentecost, who died in Jackson County, Georgia in 1839. She was required
by the court to make bond and Matthew Mayes Pentecost, John's brother,
signed as her security. The census of 1840 shows a male of Matthew's age
with the family, perhaps continuing to operate the store as the 1850
census listed his occupation as a clerk.
John Wesley and Mary (Combs) Pentecost produced a family of eight
sons, seven of whom fought in the Civil War. Seven of the sons of John
Wesley's oldest brother, Richard Wood, also served, seemingly, George and
Matthew Mayes left no sons. It has not been possible so far to determine
the number of sons descended from their four sisters, though they all
married and had children. The scarred veteran of the Revolution, Richard
William Pentecost, sent four sons to the War of 1812; Fourteen grandsons
bearing the name of Pentecost fought in the War of the Rebellion. Whereas
the sons all returned safely to Beech creek, four of the grandsons lie
still on battle fields in Virginia and Mississippi.
The family bible of John Wesley and Mary, in possession of Melvin
Pentecost, a great grandson, Glencoe, Etowah Co., Alabama, is the only
source that lists the birth dates for them. No mention is made of the
place of his burial and his grave has not been located. Mary was living
with their son Joseph, and his family at the time of the 1860 census, but
she does not appear in the 1870 census. It is believed that she died
during this period, but the exact date and place of her burial are not
known. Though John Wesley preceded her in death by many years, it is the
gentle wish of their descendants that they are buried together- perhaps
in the little family cemetery overlooking Pentecost Creek.




COWETA COUNTY, GA - MILITARY INDIAN WAR Capt Wm U. Anderson - 1836
The Creek Indian uprising had become more violent, and
it was necessary for the State Militia to the request
of the Governor for an enlistee regiment. Fearing that
a draft would become necessary, Colonel John Wesley
Pentecost read a proclamation to the assembly urging a
formation of a regiment in order to avoid the stigma
of a draft.
John Wesley Pentecost then enlisted as a private and
after completing his term of service, was honorably
discharged at West Point, Georgia, on August 12, 1836.
John Wesley Pentecost died on November 19, 1836.