I am John Lee (aka Philip Pearson), born at Windsor-upon-Thames in England on the twentieth day of November, in the Year of Our Lord 1730. My father was Captain John Pearson, Sr. My mother departed this life on the day of my birth, and therefore I never had the happiness of knowing her. I had two elder brothers and three sisters, but the many changes and dispersions of life have left me ignorant of their present condition and abode.

In the year 1738, my father resolved to remove with his family to the American Colonies. During our passage across the Atlantic, the ship aboard which we sailed was taken by the Spanish privateer St. Antonio. We were carried into St. Augustine and there detained with the other passengers until such time as our release was secured.

The following year, 1739, we settled in the Lower District of South Carolina, upon lands lying between the Congaree and Wateree Rivers, near Mills Creek. My father afterward married Mary Raiford, a native of Isle of Wight County in Virginia. Under his direction I was instructed in the management of plantation affairs, commerce, and agriculture, and by diligence and industry I later acquired eighty-five acres of land of my own, which I presently lease to a neighboring planter.

During the Indian troubles of 1761 and 1762, I served in the South Carolina Militia in defense of the frontier settlements. In the year 1763, I received from His Excellency a grant of three hundred and fifty acres near Allison Creek in Mecklenburg County. There I established a plantation and trading house upon the road leading toward Charles Town. Upon this property I cultivate tobacco, Indian corn, and potatoes, and raise swine for market, thereby providing for my household and pursuing an honest livelihood.

In the year 1767, I entered into marriage with Mary Butler of Chowan County in the Province of North Carolina. Providence has blessed our union with five children, whose welfare and education are among my chief concerns.

Though I was reared among the Seventh Day Baptists, I have never been much inclined toward disputes concerning religion. For the sake of good order and harmony among my neighbors, I attend the Presbyterian meeting and conform myself to the customs of the community.

In 1776, when the Cherokee depredations again afflicted the frontier settlements, I was called out as part of the New Acquisition Militia and marched in defense of my neighbors and their property. Since that time I have continued to serve as a private soldier in defense of this State and of those liberties which belong to every free man. My desire has ever been to live peaceably upon my lands, to provide for my family by honest labor, and to enjoy, without interference, the rights bestowed upon me by God and nature.