The Legislator Who Rode to Raleigh to Buy His First Saddle

One of the early settlers listed by Mamie Jones lived near Beaver Dam Church and was elected to the North Carolina Legislature from Rutherford County in 1804. When he went to Raleigh to take his seat, he rode there on horseback and, while in the capital, bought his first proper saddle. The detail is telling because it shows how rough and improvised everyday life still was in the early 1800s, even for men important enough to serve in the state government. Up to that point, he had apparently been riding without a real saddle or using makeshift gear.
Source: Mamie Jones