Andrew Joyner
Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Andrew Joyner 1786 1856. Lt. Col. in War of 1812; state senator, 1835-52; pres. Roanoke Navigation Co. & Weldon & Portsmouth R.R. Grave is 2 blks. S.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Andrew Joyner (1786–1856) served as a lieutenant colonel in the War of 1812 and went on to a long career in North Carolina public life, sitting in the state senate from 1835 to 1852. He was also an entrepreneur of the transportation age, leading the Roanoke Navigation Company and the Weldon & Portsmouth Railroad as the region worked to move goods by water and rail. His grave lies a short distance to the south.
Why it matters
Joyner embodies the early-19th-century drive to knit the interior to markets through river navigation and the first railroads.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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