Abstract:
Johnston Blakely was born in Ireland in 1781 but was brought to America less than two years later. He was raised in Wilmington, went to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and joined the United States Navy in 1800. He commanded several vessels in the Mediterranean, fighting a war to save American shipping against Barbary pirates. He disappeared in 1814 and the state, in a show of gratitude, adopted his daughter, Udney Maria.