Who exactly was Wilkes County named after?

John Wilkes

You know it's fairly interesting that we go about our days seeing references and names of people and places that many, including myself, typically have no knowledge of.  Many of us just see the name and think nothing more of it.  I on the other hand am the kind of sort that needs to know.

The name Wilkes attached to our county is full of British and American history.  When we dig into who we were named after, it allows us to identify our history and understand our ancestry perhaps just a nod better.

Wilkes County was named after it's name sake John Wilkes.  Not to be confused with yet another colorful character in American history; John Wilkes Booth.  The John Wilkes we're talking about was a radical British parliamentarian who lived from 1725 to 1797.

John Wilkes was a Whig that felt that the majority of the his party was leaning away from liberty and more towards authoritarianism.  He led opposition against general warrants.  General warrants were warrants that were issued without specific individuals being named.  Wilkes was also instrumental in having parliamentary debates and proceedings recorded (written) verbatim.  This was very important because it allowed the everyday citizen to read and understand more clearly the actions of their elected officials.

It was also said about John Wilkes that he was extremely quick witted and very popular with the common people.  During rallies and protests Wilkes supporters would often chant "Wilkes and Liberty".  He firmly believed in no taxation without representation making him very popular in the colonies during the American revolution.  Wilkes County was probably named accordingly due to John Wilkes' stance on that very issue.

John Wilkes was also very much against the Scottish serving in British Parliament, he was a womanizer by his own admission and not a very good looking man.  Wilkes was a literary scholar often writing for The North Briton.  He spoke and wrote in French, Latin and Greek.