Duncan Ochiltree

Duncan Ochiltree was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. Although Duncan Ochiltree was credited as being one of the original signers, his name was removed from all subsequent accounts of documents because he became a traitor by becoming a Quartermaster for the British. He owned a mercantile store as well as land, but he knew his fellow citizens would punish him for his change of heart and political leanings. According to Alexander, he begged John McKnitt Alexander to spare his life and protect him, after the British Army left the Charlotte area. John promised him protection while he was in his own home, but he advised him to leave the area immediately. Ochiltree reportedly fled to Wilmington and later moved to Florida. John McKnitt Alexander told his slaves, Cato and Ruth, to burn the stockyard and barn rather than give food and provisions to Ochiltree for the British. When this event he feared happened, Cato and Ruth did burn the building and year's worth of farm work to ashes.

Documentation

(1) King, Victor C. Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC, 1956.