Major William Ballard Lenoir (1775-1852) was the eldest son of General William Lenoir

William Lenoir (general)

William Lenoir was an American Revolutionary War officer and prominent statesman in late 18th-century and early 19th-century North Carolina. Both the City of Lenoir, North Carolina and Lenoir County, North Carolina are named for him. Additionally, Lenoir City, Tennessee is jointly named for him...

 and his wife, Ann Ballard. Born in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, the younger Lenoir moved in 1810 with his wife, Elizabeth Avery Lenoir (daughter of Waightstill Avery

Waightstill Avery

Waightstill Avery was an early American lawyer and soldier. He is noted for fighting a duel with future U.S...

), to a tract of land in Tennessee, near modern-day Lenoir City, Tennessee

Lenoir City, Tennessee

Lenoir City is a city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 8,642 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area....

, which originally had been awarded to General Lenoir by the state of North Carolina for service in the Revolutionary War. The younger Lenoir was active in business and in Tennessee politics, serving a term in the state House of Representatives from 1815 to 1817. He established the Lenoir Manufacturing Company in 1817, and built several mills in what is now Lenoir City, including the Lenoir Cotton Mill

Lenoir Cotton Mill

The Lenoir Cotton Mill was a 19th-century cotton mill located in the U.S. city of Lenoir City, Tennessee. One of the earliest examples of industrial architecture in Tennessee, the mill operated variously from its construction around 1830 until the 1950s. The mill was documented by the Historic...

.