This article originally appeared in Recall, the magazine of the North Carolina Military Historical Society; republished with permission. North Carolina formed Davie County out of Rowan County in 1836 and named it in honor of William Richardson Davie, a man of great importance to North Carolina. Davie served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, represented the state at the Federal Convention of 1787, acted as special envoy to France, served as Governor of North Carolina, and helped found the University of North Carolina.