John Southard
Born: 9/9/1758; Brunswick County (modern-day Greensville County), Virginia
Died: 6/15/1840; Orange County, North Carolina
Father: John Southworth (Sr.)
Mother: Mary unknown
John Southard was born John Southworth on September 9th, 1758 near what was soon to be established as Belfield (modern-day Emporia), Virginia. Upon seeing the untimely death of his father at a very young age, John was forced to grow up quickly being the eldest child of the household. Being a Southworth, John was placed in a unique position at a very interesting period in time. The House of Southworth dates back to the earliest of England's years as the family was a prominent clan of the Isles. In the 1600's, the descendants of that clan sailed west across the Atlantic to call America their home. The Southworth's born in America were like most other colonists of the era; that is, they were either in support of British authority or against.
In the following century, only as King George of England began to place pressure upon the colonists, did the colonies begin the resistance that would eventually thrust them into independence.
Soon after the signing
of the Declaration of Independence, John enlisted in the Continental Army at the
Sussex County Courthouse, Virginia. 
He did so on
September 9th, 1776, the day of his eighteenth birthday. Interestingly
enough, he did not enlist as "John Southworth" but as one "John
Southard".
As an added note, to make things a bit more confusing, John's great-grandfather was one William Southard who was married in Christ's Church of Middlesex County, Virginia in 1688; however, he christened his children as Southworth's.
Confusing?
As stated before, there was tremendous strife within the colonies as some residents were pro-British while others were strongly against. It appears that if the parents were in support of or indifferent to the British Crown, they would name their children "Southworth". If the children disliked British rule, they would name their offspring "Southard". It wasn't until the Revolutionary War did John change the name once and for all. Only after independence was won, did the name-changing stop; hence, it appears that John's heritage went from Southworth to Southard, back to Southworth and then finally to Southard. John's younger brother, Charles, also changed his name to Southard. In fact, according to the Southard Gazette, there were quite a few male Southworth's throughout the colonies that changed their names to "Southard" upon enlisting for the War. The Southard name was born of a thirst for freedom.
During the War, John served primarily in the State of Virginia at Yorktown, Williamsburg, Smithfield and at Long Bridge. As a point of interest, John was serving at Long Bridge about the time when British Colonel Tarlton passed from the State of North Carolina to Portsmouth (Virginia) with his Troop of Horsemen.
It is during these years of war that John met and later married Dorothy Gilliam of Sussex County, Virginia in 1780. Soon after marriage, we know that they relocated to Orange County, North Carolina as their first child, Maclin, was born there in 1786. They gave birth to their second child, Gilliam, the following year and to their first daughter, Sallie, in 1788. Altogether, they were blessed with nine offspring.
The year after Sallie's birth, on March 10, 1789, a deed to a parcel of land was recorded and witnessed by John and his father-in-law, Charles Gilliam. The parcel of land bordered John's property of 228 acres; that of which he had purchased five years prior. John, like most of the population, was not educated and thus was not able to sign his own name. He signed the deed with his mark ("X") as was common practice.
That's about all that we can find on John until 1825 when his wife, Dorothy, passed away. Two years after this, John dictated to the Clerk of Court of Orange County his Last Will & Testament, which gives us a good look into his life and the lives of his children. The Clerk had misspelled John's surname, referring to him as "Southward", a common name of the time, which went undetected as John was not able to read.
On August 29th, 1832, John appeared before the Court of Record in Orange County in order to obtain the benefit from the Act of Congress for his contribution in the Revolutionary War. In 1838, as John witnessed the first of his children beginning their move to the new State of Missouri, he was awarded a pension for his service in the War. He passed away two years later.
Spouse: Dorothy Gilliam
Married: 1780; Sussex County, Virginia
Born: Sussex County, Virginia
Died: 1825; Orange County, North Carolina
Children:
Maclin William Southard: Born 1786
Gilliam Tolliver Southard: Born 1787
James McKay Southard: Born 1801