Joseph Winston was born on June 17, 1746, in Louisa County in the Colony of Virginia. His ancestors emigrated to the American colonies from Yorkshire, England, in the 17th century. His father was Samuel Winston. In his youth, he fought with the Virginia militia against border Indians in 1763 before moving to the Province of North Carolina in the late 1760s. He settled on the Town Fork of the Dan River in what was Surry County and later became Stokes County, North Carolina.[3]
He is buried in the National Park at the site of the Battle of Guilford Court House, where a monument erected in 1893 notes Major Winston's command of the militia forces.[6] The town of Winston, North Carolina (which later became part of Winston-Salem), is named for him.[7]
^He held the ranks 1st Major, 2nd Major and Lt Col in the Surry County Regiment. See #Lewis for details, A DAR Chapter was named the Colonel Joseph Winston Chapter. "Colonel Joseph Winston History". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2010.