Born c. 1744
North Carolina or Pennsylvania
Died c. 1841
Henderson County, Kentucky

Farmer, spy

Legend has it that Nancy Morgan Hart captured British soldiers during the American Revolution, then sang the words to "Yankee Doodle" as she watched them die by hanging.

It is difficult to separate the facts from the myths about Nancy Morgan Hart, a patriot from the American South who captured and killed Tories (colonists who were loyal to England) during the Revolutionary War (1775–83). Although some people question whether Hart ever existed, there are memorials throughout Georgia honoring her, the South's most famous Revolutionary War heroine.

Nancy Morgan was born in the 1740s, probably in North Carolina or Pennsylvania. The identity of her parents has never been confirmed. Named Ann at birth, she was always known as Nancy. Nancy Morgan married Benjamin Hart (who was related to Thomas Hart Benton [1782–1858], a famous...