Ann Bonar Terrence was born in Pennsylvania in about 1737. She and her husband operated a tavern, often spelled Tarrant's or Torrence's in Rowan County, North Carolina along the road to nearby Salisbury. During the American Revolution her husband and son (Adam) served in the Rowan County Regiment of North Carolina. Her husband was killed at the Battle of Ramseur's Mill in 1780, leaving her to operate the tavern on her own. In February 1781 there was a minor skirmish between the Continental Army and Militia and loyalist forces under the command of Banastre Tarleton, and as a result, the tavern burned to the ground. Ann Terrence continued to live in Rowan, (later Iredell) County and died there on November 3, 1802.