Thomas Jordan Jarvis was born on January 18, 1836, in Jarvisburg (Currituck County), North Carolina. Jarvis was a Confederate veteran, businessman, and politician. He served as governor of North Carolina (1879 to 1885), U.S. Minister to Brazil (1885 to 1888), and U.S. Senator (1894 to 1895). He died on June 17, 1915, and was buried in Greenville (Pitt County), North Carolina.