KLEINS/CLINES in the Revolutionary War
Source: The Cabarrus Golden Nugget, Vol 19, No.1 Spring 2011 Edition Article by John Earl Ferguson Misenheimer, II
(Keep in mind that Cabarrus County was formed from a part of Mecklenburg in 1792) Part of the early revolutionary history of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina does involve the participation of the German Patriots, a minority in proportion to the other population of that area. There were two German churches in Mecklenburg County from 1775 through 1783 during the American Revolution, and both are still active today, July 4, 2011: Morning Star Lutheran Church which is in present day Mecklenburg County and Saint John's Lutheran Church in present day Cabarrus County. The Saint John's regular pastor also held worship services at the Morning Star church. Most of the families in this area came down from Pennsylvania on the "Great Wagon Road" also known as "The Carolina Road" or up from Charleston, South Carolina. Not only had the Germans come to this area, their neighbors of Presbyterian faith had traveled to this area also, before the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, and both groups were loyal citizens and true subjects under the British tradition of government. The British Empire had first founded Jamestown in the Virginia Colony on May 14, 1607.
There has been questions over the years as to their allegiance, was it to Britain or American. Many with the German connection did change their German names into English, Irish or Scottish sounding names in order to fit into a new country and according to the author of this article, the best example he can offer is the German name Klein that was converted into several variations: Kline, Cline and in Scottish to both Little and Small or in Irish the word wee (since the German word Klein means all three little, small or wee).
This article list German Patriots: George Cline (Klein); (I'm not sure which George Cline this one is and Private Michael Cline (Klein) [w-6675- application 30 Oct 1832, Lincoln City, NC