Captain John Oldham Chapter was organized on December 2, 1957.  The chapter was organized by Miss Retha Downey, and was named for the son of William and Basey Oldham, born in Prince William County, Virginia, on November 10, 1757.

John Oldham fought for the cause of freedom from 1777 until 1781.  He enlisted as a soldier in the Revolutionary War in Caswell County, North Carolina, and was soon promoted to the rank of Captain.  He was serving as Captain of a company as early as 1777.

Captain Oldham was in General Gates command when General Gates was defeated at Camden, South Carolina, August 16, 1780, by the British under Cornwallis.  In this battle the colonial standard bearer was shot down and Captain John Oldham seized the standard and bore it until the final defeat by Cornwallis.

After this battle, he was in command of General Nathaniel Green, until the close of the war.  He was in the battle of Cowpens, January 17th, 1781, and witnessed the defeat of Lord Cornwallis.  He served in every battle  commanded by General Green for a period of four years.

While he lived, Captain Oldham made no application for a pension for his service in the American Revolution saying, "he was opposed to the pension law and would not accept its benefits - that it was the rightful duty of every patriotic citizen to defend the liberties of this country - that the soldiers, in time, received their regular pay for service," and he held that this sacred duty was degraded by the pension law.