James Trousdale (Dec 16, 1736 - Dec 24, 1818) was a captain in the American Revolution and father of William Trousdale, Governor of Tennessee. He was the son of John and Elizabeth (Carraway) Trousdale, who were born in Ulster Province, (now Northern) Ireland. With his second wife and children, he accompanied his parents from Pennsylvania to Orange County, North Carolina, settling on the Haw River. Trousdale's first recorded grant of land was by the State, 200 acres on the waters of Haw Creek, south of Hawfields, 3 Sep 1779.