Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Orson Colgrove was shot and killed from ambush by several men hiding behind bushes next to a road near Trenton as he drove by in his carriage.
He was assassinated by members of the Ku Klux Klan who believed that he should not have been appointed sheriff due to not owning land in Jones County and for being a Republican. The same group assassinated the county commissioner a short time later. The Lenoir County sheriff arrested three men believed to be involved with Sheriff Colgrove's murder.
The three were later released by the state's governor in exchange for the the KKK to stop their assassinations in Jones County and Lenoir County.
Sheriff Colgrove had previously served with the United States Army during the Civil War and is buried in New Bern National Cemetery in New Bern, North Carolina.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, brother (a state Senator), and half brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-E94CD5A6- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sheriff Colgrove gave the Jones County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Trenton community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Orson Rodolphus Colgrove served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sheriff Orson Rodolphus Colgrove is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Orson Rodolphus Colgrove's cause is highlighted.
How Orson Rodolphus Colgrove Compares
Offender Outcome
Never identified
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Orson Rodolphus Colgrove is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Orson Rodolphus Colgrove was killed by shotgun.