Atherton allowed the use of his land (which he had purchased from Barnaby Thomas, a brother in law of Willie Jones) for county court meetings, while establishing a large plantation, including horse breeding and stables, a gristmill, a tavern, and a store.
He established a large plantation at Northampton Courthouse, where he bred and raced horses, and was the owner of a nationally famous British born stallion, Janus, who was a grandson of the Godolphin Arabian.
[9] Janus was a chestnut horse born in England in 1746 and imported to Virginia Colony by Mordecai Booth in 1752,[10] and resold, before moving to North Carolina.
He ran Mud Colt and Big Filly (bred by Turner Bynum, his son-in-law), in quarter races against Willie Jones (statesman) two horses, Paoli and Trick'em, losing to both.
On March 26, 1782, the Governor of North Carolina, Thomas Burke wrote to him advising that the horse he dispatched was unfit for Military service and requested another.
[17] Atherton's colonial service began when he received his Commission as Major of the Northampton Regiment from Governor William Tryon on December 6, 1770, in New Bern.
Atherton married Mary Elizabeth "Betsie" Thorpe, the widow of Thomas Jarrett at St. Luke's Parrish, Southampton County, Virginia.
[33] Once he moved from the Colony of Virginia to North Carolina, Atherton secured greater influence by marrying his daughters into influential families, such as the Dawson's, Barnes, Alston and Bynum's.
[34] His daughter by his marriage to Betsie; Elisabeth "Dorothy" Atherton (1764-1789), married John Dawson Jr, who represented Northampton in the North Carolina House of Commons (1780-1782) and then Halifax (1787-1798).
His father John Dawson Sr[35] had moved from Virginia to Bertie County, North Carolina in 1732, and within 2 years was a representative in the General Assembly, and a later a member of the Governors Council.
Highly influential on local matters he was appointed Colonel of the Northampton Regiment towards the end of the Spanish Alarm[36] period which lasted 9 years (1739-1748).
[45] On July 2, 1798, the North-Carolina Journal of Halifax reported on page 4: "For lease - - Land and Plantation at Northampton Courthouse formerly belonging to Col. Jeptha Atherton upon which is a good dwelling house - - convenient outhouses - - also a grist mill.