Was born October 6th, 1843, in Murfreesboro, Hertford county. Educated in North Carolina and Maryland.
Went into the war at first in 8th Regiment N. C. Troops, and afterwards assigned to the charge of signal and mounted scouts on the peninsula below Richmond. Was wounded there and captured May 6th, 1864, and held as hostage until March, 1865, and surrendered at Warrenton, N. C., after the fall of Appomattox.
Read law under Hon. J. J. Yates, and Martin, BakElr and Hinton, of Norfolk, Va., and received license to practice in the courts of Virginia in 1869. Now located at Williamston and practicing his profession under the law firm of Moore & Worthington.
Married Miss Julia. daughter of Col. S. J. Wheeler, of Bertie county, November 17th, 1871. Been Solicitor and Judge of the Inferior Court; was a member of the Legislature of 1881, at which session he was chairman of Committee on the Appointment of Justices of the Peace. He serves on committees: Judiciary, Fish Interests, and Enrolled Bills. He is Speaker pro tem. of the House of Representatives, chairman of the Joint Committee to Redistrict the State, chairman of Committee on Rules, chairman of Committee on Military Affairs, and member of The Code Committee. Mr. Worthington has taken a very prominent stand in this General Assembly, and is a leading and influential member. – Legislative Biographical Sketch Book, 1883.
Source: Dowd, Jerome. Sketches of Prominent Living North Carolinians. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards & Broughton, printers and binders, 1888. <http://books.google.com/books?id=Gj0TAAAAYAAJ>