William Aaron McWhirter I (1720 - 1802)

Born 1720 in Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Ferrier) McWhirter — married [date unknown] in Chester Co., Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 1802 at about age 82 in Davidson County, Tennessee, United States

Biography

William was born in 1720. He was the son of Moses McWhorter and Margery Marlin and passed away in 1802.

Burial in 1802 at the Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.

Davidson Co., Tennessee, USA

William McWhirter was a physician and farmer and he emigrated to Nashville with James Robertson in 1780 with his Overland Party. He was one of the signers of the Cumberland Compact.

In order to provide the basic framework of government, the Cumberland Compact was adopted 30 May 1780, at Nashborough. The Compact was essentially an agreement of association of the forts or stations in the area and was accepted as the articles of government. The document carries the signature of 256 males, only one of whom could not sign his name. The signers represented nearly the entire male population of the area at that time. And their signatures marked the beginning of government in the west. William McWhirter was one of these signers, and each signer was awarded 640 acres of land.

The Indian Raids became so frequent that William and several of his friends and family members went up into Logan Co., KY and lived until things settled down and they went back to Nashville. One of William's granddaughters stated she saw him during an Indian Raid on Buchanan's Fort and he was 95 years old at the time. It is thought William's wife, Elizabeth, traveled to Nashville with John Donelson in a flat boat in his flotilla, however, she may have died in Mecklenburg, NC as I have found nothing on her since she and William sold some land there in 1780, just before they/he left for TN. Donelson and Robertson planned to meet up at the same time in Nashville. After William's wife, Elizabeth Ferrier, died, William married Mary Dorris, a widow who had a son, William Dorris.

The only children of William and Elizabeth Ferrier McWhirter, who have been proven are George Marlin McWhirter and a daughter,(maybe named Elizabeth McWhirter), who married George Pirtle. It is thought William had a son, Moses and possibly other children but to my knowledge, that has not been proven.

Sources

• William Aaron McWhirter on Find A Grave: Memorial #38650866

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Kay Olberding for creating WikiTree profile McWhirter-77 through the import of PrantlGedcom.GED on May 11, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Kay and others.
• Kim Weaver, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Kim and others.