William Daniel Sr (abt. 1745 - abt. 1802)

Born about 1745 in British Colonial America

Husband of Nancy (Unknown) Daniel — married [date unknown] in North Carolina [uncertain]

Descendants

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Biography

Y-DNA analysis links this William Daniel, as well as Woodson Daniel, to the family of James and Elizabeth Woodson Daniel. No source document has been found to confirm the specific relationship, but Y-DNA does not lie. Additionally, known descendants of William Daniel have numerous autosomal DNA matches with descendants of Woodson Daniel and Allen Daniel (the Major General of the War of 1812 in GA - erroneously listed as the son of an older Allen Daniel by most online trees). Direct male descendants of Allen Daniel belong to the Y-DNA group I-P37, which includes descendants of Woodson Daniel of Wake, NC and Captain John Daniel (who moved from NC to SC to Elbert, GA).

A William Daniel appears in at least one deed in Wake County, NC in the mid-1770s. James Daniel was first found in the same area, previously known as Johnston County, in the mid-1750s. It is also noteworthy that Wiliam's son Allen Daniel named one of his sons James Woodson Daniel. Obviously, Allen Daniel would be unlikely to pull that exact name out of thin air for one of his sons.

William Daniel was possibly born in VA, not too many years before his family settled in the Johnston County, North Carolina area. If not, he was born in NC. William Daniel moved to Wilkes County, GA in the mid 1780s, as he received a land grant there in 1784. In 1790, Elbert County was created from the part of Wilkes County that borders the state of SC on the Savannah River Since his eldest children were born in North Carolina, its likely that he married his wife Nancy there as well. William was not known to have any other wife than Nancy (with the nickname "Ann" used in one legal record). William Daniel's death location was either Georgia or South Carolina, as he and Nancy owned property on both sides of the Savannah River in GA and SC at different times.

He was the father of General Allen Daniel, who served in the War of 1812. Fort Daniel in Georgia (in Gwinnett County now) was named for Allen Daniel. Researchers in the past, mostly due to misinterpretation of some records and also due to NOT having seen all of the existing legal records, accidentally created a mythical Captain Allen Daniel as his father, but records and DNA matches line up with him being a son of this William Daniel. In fact, the mythical "Captain Allen Daniel" has zero records to hint that he ever was a real person at all.

It is possible that the John Daniel of Elbert County, GA, who was also from NC, who died in 1841 in Elbert County, could have been a very close relative of William Daniel. Based on ages and circumstantial evidence, he could have been an uncle, the son of Woodson Daniel (theorized by some as a brother of William Daniel). Captain John Daniel had moved to Elbert around 1800 and remained there for several decades. Y-DNA links this John Daniel to the same extended family as William Daniel's son Allen, and Woodson Daniel (b ~ 1736) as well.

One land sale to prove William Daniel received a land grant in 1784 and lived in Elbert County, GA in 1791:

Elbert County, Georgia, Deed Bk A, page 38, October 15, 1791 -- William Daniel and wife Nancy to William Arnold, all Elbert, £100, 200 acres on Beaverdam Creek in said county, originally granted to William Daniel 21 Sep 1784. Witness: R. Hunt, JP Elbert County. Wife Nancy relinquished her dower right. Recorded: October 15, 1791.

Elbert County, Georgia, Deed Bk A, page 82, May, 1792 -- Robert Middleton, high sheriff, Elbert County, to Allen Daniel of Elbert, date _____ 1792. Writ of vandebona exponas (writ of venditioni exponas) against property of William Daniel for £60, which John Dunn lately recovered in court against him 17 February 1792. On 1 May past, exposed to sale, 350 acres in Elbert County on North Fork of Broad River, adjacent William Vickery on lower side, on upper side by John Vineyard, other sides unknown, granted to David McCleskey, the property of William Daniel. Allen Daniel was highest bidder, £16. Witness: M. Woods JP. No "recorded date" for the deed.

Note: a writ of venditioni exponas orders a local sheriff to sell specific items to recover a debt that is owed. Another term for this legal action is a writ of fieri facias, usually reduced to the term "fi fa" or written as "fifa". Thus, William Daniel owed John Dunn, and Allen Daniel was the highest bidder, so that the land stayed in Daniel family hands.

The Daniel research web site linked below, "Leaves from our Tree", also provides significant documentation to verify the connection between William and Nancy Daniel to Allen Daniel, and also links to the Y-DNA information referred to herein. One fact that these Daniel researchers either missed or did not record is the following, which links Allen Daniel to his sister Nancy and brother in law Adam Gaar:

The estate records of John Adam Gaar of Elbert County, GA provide additional evidence to confirm a family relationship, as Gaar's widow Nancy Daniel Gaar and Allen Daniel were the administrators of the estate.

Sources

• Daniel Family Research web site, Leaves from Our Tree, including court records from Madison, Elbert Co GA and SC. [1]

• Wilkes County, Deed Book GG, page: William Daniel and wife Nancy to Wm Allen, 785 acres on Beaverdam Creek. August __ 1789. Allen Daniel, Wm. Moss, J. P. test (note: Elbert was created from Wilkes County a year later - in 1790; Allen Daniel was a teenager in 1789, but was old enough to be a witness,). Transcribed version source: Early Records of Georgia Vol. 2, Wilkes County.

• Elbert County, Georgia: Deed Books A-J, 1791-1806: Michal Martin Farmer, 1997, p 10 for land sale in 1791, and page 22 for deed connecting William and Allen Daniel in 1792.

• Y-DNA Compilation of Daniel Family Y-DNA testers from numerous Daniel groups, with one group specifically linking descendants of Allen Daniel to descendants of Woodson Daniel. [2]. Includes brief statement regarding the family's presence in NORTH CAROLINA, prior to Elbert County, GA.

• Estate Records: John Adam Gaar (died ~1821), Elbert County GA in 1822 and 1823. Administrators of estate were Nancy Daniel Gaar (widow of Adam Gaar) and Allen Daniel (her brother).