William Fairen Gregory Sr. (1743 - 1805)

Born 1743 in Pittsylvania, Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died Mar 1805 at about age 62 in Buncombe Co, North Carolina

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Paulette Templeton [send private message] and Donna Mcdaniel [send private message]

Biography

He was raised by Thomas Dillard, Jr. in Halifax County, Virginia after the death of his father Philemon in 1759.^[1]

William Gregory, son of Philemon (or William) Gregory, married Sarah ("Sally") Graves about 1760.

It is believed that Sally and William lived in Pittsylvania Co., VA.

After Sally died in 1783, William Gregory married Fanny or Elizabeth, probably about 1785.

William may have moved west to Montgomery Co., VA (to a section later to be cut off into Wythe Co.) by 1782, for, according to genealogist Worth Ray, it was in Oct. or Nov. of that year that he moved from there to the Watauga country (in what is today Unicoi Co., TN) with a group of settlers which included Capt. Thomas Dillard and the Love brothers, Robert and Thomas. The three families were to become further connected by considerable intermarriage.

A biography of William's son, William Jr., states: "When but a boy, young William's parents moved to Washington Co., TN. Soon after their arrival, his mother died. About two years after this sad event, his father married again, and soon after moved to North Carolina where he passed the remainder of his days as a local Methodist preacher. He died at the age of seventy years."

In 1786, William received a land grant (no. 712) of 96 ares at the rate of 50 shillings per acre in what was then Washington Co., NC. (The area went through several civil jurisdictions before evolving into the present Unicoi Co. The records of William's era are housed in Washington Co., TN.) His name appears on various county records from 1782 to 1789.

Members of the three families moved again in 1790 to Burke Co., NC, where William was listed next to John Dillard in the 1790 census of Morgan District with 4 males under 16, 3 males over 16, and 3 females.

On 4 Aug. 1798, William (of Buncombe Co., NC, which was formed from Burke in 1791) sold to John Acton the plantation where he formerly lived in the Greasy Cove area of Washington Co., TN, near the present town of Erwin. Beverly Gregory was a testator.

According to one source, Sally did not die until the early 1800's. However, it is believed that the 1783 death date is correct, and that two and possibly three children of William were by his second marriage.
They were:
James Gregory, b.c. 1783;
Sarah Gregory, b.c. 1787 or 1795, d. 4 Dec. 1861, Greene Co., MO, bur. Danforth Cem., Greene Co., MO;
Robert Gregory, b. 11 Aug. 1791, m. Milly Arthur, 2 June 1814, Knox Co., KY.^[2]

William F Gregory was a juror in Buncombe County in 1792 and 1794

Williams was born about 1736. He passed away about 1805.

Sources

1. ↑ Halifax County Orphans records show William was bound to Thomas Dillard Jr. of Halifax County, Va.
2. ↑ Graves Family Association, Gen. 288 DESCENDANTS OF SARAH GRAVES AND WILLIAM GREGORY OF VA

1800 Buncombe County, North Carolina census

• geni(.com) sources