Disambiguation: William Poes of eighteenth-century Virginia and North Carolina

Date: [unknown] to 1800
Location: North Carolina
Surname/tag: Poe

Discussion between unidentified Poe Researchers

The following text was placed on the profile of William Poe who married Elizabeth Bray. The only identification for the text was provided as follows:

The information below is taken from the Discussion tab of RootsMagic for William Poe. Nothing below is my research. My thanks to whoever put their time and effort in this research. dap

RootsMagic is local software that someone runs on their home computer, so this description does nothing to indicate who the individuals are who wrote the text. An attempt was made to contact the WikiTree user who added the text, but no response was forthcoming. It seems clear that the initial part of the text is an argument made by one researcher that William Poe who married Elizabeth Bray was a son of Simon Poe Sr., and then that the two portions labeled eight months ago were both written by another person in rebuttal. The text is being left here as is, but clearer and more coherent analysis disambiguating the William Poes will eventually be provided above and presumably make this text obsolete.

While there are arguments to be made that the William Poe married to Elizabeth Bray is a different man from the son of Simon Poe, SR. the arguments are not easily supported by the existing records known to this researcher. William Poe and Elizabeth Bray, along with other Brays, Nalls and others settled along Rocky River a tributary of Deep River. Whereas the main group of Simon Poe's family settled along New Hope Creek, a tributary of the Haw River. These areas are connected by navigable waterways, both in presentday Chatham County, North Carolina.

Evidence suggests that William Poe may have moved from the Rocky Creek area to the New Hope area, acquiring lands from the heirs of John Morton. After the move, an unaccountable William Poe does not show up for decades. No evidence points to there being a William Poe living in both area during the 1780's and early 1790's.

There is, however, ample evidence for a William Poe (SR) and William Poe (JR) both of whom are assoicated by sons-in-law and nephews of Simon Poe, SR. Chatham County Records.

Chatham County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions 13 August 1778 Page 157. The following person appointed to serve as Jurors at the next Court Viz. .... Isaac Kirksey, William Poe Jun'r, Gilbert Patterson. ... Thomas Dowdy, William Dowdy ... Benjamin Watts, James George, William Petty . . . James Herndon .__

9 February 1779 _The Grand Jury are as follows Viz. William Clarke, foreman. Jospeh Kirk, Daniel Brown, John Wilkey, Thomas Brooks, Peter Sinclare, Thomas Taylor, James Steward, Edmond Waddell, Thomas Robertson. William Poe, George Dismukes, Spencer Steward, James Massey and Burwell Williams.__

13 May 1779_The following person appointed Jurors for the next Court, Gilbert Patterson, Isaac Brooks, William Griffen, Thomas West (dry Creek), Gray Barby, Elisha Cain, Thomas Blaxton, William Dillard, Benjamin Watts, Henry Bray, Thomas Taylor, Edmond Waddell, William Clark, William Poe, Jun'r., George Dismukes, Spencer Stewart, Benjamin Harris, David Mattox, Robert Wallace, James Massey, Isaac Mathis, Francis Sypart, Henry Pickard, Richard Bohannon, Elisha Hunter, Mark Brooks, William Ragland, Matthew Jones, William Kinchen & Reuben Landrum.

9 August 1779_the grand Jury for this Term sworn as follows Viz. Isaac Brooks, foreman, William Clark, William Griffen, Thomas West, Willikam Dillard, Thomas Taylor, Edmund Waddill, William Poe, Benjamin Harris, Robert Wallace, William Ragland, James Massey, Isaac Mathis, Francis Sypart & Gilbert Patterson___Page 416 (bottom) (of primary source)_

13 February 1781_Alexander Clark and Pheby his wife to James Howard - 4700 pds. - 350 a. - all that tract or parcell of land whereon Simon Poe formerly lived - joins Mrs. Hannah Poe, William Poe Junr. and the land formerly belonging to Morten (Morton) and Richard Kennon and the land whereon Younger Neil now lives._Wit:_John Auld Alexr. Clark_Jacob Dardin Pheby (X) Clark ___

Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions__ 1781_ Page 3A - The following person appointed to Lay off a road to the best way from the Redfield foard to Joseph Hackney's spring Viz. Joseph Fooshee*, James Howard, William Poe, Richard Strawn, James Massey, Harculas Henderson, James George, Joseph Morgan, Charles Morgan, William Poe, Sen'r, Younger Neal (Oneil in the record), John Thomas & Joseph Hackney.__*

An 1814 Chatham record deeds "Joseph Fooshee to my daughter Elizabeth Poe - negro girl --- (Joseph Fooshee was probably the husband of Happy Poe, daughter of Stephen Poe, JR, nephew of Simon Poe, SR.)__

26 May 1782*_Page 14A. The Following hands appointed to work on the Road under Richard Strawn (Viz.) Prettyman Berry, David Poe, John Gilliam, John Thomas, William Poe Jun'r, Hannah Poe's Negroes, Stephen Straughn, Stephen Neal, Stephen Herndon, Chrispan Straughan, William Poe, Sr, Robert Thompson and James Poe.__*

This records pretty much associates members of Simon Poe Sr's clan. William Poe Jr is designated here. Stephen Herndon evidently married Simon Poe's daughter Lucy Poe at some point. Robert Thompson was Simon's daughter Frances' husband. Simon's daughter Mary Poe married a Berry and most have concluded (as do I) that it was Prettyman Berry. Simon Poe, Jr's son David Poe would be in his twenties here. And of course Richard Strawn would be married to Lucy Poe at this point. Hannah is Simon's son Stephen Poe's widow.__

28 May 1782_Page 17A. The following persons summoned to lay off the Road from the Red field ford to the Horse pen lick spring, Viz., Robert Marsh, Younger Neal (Neel in the record), William Poe Jun'r; James Howard, George Dismukes, Joseph Fooshee (Foushee), Charles Morgan Sen'r, Joseph Morgan, James Steward, Jun'r, Joseph Hackney, Alexander Clark, James Petty, Stephen Herndon (Hern), Hirculas Henderson, James George and James Massey and that any twelve of the Same lay of the Same Road.__

13 February 1783_The Sheriff Summon the following persons to Attend at Hillsborrough next Superior Court to Serve as Jorors to Wit: Matthew Jones, William Riddle, Joseph Stewart, James Howard (marked out), Archibald Cain, William Poe Jun'r, Samuell Temple and Elisha Cain, Esq'r.

8 months ago: There were at least 3 William Poe's in Chatham County in 1790, proof is Simon Poe names one son William, also mentioned in records is a William Jr. While no proof exists about who the William Poe is that married Elizabeth Bray ,he is found in Surry Co.in 1790 records there including sons Henry, Edmund, daughter Elizabeth marries a man named Masters there in 1790 or there abouts .Other names I have strung together because of living close are Hannah, (Hart) and probably the William that died in 1799 leaving widow Susannah ( my ancestors ) I have DNA connects to everyone of those mentioned. Henry on his Revolutionary War pension mentions being born in Culpeper Virgnia, enlisting in the war in Randolph while living in Chatham. Early Bray records show old Henry Bray father of Elizabeth Poe (his Will of 1793). William and Elizabeth are in Chatham in 1775 they sell land to Henry Bray, it looks to me as if they leave, they are in Surry by the late 1780's they are found there in records at this time, by 1790 they are on the census by 1799 they and most of their children are in Ashe County, North Carolina .The problem with the Williams while I do not believe William is a son of Simon Poe because in 1790 William Poe Jr. and an older William Poe are still in Chatham. William Poe Jr. has been identified not as a son of William but as a son of Stephen Poe, son of Simon Poe .This is a proven relationship. To complicate matters he died in 1800 leaving 7 orphans, his are easily identified, however by the 7 parcels of land he leaves them. My William Poe died the year before and left 7 orphans and a widow Susannah who is found on the 1800 census she has never been positively identified, she is under 45 in 1800 fairly young woman kids are getting to be young adults I think she left the area with them. So many Chatham, Eastern Randolph people migrated from that area about the same time it decimated the churches, 1805 Ross County, Ohio reads like the who's who of Chatham County. I believe no proof other than all the DNA connections that the William Poe who died in 1799, my ancestor, was a son of William Poe and Susannah. There is no evidence he was connected to Simon Poe. It appears to me that Simon's son William lived closer to him, DNA studies on the Poe's has shown a connection between the elder William Poe who married Elizabeth and Simon Poe, but not one of Father son, this is my interpretation anyway. My William Poe and those I believe to be his parents, William and Elizabeth, lived near Siler City on Loves Creek granted not a long way from Pittsboro, but it seems to define them better. I see no evidence beyond the name and location for any basis to believe that William Poe the William Poe that married Elizabeth Bray, was Simon Poe's son. DNA shows different. My DNA shows many connects to William and wife Elizabeth, a distant one to one of Simon's which can be explained by error in someones tree. I believe something catastrophic happened in Chatham in the Revplutionaey War, a Samuel Poe was hung as a traitor, shortly after William and Elizabeth Bray Poe sold their land to Henry Bray. I see a lot of records for Simon Poe and his family on line, none involve the William Poe that married Elizabeth, all can be explained as others namely his son William who is still in my opinion on the census in 1790, while the other is in Surry County and William Poe Jr., who has been proven.

8 months ago; it is precisely the records shown in your comments in the article above that made me conclude they were the records for Simon's son William and grandsons William and made me exclude them as records for the William Poe who married Elizabeth Bray.You did a great job of highlighting records and neighbors of William Poe's son and grandson of Simon Poe, they are not however records for the William Poe that married Elizabeth Bray. I did find records for a William Poe in Randolph in the 1790's I believe these are the records for my William who died in 1799 leaving widow Susannah, I believe he was a son of William and Elizabeth Bray Poe. While what I have is based on records, neighbors who lived next to whom, when the left, where they lived, nothing is written in Stone. I would love to be able to say William Poe was the son of Simon Poe,much handier and simpler, do not believe this is the case, DNA kind of bears this out .