52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 9 -- Where There's a Will

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So again with this prompt, nothing immediately related to "Will" pops to mind. So how about a partial survey of my ancestors with "Will in their names? I was surprised to find so many people buried off in my family tree software who don't seem familiar at all...

William Beard
William Andrew Johnson
William Biddy (my 3x great uncle)
William Eugene Caruthers
William Givans
William Henry "Doc" Shockey
Willard Hobson Jones, my great uncle
Gen. William Lee Davidson*
William McFee
William Moss (I counted 23 men named "William Moss.")
William Shehorn (my 3x great-grandfather)
William Wallace (I wish!)
William Wilson
Willie May Brevard
Willis Monroe Johnson (my 2x great-grandfather)

*While not a direct descendant, Gen. William Lee Davidson married one of my Brevard aunts. He was an officer in the Continental Army, serving with Gen. George Washington, “Light Horse Harry” Lee and Daniel Morgan, among others. He was killed at the Battle of Cowans Ford in 1781 while opposing the re-entry of Lord Cornwallis into North Carolina. His body was recovered after the battle, evidently robbed by British soldiers, a fact established on 3 July 2001 when his wallet was brought back from England where it had been held in the Public Records Office in London since the American Revolution.



Davidson College and Davidson County in North Carolina are named for him, as is a Tennessee chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Why is a DAR chapter in Tennessee named after a native son of North Carolina? According to the DAR, "In 1783, his family moved to the lands allocated to him, 5,760 acres, which is now Davidson County, Tennessee. The family burying ground is located on Windrow Drive in West Meade."

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