William Ray
Birth: Mar. 6, 1763
Amherst County, Virginia, USA
Death: Mar. 6, 1777
Braxton, Mercer County, Kentucky, USA
After his father's death, William Ray was raised by his stepfather, Hugh McGary, one of the most infamous and colorful pioneers in early Kentucky.
The McGary family first came to Kentucky from the Yadkin River Valley of North Carolina with Daniel Boone in the fall of 1775. They took up residence in Fort Harrod where McGary quickly became active in the construction of the fortification and organizing the men and boys for spy and guard duty.
In March of 1777, McGary sent William and his brother, James, along with Thomas Shore and William Coomes to clear land near the Shawnee Springs. Nearby was a sugar camp where the boys went at noon to rest and drink some sugar water. A party of 47 Shawnee warriors attacked them there.
Only William had brought a gun so the three boys ran in two different directions. James was running toward his gun but was cut off so turned to overtake William and the other boy. Catching up with William, they ran together but William was losing ground, owing to his insistence in keeping his gun. He suddenly turned around and raise the gun to shoot at which point a Shawnee fired and William fell.
James ran on, knowing he could no longer help his brother, and managed to outdistance the Indians. After futilely circling back to see what had become of the two boys, he ran the four miles to Fort Harrod to sound an alarm. Hugh McGary immediately reacted by demanding that 30 men be sent to the springs.
The rescue party set out the the springs where they found Coomes, uninjured, hiding under at log. William Ray was dead, scalped and stripped of his shirt and hat. He had to be buried on the spot. The other boy was not found. The Indians attacked the fort two days later where McGary exacted his revenge by killing an Indian he saw wearing his stepson's shirt and hat; however, he received an arm wound in the process.
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