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Facts and Events
References
- William Stewart was the second son of John Stewart and Susanna Bledsoe Stewart, was born in 1763 in Halifax County, now Surry County, Virginia, and lived there the first year of his life. William grew up in The Hollow, Rowan County, North Carolina, in the part that became Surry County in 1770. When William was in his early teens, his family crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains to what is now upper east Tennessee. After being a Revolutionary War soldier, William moved across the border into Russell, now Scott County, Virginia. There he married Jemima Carter and lived the rest of his life.
William's elderly paternal grandparents, Lydia and Samuel Stewart, lived about thirty miles south of the Hollow. These elder Stewarts were on their own Stewart Creek, between the Yadkin River and the large Moravian settlement. Samuel Stewart died in 1768 and Lydia in 1772.
Sometime between 1775 and 1778 John and Susanna moved their family from Surry County west across the Blue Ridge into what is now northeastern Tennessee.
William's older brother David Stewart and half-brother Loving Bledsoe were drafted into the army, but before the day of their rendezvous, orders came that all should go that were able to go. Since his brother and half brother were going, William Stewart testified in his pension claim that he volunteered for a tour of duty. William tells of the days after the Battle when they marched to Salisbury with the prisoners to turn them over to other North Carolina troops. Then the over mountain men were discharged, and thus ended William's second tour of duty. The rest of William's company went on home, but William said in his pension application that he stayed near Salisbury for perhaps a year after the Battle of King's Mountain. When there was another draft, William was to substitute in the place of one Daniel Tunroy for another three months tour of duty."
The Company rendezvoused near the Moravian town of Salem (now Winston-Salem) They marched one day towards the army when William `was taken sick" and directed by the officers to return to his uncle's in Surry County. Which Stewart uncle is not known, but it was probably David. There was another draft and William substituted again, this time for a Thomas Smith. The rendezvous was again at Salem, North Carolina. William's company was intercepted by the British and delayed so that they did not reach General Greene's Army before what is now called the Battle of Guilford Court House.
This was William Stewart's last tour of duty, ending in the spring of 1781. He was now eighteen years old and ready to head back over the mountain to Sullivan County, North Carolina.
William and his brother David Stewart were among those in Sullivan County in 1782-1783 who were granted specie certificates for the purpose of straightening out various accounts, issuing certificates in lieu of hard cash as payment for military service. William Stewart's' specie certificate was granted 16 August 1782 for 8 pounds 13 shillings 4 pence.
About 1789 William Stewart married Jemima (called Mima) Carter. William was twenty-six and Jemima about seventeen. She had three sisters and three younger brothers. Her two youngest brothers, Presley and Thomas, are extremely well documented, and many of their descendants still live in Scott County. Jemima's other brother, Elijah, was captured by the Indians in 1788 when he was twelve and released alter five years, when he returned to Rye Cove. Many Carters lived in Rye Cove, and William and Jemima must have lived on Joseph Carter's land as there is no land record for William before 1805. However, William Stewart of course owned personal property.
William Stewart and Jemima (Carter), had 12 children born in Russell (now Scott) County, Virginia: James, Elizabeth, Judith, Jemima, Joseph, William, David, Lucy, Anna H., Polly, Elijah, and Nancy. My direct descendent was the oldest, James Stewart: b. 29 February 1790; married ca. 1812, Polly Carter, daughter of Jemima's 1st cousin, Dale and Catherine Carter. James was a millwright. Both James and Polly are buried in Rye Cove Cemetery.
The last few years of his life William Stewart lived with his youngest daughter, Nancy, and her husband John Hale. He is shown in their household in the 1850 census, the last year of his life. William Stewart died 10 September 1850 at the age of eighty-seven. He was doubtless buried in Carter Cemetery at Rye Cove beside his wife of over fifty years, Jemima (Carter) Stewart.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rdanner/William.html - http://www.penjaccphoto.com/penleyged/fam01121.htm
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