| Note |
- [William2.FTW]
REFN: 4039
William Gilreath came to Granville County, North Carolina from Virg inia in about 1750. He is listed as 'William Gilcrees' on a 1754 roster of the local militia of Granville County, a private in Captain Richard Colema n's Company of Colonel William Eaton's regiment. This list of militia member s was, in effect, a census of the male populationof Granville County at that time.
In 1760 he received a Granville land grant of 680 acres which was proved in court on February 1, 1761 (Granville Co NC DB-D, p. 169). Thistract was located on a branch of Hawtree Creek adjoining William Young, in the are a where Benjamin Jones Jones' lived. On August 4, 1761,William Gilreath sol d 340 acres of that tract, including land where he lived, to William Smith for thirty pounds (op. cit., P. 330). The deed described the land as located b etween Hawtree and Six Pound Creeks on Robertson's line. It was proved in Gr anville court on August 11, 1761.
On March 6, 1780, after he had moved to Wil kes County, he sold the remaining 340 acres to Richard Inge of Dinwiddie Coun ty, Virginia for 1,500 pounds (Note: the price sounds too high). The tract w as described as being on a branch of Hawtree Creek adjoining John Ellis, Adams Williams, John Thompson, Wm. Russell, Wm. Call (Keel?), Henry Fittes and Ephraim Ellis. The deed, signed with a flourish by Gilreath, was witnessed b y Thomas Dance, John Inge, Benj. Perkins, acknowledged by Dance in the May 1 780 session of court and registered on July 17, 1780 (Warren Co. NC DB-7, p. 320).
The DAR Centennial Edition of the Patriot Index lists the following
Gi lreaths:
1. William Gilreath, Sr. b. 1730 d. ca 1795 .. CS (Civil Service) SC
2. John Gilreath b. 1750-56 d. Dec 1802 .. Soldier NC
3. William Gilreath, Jr. b. 4-28-1753 d. after 1833 .. Capt. NC PNSR(Pensioner)
4. Alexander G ilreath b. 11-15-1755 d 1838 .. Sergeant NC PNSR
In February 1778, the Bute County Court ordered Justices of the Peacein each District to administer a loy alty oath, pledging allegiance to the State of North Carolina and against King George 3rd, to qualifypersons to vote in a coming election. Only five per sons in the County refused to take the oath with William and his son John being two ofthe five. In August of 1779, William was ordered by the Court to s how cause why he refused to take the oath. There is no record of his appearance in court but the challenge was moot because by November 1779he had moved to Wilkes County where sons William, Jr. and Alexander were already living. Three of his sons remained behind in Bute County but by 1780 they were also living in Wilkes County.
He served in the Revolution as a Captain in Col. B enjamin Cleveland's Regiment. He was wopunded in the leg at the Battle of Ki ng's Mountain. Three sons, Captaion William Gilreath, Jr., Sergeant Alexande r Gilreath and Private John Gilreath, also served during the war. William, J r. and Alexander received pensions. John died before pensions were authorized. William Gilreath, Sr. received these land grants in Wilkes County, North Carolina:
1. On March 3, 1779, he received a grant of 150 acres on the Little Fork of Cub Creek (Land Entry Book Wilkes County NC 1778-1781, compiled by Mrs. W. O. Absher) .
2. Eight months later, he received a second grant of 250 acres in the same area, the south side of the Middle Fork of Little Cub C reek, 'at the ford.' (Ibid., p. 77). This location is about two or three miles southeast of Wilkesboro, NC. After he moved to South Carolina, on Octo ber 22, 1792, William, Sr. sold 200 acres of the land on Little Cub Creek to William, Jr. for 100 pounds.
3. On March 30, 1780 he received a third grant , 400 acres on Crab Fork of the Little River 'at or near the Virginia line', land that is now in Alleghany County, NC (Ibid., p. 100).
In 1787 William, his wife Mary and their four youngest children m
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Abt 1730 - 1795 (~ 65 years)