Notes for: William JACKSON
William Jackson was first married to a woman named Margaret (last name unknown) by whom he had Joseph Sr., Moses, and Betty. Margaret must have died soon after Betty was born because he married Sarah Hoskins in 1767.
William and Sarah moved to Guilford County around 1772 as it is recorded in the deed books that in 1772 he bought 220 acres for sixty pounds on North Buffalo Creek. Two years later in 1774, he sold it again for 110 pounds.
On May 1, 1776, he joined the North Carolina militia as a private with a term of three years and was discharged on May 1,1779 as a sergeant. In 1777, he is listed as a private in Captain Shepard's Company. He also signed up again in 1781 for a term of 18 months during which the Battle of Guilford Court House was fought under the leadership of General Nathaniel Greene. This battle and the Battle of King's Mountain were the two decisive defeats for the British Army which led them to change their plans to take over the southern colonies. As a result the British forces traveled up toward Virginia where they ended up at Yorktown.
He was out of the army by 1782 as he was found in the court minutes of Old Guilford, North Carolina as a constable. He also proved on oath that either he or a James Maxwell (the record is a little ambiguous on this point) had an ear bitten off by John Denney in October of that year.
On 14 October 1783, North Carolina sold him 370 acres in one tract and 320 acres in another tract for fifty shillings per hundred acres. The land was located on the Rock Branch of the Reedy Fork of the Haw River. On the same day, the state also sold William Jackson and John Wilson an additional 224 acres in the same area.
There is another spate of mentions in official records of the time for 1785. William and his wife sold some of his land to a J. Lester. He was also called for jury duty and was again mentioned in a suit against William Hall (which he won and was awarded 1 pence plus 6 pence for court costs).
On the 23 April 1794, William died on his farm in Guilford County about fifteen miles or so from Greensboro where he had fought the British. His will was probated soon after. Sarah evidently outlived him and lived with his daughter by his first wife until her death.