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William Shirley
- I theorize that William
Shirley of Spartanburg Co SC is another son of Richard Shirley
of Laurens Co SC.
I have argued that Thomas Shirley
of Spartanburg SC is a brother of John and Robert Shirley, who
were sons of Richard Shirley of Laurens Co SC. If Thomas Shirley
is a son of Richard, then I argue so too is William Shirley of
Spartanburg County. William Shirley of Spartanburg appears in
land records with Thomas Shirley and they are living adjacent
to each other on the North Fork of the Tyger River. William appears
in the 1790 Spartanburg census at the same time as Thomas Shirley.
Is William Shirley of Spartanburg
the same person as William Stubley Shirley Jr of Georgia?
It is clear that the Shirleys of Laurens (Spartanburg) Co SC
are connected to the William Stubley Shirley family in Georgia.
They share the same DNA profile and family tradition seems to
connect them as well. Many decades ago, researchers claimed that
William Stubley Shirley Jr was indeed the same William Shirley
who lived in Spartanburg Co SC - the target of my theory.
I hash out this idea as follows:
Pro: Deed records in Spartanburg
Co SC and bible records of the family in Georgia indicate that
each William Shirley married a women named Elizabeth.
Con: William Stubley Shirley Jr married Elizabeth Maxwell
in Jan 27, 1780 in Washington Co Georgia not in South Carolin
or in Tennessee, according to published abstracts of the family
bible. Note: Washington County GA did not exist in 1780. Other
claims in the publication are clearly not abstracted from the
bible, but include claims from an unidentified researcher, so
it's impossible to determine whether the place of marriage was
actually noted in the bible.
Con: There are several William Stubley Shirleys found in early
Georgia records, and they usually include the middle initial
'S'. At no time do records for William Shirley of east TN or
of Spartanburg SC include a middle initial 'S'.
Pro: One published version of the pedigree for William Stubley
Shirley Jr lists his father as a Richard Shirley
Con: Another published version lists his father as an elder
William Stubley Shirley Sr.
Pro: William Shirley of Spartanburg Co SC sells his land in
that county in 1792 and does not appear again. William Shirley
of Georgia simultaneously appears in records after that date
- although it must be noted that early Georgia census which is
needed to compare apples to apples have been lost.
Con: The 1790 Spartanburg Co SC census profile for William
Shirley indicates he has no sons, and has 4 daughters. The published
pedigree for William Stubley Shirley Jr shows 6 males all born
1790 or earlier, and only 3 daughters total, again all born before
1790.
The last 'con' seems to be damning to the claim that William
Shirley of Spartanburg is William Stubley Shirley Jr of Georgia.
Family tradition for this family lists the brothers of the
elder William Stubley Shirley who all moved South out of Augusta
co VA. A Richard Shirley, likely the same Richard who migrated
to Laurens Co SC, is one of the names. This elder William S.
Shirley migrated to Orange Co NC in 1755, Anson Co NC, then Burke
Co GA in the 1760s. But the pedigree offered in previous research
is conflicting, chaotic and filled with errors in fact.
Until further research is done clarifying the chaotic pedigree
of the Shirley family of colonial Georgia, the following is all
that we known
1. William Shirley, the theorized son of Richard Shirley of
Laurens Co SC, is an adult when enumerated in the 1777 militia
list for Washington Co TN
2. William Shirley does not appear in the subsequent 1778
Washington Co NC/TN tax list and disappears from records there
- while all other Shirleys remained in TN for a while. Did
he go to Georgia?
2. After his return to SC, he lived in Spartanburg SC where
he patented 450 acres on the North fork of the Tyger River in
1788
3. In 1791 and 1792 William and his wife Elizabeth sold 350
acres of his land patent, and disappear from records in that
county. Did they go to Georgia again?
Theorized family of William Shirley
| |
1790 census |
Theory |
| Male |
b bef 1774 |
William Shirley born
about 1755 |
| Female |
in household |
wife Elizabeth ______ b. unknown |
| Female |
in household |
daughter born say 1780 |
| Female |
in household |
daughter born say 1782 |
| Female |
in household |
daughter born say 1784 |
| Female |
in household |
daughter born say 1786 |
*William Shirley who appears in the 1790 Spartanburg Co SC
census cannot be an elder son of Thomas Shirley of that same
place. In order to have 4 daughters, William would need to be
a minimum of say 24 years old. This age would place William's
birthdate at approximately no later than 1766 - a date which
is too early to be the son of Thomas Shirley, who was born 1750.
It is my view the odds are simply too low. William Shirley is
more likely the brother of Thomas Shirley.
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Theory of Other Children of