| Notes |
- "William Caraway was born in 1754, in what was then Cumberland County, but is now Harnett County, North Carolina, the son of John Carraway, Sr. and his first wife, Margaret Stewart. He grew up on his father's plantation and learned the art of farming.
"With the advent of the Revolutionary War, William responded to the call of Patriotism and enlisted in service to the young Nation as a private. Although he was a native resident of the state of North Carolina, he traveled to Cambridge South Carolina in March or April of 1778, and enlisted under Captain John Moore of the Third Company of Col. Huger's Regiment of the South Carolina Line. He rose through the ranks to become Orderly First Sergt. During his tour of duty, William served under Captain John Caraway Smith, a cousin, during the Siege of Savannah and was also in the Battle of Stono, South Carolina. During his service he was wounded by a hand pike, which caused him pain for the remainder of his life. Sergt. Caraway was honorably discharged from service at Whitehall, South Carolina on June 11, 1780. It is interesting to note that he was not paid for his service until May 5, 1785, on which date he received the sum of 33 pounds, five shillings and three pence, and halfpenny, sterling.
"After being discharged from service, William returned to his native Cumberland County and resumed work on the family plantation. He began to acquire land of his own. On April 16, 1782, he purchased a tract of land from his father.
"In a sworn affidavit, William's son John Caraway stated that William married Elizabeth Avera sometime prior to June 11, 1780, the date of William's discharge from the Continental Army. Elizabeth was the daughter of Alexander Avera and Sarah Caraway, neighbors of the Caraway's. However, if this is so, there is no indication that children were born to this marriage for several years. Their first born were twins, Robert and Charity, born July 5, 1785. A son, John, was born in 1787 and another daughter, Mildred, in about 1790. On September 11, 1794, son Alexander was born. Sometime after the birth of Alexander, William's father, John Carraway, died and his plantation was divided among his heirs.
"For some reason William decided to leave Cumberland County and began to dispose of his property. On August 24, 1795, he sold the tract of land he had bought from his father in 1782 to his brother-in-law William Avera. A year later on August 23, 1796, he sold to his brother James, 150 acres of land on Black River, which he had inherited from his father. In the deed for this property, William was shown to be a resident of Cumberland County, yet tax records for Stokes County for 1796 show that William was a resident of that county before the end of the year. Apparently, William moved from Cumberland County to Stokes County sometime between August 23 and December 31, 1796. The final disposition of his Cumberland County property came when he sold 200 acres on Stewart's Creek to his brother Thomas on November 25, 1800. On October 4, 1796, another son, William, Jr. was born, probably after their move to Stokes County, and son Thomas, two years later in 1798. William's family was completed by the addition of Benjamin in 1800, Jame in 1802, and Charles in 1804.
Possibly lured by the promise of free land to be offered in the 1805 Georgia Land Lottery, William moved his family to Lincoln County, Georgia, in 1804.
"Although he was not successful in the initial effort (he drew two blanks), William's family was lucky in later land lotteries in Georgia. In the 1820 drawing, William Jr. obtained a lot in Habersham County, John a lot in Irwin County and Robert and Charity each drew for land in Early County. In 1821 Alexander was a lucky drawer for a lot in Houston County. In later lotteries, son James was a lucky drawer for land in Floyd County and Benjamin drew for lot number 260, dt. 8, sec. 5 in Upson County.
"In 1825 William and family, including his widowed daughter, Charity Bethel and her family, moved from Lincoln County to Upson County, Georgia. It is family tradition that three of his sons built the first three houses erected in the city of Thomaston. If the tradition is true, John and Robert were certainly two of those, along with William. They and sister Charity were there in 1830 but William, Jr. was in Muscogee County and Thomas was in Randolph County.
Alexander had moved to Mississippi sometime between 1826 and 1829. It is not known whether he went there directly from Lincoln County or by way of Upson County. Benjamin was administrator of Thomas Caraway's estate in Randolph County in 1833 and probably lived there with him in 1830 as a yet unmarried man. Apparently, James never married and there are few records to prove he existed. Charles was retarded and apparently lived with his father all of his life.
"In May of 1833 William was granted a pension by the United States government for his service in the Revolutionary War. Less than a year later he died on February 1, 1834, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Thomaston. His wife, Elizabeth, died January 1, 1838, probably in the home of one of her sons, either Benjamin or Robert Caraway, in Randolph County, Georgia; the location of her burial is unknown."
Written by: Jack F. Caraway, Montgomery, Alabama, 2003
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WILLIAM CARAWAY, b. 1754-Cumberland Co., NC; d. 1 Feb. 1834-Thomaston, Upson Co., GA; bur. Glenwood Cem. there (FindAGrave#24761326); m. bef. 11 June 1780 Elizabeth Avera [b. 1764-NC; d. 1 Jan. 1838-Randolph Co., GA; d/o Sarah Caraway & Alexander Avera Sr.]. William was a Sgt./ARW, serving under Col. Huger & Captains Moore & Smith in the SC brigade. Named as a son in father’s will. 1st moved to Stokes Co., NC, then to Lincoln Co., GA bef. Upson Co./1825.
William Carraway was born in Cumberland, North Carolina and he died in Thomaston, Upson, Georgia. He was the son of John Caraway (1731) and Margaret Stewart.
* Information on this family appears in History of Upson County by Nottingham and Hannah, pp. 892-94.
* Veteran of Revolutionary War, documented in Daughters of American Revolution
* Discharged from service on June 11, 1780 after about 20 months service as sergeant and orderly sergeant under Captains Moore and Smith, Colonel Huger, South Carolina Troops, participated in the siege of Savannah and the battle of Stono. Discharged at Whitehall, South Carolina.
* In 1825 he moved with his family to Upson County after living for a short time in Lincoln County, Georgia
* Successful drawer in Georgia 1827 land lottery.
His ten children are: Robert and Charity (twins) 1785, John "Job" 1787, Mildredge 1790, Alexander 1794, William Jr. 1796, Thomas 1798, Benjamin 1800, James 1802, Charles 1804.
Gravesite Details: Revolutionary War Veteran
(Source: FindAGrave)
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UPSON COUNTY, GA - REV WAR PENSIONS William Caraway
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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
Archives by: Linda Hallman <http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00028.html#0006914>
Table of Contents page:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/upson.htm
Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
State of Georgia
Upson County
On this Twenty ninth day of August one thousand eight hundred thirty two, personally appeared in open Court before Christopher B. Strong Judge of the Superior Court of the Flint Circuit, County of Upson and State of Georgia aforesaid William Caraway, a resident of the County of Upson and State of Georgia. Age seventy eight years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. That he entered the service as a private in Cambridge, South Carolina in March of April 1778 under Captain John Moore of the Three Company was attached to Colonel Hughes Regiment, that he remained as a member of the said Company twenty months. When he received a discharge from Capt. John Moore which is now in the pension office in Washington City. That he was engaged as Orderly Sergeant at the Seige of Savannah under Capt. Smith that he was a resident of Cumberland County, North Carolina when he entered the services, that he was in the Battle of Stono, and that he knew Gen. Lincoln of the Regular Service. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declared that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any state.
Sworn to subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
Wm. Caraway
Wm. P. onger, Clk, CS
Note: certificated make by A. F. Edward, M.M.E.C.
Robert H. Dixon
The court clerk, 30th August 1832
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1754 - 1834 (80 years)
