Born in Goochland County, Virginia (some DAR records list Halifax County, VA and birth year 1757), enlisted in Orange County, North Carolina at the time of the Revolution, and lived in Lincoln County, North Carolina (residing in the southern part of the county that became Gaston County in 1846) after the War.
Summary of his military service:
While a resident of Orange County, NC he served three months in Captain Forker's Company, Colonel Moore's NC Regiment.
He enlisted August 31, 1780 and served as a private in Captain James Forker's Company under Colonels Moore and Campbell and was discharged November 29, 1780. This period covers the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780).
He enlisted June 1, 1781 and served three months under Captain Harges as guard to Governor Burke.
He applied for a military pension (executed 10/31/1832); after submission of evidence, it was granted in 1833. His wife applied for, and received, a widow's pension after his death in 1836.
He is listed as a patriot by the DAR (Ancestor Number A047899), with his service in their records including action against the Cherokee in Burke County in 1774 and then during the Revolutionary War with the rank of Private.
In 1780 he fought against Tories along the Broad River and, according to some contributors, also at the Battle of Kings Mountain (see p. 179 of "The King's Mountain Men" by Katherine White). However, another contributor vehemently disputes that Gregory participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain because a transcribed record of his pension application fails to include the battle, and also because she believes Katherine White's book erroneously included Gregory. Both sides in this debate have repeatedly demanded that I alter this memorial to reflect only their position; I prefer to include the debate on this point so others may research for themselves.
The DAR monument erected by the William Gaston Chapter in 1935 at the Olney Presbyterian churchyard includes Gregory as a Revolutionary soldier and patriot. Sadly, any stone marking his grave site has either become illegible or is missing.
Married Margaret Morris (DAR records indicate her maiden name was Price) in 1779, with whom he had at least 13 children (15 are listed in evidence, but the names Elisabeth and Marget are repeated). In evidence submitted in support of Margaret's application for a widow's pension, their children are listed (spelling and dates as listed in evidence): Salley (b. 11/4/1779), Thomson (b. 5/17/1780), Johnson (b. 1/6/1782), Mary (b. 4/15/1783), Marget (b. 1/13/1783 OR 8/14/1794), Fanny (7/5/1786), Hosea (b. 1/7/1788), Joseph (b. 4/2/1790), Elesabeth (b. 1/15/1792 OR 4/4/1793), Anny (b. 5/25/1791), Nancy (b. 5/2/1795), Susan (b. 12/22/1800), and Mata (b. 2/10/1802).
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Contributed by Robert Allison Ragan, a descendant and Gaston County historian, in February 2016:
WILLIAM GREGORY, an American patriot in the Revolutionary War, was born August 11, 1758, in Goochland County, Virginia (northwest of Richmond, which extended originally to the Blue Ridge Mountains), a son of James Gregory (born about 1723) and Sarah Thompson (born about 1739). His birth record is found in the Register of Saint James Northam Parish according to the "William and Mary Quarterly." Other records indicate he was born in Pennsylvania, from whence his family migrated to Virginia.
He served in the American Revolution, and his pension application documents numerous facts of his life, his whereabouts at different times and the names and birth dates of his children. Keep in mind that he was old and failing in memory when questioned for the pension in 1832, and some dates may not be completely accurate. Nonetheless, these pension depositions clearly indicate he moved from Hyco River, a tributary of the Dan River, Halifax County, Virginia (adjoining the North Carolina state line), to Orange County, North Carolina, before the Revolution, and lived there until the close of the war. He is found for a short time in Chatham County (formed in 1771 from Orange County), and then settled with his family permanently in that section of old Lincoln County, North Carolina, that became Gaston in 1846, presumably following the Revolution.
In August 1774, William Gregory saw service under Colonel William Moore and Captain Tucker against the Indians on Silver Creek in Brooke County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He served for three months, the time for which he was drafted, and then he returned to Orange County, North Carolina, for discharge. After the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776, he was again drafted about the last day of August 1780 at Hillstown [Hillsborough], Orange County, for three months, and marched under General John Butler, Colonel Moore and Captain Faker in pursuit of the British on the Broad River. When he arrived at Salisbury, he was detached from General Butler and assigned under Colonel William Campbell and Major Armstrong to pursue Tories who had gathered along the Yadkin River at Shallow Ford and to guard prisoners there. William Gregory and his brother, John Gregory, are mentioned in the book "Kings Mountain Men" by Katherine Keogh White, published in 1924, as being among those volunteer patriots who fought at Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, defeating the British and Tories under Major Patrick Ferguson. This defining battle, a turning point in the war, weakened Lord Cornwallis' initiative in the South, sending him north to his ultimate defeat at the Siege of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
In 1778 or 1779, William Gregory married Margaret Morris (other sources say she was Margaret Price) in Halifax County, Virginia. She was born June 13, 1758, and died in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in April 1850. The 1850 "Mortality Schedule of Gaston County, North Carolina," records that Margaret Gregory died in January of that year at the age of 95 and that she had been born in Virginia. That would place her birth as 1753, close enough considering statistical errors of the times.
The Gregory family Bible was presented as evidence that William and Margaret Gregory were the parents of fifteen children: Sally (born 11/4/1779), Thomson (born 5/17/1780), Johnson (born 1/6/1782), Mary (born 4/15/1783), Margaret (born 1/13/1785), Fanny (born 7/5/1786), Hosea (born 1/7/1788), Joseph (born 4/2/1790), Elizabeth (born 1/15/1792); Anna (born 5/25/1793), Elizabeth (born 7/4/1793), Margaret (born 8/14/1794), Nancy (born 5/2/1796), Susan (born 12/22/1800), and Martha (born 2/10/1803). In the case of two children named Margaret and two Elizabeth, one assumes the earlier one died young and the second was named in her honor. In addition, in two cases the dates are obviously incorrect in order to compensate for the normal birth cycle.
Daughter Frances "Fanny" Gregory, born on July 5, 1786, married Robert Glenn (1775-1839), a son of Revolutionary patriot John Glen (1726-1828), in Lincoln County, North Carolina, on December 20, 1808. She died in May 1853 while milking a cow and is thought to be buried in Bethel Presbyterian Churchyard, York County, South Carolina, or on the Glenn farm in present-day Gaston County in an unmarked grave.
Daughter Anna Gregory, born on May 25, 1791, married in 1817 in York County, South Carolina, John Kincaid (1749-1836), a Revolutionary War soldier. According to her tombstone at Olney Presbyterian Churchyard, she died September 17, 1868. John was about 52 years older than Anna.
William Gregory, the subject of this sketch, died July 11, 1836, in Lincoln (now Gaston) County, North Carolina. He is buried at Olney Presbyterian Church Cemetery in present-day Gaston County, where a D.A.R. historical marker lists him as one of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried there, though no stone is found today marking the spot.
Summary of his military service:
While a resident of Orange County, NC he served three months in Captain Forker's Company, Colonel Moore's NC Regiment.
He enlisted August 31, 1780 and served as a private in Captain James Forker's Company under Colonels Moore and Campbell and was discharged November 29, 1780. This period covers the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780).
He enlisted June 1, 1781 and served three months under Captain Harges as guard to Governor Burke.
He applied for a military pension (executed 10/31/1832); after submission of evidence, it was granted in 1833. His wife applied for, and received, a widow's pension after his death in 1836.
He is listed as a patriot by the DAR (Ancestor Number A047899), with his service in their records including action against the Cherokee in Burke County in 1774 and then during the Revolutionary War with the rank of Private.
In 1780 he fought against Tories along the Broad River and, according to some contributors, also at the Battle of Kings Mountain (see p. 179 of "The King's Mountain Men" by Katherine White). However, another contributor vehemently disputes that Gregory participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain because a transcribed record of his pension application fails to include the battle, and also because she believes Katherine White's book erroneously included Gregory. Both sides in this debate have repeatedly demanded that I alter this memorial to reflect only their position; I prefer to include the debate on this point so others may research for themselves.
The DAR monument erected by the William Gaston Chapter in 1935 at the Olney Presbyterian churchyard includes Gregory as a Revolutionary soldier and patriot. Sadly, any stone marking his grave site has either become illegible or is missing.
Married Margaret Morris (DAR records indicate her maiden name was Price) in 1779, with whom he had at least 13 children (15 are listed in evidence, but the names Elisabeth and Marget are repeated). In evidence submitted in support of Margaret's application for a widow's pension, their children are listed (spelling and dates as listed in evidence): Salley (b. 11/4/1779), Thomson (b. 5/17/1780), Johnson (b. 1/6/1782), Mary (b. 4/15/1783), Marget (b. 1/13/1783 OR 8/14/1794), Fanny (7/5/1786), Hosea (b. 1/7/1788), Joseph (b. 4/2/1790), Elesabeth (b. 1/15/1792 OR 4/4/1793), Anny (b. 5/25/1791), Nancy (b. 5/2/1795), Susan (b. 12/22/1800), and Mata (b. 2/10/1802).
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Contributed by Robert Allison Ragan, a descendant and Gaston County historian, in February 2016:
WILLIAM GREGORY, an American patriot in the Revolutionary War, was born August 11, 1758, in Goochland County, Virginia (northwest of Richmond, which extended originally to the Blue Ridge Mountains), a son of James Gregory (born about 1723) and Sarah Thompson (born about 1739). His birth record is found in the Register of Saint James Northam Parish according to the "William and Mary Quarterly." Other records indicate he was born in Pennsylvania, from whence his family migrated to Virginia.
He served in the American Revolution, and his pension application documents numerous facts of his life, his whereabouts at different times and the names and birth dates of his children. Keep in mind that he was old and failing in memory when questioned for the pension in 1832, and some dates may not be completely accurate. Nonetheless, these pension depositions clearly indicate he moved from Hyco River, a tributary of the Dan River, Halifax County, Virginia (adjoining the North Carolina state line), to Orange County, North Carolina, before the Revolution, and lived there until the close of the war. He is found for a short time in Chatham County (formed in 1771 from Orange County), and then settled with his family permanently in that section of old Lincoln County, North Carolina, that became Gaston in 1846, presumably following the Revolution.
In August 1774, William Gregory saw service under Colonel William Moore and Captain Tucker against the Indians on Silver Creek in Brooke County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He served for three months, the time for which he was drafted, and then he returned to Orange County, North Carolina, for discharge. After the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776, he was again drafted about the last day of August 1780 at Hillstown [Hillsborough], Orange County, for three months, and marched under General John Butler, Colonel Moore and Captain Faker in pursuit of the British on the Broad River. When he arrived at Salisbury, he was detached from General Butler and assigned under Colonel William Campbell and Major Armstrong to pursue Tories who had gathered along the Yadkin River at Shallow Ford and to guard prisoners there. William Gregory and his brother, John Gregory, are mentioned in the book "Kings Mountain Men" by Katherine Keogh White, published in 1924, as being among those volunteer patriots who fought at Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, defeating the British and Tories under Major Patrick Ferguson. This defining battle, a turning point in the war, weakened Lord Cornwallis' initiative in the South, sending him north to his ultimate defeat at the Siege of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
In 1778 or 1779, William Gregory married Margaret Morris (other sources say she was Margaret Price) in Halifax County, Virginia. She was born June 13, 1758, and died in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in April 1850. The 1850 "Mortality Schedule of Gaston County, North Carolina," records that Margaret Gregory died in January of that year at the age of 95 and that she had been born in Virginia. That would place her birth as 1753, close enough considering statistical errors of the times.
The Gregory family Bible was presented as evidence that William and Margaret Gregory were the parents of fifteen children: Sally (born 11/4/1779), Thomson (born 5/17/1780), Johnson (born 1/6/1782), Mary (born 4/15/1783), Margaret (born 1/13/1785), Fanny (born 7/5/1786), Hosea (born 1/7/1788), Joseph (born 4/2/1790), Elizabeth (born 1/15/1792); Anna (born 5/25/1793), Elizabeth (born 7/4/1793), Margaret (born 8/14/1794), Nancy (born 5/2/1796), Susan (born 12/22/1800), and Martha (born 2/10/1803). In the case of two children named Margaret and two Elizabeth, one assumes the earlier one died young and the second was named in her honor. In addition, in two cases the dates are obviously incorrect in order to compensate for the normal birth cycle.
Daughter Frances "Fanny" Gregory, born on July 5, 1786, married Robert Glenn (1775-1839), a son of Revolutionary patriot John Glen (1726-1828), in Lincoln County, North Carolina, on December 20, 1808. She died in May 1853 while milking a cow and is thought to be buried in Bethel Presbyterian Churchyard, York County, South Carolina, or on the Glenn farm in present-day Gaston County in an unmarked grave.
Daughter Anna Gregory, born on May 25, 1791, married in 1817 in York County, South Carolina, John Kincaid (1749-1836), a Revolutionary War soldier. According to her tombstone at Olney Presbyterian Churchyard, she died September 17, 1868. John was about 52 years older than Anna.
William Gregory, the subject of this sketch, died July 11, 1836, in Lincoln (now Gaston) County, North Carolina. He is buried at Olney Presbyterian Church Cemetery in present-day Gaston County, where a D.A.R. historical marker lists him as one of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried there, though no stone is found today marking the spot.
Born in Goochland County, Virginia (some DAR records list Halifax County, VA and birth year 1757), enlisted in Orange County, North Carolina at the time of the Revolution, and lived in Lincoln County, North Carolina (residing in the southern part of the county that became Gaston County in 1846) after the War.
Summary of his military service:
While a resident of Orange County, NC he served three months in Captain Forker's Company, Colonel Moore's NC Regiment.
He enlisted August 31, 1780 and served as a private in Captain James Forker's Company under Colonels Moore and Campbell and was discharged November 29, 1780. This period covers the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780).
He enlisted June 1, 1781 and served three months under Captain Harges as guard to Governor Burke.
He applied for a military pension (executed 10/31/1832); after submission of evidence, it was granted in 1833. His wife applied for, and received, a widow's pension after his death in 1836.
He is listed as a patriot by the DAR (Ancestor Number A047899), with his service in their records including action against the Cherokee in Burke County in 1774 and then during the Revolutionary War with the rank of Private.
In 1780 he fought against Tories along the Broad River and, according to some contributors, also at the Battle of Kings Mountain (see p. 179 of "The King's Mountain Men" by Katherine White). However, another contributor vehemently disputes that Gregory participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain because a transcribed record of his pension application fails to include the battle, and also because she believes Katherine White's book erroneously included Gregory. Both sides in this debate have repeatedly demanded that I alter this memorial to reflect only their position; I prefer to include the debate on this point so others may research for themselves.
The DAR monument erected by the William Gaston Chapter in 1935 at the Olney Presbyterian churchyard includes Gregory as a Revolutionary soldier and patriot. Sadly, any stone marking his grave site has either become illegible or is missing.
Married Margaret Morris (DAR records indicate her maiden name was Price) in 1779, with whom he had at least 13 children (15 are listed in evidence, but the names Elisabeth and Marget are repeated). In evidence submitted in support of Margaret's application for a widow's pension, their children are listed (spelling and dates as listed in evidence): Salley (b. 11/4/1779), Thomson (b. 5/17/1780), Johnson (b. 1/6/1782), Mary (b. 4/15/1783), Marget (b. 1/13/1783 OR 8/14/1794), Fanny (7/5/1786), Hosea (b. 1/7/1788), Joseph (b. 4/2/1790), Elesabeth (b. 1/15/1792 OR 4/4/1793), Anny (b. 5/25/1791), Nancy (b. 5/2/1795), Susan (b. 12/22/1800), and Mata (b. 2/10/1802).
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Contributed by Robert Allison Ragan, a descendant and Gaston County historian, in February 2016:
WILLIAM GREGORY, an American patriot in the Revolutionary War, was born August 11, 1758, in Goochland County, Virginia (northwest of Richmond, which extended originally to the Blue Ridge Mountains), a son of James Gregory (born about 1723) and Sarah Thompson (born about 1739). His birth record is found in the Register of Saint James Northam Parish according to the "William and Mary Quarterly." Other records indicate he was born in Pennsylvania, from whence his family migrated to Virginia.
He served in the American Revolution, and his pension application documents numerous facts of his life, his whereabouts at different times and the names and birth dates of his children. Keep in mind that he was old and failing in memory when questioned for the pension in 1832, and some dates may not be completely accurate. Nonetheless, these pension depositions clearly indicate he moved from Hyco River, a tributary of the Dan River, Halifax County, Virginia (adjoining the North Carolina state line), to Orange County, North Carolina, before the Revolution, and lived there until the close of the war. He is found for a short time in Chatham County (formed in 1771 from Orange County), and then settled with his family permanently in that section of old Lincoln County, North Carolina, that became Gaston in 1846, presumably following the Revolution.
In August 1774, William Gregory saw service under Colonel William Moore and Captain Tucker against the Indians on Silver Creek in Brooke County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He served for three months, the time for which he was drafted, and then he returned to Orange County, North Carolina, for discharge. After the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776, he was again drafted about the last day of August 1780 at Hillstown [Hillsborough], Orange County, for three months, and marched under General John Butler, Colonel Moore and Captain Faker in pursuit of the British on the Broad River. When he arrived at Salisbury, he was detached from General Butler and assigned under Colonel William Campbell and Major Armstrong to pursue Tories who had gathered along the Yadkin River at Shallow Ford and to guard prisoners there. William Gregory and his brother, John Gregory, are mentioned in the book "Kings Mountain Men" by Katherine Keogh White, published in 1924, as being among those volunteer patriots who fought at Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, defeating the British and Tories under Major Patrick Ferguson. This defining battle, a turning point in the war, weakened Lord Cornwallis' initiative in the South, sending him north to his ultimate defeat at the Siege of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
In 1778 or 1779, William Gregory married Margaret Morris (other sources say she was Margaret Price) in Halifax County, Virginia. She was born June 13, 1758, and died in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in April 1850. The 1850 "Mortality Schedule of Gaston County, North Carolina," records that Margaret Gregory died in January of that year at the age of 95 and that she had been born in Virginia. That would place her birth as 1753, close enough considering statistical errors of the times.
The Gregory family Bible was presented as evidence that William and Margaret Gregory were the parents of fifteen children: Sally (born 11/4/1779), Thomson (born 5/17/1780), Johnson (born 1/6/1782), Mary (born 4/15/1783), Margaret (born 1/13/1785), Fanny (born 7/5/1786), Hosea (born 1/7/1788), Joseph (born 4/2/1790), Elizabeth (born 1/15/1792); Anna (born 5/25/1793), Elizabeth (born 7/4/1793), Margaret (born 8/14/1794), Nancy (born 5/2/1796), Susan (born 12/22/1800), and Martha (born 2/10/1803). In the case of two children named Margaret and two Elizabeth, one assumes the earlier one died young and the second was named in her honor. In addition, in two cases the dates are obviously incorrect in order to compensate for the normal birth cycle.
Daughter Frances "Fanny" Gregory, born on July 5, 1786, married Robert Glenn (1775-1839), a son of Revolutionary patriot John Glen (1726-1828), in Lincoln County, North Carolina, on December 20, 1808. She died in May 1853 while milking a cow and is thought to be buried in Bethel Presbyterian Churchyard, York County, South Carolina, or on the Glenn farm in present-day Gaston County in an unmarked grave.
Daughter Anna Gregory, born on May 25, 1791, married in 1817 in York County, South Carolina, John Kincaid (1749-1836), a Revolutionary War soldier. According to her tombstone at Olney Presbyterian Churchyard, she died September 17, 1868. John was about 52 years older than Anna.
William Gregory, the subject of this sketch, died July 11, 1836, in Lincoln (now Gaston) County, North Carolina. He is buried at Olney Presbyterian Church Cemetery in present-day Gaston County, where a D.A.R. historical marker lists him as one of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried there, though no stone is found today marking the spot.
Summary of his military service:
While a resident of Orange County, NC he served three months in Captain Forker's Company, Colonel Moore's NC Regiment.
He enlisted August 31, 1780 and served as a private in Captain James Forker's Company under Colonels Moore and Campbell and was discharged November 29, 1780. This period covers the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780).
He enlisted June 1, 1781 and served three months under Captain Harges as guard to Governor Burke.
He applied for a military pension (executed 10/31/1832); after submission of evidence, it was granted in 1833. His wife applied for, and received, a widow's pension after his death in 1836.
He is listed as a patriot by the DAR (Ancestor Number A047899), with his service in their records including action against the Cherokee in Burke County in 1774 and then during the Revolutionary War with the rank of Private.
In 1780 he fought against Tories along the Broad River and, according to some contributors, also at the Battle of Kings Mountain (see p. 179 of "The King's Mountain Men" by Katherine White). However, another contributor vehemently disputes that Gregory participated in the Battle of Kings Mountain because a transcribed record of his pension application fails to include the battle, and also because she believes Katherine White's book erroneously included Gregory. Both sides in this debate have repeatedly demanded that I alter this memorial to reflect only their position; I prefer to include the debate on this point so others may research for themselves.
The DAR monument erected by the William Gaston Chapter in 1935 at the Olney Presbyterian churchyard includes Gregory as a Revolutionary soldier and patriot. Sadly, any stone marking his grave site has either become illegible or is missing.
Married Margaret Morris (DAR records indicate her maiden name was Price) in 1779, with whom he had at least 13 children (15 are listed in evidence, but the names Elisabeth and Marget are repeated). In evidence submitted in support of Margaret's application for a widow's pension, their children are listed (spelling and dates as listed in evidence): Salley (b. 11/4/1779), Thomson (b. 5/17/1780), Johnson (b. 1/6/1782), Mary (b. 4/15/1783), Marget (b. 1/13/1783 OR 8/14/1794), Fanny (7/5/1786), Hosea (b. 1/7/1788), Joseph (b. 4/2/1790), Elesabeth (b. 1/15/1792 OR 4/4/1793), Anny (b. 5/25/1791), Nancy (b. 5/2/1795), Susan (b. 12/22/1800), and Mata (b. 2/10/1802).
******************************
Contributed by Robert Allison Ragan, a descendant and Gaston County historian, in February 2016:
WILLIAM GREGORY, an American patriot in the Revolutionary War, was born August 11, 1758, in Goochland County, Virginia (northwest of Richmond, which extended originally to the Blue Ridge Mountains), a son of James Gregory (born about 1723) and Sarah Thompson (born about 1739). His birth record is found in the Register of Saint James Northam Parish according to the "William and Mary Quarterly." Other records indicate he was born in Pennsylvania, from whence his family migrated to Virginia.
He served in the American Revolution, and his pension application documents numerous facts of his life, his whereabouts at different times and the names and birth dates of his children. Keep in mind that he was old and failing in memory when questioned for the pension in 1832, and some dates may not be completely accurate. Nonetheless, these pension depositions clearly indicate he moved from Hyco River, a tributary of the Dan River, Halifax County, Virginia (adjoining the North Carolina state line), to Orange County, North Carolina, before the Revolution, and lived there until the close of the war. He is found for a short time in Chatham County (formed in 1771 from Orange County), and then settled with his family permanently in that section of old Lincoln County, North Carolina, that became Gaston in 1846, presumably following the Revolution.
In August 1774, William Gregory saw service under Colonel William Moore and Captain Tucker against the Indians on Silver Creek in Brooke County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He served for three months, the time for which he was drafted, and then he returned to Orange County, North Carolina, for discharge. After the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776, he was again drafted about the last day of August 1780 at Hillstown [Hillsborough], Orange County, for three months, and marched under General John Butler, Colonel Moore and Captain Faker in pursuit of the British on the Broad River. When he arrived at Salisbury, he was detached from General Butler and assigned under Colonel William Campbell and Major Armstrong to pursue Tories who had gathered along the Yadkin River at Shallow Ford and to guard prisoners there. William Gregory and his brother, John Gregory, are mentioned in the book "Kings Mountain Men" by Katherine Keogh White, published in 1924, as being among those volunteer patriots who fought at Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, defeating the British and Tories under Major Patrick Ferguson. This defining battle, a turning point in the war, weakened Lord Cornwallis' initiative in the South, sending him north to his ultimate defeat at the Siege of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
In 1778 or 1779, William Gregory married Margaret Morris (other sources say she was Margaret Price) in Halifax County, Virginia. She was born June 13, 1758, and died in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in April 1850. The 1850 "Mortality Schedule of Gaston County, North Carolina," records that Margaret Gregory died in January of that year at the age of 95 and that she had been born in Virginia. That would place her birth as 1753, close enough considering statistical errors of the times.
The Gregory family Bible was presented as evidence that William and Margaret Gregory were the parents of fifteen children: Sally (born 11/4/1779), Thomson (born 5/17/1780), Johnson (born 1/6/1782), Mary (born 4/15/1783), Margaret (born 1/13/1785), Fanny (born 7/5/1786), Hosea (born 1/7/1788), Joseph (born 4/2/1790), Elizabeth (born 1/15/1792); Anna (born 5/25/1793), Elizabeth (born 7/4/1793), Margaret (born 8/14/1794), Nancy (born 5/2/1796), Susan (born 12/22/1800), and Martha (born 2/10/1803). In the case of two children named Margaret and two Elizabeth, one assumes the earlier one died young and the second was named in her honor. In addition, in two cases the dates are obviously incorrect in order to compensate for the normal birth cycle.
Daughter Frances "Fanny" Gregory, born on July 5, 1786, married Robert Glenn (1775-1839), a son of Revolutionary patriot John Glen (1726-1828), in Lincoln County, North Carolina, on December 20, 1808. She died in May 1853 while milking a cow and is thought to be buried in Bethel Presbyterian Churchyard, York County, South Carolina, or on the Glenn farm in present-day Gaston County in an unmarked grave.
Daughter Anna Gregory, born on May 25, 1791, married in 1817 in York County, South Carolina, John Kincaid (1749-1836), a Revolutionary War soldier. According to her tombstone at Olney Presbyterian Churchyard, she died September 17, 1868. John was about 52 years older than Anna.
William Gregory, the subject of this sketch, died July 11, 1836, in Lincoln (now Gaston) County, North Carolina. He is buried at Olney Presbyterian Church Cemetery in present-day Gaston County, where a D.A.R. historical marker lists him as one of the soldiers of the American Revolution buried there, though no stone is found today marking the spot.
