b. between 1760 and 1762, d. 4 April 1860
Birth | between 1760 and 1762 | William Beattie was born between 1760 and 1762 on Cars [Kerr's] Creek in Rockbridge (then Augusta) County.3,4,5 |
| | William's year of birth is often given as 1760 due to the fact that his headstone states that he died at about "100 years of age". However, his age at death was given in the 1860 federal census mortality schedule as 98 which is consistent with the age reported for him on the 1850 population schedule where he was recorded as an 87 year old living with his son Madison. Madison, who quite likely provided the information on the mortality schedule, further clouded the issue when he stated in an 1880 letter to the historian Lyman Draper that his father was born in 1760.3,6,5 |
Marriage | circa 1780 | He married Mary Allison, daughter of Robert Allison and Elizabeth (?), circa 1780. The estimated date is calculated from his great granddaughter's statement that William was 19 at the time of his marriage.7,8 |
Devisee | Sep 1790 | John Beattie, William's father, wrote his will in August 1790. He died shortly thereafter as his will was probated the following month. William, who was not married at the time, was directed to care for his mother and in return was to receive the land on which the family was living.9 |
Guardian | 14 Sep 1790 | William was named guardian of Margaret Buchanan, his niece, on 14 Sep 1790. This may have been a part of the probate proceedings for Margaret's grandfather, John Buchanan who died earlier in 1790.10 |
Land-Buy | 15 Mar 1791 | On 15 Mar 1791 William purchased 1,163 acres on a branch of the middle fork of the Holston River in Washington County, Virginia from his father's estate. It was part of a tract patented to James Wood on Sept. 10, 1755. William paid 5 shillings for the purchase, suggesting this was the land left to William in his father's will.11 |
| | Here William and Mary raised their family which eventually included 10 sons and 3 daughters.5 |
Exec-Legatee | 27 Jul 1805 | In July 1805 one John Harris of Washington County wrote a will in which he left his daughter Jinny Duncan 60 pounds but left personal articles to various people whose relationship to him, if any, is not known. He left "Capt. William Beattie" a saddle and bridle. He left William's son John Beattie a watch, and he left Robert Beattie a linen shirt. The will also mentioned Isabelle Clark, wife of James Clark, and James, son of James Clark, as well as Rosannah Stewart. John Harris asked that Mary Beattie, wife of William distribute the rest of his clothing. William Beattie and John Stewart were named as executors.12 |
Executor | | William was also named as executor in at least 2 other wills: James Kincannon written in 1798 and William's brother David Beattie, written in in 1805. However in both cases, when the will was presented in court (James in 1812 and David in 1814), William refused to execute.13,14 |
Land-Gift | 27 Oct 1814 | On Oct. 27th, 1814 William sold 350 acres of land in Pulaski County, Kentucky to John Beatie [his son] for 1 cent. William sold James Beatie [also his son] an adjacent tract on the same day; also for 1 cent.15 |
Land-Gift | 6 Nov 1822 | On 6 Nov 1822 William deeded (for 1 cent) an additional tract of land containing 116 acres on Pitman Creek in Pulaski County to John and James jointly.16 |
Widowed | 16 Apr 1830 | Mary died on 16 Apr 1830. |
Cens-1850 | 6 Aug 1850 | The 1850 census was the first federal enumeration to record the names of everyone in the household. William was recorded living in Washington County with [his son] Madison Beattie.6 |
Death | 4 Apr 1860 | William died 4 April 1860 in Washington County, Virginia, of old age.4,3 |
Burial | | He was buried in Old Glade Springs Cemetery, Washington Co. Virginia.4 |
Will-Recd | 28 May 1860 | William's will was written almost 26 years before his death. In it he mentioned his sons Fountain F., Madison, William, James G., Robert, Absalom, Josiah, John and daughters Nancy (now wife of R.B. Edmondson), Elizabeth (now wife of William Byars) and Eleanor White. William appointed Robert B. Edmondson and his son Madison Beattie as his executors. Fifteen years later William added a codicil clarifying the distribution of several slaves.17 |
Anecdote | | Mary Jane Beaty (Davis) Moffett, with the help of her mother who was William's niece, wrote the following around 1871: "I can remember of seeing old Uncle Billy Beaty (as he was called) he died since I was married; lived to be a very old man somthing over 90 years old. He had a large family lived and died on his father's old home, some of them I new very well, they were mother's full cousins, only second cousins of mine. Several of the boys moved to Missouria before I was married and some of the girls did also".18 |