William Gray was born at Surry County, Virginia, 20 February 1745, a son of Henry Gray and Sarah Hardin/Harding.  The Henry Gray family was well established at Surry County at the time of William’s birth.  [i]  Henry Gray drafted his will 10 October 1774. Henry bequeathed 30 shillings to his son, William. Henry Gray was identified as deceased at the Surry County Court held 22 January 1774.  [ii]

William Gray left his family and moved to Powhatan County, where he worked in agriculture.  He purchased 120 acres at Amelia County on both sides of Sandy Creek for £ 2,200 [sic], 7 December 1779. [iii]   [Note: the amount paid of £ 2,200 is likely a transcription error.  The price for the 120 acres appears to be way above the norm.  Note the below sale price of the same property plus an additional 30 ½ acres for £ 150.]

William may have previously visited Amelia County because married Susannah (Susan) Crenshaw there, 29 April 1777.  [iv]  [Note: Transcription records accepted by the SAR indicate the marriage took place on 24 April, however; in testimony from Susanna, she states the date was the 29th.  She remembered both the names of the Parson and the church where they were married.]

As for William Gray’s patriotic service, he appears on Christopher Ford’s 1782 Tax List of Amelia County.  [v]  His household is listed as having five white and six black members.   He received 10 shillings as compensation for two and one half bushels of corn provided for the use of the militia or army, 27 June 1782.  [vi]

Susanna Gray, then a resident of Prince Edward County filed a pension application to obtain the widow’s benefit of the 1836 Act of Congress, 24 August 1840.  In her testimony, she states that her husband, William Gray, was a private and then a sergeant of Infantry in the Virginia State Line during the Revolutionary War.  She states she married William Gray 29 April 1777 at Amelia County at the Old Episcopal Church by Parson Sanders.  The marriage took place prior to his entrance into the service.  She states in 1777 he served under Captain I. Williams for a period of three years near Petersburg and in other places in Virginia.  William served in Virginia only, never leaving the state.

Her claim was not allowed as she failed to furnish sufficient proof of service.  Subsequent to this, she submitted a Virginia State certificate, issued 29 August 1840 acknowledging payment of back pay, dated 10 June 1783 to one William Gray, a sergeant of Infantry.  This was also not allowed as the proof failed to confirm this was the same William Gray that married Susanna Crenshaw.  Susannah Gray submitted the family register from her Bible as additional evidence.  [vii]

William did serve in the military. Virginia’s Militia Law requires every free, white male, Virginia inhabitant aged eighteen to sixty years to enroll.  Unless exempt or excused from serving, every man was required to have a “…firelock well fixed, a bayonet fixed to the same, a double cartouche-box, and three charges of powder.”  He must attend all musters and training exercises.  [viii]

While still living at Amelia County, William received from the estate of his father-in-law, James Elkanah Crenshaw, three slaves named Rachel, Jack and Linus, 26 June 1788.  [ix]  The William Gray family left Amelia County and settled at Prince Edward County soon after.  William purchased 400 acres at Prince Edward County on both sides of Vaughan’s Creek, 17 October 1791.  [x]  William sold 150 ½ acres at Amelia County on Sandy Creek, 25 July 1792, for £ 150. [xi]

William Gray joined with Stephen Pettus, and Philip Matthews to acquire two acres of land on which Walker’s Church stood, 3 May 1802.  [xii]  According to the church’s history, Walker’s Presbyterian Church located at Pamplin, commonly called Union Church, which served multiple denominations, found it difficult to fill the pulpit and the church building.  Church trustees, Dr. James Walker, Dick Holland and his wife, Martha conveyed the “…tract of two acres on which Walker’s Church now stands … for the use, benefit, and emolument of public worship for the societies of Christians, Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodist or any other religious society …”  [xiii]

William Gray purchased 57 acres at Vaughan’s Creek from Jane Trabue of Charlotte County, 20 October 1805.  [xiv]  The 1810 U.S. Census finds the family at Prince Edward County.  The household included seven members and 17 slaves.  By the 1820 U.S. Census, the household increased to eight members and 18 slaves.  The 1820 U.S. Census indicated that three members were engaged in “manufactures.” 

The definition of “manufactures” is not clear.  The 1820 U.S. Census Instructions to Enumerators suggests those included in this column includes, “…all those artificers, hand craftsmen, and mechanics whose labor is preeminently of the hand, and not upon the field.”  [xv]  One may assume this could include the preparation, sale and shipping of tobacco.  William Gray, Jr. became a prominent tobacco shipper and manufacturer at Richmond.  (The inventory of William Gray’s property indicates there was more than 5,000 pounds of tobacco and 450 pounds of cotton seed on hand).  [xvi]

William Gray drafted his will 11 March and died 14 June 1826.  [xvii]

The children of William Gray and Susanna Crenshaw Gray presented in the order found in the Gray Family register  [xviii],[xix] are:

Mary “Polly” Gray born 2 February 1778, died 3 June 184[illegible], unmarried;

Sally Gray born 24 March 1780, married John Garnett, died after 6 September 1860;

Lucy Gray born 3 July 1782, married John Cook, died February 1837;

Mildred Winston Gray born 20 April 1783, married James Garnett, died 17 February 1852;

James Gray born 25 April 1788, married Harriet Ann Wherry, died 3 April 1855;

Edwin Gray born 22 March 1791, married Rebecca McGlasson, died 16 February 1871;

William Gray born 27 August 1793, married Susan Ann Pleasants, died 28 November 1873;

Elizabeth “Betsy” Crenshaw Gray born 28 October 1796, died 28 July 1822, unmarried.

References:

[i] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 4, Pg. 2256.

[ii] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 1, Pg. 569-570.

[iii] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 4, Pg. 2256, citing Amelia County, Deed Book 15, Pg. 350.

[iv] Dodd, Jordan, “Virginia, Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800,” [database on-line], Provo, 1997.

[v] North, S. N. D., “Amelia County Census and Tax Records 1782 to 1785,” [database on-line} US Gen Web archives.

[vi] Abercrombie, Janice L. and Slatten Richard I., “Virginia Publick Claims.”  Vol. 1,  Pg. 47. Amelia County, Athens, 1992, Pg. 46-47.

[vii] NARA: M 804, Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application File, R. 4300 ¾.

[viii] Williams, Glenn F., “Dunmore’s War,” Yardley, 2018, Pg. 103.

[ix] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 1, Pg. 234.

[x] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 4, Pg. 2256, citing unnamed Prince Edward County records.

[xi] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 1, Pg. 490, citing Deed Book, 19, Pg. 177.

[xii] Farmville Herald, “Today and Yesterday,” 1935, Pg. 357.

[xiii] Walker’s Presbyterian Church, “History” found at: https://www.walkerschurch.org/walker-s-history

[xiv] Prince Edward County Deed Book 13, Pg. 401-402. Trabue to Gray

[xv] U.S. Census Bureau, “1820 Census Instructions to Enumerators,” found at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/technical-documentation/questionnaires/1820/1820-instructions.html

[xvi] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 1, Pg. 527-532.

[xvii] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 1, Pg. 527-532.

[xviii] Valentine, Edward Pleasants, “The Edward Pleasants Valentine Papers,” 1927, Richmond, Vol. 4, Pg. 2256- 2257.

[xix] NARA: M 804, Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application File, R4300 ¾.