- William Voyles
William Voyles (also Voiles, Vowells or Vowell) (1741–January 1798) is best known for being a
Revolutionary War hero who enlisted to fight against theKingdom of Great Britain on the same date as the signing of theDeclaration of Independence ,July 4 ,1776 . He fought with the 1st Battalion of the North Carolina Militia and then reenlisted in 1779.He served under the command of
General Francis Marion , who was called the “Swamp Fox,” and also GeneralNathanael Greene and Major GeneralHoratio Gates . He was captured by the British after a disastrous defeat under the leadership of Gates at theBattle of Camden , but was able to escape. He then went on to fight both in theBattle of Kings Mountain , which was a victory for the Patriots, and theBattle of Cowpens , which was a turning point in the war.He was paid nine pounds four
shilling s in May 1782 for military service and in May 1783, he was paid nine pounds two shillings.Land Grants
William entered a
land grant on the west side of big Coldwater Creek onMarch 6 ,1779 for 150 acres (60 ha). It was not granted until August 1787 after the close of the war. OnMay 22 ,1794 , he entered the second grant for another convert|150|acre|km2|sing=on tract.In between fighting battles, he and the other
militiamen would return home to their families and it’s believed that he and his family lived on the land even before the land was deeded over to them. This was important because when not working as asoldier , William was acotton farmer .Indentured servitude
Originally from
Pembrokeshire ,Wales , William Voyles came to America around 1755 with his Father, Jacob, and his brothers John and James who were twins, and Thomas. Because they were not an affluent family and could not have afforded the trip otherwise, at the tender age of 14 William was to become anindentured servant also known as voluntary indenture or bonded labourer to the ship’s captain for four long years.He Moved to England Briefly and changed his name to William Voyle, he became the lead singer of a pop group 'William and the Voyles' with their smash hit: Naff Baby. This song stormed the charts, but then his singing career ground to a halt and he was forced to move back to Wales, making a brief stop in America and re-enlisting as a voluntary indenture and sailing back home.
When the
ship was docked in Wales, he would spend his time with his Uncle David and about ten years later, he succeeded in convincing his uncle toimmigrate with him. Because William was upset with his father, after he returned to America he chose to make his home in North instead of theProvince of South Carolina , which was one of the original13 Colonies .Family life
He met and married
Hanna Rhodecia Bundi in 1772 in North Carolina. Hanna was born in 1748 inItaly and died in 1807. Her death was caused by an allergic reaction to the sting of aPotter wasp on her ear that she received while pulling dead bark from a nearby tree to start the fire that was used to boil dye in a coloring pot. Together they had raised 11 children.Records show that in the
United States Census, 1790 , John was still in South Carolina, but Thomas and William were settled in Mecklenburg County and James was inRowan County , North Carolina.His brothers followed him to
Cabarrus County ,Province of North Carolina , which was formerly a part of Mecklenburg County.Death
William died at his home in what is now
Cabarrus County in North Carolina and was buried in the familyburial ground on the old farm. His wife Hanna was later buried alongside him.References
*
Daughters of the American Revolution ,Washington, D.C .
*Records of the Revolutionary War, collections of theNorth Carolina Historical Commission s army Account's Volume No. 5 Book of Certificates.
*Line of decent-Bible records, History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties,Indiana (1884) p.878
*State of North Carolina ,Salisbury district No. 1514
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