William George was born Oct. 18, 1760, in Virginia and died some time after 1830 in Cooper Co. Missouri. He married Molly Mercer Dec. 2, 1782. The couple had 7 children. Or so the story goes, anyway. But where was this early pioneer really from?

Early life: a history mystery

William George was most likely born in Virginia, though his family and early life there is hard to piece together: there is no hard evidence yet associated with this profile. A clan of Georges came from Berks, PA, but appears to be a false flag.

Buncombe County, NC? Susannah McFarland, William 's eldest child, apparently married William McFarland in Buncombe in 1796. Was the whole family from NC?

Berks County, PA? An Edward George lived in Jefferson County, TN, around the same time as William. He and his family were Quakers who came from Berks County. Notes from a Quaker meeting in 1780 clearly detail their removal from the church: "Persons who remove to distant places without requesting certificates are looked upon as offenders." Names in the doc exactly match Edward's family, and the names in his will.

Was William from PA as well?

Lancaster, VA? This profile is currently connected to Nicholas George, one of an enormous family of Georges living in Lancaster County. But FamilySearch contains an extensive profile of another son named William George, suggesting the relationship is a mistake.

There were indeed two William Georges in Lancaster at the time; the second William George married Elizabeth Linton Arms on July 2, 1785.

Goochland, VA? A different William George died in Goochland, VA, in 1827 and owned a tavern. (FamilySearch ID: LHVB-W4J).

The conventional story

William George purportedly married Molly Mercer December 2, 1782, in Lancaster County, Virginia, although her name doesn't appear again in records. The couple's eldest three children were all supposedly born in Virginia:

1. Susannah George was born April 30, 1782, in Virginia, and died May 15, 1848, in Cooper Co., MO. She married William McFarland
2. William George, Jr. was born Nov. 8, 1786, in Virginia, and died Apr. 15, 1852, in Prairie Home, Cooper Co., MO. He married Sarah McFarland.
3. POSSIBLY ERRONEOUS Thomas George was born about 1790, and died ABT 1840 in Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA. He married Mary (last name unknown).

Tennessee

The couple must have moved to Tennessee between 1786 and 1792. In 1809, William’s name is first found in Tennessee tax records and on deeds for 227 acres in Jefferson County. (Due to a later fire in the courthouse, no quit claim or deed of sale exists for this property.) But William and Molly clearly lived there much earlier: Their four last sons were born in Tennessee, per 1850 census records:

1. Reuben George was born 23 FEB 1792 in Tennessee, and died Feb 27, 1852 in Cooper Co., MO. He married Sarah McFarland.
2. Carroll George was born 22 APR 1793 in Tennessee, and died 07 APR 1848 in Morgan Co., Missouri. He married Sarah McFarland.
3. Jesse George was born 27 OCT 1796 in Tennessee, and died 07 JAN 1872 in Cooper Co., MO. He married Rachel McFarland.
4. Lewis George was born 1799 in Tennessee, and died NOV 1842 in Cooper Co., Missouri. He married Martha Chambers 1828 in Cooper Co. Missouri.

Edward George? Edward George, Sr. received a warrant for land in Washington County, NC, on Feb. 17, 1781 -- land that would eventually be named Jefferson, TN. William arrived a decade or more later. Edward is most likely unrelated. However, Edward and several other Georges are found on a reconstruction of the 1800 Jefferson county tax list. William is not. W here was William living?

The War of 1812, and a Move to Missouri

"William sold his property in June, 1811 and headed west in the fall with his five eldest children, other cousins and George in-laws from Cocke Co.,TN as well as some Catheys from Haywood Co. NC. They settled in Ste. Genevieve County in what was called Cook’s Settlement* (Libertyville today)." -- Clan MacFarlane website

"The Georges came to Cooper County during the War of 1812, and were warned by the people that they would have to remain in the forts or go back, inasmuch as it was dangerous for settlers to live upon the land. They went to St. Genevieve, remained during the war, and then came to Cooper County in 1816. Mr. Chambers built a two-room cabin, and established the first nursery in Cooper County. In the years which followed his settlement here, he assisted many people in getting located in Cooper County. Six brothers of the George family settled here." -- History of Cooper County, page 721

"William George, entered the land in 1817, the land patent being signed by President James Monroe on Nov. 15, 1817. The Debo farm was first settled in 1817 by the Chambers family, and is the oldest settled place in the neighborhood. James Chambers came to Missouri from North Carolina in 1817, raised a crop and returned to North Carolina and brought back cherry and apple trees, which he planted, establishing the first nursery here. These trees matured and bore fruit until just four years ago, when the last of them disappeared." -- History of Cooper County, page 721

The Last Days of George

William George, Sr., was recorded in the 1830 Census of Cooper County, Missouri, along with his wife, Molly, and a son and a daughter -- Lewis and Martha. His last days, as well as those of his wife, are unknown.

notes

from http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=REG&db=3040621&i...

Worth looking into: https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/523974...

An Edward George, with son Silas George

Worth revisiting: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9176/records/3237397?ti...

I suspect Silas George was the father of Edward, William, and Reuben