William Culpepper of Warren Co. GA

Male, #4867, (say 1726 - 1808)

ParentRobert Culpepper Jr. of Lower Norfolk Co., VA (say 1694 - before Oct 1774)
ParentDorcas (?) (say 1700 - )
William Culpepper of Warren Co. GA|b. say 1726\nd. 1808|p4867.htm|Robert Culpepper Jr. of Lower Norfolk Co., VA|b. say 1694\nd. before Oct 1774|p678.htm|Dorcas (?)|b. say 1700|p679.htm|Robert Culpepper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA|b. say 1664\nd. circa 1742|p834.htm|(?) (?) Unknown wife of Robert CULPEPPER of Norfolk Co., VA|b. say 1666\nd. before 16 Oct 1739|p840.htm|||||||

Birth*say 1726 William was born at Norfolk Co., Virginia, say 1726. 
 He was the son of Robert Culpepper Jr. of Lower Norfolk Co., VA and Dorcas (?). 
Marriage*circa 1748 He married Sarah Culpepper at Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, circa 1748. 
Deed*24 Oct 1755 A deed was granted to him by Walter Gibson on 24 Oct 1755 at Anson Co., North Carolina.
(Book C1, Page 212: WALTER GIBSON of Anson Co., to WILLIAM CULPEPPER of same, for £15 Va. money... 100 A on N side Rockey River against land of sd. GIBSON, at mouth of Spring Branch... WALTER GIBSON (SEAL), Wit: EDMOND LILLY, JEREMIAH DUMAS, JOHN CULPEPPER.).1 
(Witness2) Deed6 Sep 1760 He and John Culpepper of Jones Co., GA witnessed a deed grant by Walter Gibson to Joseph Culpepper of Morgan Co. GA on 6 Sep 1760 at Anson Co., North Carolina, (Book 5, Page 339: WALTER GIBSON of Anson, planter, to JOSEPH CULPEPER of same, planter, for good will & respect... 100 A adj. Rockey River on spring Br... WALTER GIBSON (W) (SEAL), Wit: JNO. CULPEPER, WILLIAM CULPEPER, JNOTH. DOWNS.)landowner on 6 Sep 1760 at Anson Co., North Carolina.
(Book 5, Page 339: WALTER GIBSON of Anson, planter, to JOSEPH CULPEPER of same, planter, for good will & respect... 100 A adj. Rockey River on spring Br... WALTER GIBSON (W) (SEAL), Wit: JNO. CULPEPER, WILLIAM CULPEPER, JNOTH. DOWNS.).1 
Miscellaneous*9 Oct 1769 Regulator's Petition on 9 Oct 1769 at Anson Co., North Carolina.2 
Deed*17 Nov 1774 A deed was granted to him on 17 Nov 1774 at Anson Co., North Carolina.1 
Revolutionary War*between 1775 and 1783 He provided service in the American Revolutionary War between 1775 and 1783
(DAR Listing: William Culpepper, born circa 1727, died before 7 Mar 1806 in Georgia, married ___ ___, Patriotic Service, North Carolina
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William's contribution to the Revolutionary War is mentioned on a plaque at the courthouse in Warren County, GA. The plaque honors "soldiers... buried in Warren County who fought in the war for American Independence..." See:
http://gen.culpepper.com/archives/ga/misc/warren-plaque.htm).3 
Church membership*22 Dec 1787 William joined at Williams Creek Baptist Church, Warren Co., Georgia, on 22 Dec 1787.4 
Event-Misc*8 Dec 1792 On 8 Dec 1792, Brother [William] Culpepper was directed to cite Brother Hadden Parham (his son-in-law) to the next conference of the Church at Williams Creek in Warren Co., GA to give satisfaction for his misconduct.5 
Event-Misc*21 Sep 1798 In a 21 Sep 1798 listing of church members, William & Sarah Culpepper appear with the notation of "dead" beside their names. However, the notation of "dead" appears to be an entry made at a later date.6 
Tax roll*1805 William registered to pay taxes at Warren Co., Georgia, in 1805. 
Land Lottery*1805 William participated in but did not win the land lottery in 1805 at Warren Co., Georgia.7 
Will*22 Aug 1806 He made a will at Warren Co., Georgia, on 22 Aug 1806.8 
Probate*7 Mar 1808 William's will was probated at Warren Co., Georgia, on 7 Mar 1808. 
Death*1808 He died at Warren Co., Georgia, in 1808. 
Biography* William Culpepper's ancestry has long been a mystery, and to this day, there is no certain proof of it. He is associated in early records with the family of Joseph Culpepper, and many suspect that he may have been Joseph's son.

However, it is possible that it was his wife Sarah who was Joseph's daughter, and that his wife was the connection to Joseph's family. William was not mentioned in the will of Joseph's wife Martha, and this omission casts doubt on his descent both from Martha, and from Joseph.

William was apparently not Joseph's eldest son, as Benjamin was apparently the eldest son, and Benjamin as such apparently inherited all of Joseph's land by right of primogeniture.

So it seems more likely that William was either the son of the Benjamin Culpepper who died in 1746 (apparent brother of Joseph) or their brother Robert Jr., of Norfolk County, VA. The latter possibility should not be discounted, and there is evidence to support this conclusion.

On 25 March 1749, William was granted 300 acres in Edgecombe County on the south side of Beaver Dam Swamp, joining the said swamp and a red oak marked with three chops. Witnesses were John Rice, and John Astie. The land was surveyed 5 February 1748/9, and the "sworn chain carriers" were William Wilder and DANIEL CULPEPPER. James Conner was the surveyor. (NC Patent Book 11, p. 151, as transcribed by Margaret M. Hofmann, Granville Grants, Vol. I, p. 68)

The Daniel Culpepper just mentioned is a mystery, as there is no reason to believe that William's son Daniel was born before 1750. The most logical assumption seems to be that this was Daniel was the son of Robert Culpepper, Jr., of Norfolk County, VA, who is known to have been a teenager by 1750, based on Norfolk Co. VA tithable records, and so was about the right age to have been a chain carrier for a survey. Perhaps he was visiting his older brother in NC for the summer.

So this lends some credence to the suggestion that grantee William Culpepper might have been Daniel's older brother, and that both of them might have been the sons of Robert Culpepper, Jr., of Norfolk County, VA. If true, William later named a son Daniel, for his younger brother, Daniel.

In October of 1755, William bought 100 acres on the north side of Rocky River from Walter Gibson, who lived on the adjacent tract of land. John Culpepper, son of Joseph, was a witness (Anson Co. Deed Bk. C1, p. 212).

A few years later, in September 1760, Walter Gibson gave another 100 acres in the same general area to Joseph Culpepper Jr., son of Joseph. John and William Culpepper were witnesses (Anson Deed Bk 5, p. 339).

William Culpepper appears on a 1763 Tax List for Anson County, he and Robert Culpepper were listed together. In November 1764, William was a buyer at the estate of Robert Culpepper, along with Henry Stokes, Elijah Clark, and Thomas Presler.

In October 1769, William and his son Daniel signed a "Petition for Redress" (NC Colonial Records, Vol. 8, p.78, 80). Anson County Court Minutes for 1771 show a deed from John McClevael to John Spencer, proven by William Culpepper. William was also a Grand Juror that year (Abstracts of Early Records of Anson County, NC, by May W. McBee).

In July 1774, William was granted 50 acres in Anson on the north side of Rocky River, joining Shadrack Hogan and his own line. (NC Patent Bk. 26, p. 159, from Margaret Hofmann, Colony of NC Patents, Vol. 2, p. 666)

In November 1774, William bought 64 acres on the north side of Rocky River from John Spencer. His son Daniel Culpepper was a witness (Anson Deed Bk K, p. 310).

In March 1775 he obtained a grant of 100 acres on the north side of Rocky River, joining his own line. (Patent Bk. 25, p. 269, as found in Margaret Hofmann, Colony of NC Patents, Vol 2, p. 606)

In Apr 1775, William was named a co-executor of his brother Daniel's will in Norfolk County, along with Daniel's wife Mary. Whether William actually returned to Norfolk to help with his brothers affairs is not know. Only one William Culpepper appears in Norfolk tithable records during this time, and this was William, son of Thomas.

In 1779, Montgomery County was formed from Anson County, and all of William's land fell into the new county. Due to a courthouse fire in Montgomery County in 1835, few early records there have survived. In 1841, this area became present day Stanley County.

William stayed in Anson County during the Revolutionary War, and was paid three claims for services rendered during the War (see Stub Indents for Anson, Montgomery, and Richmond Counties in the NC State Archives).

He was there in 1783 when he signed a petition as a citizen of Anson County (Roster of SC Patriots in the American Revolution, by Bobby Gilmer Ross).

A plaque at the courthouse in Warren County, GA. The plaque honors "soldiers... buried in Warren County who fought in the war for American Independence..." See
http://gen.culpepper.com/archives/ga/misc/warren-plaque.htm

William moved to Georgia after the Revolutionary War. He was there at least by 22 Dec 1787, when in the earliest extant records of the Church of Christ at William's Creek, William and wife Sarah appear as members. This church is in Warren County, about 12 miles north of persent day Warrenton. Their son Daniel was in Wilkes County, GA by this time.

William obtained a 200 acre land grant in August 1793 "in Richmond (now Columbia) County," but when Warren County was formed in December 1793, the land fell in Warren County, GA (Register of Grants, Book A.A.A.A., p. 167).

In a listing of the members of the Church at Williams Creek, dated 21 Sep 1798, William and Sarah Culpepper both appear with the notation of "dead" beside their names. However, that notation appears to be an entry made at a later date.

The 1805 Tax Digest of Warren County shows William living on a grant of 200 acres on Carson Creek, presumably the 1793 land grant. At the time he had two slaves.

William's will was dated August 1806 and probated in March 1808. He left the 200 acres on Carson's Creek where he lived to his son William, Jr. He left $2 to his son Daniel, and $2 to his son-in-law Richard B. Fletcher. The remainder of his estate went to his daughter Argin Parham. He mentioned previous gifts to unnamed children. Daniel Culpepper was executor and William Culpepper, Dickerson Culpepper, and Isaiah Tucker were witnesses (Warren Co. Deed Bk. C, p. 103).
(Names referenced above: William Culpepper of Warren Co. GA William Culpepper of Warren Co. GA). 
Research note*24 May 2004 If one could prove that William was born in Norfolk Co. NC, rather than in North Carolina, this would help prove that he was a son of Robert Jr., and not of one of Robert's Carolina brothers. A church eulogy or newspaper obituary might mention his place of birth. If probate or other records for any of Robert Jr.'s other sons mentioned "my brother William of North Carolina" or "my brother William of Georgia" this would be sufficient proof as well.

Your help with this problem will be appreciated. Contact Lew Griffin (see footnote for details).9 

Family

Sarah Culpepper (say 1729 - )
Marriage*circa 1748 He married Sarah Culpepper at Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, circa 1748. 
Children

Charts Descendants of Robert Culpepper, Jr. of Lower Norfolk Co., VA (Six generations)
Last Edited 11 Oct 2007

Citations

  1. Brent H. Holcomb, compiler, Anson County, North Carolina Deed Abstracts, 1749-1766, Abstracts of Wills & Estates, 1749-1795, Online database at Ancestry.com, 1980.
    http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=BookList&dbid=49032
  2. Regulators Petition, Anson County, North Carolina, 9 Oct 1769
    http://gen.culpepper.com/archives/nc/anson.htm#petition.
  3. DAR Patriot Index, Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 2003.
  4. J. Kenneth Brantley, The Records of the Church at Williams Creek (Warren Co., GA), Powder Springs, GA: Brantley Association, 1995/2002, Repository: Warren Culpepper's Personal Library.
    Pages 1-2: 22 Dec 1787, members include William Culpepper and Sister Culpepper.
  5. J. Kenneth Brantley, The Records of the Church at Williams Creek (Warren Co., GA), Powder Springs, GA: Brantley Association, 1995/2002, Repository: Warren Culpepper's Personal Library.
    pages 11-12.
  6. J. Kenneth Brantley, The Records of the Church at Williams Creek (Warren Co., GA), Powder Springs, GA: Brantley Association, 1995/2002, Repository: Warren Culpepper's Personal Library.
    Page 25.
  7. Virginia S. and Ralph V. Wood, 1805 Georgia Land Lottery Greenwood Press, Cambridge, 1964, Repository: LDS Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Call No. 975.8 R2WY 1805.
    page 81.
  8. Century of Wills, Warren Co., GA, 1790-1890, Albany, GA: Georgia Pioneer Publications, 19??.
    Page 16. Abstract of will for William Culpepper, s/ 22 Aug 1806, p/ 7 Mar 1808.
  9. Lewis W. Griffin Jr., 4307 North 34th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85018, e-mail address, Phone: (602) 955-2597.