Individual Details

SPECULATION ON FATHER'S NAME
South Carolina, Spartanburg County, Deed Abstracts, Book in Huntsville, Alabama public library.
This book was researched by John Childress, Jr. in August, 1993. He noted that other Childress given names in the book index are: David, Jesse, John, Thomas, and Unydice, who appears to be Thomas' wife. John goes on to say that discussions at the Childress Association meeting in Alabama leads him to think that THOMAS CHILDRESS is William's father. Note the number of times in which Thomas Childress and William Childress were listed on the same documents in various land transactions in South Carolina.

In a letter dated August 26, 1993, Lucille Vann Cohen states "..there is evidence that William Childress' wife, (Mrs. Snow), was previously married to Ebenezer Snow. Her maiden name was Sally (Sarah) McFadden. She had at least one child, Eli. A Sally Snow and children, orphans of Ebenezer Snow are listed in GA in 1800."

(JPC Note: This is in conflict with Obediah's birth date of 1792. Also, I wonder if Lucille was possibly confusing the McFadden name with that of Obediah's wife Selah's maiden name. It would be possible, perhaps probable, that William was married several times, and that Obediah was the result of a marriage prior to 1800. This is particularly relevant if the marriage of circa 1800 is correct, which would have William being over 40 years of age when he married Sally. Perhaps the Tabitha shown in the 1801 land purchase was actually the mother of Obediah and/or some of his siblings.)

NATURAL BORN CITIZEN OR IMMIGRANT?
In a batch of materials received from Dorothy Berg in February, 2001 (after the Childress/Mathis, Part II, book was published), a note at the top of one page of material on William Childress, Sr. read as follows: "Got off a boat about 1800 in Abbeville, South Carolina. A brother Edmond was with him and probably three other brothers who scattered to Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; West Point, Ackerman and Lewisville, Mississippi." The "sources" of this information are noted at the bottom of the page as: "Anne Florette Harris; (daughter of) Mary Priscilla Childress and Herbert Harris; (granddaughter of) William Elias Childress and Julina Williams; (great granddaughter of) David Lightfoot Childress and Mary Frances Thompson; (great, great granddaughter of) David Childress; (great, great, great granddaughter of) William Childress, Sr. Also, family records and legal transactions."

If true, the above information may lead us to additional findings on the heritage of William Childress, Sr., considered the "patriarch" of this line of Childress.

1790 CENSUS
Greenville, Pendleton, Spartanburg Co. Enclosure No. A1, Call No. 975.7X2p
On 2 FEB 1981, a search of this Census showed on page 86 a William Childers (sic) in Spartanburg Co. He had 2 FWM of 16 years and upward; 1 FWM under 16 years; 4 FWF. Further on this same listing, on page 87 a "Thomas" Childress is listed in Spartanburg Co. who had 3 FWM older than 16; 3 younger than 16; 2 FWF. This may have been William's father.

1800 CENSUS
Spartanburg County, Soundex C436, page 190
Upon examination of this 1800 census, one William Childers was listed in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. He was shown to have two males under 10 years of age; and the head of the household to be 26 to 44 years of age. This William had two females under 10 years of age; two females between 10 to 15 years of age and the elder female to be between 26 and 44 years of age. No slaves were shown. It is unlikely that this is "our" William, since the children's' ages and genders do not match those that we know of. This is likely the same William as noted above. In this same census, there were two other "Childers" shown - two named David, too old to have been the David Childress, son of our William Childress.

PURCHASE OF LAND, 1795
Page 113, Book D., pp. 293-295
Feb 10, 1795, Daniel Obar (SC) to William Childress (Spartanburg) for 20 LB stl. sold 200 acres; Witness Jeremiah Snow, Mary Bradberry and Thomas Childress.

WITNESS FOR PURCHASE OF LAND, 1795
Spartanburg County, Minutes of the Court, Page 115, Book D., pp. 326-329
Feb 10, 1795, Daniel Obar (SC) to Jeremiah Snow (Spartanburg) for 10 LB stl. sold 88 acres, part of 640 acres granted to Daniel Obar on November 6, 1786. Located on branch of Furgeson Creek on Tygar. Witnesses William Childress, Mary Bradberry and Thomas Childress. Signed Daniel Obar. Witnessed Oath June 5, 1795, William Childress to Zadock Ford. Recorded May 10, 1796.

PURCHASE OF LAND, 1801
South Carolina, Spartanburg County, Deed Abstracts, Book in Huntsville, Alabama public library.
Page 299, Book K., pp. 128-129, Jan. 30, 1801. William Childress and wife Tabitha (Spartanburg) to John Cantrell for $2000 sold 500 acres on both sides of Enoree River, borders: John Westmoreland, Henry Earnest, and William Childress.

WITNESS FOR PURCHASE OF LAND, 1807
South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Page 394, Book M., pp. 51-52, Oct. 29, 1807.
Edward Arnold (Spartanburg) to John Cantral for $2000 sold 500 acres on both sides of Enoree River, borders: John Westmoreland, Henry Earnest and William Childress.

FRANKLIN, TENNESSE 1812 TAX ROLLS
William "Childers" shows up on the Franklin County, TN Tax Roll along with other relations; namely, Moses "Aryes" (this possibly is the father-in-law of William's son Obediah Childress, Sr., born 1792, married Moses Ayers daughter Sarah Selah Ayres) and "Aron" Woods (this possibly is William Childress' son-in-law Aaron Wood who married William's first daughter Mary, born ca. 1790). Further to this being "relations" see notes on Moses Ayers, Sr. and Moses Ayres, Jr. in their buying and selling land in the Franklin County, Tennessee area circa 1811 through 1816. I'm sure that William Childress was in Franklin County, Tennessee during this time period.

PURCHASE OF LAND, 1821
Alabama State Archives, Bureau of Land Management, Alexander, Virginia, Page 103 of Jefferson County Tract Book, September 3, 1821.
William bought 80 acres of land at a public land sale, certificate 460. Address of land was Section 32, Tuscaloosa. East 1/2 of S.W. 1/4 of Section 32, Township 16 South, Range 2 West, 80 and 13.5/100 acres.

PURCHASE OF LAND, 1821
Alabama State Archives, Bureau of Land Management, Alexander, Virginia, Page 103 of Jefferson County Tract Book, October 1, 1821.
William bought 79 acres of land at a public land sale, certificate 818. Address of land was Section 33, Tuscaloosa. East 1/2 of N.E. 1/4 of Section 33, Township 16 South, Range 2 West, 79 and 90/100 acres.

PURCHASE OF LAND, 1822
Alabama State Archives, Bureau of Land Management, Alexander, Virginia, Page 103 of Jefferson County Tract Book, January 18, 1822.
William bought 79 acres of land at a public land sale, certificate 2572. Address of land was Section 33, Tuscaloosa. East 1/2 of N.W. 1/4 of Section 33, Township 16 South, Range 2 West, 79 and 90/100 acres.

PURCHASE OF LAND, 1822
Alabama State Archives, Bureau of Land Management, Alexander, Virginia, Page 102 of Jefferson County Tract Book, February 22, 1822.
William bought 79 acres of land at a public land sale, certificate 2792. Address of land was Section 28, Tuscaloosa. West 1/2 of S.W. 1/4 of Section 28, Township 16 South, Range 2 West, 79 and 87.5/100 acres.

ADJACENT PROPERTY, 1824
Page 734, Book T., pp. 35-36
October 26, 1824, John Cantrill (Spartanburg) to Jacob Cooper (Laurens District)...the same land as noted on p. 394 (Book M. pp. 51-52). Same borders noted. On this later transaction in 1824, William Childress is still noted as one of the boundaries.

SALE OF LAND, 1826
Alabama, Jefferson Co. Deeds Wills, Vol. 5, Book 2, p.151.
William Childress, Sr. to John Gresham Thoret Ayres.
For this transaction, Eli Snow (his mark) swore that he had in his possession some time since the year 1826 a deed to the East half of the North West Quarter of Section 33, Township 16, Range 2, West in the District of Tuscaloosa land offered for sale at Tuscaloosa, which deed was executed by William Childress, Sr. unto John G.T. Ayres, son of Moses Ayres, Sr., deceased, and that said deed has been lost, destroyed or misplaced, as of October 9, 1832.

SALE OF LAND, 1828
Alabama, Jefferson Co. Deeds Wills, Vol. 1-4, Book 1, p.50, War Deed, p. 336
William Childress, Sr. to John Hewitt of Jefferson Co., Ala. $250 for 79.785 acres. Witnessed by William Childress, Jr. and Levi Childress. Dated 11/6/1828. Filed and recorded on July 24, 1829.

LOCATION OF LAND
According to Lucille Vann Cohen, the Childress' were in Jefferson County, Alabama as early as 1819 and those of age bought public land. The land once owned by William Childress, Jr. & Sr., is located where the present day airport of Birmingham is situated.

1830 CENSUS
William Childress died while living in Jefferson County, Alabama in 1834. At least two of his sons, Obediah and William, Jr., were counted in the 1830 census in Jefferson County, Alabama, but moved on to Choctaw County, Mississippi in time for the 1840 census.

ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATE, 1834
AL, Jefferson Co., Orphans Court 183, Court Record, 1831-1838
p. 138 Obediah Childress appointed administrator of estate of William Childress, Sr. who died intestate, dated 10/28/1834.

Page 108
The State of Alabama, Jefferson County
At an Orphans Court held for said County the 29th day of December A.D. 1834. Present the Hon. Walker H. Baylor, Judge.

It is ordered that the administrator of the estate of William Childress deceased expose to sale according to law the property belonging to said estate.

It is ordered that the inventory and appraisement of the estate of Wm. Childress deceased here filed be recorded.

It is ordered that the settlement of Elizabeth York as Executrix (?) of Emanuel York, deceased be continued till the third Monday in January next.

Came James McAdory (?) guardian of Isaac W. Sadler and filed a statement of his account for a final settlement which is ordered to be recorded.

Ordered that publication be made that the said settlement will take place on the third Monday in February next.

W. Baylor
Judge

Birth	Abt 1750	Virginia, United States
Marriage	Est 1789	Sarah Izabel Ayres
Miscellaneous	10 Feb 1795	puchased land from Daniel Obar - Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
Miscellaneous	29 Oct 1807	sold land to John Cantrell - Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
Miscellaneous	1812	was listed on the tax rolls - Franklin, Williamson, Tennessee, United States
Miscellaneous	3 Sep 1821	purchased 80 acres - Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Miscellaneous	1 Oct 1821	purchased 79 acres - Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Miscellaneous	18 Jan 1822	purchased 79.9 acres - Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Miscellaneous	22 Feb 1822	purchased 79.8 acres - Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Miscellaneous	1826	sold property to John Ayres - Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Miscellaneous	6 Nov 1828	sold property to John Hewitt - Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Death	1834	Jefferson, Alabama, United States

Spouse	Sarah Izabel Ayres (1777 - 1851)
Child	Mary CHILDRESS (1790 - 1860)
Child	Obediah CHILDRESS (1792 - 1852)
Child	William CHILDRESS (1801 - 1853)
Child	David CHILDRESS (1802 - )
Child	Levi CHILDRESS (1805 - 1879)

Father	John CHILDRESS (1717 - )
Mother	Living
Sibling	Mitchell CHILDRESS (1750 - 1844)
Sibling	Living