William McLemore, Jr.

Notes:

James McLemore, III narrows the range of his date of birth to between 1719-1725

William MACKLEMORE Jr., brother of Wright and Richard, son of William and grandson of James and Fortune, apparently stayed in (or more accurately returned to) Virginia to form a minor line of Virginia McLemores near to his cousins, the family of his Uncle John MACKLEMORE. He probably continued to occupy this patented land of his brother Wright after the latter moved down to Edgecombe County, North Carolina, about 1750. The first record of a Willam MACKLEMORE in Virginia is in 1750, as witnesss to a deed from William SPENCE to his daughter Elizabeth MACKLEMORE, wife of John MACKLEMORE, JR. Whether this is William Sr. or William Jr. is unknown.

However, it is hypothesized that William MACKLEMORE Sr. probably stayed in Virginia until his father's (James, the immigrant) died in 1734/1735. About the time of James's death, William's oldest son Wright was patented his land in Virginia, and William was probably instrumental in getting this land for his son who was then not much older than the required age of 21. Then William and his younger sons moved down into North Carolina to live on the Mosley patent devised him by his father. William probably died about 1750 or shortly before, for Wright suddently appears on William's land in Edgecombe County at that time, and as oldest son he would have inherited it under the laws of primogeniture, William Sr. leaving no will.

Younger son William Jr. would have then probably moved back to Virginia to own (?) or at least operate Wright's patented plantation. (James L. McLemore, III, p 51).

William Jr. is shown in only three of four other records. The first was as a witness to a deed of "acquitaner" and a companion deed involving Thomas Turner recorded May 9, 1776; the second was his name listed as a tax payer in Southampton County in 1782 (see Fothergill, VIRGINIA TAXPAYERS, 1782-1787); and the third was a lawsuit in Southampton County in which he was plantiff, which suit was dimissed following the defendant's death in 1788 (Southampton Order Book 8, p. 416). He was thus still alive, living in Virginia, until at least this latter date. (James L. McLemore, III, p 52).

Family/Spouse: Sarah Harrison. Sarah was born between 1717 and 1739; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]