William Gallimore
. The Case for William Gallimore 'Sr'
By way of introduction, the "William" we're speaking of is the William Sr. of the 1800 Federal census for Rowan County, North Carolina. The intent is to give some reasons why he might be considered the father of the Samuel Gallimore, who settled in Carroll Co. Virginia, Elisha Gallimore, who settled in Davidson Co. North Carolina, and of William Gallimore, who lived and died in Clinton Co. Ohio. On the 1800 census, there was listed a William Sr. and a William Jr. in addition to one other William. There is a high probability that the junior and senior are father and son. The "other William" settled on Flat Swamp and remained there the rest of his life.
William Jr. left North Carolina for Grayson Co. Virginia and later settled for good in Clinton Co. Ohio. It is from a Clinton Co. Ohio history that we learned William Jr. had once stated that his father had been in the Revolutionary War, serving from North Carolina, and also had left small children at home. He spoke of the privations his mother had suffered while his father was away.
We've been able to find only three Gallimores serving in the Revolution from North Carolina. Assuming there were only William (who served as a private), John (later a Corporal), and James in the Revolution from North Carolina, the ancestor of Samuel, William Jr., and Elisha almost has to be William, for researcher Jean Gayle provided information that James was only 17 in 1778 (and Corporal John was only 18); thus, by the process of elimination, William was the only one left who probably had children. The census confirms that he was born before 1755; certainly, this makes him of an age to have had a young family.
Samuel, Elisha, and William Jr. are grouped together as brothers for several reasons. First, we need to mention the ties between the senior William and Elisha. William Sr. and Elisha went in together to buy land in Randolph Co. North Carolina. This was close to 1800. The land deal never was finalized, and the two turned up in Rowan Co. shortly thereafter. The two of them later appeared in Surry Co., again going in together in a joint venture. These two events leads one to believe that if William Sr. and Elisha are not father and son, then they are at least closely related in some other way.
William Jr. and Samuel are thought to have been brothers primarily because they married Stanley sisters back in the Guilford/Randolph Co. area; in addition, Samuel, who married Martha Stanley, was a bondsman for William's marriage to Mary Stanley. Also, they both settled in Grayson Co. Virginia at the same time, about 1804. William Jr., as mentioned, left eventually for Ohio, but Samuel stayed in Grayson. Researcher Joan Baysinger had material, found tucked in a Bible or copied from a Bible, which stated for a fact that Samuel and William were brothers.
There isn't primary evidence connecting Samuel to the senior William. The two circumstantial reasons are: 1) through his relationship to William Jr. and the fact that it appears conclusive that William Sr. was the father of William Jr., and for that reason has to be Samuel's father as well; 2) the second is the fact that Samuel was also living in the Guilford/Randolph County area when the senior man was, as shown by William Jr.'s marriage bond.
So, we have connections between William Jr. and Samuel (marrying sisters), between William Jr. and Elisha (William named a son Elisha), between Elisha and William Sr. (two land transactions), and between William Sr. and William Jr. (Revolutionary War evidence).
An interesting comment was made by John Alderman, local historian of Carroll Co. Virginia, to Robert Benoist some years ago-that he knew of three brothers named Gallimore: one went north, one went south, and one remained in Carroll Co. There is absolutely no proof that Samuel, Elisha, and William Jr. are brothers. Although it has been assumed for many years by several researchers that Samuel & William were, no one had really considered Elisha a brother. Based only on the fact that Wm. Jr. used the name Elisha in his own family, the "brother who went south" very possibly is Elisha. William Jr. would be the "brother who went north." And, of course, Samuel would be the one who remained in Carroll County (which was Grayson County when Samuel first settled there).
The children for Samuel & Wm have been proven (Bible record & Quaker record). No children have been proven for Elisha; however, based upon his wife's name, Margaret Emerson, I believe Emerson is his son, and quite possibly, the John who married Elizabeth Greer, as Emerson was a name used in their family.
Few facts are known about William Sr. He is first identified when he is living in Lunenburg Co. Virginia. There, his wife (on a land transaction) was shown to be a 'Mary'. He made a mark for his name. Not long thereafter, he appears in Randolph County, North Carolina, and land transactions show the same mark in lieu of a signature. By 1800, he is in Rowan County. Then, he and Elisha are both listed in Surry County in 1810. Elisha then moves south into what is now Davidson County, but William remains in Surry and dies there in September of 1820. His widow is shown to be at that time, not a 'Mary', but an 'Avy'. One researcher speculates that his wife may have been Eve Shepherd, whose name appears on a land transaction in Randolph Co. and who was a neighbor of William Gallimore The families for two of these men, Samuel and William, have been well-documented, however. Samuel Gallimore settled in Carroll County, Virginia, and his family appears on Samuel Gallimore page.
William Junior settled in Highland County, Ohio, and his family will be found under William Jr. page
Elisha spent the better part of his life in Davidson
County, North Carolina. His family is posted on the Elisha page
.
Virginia Westfall
Virginia Westfall [email protected]
or
Ruth Hall [email protected]
