William Hatcher ^277,278

  General Notes:

His ancestors were English having come to this country in colonial days. William served in the Revolutionary War.

William and his wife Polly settled on a farm in Wear's Valley, Sevier County, Tennessee and raised their family there. All were born in Sevier County, Tennessee.

He served March 19, 1793 to June 19, 1793 North Carolina Continental Line, Jefferson Reg. Source: William Hatcher's private papers, Hatcher personal records, Bibles.

Source unknown: This William who married Mary 'Polly" Crowson is probably NOT the son of Edward. He MAY be the son of Farley and Ann Greer, as S C Moore believes. (Note from Nel Hatcher: Although Farley and Ann appear to have had a son William, it is not likely this William. Farley died in Burlington, Lawrence County, Ohio, and it appears his children were also there). The descendents of William and Mary are not in dispute, merely the parentage of William. William Hatcher married Mary "Polly" Crowson and they came to Sevier County early and settled on a large farm in Wears Cove. William Hatcher's private papers have been preserved. Among them is his discharge from the Jefferson Regiment of Militia showing that he served from 19 March 1793 to 19 June 1793. Although there are no copies of his will in existence. his heirs can be deduced from the documents relative to the estate settlement. This information was in the BOOK; THE CONNECTIONS IN EAST TENNESSEE. This book was ordered on microfiche at the (LDS Mormon Church in Abilene 1993).

The following was written by Anna Garber, Knoxville, Tennessee News-Sentinel correspondent, on August 26, 1992. When William Hatcher settled in Wears Valley 200 years ago, he became one of the area's first farmers. Old records show that by 1793, William Hatcher owned 800 acres in Wear's Valley. His brother-in-law, Aaron Crowson, who had come to what was then known as Crowson's Cove at the same time as William, owned a sizable piece of neighboring and.

William Hatcher, who came from Bedford County, Virginia, and his wife, Polly Crowson Hatcher, had 11 children. Reuben, one of their sons, farmed 450 acres when William died.

As generations passed, the land was divided more and more and pieces of it sold. But the 40 acres now owned and farmed by Archie Hatcher, 36, have always been farmed by Hatchers.

In its 200 years, the farm has survived change. William and Polly Hatcher feared Indian attacks.

Early Hatchers owned slaves, but the family fought against slavery in the Civil War. In the early 20th century, Andrew Hatcher mechanized farming. He bought a tractor-powered threshing machine, but it claimed one of his arms in an accident.

The Hatcher Papers, now in archives and libraries, provide a record of earlier days through documents such as receipts, letters, deeds and promissory notes.

The papers show that before 1819, debts were paid in pounds, shillings and pence. "These people were from England and they had English ways", Archie Hatcher said. The barter system thrived. For instance, John Huskey made rails for Reuben Hatcher, who gave him a note for $5. Huskey could trade the note at the store for supplies, then the storekeeper would buy corn from Reuben and pay him with the original note. Reuben would then tear off the signature to show it had been paid.

The papers include a receipt for a fine for "getting a bastard child". The offender later moved out of the county. A letter asks, "Mr. Wallis please send me a good cheap cloke (sic) and I will fetch you down the money when I make my return from over the mountains with my hogs in the last of January next." A receipt shows that Mary Hatcher paid off a debt with 5 1/4 pounds of feathers.

The farm has belonged to William, Reuben, his son Reuben, James, Andrew, and Lendall Hatcher. Archie and his wife, Karen, purchased it from his father, Lendall, in 1985.

Hatcher ancestors lie in a quiet, tree-shaded cemetery adjacent to the farm. William and Polly Hatcher rest side by side, their headstones all but illegible, surrounded by generations of descendants.

  Life Events:

1. Occupation: Soldier/Farmer.

William married Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Crowson, daughter of William Crowson and Mary Thomas, in 1791 in Tennessee, USA. (Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Crowson was born between 1770 and 1780 in North Carolina, USA ^277,278 and died on 5 Mar 1838 in Wear Valley, Sevier, Tennessee, USA ²⁷⁷.)