William Duke was the son of Samuel Duke II and his wife Winifred Bass. He may have been the same William Duke that was born to the relationship of Samuel's sister Sarah and a neighbor William Thornton. At least one other child, Elizabeth, was also born of that relationship. Elizabeth was born in 1772 and William a few years later. A Bute Co., NC Court ordered William Thornton and his father Roger to provide support to Samuel who was given full custody of the 2 children in 1776. Unless Samuel and Winifred also had natural children named William and Elizabeth then they did in fact take Sarah's children with them to Muhlenberg Co.,Ky. Samuel's will, made in 1821, gives a slave to a Elizabeth Groves and also gives 1 slave girl to John and to William (to share?). John Dukes and William Dukes married and lived with their families near each other in Wilson Co., Tennessee until their death. DNA also indicates the possibility that another child, Daniel, was also born between 1770-1776 with Sarah as the mother and William Thornton as the father. This child took the surname of Green (Sarah's mother's surname) and ended up in SE Georgia and NE Florida.
