William Batchelor Denmark, Jr.

BIOGRAPHY

William Batchelor Denmark, the progenitor of the name Wiregrass in Georgia, was probably born in Hyde County, North Carolina about 1740. It is said that he married three times: two of his wives were the Moye sisters and between them had 17 children. He married the 3d (Mary Chochrum) after he moved to GA.

MILITARY

The late Thomas Irwin Denmark of Brooks County, Georgia, a grandson, said his grandfather Denmark was a revolutionary soldier and this is partly borne out by N.C. Revolutionary War records, indicating that he was a private in the Continental Line in one of the North Carolina Regiments.

Pay vouchers in the files of the North Carolina Department of Archives and History show his service in North Carolina in the Revolutonary War.

One voucher reads as follows: North Carolina Newbern District, No 926. This may certify that William Denmark of Craven County, for Militia duty as per Captain Jesse Bryans payroll, was allowed the sum of nine pounds fourteen shillings specie, this 25th day of January 1782, and signed by the district Auditors and their clerk. Five days later, on January 30, 1782, voucher No. 1144 was issued by the same auditors to him for four hundred pounds currency for sundries as per account of vouchers rendered and filed.

This voucher indicates that he was a man of means during the war and that he gave freely for the cause of freedom. The record also states that he owned much property. His father William is also shown owning a Blacksmith shop in Bath County, NC, and that he left many acres of land to his heirs, among which included William Batchelor Denmark.

Effingham County records show his stockmark registered there December 19, 1791, thus: Crop and split in right ear, crop and underbit in left ear, branded WD. On January 21, 1795 he made a deed of gift to his wife Anna, "and her children", Stephen, Susannah, Jamima, Lavina, Clarisa, Martha, and Redden Denmark. This appears to leave out James and Malachi.

Since Anna was his second wife, and James and Malachi were born after the first mentioned seven; it would cause the reader to be curious as to where these two children fitted in the first and second marriage.

William Denmark died at the home of Abigail Travis in Warren County, Georgia, while on a visit there. It is difficult to determine when he died. Bullock County records indicate he was dead in 1806.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Feb 23 2018, 18:12:05 UTC

  ---

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jun 21 2018, 18:56:45 UTC

  ---

GEDCOM Note

ID: I13313 Name: William Batchelor Denmark Birth: 1743 Woodstock Town,Hyde Co., NC Death: 1821 in Warren Co.,Georgia Will: 21 Jan 1795 Effingham Co., Georgia 6

On his father's death, sometime before 1758, William Batchelor Denmark inherited his father's land in Hyde County, North Carolina.

This land was originally patented by Henry Eborn on October 5, 1730 and willed to his son Littleton Eborn who then sold it to William Denmark, "blacksmith".

In Pitt County in 1766, William Batchelor Denmark and his wife, Mary Moye Denmark, sold that land to Stephen MackDowell. A deed from William Batchelor and Mary Denmark, dated August 27, 1766, conveyed 270 acres on the North side of the Machapongo River and the south side of Broad Creek, referred to as land he inherited from his father (Hyde Co., NC DB-B, p. 194-195), to Stephen MackDowell for 20 (?) pounds.

William Batchelor Denmark was on the 1762 list of taxables for Pitt County, taxed for only a poll and not owning any slaves. But he owned land in Pitt County, North Carolina as early as 1765. On May 1, 1765, a deed recorded that "William Denmark, batchelor" sold 320 acres for 23 pounds to Thomas Coomes (Pitt County, NC DB-C, p. 292). Perhaps this is when he began to use the middle name "Batchelor".

John Smith of Craven County sold William Denmark 100 acres for 25 pounds on December 29, 1772. (Pitt Co., NC DB-E, p. 227).

On October 11, 1774, Denmark sold land to John Gray Blount for five pounds, the deed witnessed by "Amey Moy" and Jeremiah Cox (Pitt Co., NC DB-O, p. 327).

In 1778 he was involved in three land transactions:

- The first was on January 18 when William Denmark of Craven County sold 280 acres to Pearson Tuter for $120 (Pitt Co., NC DB-H, p. 19). - The next was on April 21 when he sold 150 acres for three pounds to Jeremiah Cox (Pitt Co., NC DB-F, p. 390). - The last that year was on July 21 when he sold 150 acres for 100 pounds to Edward Buck, the deed witnessed by Henry Moye and Isaac Buck (Pitt Co., NC DB-O, p. 209).

By 1779 his estate was assessed for tax purposes by Craven County at 1,824 pounds, the county where he was living when he joined the Revolution.

On January 25, 1782 William Denmark of Craven County, as #926, was allowed the sum of nine pounds and fourteen shillings for militia duty, per Captain Jesse Bryan's payroll for the New Bern Military District. Another voucher allowed him 400 pounds for "sundries". He used the two vouchers to pay his 1781 taxes to Craven County, endorsing the vouchers on the back.

Described as "of Craven County", on December 12, 1784 he sold land again to Edward Buck. This was, as in 1778, 150 acres for 100 pounds (Pitt Co., NC DB 1, p. 531). The former owner was John Smith who had obtained a patent for it in 1774. One of the witnesses to the deed was William's son, Stephen Denmark, and the other was Daniel Wilson. This sale may signal his departure for Georgia.

William Batchelor Denmark's first wife was Mary Moye and he later married her sister, Anna Moye. We do not know the relationship between the Moye sisters and William Batchelor Denmark's mother, Mourning Moye.

There appears to have been a most unusual relationship between William and the two sisters. He had a number of children by Anna while still married to Mary.

It appears that Anna and their children accompanied him to Effingham County, Georgia while Mary stayed behind with several of her children by him. However, Mary's son Seaborn accompanied his father when he migrated to Georgia. Mary eventually moved to Duplin County, North Carolina where she died in 1793.

By July 1786, William and some of his family were in Effingham County, Georgia where he applied for land grants and registered the marks of his cattle. He received grants of 200 acres on January 24, 1791 and 300 acres on June 2, 1791 both "on the Great Ogeechee river." His son Redden also received grants of land in the same area and by November 24, 1796 the two of them owned 947 acres, all in one body. On that date they sold the entire tract to Eleazer Bell who, on March 19, 1798, sold it to Joseph Holiday.

At some time before January 21, 1795, William and Anna made their informal marriage formal. In a deed of gift of that date, he gave property to his "wife", Anna and their children Stephen Denmark, Susannah Jones, Jemima Denmark, Clarissa Denmark, Martha Denmark, Lavinia Rester and Redden Denmark (Effingham Co., GA DB CD, p. 279). Anna died in 1806.

On November 10, 1810, William Batchelor Denmark and several others were granted passports by Georgia's Governor David B. Mitchel to travel from Bulloch County through the Creek Indian Nation to Warren County where William was to see his sister Abegail Travis and his daughter Susannah Jones who was married to Rev. Adam Jones.

There he met and, on May 13, 1813, married Mary Cochrum. It is said that he died at the Jones home in Warren County. The 1820 census for Warren County shows a William Denmark household with one male over 45, one girl less than 10 and one female 26-45.

(MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION ON WILLIAM BATCHELOR DENMARK CAME FROM RESEARCH BY JAMES H. DENMARK.) Change Date: 10 APR 2004 at 10:07:43

Father: William Denmark b: 1705/1708 in Hyde Co., North Carolina,Or Virginia Mother: Mourning Mittom Moye b: 1718 in Hyde Co., North Carolina Or English Province,Virginia

Marriage 1 Mary Moye b: 1745 in Ireland Married: Abt 1756 or 1761 in Beaufort Co.,North Carolina

Marriage 2 Anna Moye b: 1742 in Hyde Co.,North Carolina Married: 1730 in English Province,North Carolina Or Virginia Children Malachi Moye Denmark b: Abt 1786 in Bulloch Co.,Georgia

MORE INFO: 12-29-2019 The article "Denmark -- A Pioneer Family " was written by Elmer Oris Parker, Archivist and Historian. Mr Parker retired as the assistant Director of the National Archives in Washington and is known as the man responsible for General Robert E Lee's pardon which restored his full rights and citizenship.

This article is a must read for all Denmark Family Members.

Mr. Parker did also write that the late Judge Folks Huxford, eminent genealogist, reviewed the Denmark records and the Act (change of Redding and Malachi's name from Moye to Denmark) and Judge Huxford expressed the opinion that "they were simply born to William by one of the Moye wives before they were actually married, whereby they were legally illegitimately born. No other conclusion can be drawn from the facts."

The article shows that the fact is that..... Redding and Malachi were the son on William Denmark....

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Denmark-271

WB and the MOYE sisters had a very unusual relationship. According to most records, W.B. had fathered several children by Anna while still married to her sister Mary.

W.B. had seventeen children. Most believe that Mary MOYE had seven children: Eleanor (out of wedlock), Margaret, William Batchelor Jr, James, John, Seaborn, Jemima, & Elizabeth.

Anna MOYE had ten children: Stephen, Susannah, daughter Jemima, daughter Levis (aka, Louisa or Lavinia), Redden, Clarissa, Martha, James, William, & Malachi.

WB and his third wife Mary Cochrum had no children. After Mary Moye died, W.B. married Anna, sometime between 1793 and 1795.

In 1801 W.B. and Anna moved to McIntosh County. They then moved to Warren County sometime between 1810 and 1820, essentially following their children as they moved with the westward settlement of Georgia’s virgin lands. Governor Mitchell gave W.B. and his party “Passports”, which attested to their character and honor. This convinced the Indian Chiefs to allow them to travel through the newly-acquired Creek Indian lands, in order that they visit W.B.’s sister Abigail and his daughter Susannah, who had married Reverend Adam Jones. It was here that he met and married Mary Cochrum in May of 1813. He died, either in 1820 or 1821. W.B. truly started a clan, that has spread throughout the Wiregrass and the Pine Barren of South Georgia.

DAR

A Patriot of the American Revolution for NORTH CAROLINA (Soldier). DAR Ancestor # A031796

DAR only listed one wife, Anna Unknown, but aggressive Research from several sites has revealed the following:

William was married 1st to Mary Moye in NC and while building their family he was also building a family with her sister Anna Moye as his common law wife whom he married after Mary's death. Bulloch County Ga archives has this documented as part of the early history of the county. The children of Anna went by the Moye name to start. In the Nov 1802 session of the Georgia Judiciary House, By legislative act, Reddin and Malachi Moye changed their names to Denmark so they could inherit their Fathers estate. William Batchelor Denmark. This can be seen in any judicial legislation histories of Georgia. Reddin and Malachi were previously going by the name of Moye. It appears there are 18 - 20 children between William and Mary and Anna. All born at same times. This is quite a puzzle to figure out.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181092899/william-batchelor-den...
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LXQ6-KPH
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/LXQ6-KPH
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/LXQ6-KPH

He fought during the American Revolution and is recorded with the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Service: NORTH CAROLINA Rank(s): SOLDIER, PATRIOTIC SERVICE
Birth: CIRCA 1737
Death: POST 11-26-1808 BULLOCH CO GEORGIA
Service Source:
NC REV ARMY ACCTS, VOL # IX, P 87, FOLIO 4, ROLL #S.115.57.4; NC REV WAR PAY VOUCHERS, #1144 & 926, ROLL #S.115.81
Service Description:
1) CRAVEN CO MILITIA
2) RENDERED MATERIAL AID

Residence •
1820
Captain Elijah Jones's District, Warren, Georgia, United States
Reason This Information Is Correct:
Males: 1- 45+, Females: 1- 0/10, 1- 26/45