William Maxey, Sr.

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA with the rank of PRIVATE. DAR Ancestor # A075794

From the Monroe County, Kentucky history book - 1820-1988 --

"William Maxey Sr. came to Kentucky in 1787 and in 1806 settled in Monroe County. He served in the Revolutionary War. He fought in the battle of Guilford Court House, North Carolina and was present at the seige of Yorktown, when the British forces under Cornwallis surrendered. File #8412 National Archives.

Samuel Bell Maxey: A Biography

By Louise Horton

In 1788, he settled on 500 acres at Turkey Neck Bend on the Cumberland River in Lincoln county, Kentucky
Google maps Turkey Neck Bend

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In the 1850 Monroe Co., Ky. Census he was indeed 62 and his wife Martha was only 28.

From Doris Waddell's Family Genealogy:

"William was the first Maxey to live in Kentucky, coming to the state in about 1790. William served in the Revolutionary War in the battles of Guilford Court House, North Carolina and at the siege of Yorktown. Because of this service, he was given a land grant in Kentucky. William and his family traveled with the William Radford family through the Cumberland Gap and followed the Cumberland River west to the area that became Monroe County. Traveling by foot and carrying all of their possessions with them, these families settled in an area that was forty miles from the nearest trading post.

"The Maxey's settled around Center Point and Meshack, on or near the Cumberland River. This area was called Turkey Neck Bend because the bend in the river was in the shape of a turkey neck. To reach this area of Monroe county it is still necessary to take a ferry across the river.

"According to The Monroe County History compiled by William Lynwood Montell, these early pioneers lived in log cabins that were chinked with mud and straw and had dirt floors. The furniture was made by splitting logs, and the cooking was done in a large iron kettle over a flame in the fireplace.

"Nearly every family produced its own cotton, flax and wool sufficient for their own use, and the only shoes they had were moccasins. In about 1830, they began to make 'sewed shoes' out of leather that they tanned.

"It is hard to imagine the hardships that they endured while traveling “The Wilderness Road” into Indian country and carrying all of the equipment that was necessary for survival. One of our family's prize possessions was a spinning wheel that was said to have been carried from Virginia."

• Military service: Private, 4th Regt, American Revolution - Virginia, United States
  • Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Sep 28 2023, 1:07:36 UTC