William Crews

William was born during 1794 in the Colleton area of South Carolina. He was a son of Alexander Crews by his 1^st wife, whose name is currently unknown. William spent his boyhood and teenage years in Colleton County.

William is a veteran of the War of 1812. He was drafted into Ephraim Cannon’s Company (Juhan’s Battalion) of the South Carolina Militia as a private 13 August 1812 and was discharged at Beaufort Island, South Carolina on 14 December 1812.

Sometime between prior to 1816, father Alexander moves the family south to Camden County, Georgia.

William drawn as a juror in Camden County Georgia Inferior Court for the January term of 1819

William returned to South Carolina to marry Sarah Bradley, perhaps a sister of Stephen’s Nancy, on 15 Jun 1820 in the Beaufort District of South Carolina. William returned to Camden County with his new bride but not in time to be enumerated in the Camden Census of 1820. The couple does not appear in the 1920 South Carolina Census either.

William and Sarah were the parents of 7 children the first 4 born in Camden, youngest 3 born in Ware:

Samuel b. 1820 m. Nancy (last name unknown)

Male b. 1822-1825

Fem b. 1821-1825

Henry b. 1829 m. Harriet (last name unknown)

Susan b. 1831

Lydia b. 1834 d. 10 Mar 1906 m. 1^st cousin Joseph L. Crews

He resided in Camden until the mid-to-late 1820s. He later moved to the lower part of then Ware county, on the west side of the Suwannee River, and became one of the first settlers of that section, along with brother Stephen and uncle?, Edward Crews. He was officially enumerated in the 719th district of Ware county, during the 1830 census.

During this period in history, the Florida Indians often crossed into South Georgia conducting raids on property that sometimes result in the deaths of the White settlers in and around the Georgia/Florida line. Soon, the United States declared war, once again, on the natives and the Second Indian War, also known as the Florida War began (1835). William, brother Stephen, son William Junior, and eight of his kin were enrolled June 22, 1836 in Columbia County by Capt. North’s Company for a six month hitch. William and even more Crews spent most all of 1837 in the militia serving 2 consecutive 6 month terms starting 21 Jan 1837 and being discharged 18 Dec 1837. This unit was again under Capt William B. North of the 2nd Regiment, 2nd Brigade of East Florida Mounted Volunteers, commanded by Col William J. Mills and was ordered into service by Maj General Thomas Jesup. Next, William served as 1^st Corporal in Capt. W. B. North’s company of East Florida Mounted Militia, ordered into service of the United States by Bt. Brig. General Taylor from the 12th day of July, 1838 to the 12th day of January, 1839. William was discharged at Camp Gilmer in 1839. He returns home to Ware County his family and a life of farming, where he is found in the 1840 Federal Census for that county.

William again served in Captain North's Militia Company for a 25 day period between 5 Apr 1842 to 20 Apr 1842. This mounted militia patrolled the area around Blount's Ferry near the end of the 2nd Florida War.

William and Sarah lived near the Bethel, sometimes called Boney Bluff, Primitive Baptist Church. Sarah, Sr to differentiate from another Sarah (Jr) wife of Joseph, was received by letter the same day the Church was organized on 30 Sep 1843. William was not received and baptized until 12 Feb 1844. There were just a few mentions of William in the minutes from 1845-1846. A note appeared dated only 1849 that stated William was expelled from the Church. Neither William nor Sarah was ever mentioned in this church’s minutes again.

William is still in Ware in 1850, located in Division 89, however this area became Clinch County in February, 1850 and in 1858, was cut into Echols County.

Sometime before the 1860 Census was taken, William, Sarah, daughter Liddia and three of her children relocated to Columbia County, Florida and were enumerated in the James Braden home.  The 1860 Columbia County Agriculture Census shows William own $150 worth of cattle.

Beginning in July 1871, soon after the Act of 1871 passed, William began filing for a Pension from his participation in the War of 1812. He continually filed for a pension through 1874. All his attempts were rejected as William could not be found on any Muster Rolls. He listed Echols County as his residence with each attempt.

William swore to an affidavit in front of a Columbia county, Florida Justice of the Peace on 25 October 1875 in support of his sister-in-law’s request for a Widow's Pension for brother Stephen’s service in the War of 1812.

During the period from 1875 to 1880, William and Sarah relocated their home into Charlton County, Georgia. It was in Charlton that wife Sarah passed away during December of 1869. The cause of death was stated as “old age”.

William survived Sarah by more than a decade. Now widowed, he is found during the 1880 Census in District 590 of Pierce County, Georgia in the home of Noah Crews and his family. William is 88 years of age at this time. The relationship between Noah and William appears they are first cousins once removed.

Within the Supplemental Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes for the year 1880, William is listed as deaf and mute.

It is not known when William passed away nor do we know the location of William and Sarah’s final resting place(s) however, logic dictates they are buried in the present-day Blackshear, Georgia area where they passed away.

References:

Camden County, Georgia Inferior Court Records Bryan-Lang Historical Library

1820 United States Census, Camden County, Georgia.

1830 US Census; Census Place: , Ware, Georgia; Page: 185; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 21; Family History Film: 0007041.

Year: 1840; Census Place: District 719, Ware, Georgia; Roll: 52; Page: 133; Image: 274; Family History Library Film: 0007048.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Division 89, Ware, Georgia; Roll: M432_86; Page: 118A; Image: 243.

Year: 1860; Census Place: , Columbia, Florida; Roll: M653_106; Page: 203; Image: 208; Family History Library Film: 803106.

1860 Agriculture Census Columbia County, Florida

Ancestry.com. War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Original data: War of 1812 Pension Applications. Washington D.C.: National Archives. NARA Microfilm Publication M313, 102 rolls. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group Number 15.

Excerpts from Florida Militia Muster Roles: Seminole Indian Wars, Volume 8

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Federal Mortality Census Schedules, 1850-1880, and Related Indexes, 1850-1880; Archive Collection: T655; Archive Roll Number: 9; Census Year: 1869; Census Place: , Charlton, Georgia; Page: 46A.

"United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8GL-QLF : accessed 25 Sep 2013), William Crews in entry for Noah Crews, 1880.

"History of Ware County, pg 234

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Nonpopulation Census Schedules for Georgia, 1850-1880; Supplemental Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes; Year: 1880; Roll: 27; Publication Number: T1137.