Major William Cathey
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RN=411 in Cathey book This information was created on 28 Apr 2008 by Marty Grant, a 6th great grandson of George Cathey with special thanks to Boyt Cathey for sharing information on this family. His lineage can be found on martygrant.com. I am the 4th great grandson of George Cathey and Ann Price. NOTICE: For many years it has been thought, and generally accepted, that William Cathey who died in 1812 in Haywood Co., NC is the son of Andrew Cathey. Andrew had a son named William who was baptized on 26 Apr 1741 in Augusta Co., VA. New information has come to light that shows this is probably wrong and that William Cathey (d 1812) is a son of George Cathey (1735-1805) instead. Court records show that George Cathey died leaving many heirs and they were named regarding land in Wilson Co., TN. Among those heirs were a son William Cathey, already deceased by then, so his children were named. Those names match the children of our William Cathey (d 1812) to such an extent that it must indeed be the same William formerly thought to be Andrew’s son. William Cathey was born before 1755 per his age on the 1800 census (45 and up). The other William (son of Andrew) was born ca April 1741 for he was baptized on 26 Apr 1741 at the Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church in Augusta Co, VA. The baptismal record shows William as a child of Andrew Cathey. As noted above, we no longer believe that William son of Andrew is the same William we are interested in. Therefore we have no exact birth date for our William. William is a son of George Cathey (1735-1805) and wife Ann Price. This is proven by a court case in Wilson Co., TN dated 1 May 1823 naming George’s heirs. William was listed as his son, but as being deceased, so his own children were named as being his heirs. Sometime prior to ca 1774, William Cathey married Rebecca — probably in Rowan or Burke County, North Carolina. Family tradition (or an earlier family researcher) stated that Rebecca’s maiden name was “Holeman“. To date, no researcher has been able to confirm this. There were Holemans in the area at the time, so it is certainly possible. A big problem is that we don’t know the origin of this theory or claim, for if it was Family Tradition, then it could certainly be accurate. However, many have speculated that it is a case of mistaken identity, for there is a different William Cathey who did marry a “Rebecca Holeman”, and this family is well documented. That William Cathey and wife Rebecca were of Shenandoah County, Virginia and was a son of a William Cathey and wife Elizabeth —. This William (Jr) married Rebecca Holeman in Shenandoah County before 1772, and she was a proven daughter of Daniel Holeman who died in 1772. I have not found much data on this other William Cathey and wife Rebecca Holeman of Shenandoah County, Virginia. The 1785 tax list for Shenandoah County shows both William Sr and William Jr living there at that time. It should be noted that William Sr was still there for the 1787 census, but William Jr was not. In any event, it deserves some additional research. So that leaves the question of our Rebecca’s maiden name wide open. Did an earlier researcher find this Shenandoah County couple and assume it was our William and Rebecca, and start that theory that ours was a “Holeman”, or is that the same couple as ours, or is ours a different couple. I’d like to get an answer to this question. The fact that our William and Rebecca named one of their sons “Daniel H. Cathey” is interesting. Could he be named after Daniel Holeman? The only provable facts we have on our Rebecca is that she was born ca 1750/55 (per census analysis). Almost all of Rebecca’s children named one of their own children “Rebecca”, but two of her sons (James and William Cathey) both named daughters “Rebecca H. Cathey”. What was the “H” middle initial for? Was it “Holeman”? It certainly works. In the 1770’s or before, William Cathey built “Cathey’s Fort” in what was then Burke County. This Fort is located in Turkey Cove which is north of Marion, NC in present McDowell County. On 23 Feb 1778, William Cathey received a State Land Grant of 100 acres on the North Fork of Catawba River in Burke County, adjoining George Cathey (his father?). On 8 Jul 1778, William Cathey received a State Land Grant of 640 acres on Turkey Cove in Burke County, the same land formerly entered (claimed) by George Cathey. William Cathey was listed on the 1790 census in Burke County, North Carolina in the 1st Company. His neighbors on either side were James McDowell and Andrew McClure. As best as I can tell, he seems to be in the Turkey Cove area of present McDowell County. 1790 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census) 1790 Burke Co, NC pg 106 William Cathey 3-4-5-0-3 Analysis: 3 Male(s) 16 and Up (before 1774) William CATHEY (bef 1755) Son? (bef 1774) –> gone by 1800 George CATHEY (1774) son –> hd 1800 4 Male(s) under 16 (1774/1790) Daniel H. CATHEY (1774/84) son William CATHEY (1782) son James CATHEY (1784) son Andrew D. CATHEY (1784/90) son 5 Female(s) any age (before 1790) Rebecca HOLEMAN Cathey (1750/55) wife Daughter? Sister? Sister-in-law? (bef 1755) Ann CATHEY (bef 1790) dau –> m by 1800 Elizabeth CATHEY (1774/75) dau -> m by 1800 Margaret CATHEY (1789/90) daughter On 18 Oct 1797, William Cathey purchased 640 acres from John Carson in Buncombe County. The land was described as being on Richland’s Creek. This is probably about the time the Cathey’s moved to that area. This is present day Haywood County around the town of Waynesville. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 4 page 262). Around this time (ca 1798), the other William Cathey (1777) came of age. That means that there may be some confusion in the records as to which William was which. Generally, William (bef 1755) used “Sr” and William (1777) used “Jr”, but not always. William Cathey was listed on the 1800 census in Buncombe County. This census was alphabetical, so I can’t determine who his neighbors were, but he was most certainly on Richlands Creek at that time. 1800 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census) 1800 Buncombe Co, NC pg 165 William Cathey 32201-11002-0-0 Analysis: 1 Male(s) 45 & up (before 1755) William CATHEY (bef 1755) 2 Male(s) 16-25 (1774-1784) Daniel H. CATHEY (1774/84) son -> m by 1804 William CATHEY (1782) son –> m by 1808 2 Male(s) 10-15 (1784-1790) James CATHEY (1784) son –> m by 1810 Andrew D. CATHEY (1774/84) son –> d 1808 3 Male(s) 0-9 (1790-1800) Jacob CATHEY (1790/94) son John CATHEY (1794/1800) son Thomas CATHEY (1797) son 2 Female(s) 45 & up (before 1755) Rebecca HOLEMAN Cathey (1750/55) wife Sister? (bef 1755) -> gone by 1810 1 Female(s) 10-15 (1784-1790) Margaret CATHEY (1789/90) daughter 1 Female(s) 0-9 (1790-1800) Sarah CATHEY (1790/94) daughter On 17 Apr 1800, Richard Lewis sold William Cathey 640 acres on the Pigeon River. Richlands Creek flows into Pigeon River, so this is probably near where William lived. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 5 page 230). On 28 Oct 1800, William Cathey sold 140 acres of his Pigeon River land to John Gooch. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 7 page 357). On 1 Dec 1800, William Cathey Sr sold 3 acres of his Pigeon River land to Spencer Rice. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 3 page 328). On 31 Dec 1800, William Cathey sold 73 acres of his Pigeon River land to his son-in-law William Meheffy (Mahaffey). (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 5 page 222). On 10 Oct 1802, William Cathey sold 230 acres of his Pigeon River land to Robert Gillespie. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 4 page 689). On 13 Dec 1802, William Cathey sold 200 acres of his Richland Creek land to John Hide. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 8 page 272). Around this time (c1803), William Cathey (1782) came of age, so that means there were now three adult men named William Cathey in the area, further complicating the public records. On 17 Jul 1804, Joseph Dobson sold 100 acres on Hominy Creek to William Cathey. I’m not sure if this is William (1741) or William (1777). or William (1782). He sold this land less than a year later. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 10 page 120). On 19 Jan 1805, William Cathey (whichever one) sold his 100 acres on Hominy Creek to George Hall. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book 10 page 50). On 13 May 1806, William Cathey Sr sold 7 acres of his Richland Creek land to William Allen. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book A page 468). On 5 Apr 1808, John McFarland sold 150 acres on Pigeon River to William Cathey et al. (This means there were others Grantees involved in the deed, but the abstract did not list them). I don’t know which William Cathey this was yet. (Buncombe Co, NC Deed Book B page 10). In 1808 Haywood County was created from western Buncombe, including Richland Creek and Pigeon River areas. William Cathey was listed on the 1810 census in Haywood County. Unfortunately, this census was alphabetical, but I’m sure he was at home on Richlands Creek. 1810 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census) 1810 Haywood Co, NC pg 61 William Cathy Sr 02101-00201 Analysis: 1 Male(s) 45 and up (bef 1765) William CATHEY (bef 1755) 1 Male(s) 16-25 (1784-1794) Jacob CATHEY (1790/94) son 2 Male(s) 10-15 (1794-1800) John CATHEY (1794/1800) son Thomas CATHEY (1797) son 1 Female(s) 45 & up (before 1765) Rebecca HOLEMAN Cathey (1750/55) wife 2 Female(s) 16-25 (1784-1794) Margaret CATHEY (1789/90) daughter Sarah CATHEY (1790/94) daughter An entry in the Family Bible shows that William Cathey died on 23 Dec 1812. An Inventory of his Estate was made in September 1813 by Rebecca Cathey and Thomas Love, Administrators. Several household items were mentioned including two “testaments” and one “Explanatory of a testament”, which of course is a Biblical commentary. I mention this because it is this Biblical commentary that the family record was written on. An Estate sale dated 23 Oct 1813 shows several familiar names purchasing estate items including: Rebecca Cathey (widow) John Bryson, Mimey Cathey (Jemima Cathey), and William Cathey. Rebecca Cathey was not listed on the 1820 census, but it appears she may have been home with her son Thomas Cathey, for he had two females with him aged 45 and up (born before 1775). One of them is certainly his widowed mother. In 1823 Robert Neill sued the estate of George Cathey (William’s father) over some property in Wilson Co., TN. The case named the heirs of George Cathey including son William Cathey who was also deceased by then. In the 1820’s, Rebecca and several of her children moved into neighboring Macon County settling on Tellico Creek or near there. This is just a mile or so south of the present Swain County line. Rebecca was listed as head of household on the 1830 census in Macon County. She seems to have some possible grandsons with her, or other relatives. 1830 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census) 1830 Macon Co, NC pg 17 Rebecca Cathey 0002010000000-0000000001000 Analysis: 1 Male(s) 30-39 (1790-1800) Thomas CATHEY (1797) son 2 Male(s) 15-19 (1810-1815) Grandson? Grandson? 1 Female(s) 70-79 (1750-1760) Rebecca HOLEMAN Cathey (c1741) wd/o William I did not find Rebecca on the 1840 census, nor did she seem to be listed at home with any of her children. This probably means that she died in the 1830-1840 time-frame, probably in Macon County, North Carolina. Special thanks to Lawrence Wood, deceased, Dottie Jackson and others for data shared on this family. Also thanks to Boyt Cathey and his book “The Cathey Family History and Genealogy, Volume I (1700-1900)”, 1993.
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Children of William Cathey and Rebecca Holeman. William and Rebecca had 12 children. Most of them are proven by several deeds among the heirs dividing up William’s property. Some had died before then, but were named in the list of deaths in the Family Bible. The Bible record does not state that they were children of William and Rebecca, but it seems obvious that they were. Here is the entry from the bible showing the deaths. All of these (but William) is assumed to be a child of William and Rebecca: Andrew D. Cathey Departed this life Decr 1st 1808 Daniel H. Cathey Do Do Do Oct 30th 1810 William Cathey Do Do Do Decr 23rd 1812 John Cathey Do Do Do April 7th 1815 Sarah Cathey Do Do Do May 23rd 1817 George Cathey Do Do Do July 17th 1828 Jacob Cathey Do Do Do May 28th 1836 There are a series of deeds in 1814 from the estate of William Cathey to heirs: Jacob Cathey, James Cathey, William Cathey Jr and one to Andrew D. Cathey, Jane Cathey and Violet Cathey (heirs of Daniel H. Cathey). (Haywood Co, NC Deed Book A pages 254, 255, 255, 301, 302, 303, 309). The 1823 Court Case relating to the estate of George Cathey, deceased, names William Cathey as his heir, and since William was dead by then also, his children were named. The case didn’t mention all of them: 1 May 1823 Wilson Co., TN Robert Neill vs. George Cathey et al … Also Robert Gillespie and his wife Anne grand daughter of said George decd. by his son William Cathey and George Cathey, James Cathey, and Andrew Cathey and William Mahafy and his wife Betsey grand sons and daughter of said George deceased by his son William Cathey now decd. I’m not sure why the other children were left out, Daniel wasn’t mentioned for he was dead; William (Jr) wasn’t mentioned, but Andrew was, and he was already dead, and the youngest children weren’t mentioned either (Margaret, Sarah, Jacob, John and Thomas). Since the case was so far from home perhaps whoever prepared it was unaware of all of William’s children. The 1826 deed I mentioned names all of the living heirs at that time: Ann Allen, wife of — Allen of Alabama; George Cathey; heirs of Daniel Cathey, deceased; Elizabeth Mahaffey, wife of William Mahaffey; William Cathey; James Cathey; Sarah Robinson, wife of Samuel Robinson; Margaret Campbell wife of Allen Campbell; Thomas Cathey, all of Haywood County, to Jacob Cathey, of Haywood. The deed was signed by all of the above, and also by Andrew Cathey, Violet Cathey and Jane Cathey, who were the children of Daniel Cathey, deceased. (Haywood Co, NC Deed Book B page 398.). Another deed dated 26 Jun 1827 names some of the same heirs, but also lists Jacob Cathey as an heir, thus the two deeds proving the entire family that was living in that time period: William Cathey; James Cathey; heirs of Daniel Cathey, deceased; Jacob Cathey; Thomas Cathey, all of Haywood to Benjamin E. Hatfield… (Haywood Co, NC Deed Book B page 414.) 1. Ann Cathey |
George Cathey (RN=5355) Family Blog 
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