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Descendants of William Medford

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM² MEDFORD (JOHN¹) was born 1780 in County Antrim, Ulster, Ireland, and died 24 June 1842 in Lumpkin Co., Georgia. He married MATILDA DEMPSEY Abt. 1799 in South Carolina, daughter of BARNETT DEMPSEY and WINNFRED (WINNEY).

Notes for WILLIAM MEDFORD:
1780-1842

The name MEDFORD which has been spelled Meadford, Metford, means a place
by a ford in a meadow. The name is Anglo Saxon and the Medfords were of
Protestant faith but came from Ireland.

A Medford left England and moved to Northern Ireland in
1609. We are not sure of the line but a descendant of his left County
Antrium Ireland, which was our William, born in about 1772-1780. He came to
South Carolina while still a young man.

He married and lived in Spartanburg next to his inlaws, Barnett Dempsey.
A John Medford was in Spartanburg, S.C. by 1790 and is listed on the
census.This may be a brother to our William.

Barnett Dempsey died in 1814 in Spartanburg District, leaving Administration of Estate papers, and named William Medford.

In 1818 the Medford's Matilda's mother Winney, some of her brothers all moved to Gwinnett County Georgia. The farmers here were growing cotton and tobacco, but William decided to grow only tobacco as it would require less land and less hard labor of which he was getting too old to do.

One source says Matilda's mother came to Ga. with the family but it has not been proven. She was still living after the move to GA.
William Medford is on the census of 1820 Georgia, Gwinnett Co. with 4
males and 4 females. He later is listed as serving as Inferior Court juror in June of 1831.

In MEDFORD'S OF THE SOUTH, VOL II it is said that Dempsey Barnett Medford, William's oldest son won land in the 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery. It is printed in Gwinett County history that it is William who has won the land. He lives in the Towers District of the county. I have not checked the book, nor with the Georgia land board. Sometimes these people won the land but when they saw it, they did not accept it.

Life was good for all until 1835 when William had a bad case of Malaria
and had to retire. Some of the sons had already gone to Cherokee County
Georgia and so William and Matilda and rest of the family joined them.

William bought land there between 1837-1839. William's land was between
the railroad and Rope Mill road. Dempsey's land was on west between Rope
Mill Road and Noonday Creek. William's land was known as #995 and was 40
acres, the plot bought in 1837.

William and Matilda joined the Aenon Baptist Church on July 5, 1840.

After checking 1820-1840 census, it appears to me that William and Matilda are not as old as earlier records would indicate. If the concensus of information from these correctly indicates age, they could not have born before 1780. Also it appears in the 1830 and 1840 census that there is a daughter younger than Luke Rupert. It has been said there was a child who died as infant, this was probably said as the child could not be located in records, but also on the records of Aenon Baptist Church in Cherokee Co. Georgia there is a Malinda Wood and Sylenna (sic) Medford plus an Elezer Medford.

On a document found by C. Jack Wood, who believes Malinda is a daughter of this couple, concerning Elisha Minshew, Jr. and Matilda Underwood (who was 'nee Wood, daughter of Soloman P. Wood and alleged Malinda Medford)
Elisha states that his first wife (Sylinna, by 1850 census) and Malinda
(Medford) Wood were sisters.

It is probable the Elezar Medford on record at Aenon Baptist Church is Elizabeth Ellison Medford, Wife of William Jackson Medford. Perhaps those two earlier daughters did not die, or there was another in between some of the boys. There is an age gap.

Elezar is on this roll of females, 1845, Matilda has been marked "dead" Selinae Medford, Malinda Wood and Matilda Wood are dismissed by letter. This is about time they went to Alabama.

More About MATILDA DEMPSEY:
Burial: WFT Est. 1766-1892

Children of WILLIAM MEDFORD and MATILDA DEMPSEY are:

DAUGHTER³ MEDFORD, b. Abt. 1804, Spartanburg Co. South Carolina; d. Bef. 1810, Spartanburg Co. South Carolina.

ii.

MALINDA (?) MEDFORD, b. Abt. 1806, Spartanburg Co. South Carolina.

iii.

DAUGHTER MEDFORD, b. Abt. 1809, Spartanburg Co. South Carolina; d. Bef. 1810, Spartanburg Co. South Carolina.

iv.

DEMPSEY BARNETT MEDFORD, b. 17 October 1811, Spartenburg Co. South Carolina; d. 10 February 1892, Cherokee Co. Georgia.

JOHN MILTON MEDFORD, b. 1813, Spartanburg Co. South Carolina; d. 1899, Arkansas; m. ANNA TAYLOR.

vi.

WILLIAM JACKSON MEDFORD, b. 1817, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; d. Arkansas.

vii.

PARKER M. MEDFORD, b. 30 April 1820, Spartenburg Co. South Carolina; d. April 1877, Waelder, Gonzales Co. Texas.

viii.

JULIA MEDFORD, b. 1821, Gwinnett Co. Georgia.

ix.

SARAH ADELINE MEDFORD, b. 24 March 1822, Gwinnett County, Georgia; d. 30 April 1901, Ft. Worth, Tarrant County, Texas.

LUKE RUPERT MEDFORD, b. 13 July 1824, Gwinnett Co., Ga; d. 15 March 1895, Red River Co., Tx.

xi.

SALENA MEDFORD, b. 1825, Gwinnett County, Georgia; d. Abt. 1855, Cherokee County, Alabama.

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