My sincere thanks to Sue Morrow Webb, Belinda Kay Pierce and the many other researchers who shared Weatherford information with me. 

My Weatherford family was of English descent. Early documents indicate the Weatherford name was originally spelled Whitheford. After immigrating to America, the Whitheford / Weatherford line married and mixed with Indian blood. Our Weatherford family is said by some researchers to be Cherokee Indian. Other researchers, however, say the family was Creek Indian living among the Cherokee. William "Red Eagle" Weatherford, a Creek Chief, was a descendant of our Weatherford family.

According to information provided by other researchers, my 10th great grandfather, Thomas Whitheford, was born in 1585, in Warwickshire, England. Thomas married Margaret Waring on January 30, 1609 in Tamsworth, England. Margaret Waring was born in 1588. Thomas and Margaret had at least five children including (1) William Whitheford, born 1611 in England; (2) Elizabeth Whitheford, born 1613 in England; (3) John Whitheford (my line), born 1615; (4) Maria Whitheford, born 1617 in England; and (5) Thomas Whitheford, Jr., born 1618 in England.

My 9th great grandfather, John Whitheford, was born in 1615, in Warwickshire, England, the son of Thomas Whitheford and Margaret Waring. John immigrated to America prior to 1642 and settled in Virginia. At this time we do not know if his parents or siblings immigrated with him. According to information from Belinda Pierce, John was listed in York County, Virginia on June 26, 1642. John married, probably in Virginia, but we do not know the identity of his wife or when they married. We do know that John and his wife had a son named William. John died April 1706 in James City County, Virginia.

My 8th great grandfather, William Whitheford, was born in 1645, in York County, Virginia, the son of John Whitheford. William married (name unknown) and produced at least seven children. According to other researchers, the spelling of the name Whitheford changed during this time and William's children spelled their name Weatherford. William's children included (1) Thomas Weatherford, born 1675, in Henrico County, Virginia, died 1722, in Louisa County, Virginia; (2) William Weatherford (my line), born 1678; (3) Richard R. Weatherford, born about 1680-1685, in James City County, Virginia; died 1756, in Lunenburg County, Virginia, married Susannah (last name unknown)(William "Red Eagle" Weatherford descends through this line); (4) John Weatherford, born 1682, in Henrico County, Virginia, died 1725, in Virginia; (5) James Weatherford, born 1684, in Virginia, died 1740, in Virginia; (6) Charles Weatherford, born 1687, in Henrico County, Virginia, died 1750; and (7) Ann Weatherford, born 1690, in Virginia. William Whitheford died in 1732, in Virginia.

My 7th great grandfather, William Weatherford, was born in 1678, in Virginia, probably in Henrico County. William married my 7th great grandmother, Susanna Waller, in 1699, in Virginia. Susanna Waller was born in 1680, in New Kent County, Virginia, the daughter of Thomas Waller and Anne Keate. William and his brother, Richard, moved their families to Lunenburg County, Virginia in the 1740's. William owned 400 acres of land along Hensons Creek. William died in 1756, in Lunenburg County. Susanna wrote her will in Lunenburg County on December 18, 1756, in which she named her children: John, William, Lucy and Major. Susanna died July 4, 1758, in Lunenburg County. William and Susanna's children were (1) John Weatherford, born 1700, in New Kent County, Virginia; (2) William Weatherford, Jr., born 1703 (my line); (3) Lucy Weatherford, born about 1705, in Virginia, married Christopher Parsons; (4) Richard Weatherford, born 1708, in Virginia, died prior to 1756; and (5) Major Weatherford, born about 1710-1715, in Hanover County, Virginia, died 1774, in Lunenburg County, Virginia, married Elizabeth Edwards in 1734, then married her sister, Mary Edwards in 1760.

My 6th great grandfather, William Weatherford, Jr., was born February 7, 1703, in New Kent County, Virginia, the son of William Weatherford and Susanna Waller. William's baptism is recorded in the St. Peter's Parish Vestry Book in New Kent County. William married Susannah (possibly Wilkerson). We do not know how many children were born to William and Susannah, but we do know they had a son named Wilkerson. William died about 1760 in Lunenburg County, Virginia.

My 5th great grandfather, Wilkerson Weatherford, was born about 1726, in either New Kent County or Lunenburg County, Virginia, the son of William Weatherford, Jr. and Susanna (possibly Wilkerson). Wilkerson migrated to North Carolina. We believe it was in North Carolina that he met my 5th great grandmother, Susanna (last name unknown). At this time, we know almost nothing about Wilkerson. We do know that some of his descendants claimed that both Wilkerson and Susanna were Cherokee Indian. Wilkerson and Susanna's children included (1) Hilkiah Weatherford, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; (2) Agnes Weatherford, born about 1740 - 1755, in North Carolina, married John Vann, then married _____ Burleson ; (3) Ursula Weatherford, born 1758, in Montgomery County, North Carolina, died 1835, in Rutherford County, Tennessee, married David F. Burleson; (4) William Weatherford, born 1759 (my line); (5) Mary Weatherford, born about 1760 - 1770; and (6) John S. Weatherford, born about 1764, in North Carolina, married Wealthy Ward. Wilkerson died in 1790, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

  My own research begins with my 4th great grandfather, William Weatherford, who was born about 1759, in Mechlenburg County, North Carolina, the son of Wilkerson Weatherford and Susanna (last name unknown). Mechlenburg County, North Carolina was originally the Territory of Virginia. In 1584, the Virginia territory had been granted to Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen Elizabeth I of England. The boundaries at that time extended from present-day Pennsylvania to South Carolina, and extended indefinately westward. On November 21, 1789, this area of the Virginia territory became the state of North Carolina. Although some family histories relate that William was probably full blood Cherokee Indian, this is not correct. William was probably three-quarters (or less) Cherokee. In 1907, Sarah Ann Elizabeth (Berry) Greeson, a granddaughter of William and Margaret Weatherford, filed a claim with the Eastern Cherokee Court of Claims attempting to establish Cherokee ancestry. Her application was denied as has been the application of other descendants of William and Margaret.

The 1782 special census of Mechlenburg County, Virginia lists a William Weatherford. We believe this is our William.

William married my 4th great grandmother, Margaret Ann Polk, in Mechlenburg County, North Carolina. Margaret Polk was born about 1760, in that part of the territory of Virginia that later became the state of North Carolina. She was the daughter of William Polk, Jr. and Sarah Weatherford. It has been said that Margaret was probably a relative of President James K. Polk.

William and Margaret moved their family from North Carolina to east Tennessee and then into middle Tennessee. They were pioneer settlers of Pinhook, now called Lutts, in Wayne County, Tennessee, before 1815. Weatherford Creek in Wayne County was named for William. At one time there was a Weatherford Post Office located on the head of Weatherford Creek. William was a farmer.

In 1819 a petition was presented to the Tennessee State Legislature to establish Wayne County. William Weatherford was among the more than 200 petitioners who signed the petition.

William's family appears on the 1820 Wayne County, Tennessee census. The census shows one male over 45; 2 males 18-26; one male 16-18; one male 10-16; one female over 45; 2 females 16-26; one female 10-16; and 2 females under 10 years old.

The 1830 Wayne County census shows one male 50-60; one male 20-30; one female 60-70; one female 20-30; and one female 15-20 years old.

The 1840 Wayne County census shows one male 70-80; one male under 5; one female 60-70; and one female 15-20 years old. We assume the children were two of William and Margaret's grandchildren.

William and Margaret both died before 1850, in Wayne County. William and Margaret had at least eleven children.

Children of William Weatherford and Margaret Polk

The music you are hearing is Greensleves.

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