William England and son Richard England Revolutionary War Patriots

(Photo by Field Dreams)

William England and son Richard England Revolutionary War Patriots by Ethelene Dyer Jones

Enlistment in the militia or continental army was not the only contribution to America’s freedom. Some patriots were known for their material assistance. Such were William England and his son, Daniel England.

William England migrated to America in 1733 and first settled in Pennsylvania where he married, first, Elizabeth Wilcox. They had one son, William, Jr. Elizabeth died, and William married, second, Mary Watson. The Englands moved to Maryland where Mary gave birth to Daniel, born in 1752. Their next move was to Chatham County, NC, where three more sons, Joseph, John and Samuel, were born.

It was in North Carolina that William England went into partnership with his brother-in-law, John Wilcox, and built an iron foundry. The iron furnace cast cannons and cannon balls used in the war effort during the Revolution. Daniel England worked with his father in the foundry on Hunting Creek near Morganton, NC. He applied for and received deferment from induction into the military because of his work at the foundry.

Daniel died in 1818 in Burke County, NC. He was recognized by Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution for his material assistance in the Revolutionary War effort.

Daniel England married Margaret Guinn (1758-NC – 1847, GA). She received land in the lottery and moved to Habersham County, Georgia with some of her children, namely Richard (1770-1835), Nancy, Rachel and Deborah. Richard married Patsy Montgomery. Richard owned land on which gold was found in Habersham (later White) County. Richard was buried in the England Family Cemetery near the Chattahoochee River in present-day Helen. Margaret came to Choestoe in Union County when the Englands settled here. Hers reportedly was the first grave in the Old Choestoe Cemetery.

To continue Revolutionary War connections, Richard England’s son, Jonathan, known as “Athan” married Nancy Ingram, granddaughter of John Ingraham, Revolutionary soldier. His son Daniel married Harriet E. Hunter. His daughter, Margaret Elizabeth, married William Jonathan Hunter. And the family kinship lines go on, even to this present generation and beyond.

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As I read about Ethelene’s ancestors-I wondered if William England’s moves to the south were an effort to find more freedom farther away from the reach of the British. Perhaps his first move was to leave behind the sadness of loosing his first wife and make a fresh start in Maryland. Or maybe his brother-n-law John Wilcox convinced him that North Carolina was a fine place to settle.

I’m always curious about movements folks make from one area to another. It is interesting to note-many of the patriots in Ethelene’s family line ended up in North Georgia due to land grants given to them for their contribution to the patriot side of the Revolutionary War.

Life is full of symbolism-especially for a sentimental history buff like me. I just can’t help thinking about the relationship between the patriots from the Dyer-Souther-Collins line settling in the North Georgia Mountains and their descendant Ethelene Dyer Jones.

A little girl born just a few mountains away from me who grew up to be not only a wife, mother, writer, teacher, etc., -but also a preserver of my Appalachian heritage. Pretty neat uh?

Tipper

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12 Comments

  1. Thank you Daniel England and wife Margaret Guinn at my ancestors. I have lots of information on both families. Lots on the many of the pioneers in Burke/McDowell were related. One of Margaret nephews followed them to Union/Fannin Georgia.

  2. I’m the 9th generation of the England Family!! I already had all this information but I love seeing how many others do!! My grandfather was an England!

  3. I live not too far from Morganton but I didn’t know about Hunting Creek, so that’s what I been doing all day. I looked at maps until I found it. The East Prong of Hunting Creek starts way up on High Peak mountain. If you drive east on I-40 you will cross it at the Highway 18 exit. It winds it’s way north past Grace Hospital then Broughton Hospital. Then it goes throught Bethel Park and on passed where Sage went to kindergarten. From there it follows the bypass where it flows under the railroad and US-70.
    The West Prong starts on Burkemont Mountain and winds past the Highrise (prison) and WPCC then on between the Deaf School and Broughton Hospital. It follows Fleming Drive to where it meets US-70 and joins the east prong there.
    After the confluence of the two branches Hunters Creek continues to flow north past Amherst Road where the plant blew up a few years ago and shook Sages school. From there it flows on until it reaches the Catawba River and becomes a part of it.
    I don’t know where a foundry and ironworks might have located but that was 250 years ago. If I find it I will let you know.

  4. Tipper,
    I enjoyed the history of Ethelene’s
    family, and always liked reading her
    thoughtful comments. Bet it was awesome
    being in one of her classes. Teachers
    have a Great impact on our lives.
    Thank you Ethelene…Ken

  5. I have always found history fascinating, but you create the question in my mind – what really makes people move from one area to another, especially so many years ago. Was it curiosity, was it a necessity, was it hoping for a better and easier life, was it because you were running away from something, and so on? Thanks for the history!

  6. Tipper. This was a great posts, God dipped his great hand and touched with so much talents from these Appalachians mtn’s like you and Ethylene Dyer Jones . There are so many interesting events took placed here, thanks Ethylene for searching it out.

  7. Thank you, Tipper, for posting my England Revolutionary War story. I have great admiration for our ancestors who had such a passion for freedom. Their life was not easy, although it sounds, in the telling, like a story-book romance. Their moves, their dreams, their work and their struggles were real. All made us who we are today, and what America became. We should consider and be grateful–this Fourth of July and all the time!

  8. The choices we make form the path our life follows. Enjoyable post to start the morning just before the 4th.

  9. Yep Tipper, pretty neat. Thanks for the story, Ethelene. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle isn’t. Which piece went where!
    Five pennies in the yard, that’s pretty amazing, Tim! That was 80 years ago.

  10. Very interesting, I love to metal detect and when I find old things I always wonder who and what they were doing when they lost that item, you can guess at how long ago it must have been, I hunted a old home place where the owner said long ago in the 1930’s his Mom had give his brother a nickel and him 5 pennies and he got made because he thought he was getting jipped so he ran out of the house and threw those pennies into the yard.. Well,, the day I was there he was sitting on the front porch of the old home watching me as I found his pennies he threw away as a child, he was amazed and you could tell his mind went back to that very day.. I tried to give them back to him and he wouldn’t take them, he just laughed….

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