By 1800 we have a reasonably good accounting of all the Hamby men living in North and South Carolina. This is where our story takes an unexpected turn.

William Hamby was a soldier in the North Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War. He recorded his date of birth as January 1, 1744, but he is not listed in any Baltimore records and he couldn’t be the same as the William (2) born in 1727 who is well documented in South Carolina. In short, he was unknown until he applied for his pension in 1832.

An Elizabeth Hamby was indicted and tried for bastardy in 1743 within approximately 9 months of William’s birth. She would’ve been 21 in 1743. Since the year she was charged is so close to the year of William’s birth, it’s likely he was the bastard son of Elizabeth who was probably the eldest daughter of the William (1) who came with the Simpson family to North Carolina from Maryland. Of Francis’ (b 1670) three sons, only William came to North Carolina. The indictment could also explain why Elizabeth’s father, William, moved his family from Maryland to North Carolina. They settled on the north fork of the Yadkin River.

This indicates William Hamby was illegitimate. Although our surname is Hamby, our paternal lineage is not.

William was one of the few Hamby men who fought for the American Revolution in the NC Militia. He served two 3-month terms. The Hambys in SC were violently opposed to it. William Hamby is listed in the Battle of Kings Mountain Patriot Roster, generally regarded as the turning point in the Revolutionary War.

William married his first wife about 1769. She died between 1800 and 1830. William’s son, Thomas, died while William was living in Buncombe County. William’s second wife may have died about this time as well. Those deaths may have been part of the reason William moved from Buncombe County to Cades Cove, Tennessee.

The following information, provided by Lillie Hamby Gallery, is from the Deaver family history and also offers some insight into why William was willing to leave what is now Buncombe County and move to Tennessee:

Around 1790, two other Deaver (or Dever) brothers, William John and Thomas, came to western North Carolina from Maryland and settled in the Pigeon River Valley. They were accompanied by William Hamby.

We suspect that William John Deaver was married to a daughter of William Hamby. William John and his brother, Thomas, settled near the Pigeon River in a region that was then Buncombe, but became Haywood County, NC. William John Deaver had four children, that we know of. In 1809, at the age of about 39, William John Deaver died.

We believe that Thomas Deaver then married his brother’s widow. Thomas Deaver had three children. Thomas took his family and settled in Cades Cove, TN, a site now within the borders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where he died in 1815.

Where the children lived during the next ten years is not clear. Some researchers suggest that their mother died while they were quite young, and that they were raised by William Hamby. In his will, William Hamby left all his property to the children of William John and Thomas Deaver, listing all six of them by name.

William died in 1840 about age 96. He was buried at Primitive Baptist Church in Cade’s Cove, Blount County, TN. For someone who had such an inauspicious beginning, William Hamby had a long and remarkable life.

Known children of William Hamby:
John Hamby born 1764
Thomas Hamby, born between 1766 and 1774

Part Four: Buncombe and Yancey Counties