In 1906, John L. Addington, Sr., the son of Charles Cromwell Addington and grandson of William, published a pamphlet entitled: GENEALOGY OF THE ADDINGTONS, Saratoga Printing Company:
My Grandfather, William Addington, was born in London, England about 1750. He lived whith his parents, in the city, until he was about twenty years old. His parents were very wealthy, and kept him in school from the time he was old enought, and consequently, he had a fine education. There where, about this time, a large number of emigrants from England to the colonies in North America. His desire being to come to America. His parents tried to persuade him from coming, but seeing their persuasion proved futile, they furnished him with ample means for his passport and to supply him for a good while after leaving port. He traveled a great deal and finally located in Culpepper County, Virginia where he was married to Margaret Cromwell, about the year 1774, a short time before the war between Great Britain and the Colonies.
When was was declared, William volunteered and joined the Army. He served under General George Washington and was appointed Commisssary, which position he held during the service. He was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. Soon after the was, William moved to Eastern North Carolina with his little family, remaining a short time. Hearing of a county in Southwest Virginia, called Clinch River, where land was good, range fine and game plenty; bear, deer and wild turkeys in abundance; with these inducements, Williams and twelve other families came to Southwest Virginia. They made their exodus in the summer of 1785, bringing their horses and cattle with them and located in Russell County, Virginia, north of the mountain in the valley near Hayter's Gap.
Sometime between the surrender of the British Army at Yorktown and September 9, 1783, William and Margaret moved to Caswell County, North Carolina, where a son was born. Here they remained until early 1785 when they moved to the Hayter's Gap section of Washington County, Virginia. They settled in an area today known as Addington Cove, where a small stream known as Addington Branch has its headwaters. This area still echoes the memory of their early settlement.
It is possible that around 1799, William begins to slip into the mental condition which will plague him for the rest of his life. On November 4, 1799 William withdraws his entry of 100 acres made on July 26, 1792 and reenters his 100 acres on the top of War Gap Ridge, near Jacob Crabtree. It is probable that this move was done to be nearer to Margaret's brother Charles Cromwell, who was also a resident of the War Gap Ridge Section, having moved there prior to 1785.
The 1802 Russell County Tax List is the last time William Addington is mentioned in any of the Russell County Records. On July 12, 1802, William was admitted to the Lunatic Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia. William appears on a list of patients at the Hosptial from 1800 to 1815. He was being treated for melancholy, today more commonly known as depression.
When William died on February 9, 1805, the hospital had two carpenters construct a coffin for him. He was buried on the ground of the Hospital. There now stands a Memorial to all that were buried there. The sit is now the National Center for State Courts.
William L. Addington 
