ID: I21620
Name: William 'Squire' Skaggs
Sex: M
Birth: 20 DEC 1757 in VA or Horse Pasture, NC
Death: 20 AUG 1848 in Green County, Ky
Note:
William was an "indian spy" (i.e scout) for the Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary
War. He was an early pioneer into Kentucky and is buried just north of Allendale in Green County KY.

From the Pennsylvania German in Maryland: On the June l2, l776 the
Maryland convention resolved a flying camp be formed to act with the
Militia of Pennsylvania & the Delaware Government. These troops were to
serve until the 1st. of Dec.

The organization of the companies for the flying camp was promptly under-
taken, & no class of citizen was more prompt in enlisting than the
German residents of Frederick Co. some of the companies were made up
almost entirely of Germans, while in all of them there was a fair
proportion of that nationality. Middle Dist., Now Frederick Co.---Capt.
Philip Maroney's Co. in the flying camp---William Skaggs was listed.
Throughout the summer of l775 the citizens of western Maryland composing
chiefly the German element of the population of the Province, were
actively engaged in preparing for the war which they knew was
inevitable.

William Skaggs served during the Rev. War and has a pension request on file in the National Archives.

WILLIAM SKAGGS D.A.R.
William Skaggs born Dec. 20 1757 died Aug. 20, 18??
Married Mary Simpson 1778 then Polly Pierce
Indian Spy for Virginia D.A.R. Vol 117

William H. Skaggs married a Bellen Yancy, Culpepper Co. Va. ? date
William Skaggs was listed with Richard Skaggs, David Skaggs and Joseph
Skaggs receiving land grants in Barren County Kentucky south of Green River
south of Lick Creek

The family listing is taken from information in an original letter on file at the DAR Library in Washington, D. C. sent in 1928 in support of an DAR application. The information is from a Bible which belonged to Bettie Skaggs Pierce, daughter of William Skaggs. Attached to the letter is a notarized statement (State of Kansas, County of Sedgwick) stating that the Notary Public had personally seen the family record in the Bible.

There are some stories about William Skaggs in William Allen's "A History of Kentucky." William is buried in the woods just north of Allendale in Green County, Kentucky. His tombstone is still standing.

WILL OF WILLIAM SKAGGS

In the name of God, Amen: I, William Skaggs of the county of Green, State of Kentucky, being of sound mind and memory, do by these presents constitute and ordain this my last will and testament, to wit:

Item First - I give to wife Polly Skaggs the tract of land whereon I now live with the exception of 50 acres whereon my son Henry now lives, during her life and also my negro girl Mary Ann and my negro boy Newton, the gal about 15 years of age and the boy about 16 years old, together with all my household and kitchen furniture, my farming tools of every description, three cows and calves, and five head of young cattle, three head of horses, all of the above named property ot is my will and desire that my wife shall have and enjoy the use of during her life.

Item Second - I give to my daughter Elizabeth Pearce one negro girl Sarah, about 13 years old, which negro girl my daughter Elizabeth Pearce has now in her possession and having given my daughter above mentioned some property at her marriage, I consider that she has had her full part of my estate.

Item Third - I give to my daughter Polly Elkin one negro boy Preston, about 12 years old which boy my daughter now in her possession, and having had other property at her marriage I give her no more of my estate.

Item Fourth - I give to my daughter Nancy Peace one negro girl named Nancy, about nine years old, which girl my daughter Nancy has now in her possession and she having had other property at her marriage, I give her now no more of my estate.

Item Fifth - I have given to my son William Skaggs in his life some 300 acres of land, more or less, and I also give to my son William during his life one negro boy by the name of Jacob, which boy I have since purchased of my son William and paid him for which I consider was his full part of my estate, and it is my will and desire that the heirs of my son William have no more of my estate.

Item Sixth - I give to my son Fields Skaggs 100 acres of land whereon my son now lives, more or less, also one negro girl Harriet and her increase, which negro my son now has in his possession.

Item Seventh - I give to my daughter Rachel Warren 100 acres of land supposed to be 100 acres, more or less, adjoining the lands where my daughter now lives. I am also to make to my son-in-law William Warren a deed to the land he purchased of John Salsman, supposed to be 20 acres, including the improvement in a strate line to the old line.

Item Eight - I give to my daughter Sibby Salsman 100 acres of land whereon my daughter now lives, also one negro girl July Ann, about 23 years old, which negro my daughter has had in her possession for some years. I purchased and paid my daughter some years since for said negro.

Item Ninth - I give to my son Jeremiah Skaggs 100 acres of land whereon my son now lives, also I give to my son Jeremiah one negro boy Jasper, about 17 years old.

Item Tenth - I have given to my daughter Jane Warren $80 heretofore, and it is my will and desire that my daughter Jane Warren have no more of my estate.

Item Eleventh - I give to my son Stephen Skaggs 100 acres of land whereon my son now lives, also one Negro girl, Sinday, about seven years old, also $50 to be paid out of the sale of my out lands to my son Stephen.

Item Twelth - I give to my son Henry Skaggs 50 acres of land whereon my son Henry now lives, and at the death of my wife I give to my son Henry all the tract of land wherein I now live, supposed to be 300 acres.

The land given to my son Stephen is to be first run off and then my son Henry is to have the remainder of the tract wherin I now live at the death of my wife, also one negro boy named Sess (of Sep), about seven years old.

Item Thirteen - I give to my daughter Eliza Cravat 100 acres of land whereon she now lives, the same more or less, also $100 to be paid to my daughter out of the sale of my out land, also two cows and calves and two head of young cattle.

Item Fourteen - I give to my granddaughter Elizabeth Skaggs one negro girl Polly, about three years old.

Item Fifteen - It is my will and desire that my two negro women, Easter and Sealy, shall have their freedom at my death. The have served me faighfully for my years.

Item Sixteen - It is my will and desire that at the death of my wife all the property she dies possessed of shall be sold and the proceeds equally divided between my children, that is to say, Fields Skaggs; Rachel Warren; Sibby Salsman; Jeremiah Skaggs; Stephen Skaggs; Henry Skaggs; Eliza Cravat. The children not named in this last item I give no more of my estate than I have named for them.

Item Last - It is my will and desire that my sons Fields and Henry be my executors.

Notes from the Green County Review of October 1980:

The foregoing will of William Skaggs was located, filed with other original wills, in the GC Court Clerk's Office. It was not recorded in the will book for the time period; whether the omission was due to error or whether the will was set aside is not now known. An entry in GC Order Book 10, p. 226, shows that the will was produced in court on Oct 16, 1848. On Nov. 20, 1848 (Order Book 10, p.242) Fielding Skaggs was appointed administrator with Jeremiah P. Skaggs and William Pierce as sureties. An inventory and list of sales of the estate was produced in court on Feb. 19, 1849 (OB 10, p. 249).

NOTE: Henry Skaggs, probable son of William and Mary Simpson Skaggs was born about 1779, and married Sally Lacefield on June 1, 1797. In Perrin's, a sketch of James H. Boston of Metcalfe County, Kentucky, it is stated that James H. Boston was the son of Abner Boston and Susan Skaggs; that Susan Skaggs Boston was the daughter of Henry Skaggs who married Sallie Lacefield; and that Henry Skaggs was a Baptist Minister and 'the son of William Skaggs.'

William Skaggs did have a son named Henry; however, this son Henry was born about 1821. William Skagg's first marriage, according to DAR records, was in 1778. The Henry Skaggs who married Sally Lacefield and who was born in 1779 or so could possibly be from the first marriage; however, William's will did not include this earlier Henry Skaggs.

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In the Moses Skaggs's estate settlement in Green County, case No. 3871, there are several depositions that were taken in Green County on April 27, 1836, at the home 'of William Skaggs on Aleck Fork of Pitman's Creek.' (William Skaggs, the Revolutionary veteran, lived on Brush Creek). One of these depositions was given by Frances Samples, the widow of Jacob Skaggs, brother of Moses Skaggs. Frances Samples stated that she and Jacob had one child, a son named William who lived in Green County at the time the deposition was taken.

The deposition was taken in 1836. William Skaggs of Brush Creek was born in 1757. Frances Skaggs Samples would have been in her late nineties at the time of the deposition. It is unlikely that Frances Samples was referring to William Skaggs, veteran of the Revolution, as her son. There were other William Skaggs in the area at that time.

Naming patterns were strong in the Skaggs family, and William Skaggs (1757-1848) did not continue the use of either Jacob or Frances in naming his children. If Jacob and Frances were his parents, those names would most likely have been continued. But apparently neither was the name Jones used for any of William's sons.

It is true that William Skaggs is not mentioned as a legatee in the will of James Skaggs, Jr., but this was not an unusual occurrence in early times. Often when an older son had established himself and owned land, that son would not have been included in the father's will, or even mentioned in the will because the father had already provided for that son by giving him land or other property.

William Skaggs was appointed the administrator for the estate of James Skaggs, the founder of Skaggs's Station.

William Skaggs owned many acres of land in Green County and a number of slaves. He was well known as having been an early settler of the area and is mentioned in numerous court cases involving land settlements. He was known in the area as 'Squire' Skaggs.

In 1832 William Skaggs applied for a pension for military service in the Revolution. In his application he stated that in 1778, apparently along the Clinch River near the home of his father, Indians 'had attacked the father of said William as he (the father) was returning from a neighbor's house and pursued him with such violence that he was compelled to turn and fire, by which he was successful in putting an end to one of his pursuers.' Unfortunately William did not disclose his father's name.

In depositions in land cases given by William Skaggs in 1810, he stated that in 1780 he lived in Green County in the vicinity of Glover's, Pittman's, and Skagg's Station. He also stated that because of Indian attacks about that time the settlers in those three forts had to leave the area and seek shelter in nearby forts. Skaggs stated that by 1784 Glover's, Pittman's, and Skagg's Station began to be resettled.

William Skaggs, according to his pension application, was born in 1757 near Horse Pasture in North Carolina. He died in Green County on August 20, 1848. His first wife was Mary Simpson, and according to DAR records they were married in 1778. William married his second wife, Mary (Polly) Peirce, in Green County on September 2, 1802.

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Father: James 'Longhunter' Skaggs , Jr b: ABT 1730 in VA
Mother: Mary ? b: 1735

Marriage 1 Mary Simpson b: 1760
Married: 1778
Children
Has Children Elizabeth Skaggs b: 19 JAN 1785
Has Children Mary "Polly" Skaggs b: 27 AUG 1787 in Ky; name was Mary Simpson Skaggs?
Has Children Nancy Skaggs b: 16 JUN 1789 in Nelson County, KY

Marriage 2 Mary Pierce b: 25 JUL 1784 in Barren County, KY
Married: 2 SEP 1802 in Green County, KY
Children
Has Children Fielding Skaggs b: 25 APR 1806 in Green County, KY
Has Children Rachel Skaggs b: 27 OCT 1807
Has Children Libby Skaggs b: 27 MAR 1809
Has No Children Jane Skaggs b: 1810
Has No Children Jeremiah Skaggs b: 17 OCT 1813
Has Children Stephen S. Skaggs b: 13 MAR 1820
Has Children Henry Skaggs b: 29 DEC 1821
Has No Children James Skaggs b: 4 NOV 1823
Has Children Louisa Skaggs b: 8 FEB 1824 in Green County, Ky
Has Children William 'Bustle' Skaggs b: 24 AUG 1804 in KY