William Harper III ¹

  General Notes:

William Harper III and Descendants

William Harper III was born in the Wild Cat Creek section of Lancaster County but spent the greater part of his life in the present Elgin community of the county.

He attended Shiloh A.R.P. Church where his parents wre members after the church was organized in 1801. Prior to thay they attended Old Waxhaw. As for education, if hed attended school it was Old Waxhaw Academy. Born either at the close of the Revolutionary War or shortly thereafter he grew up in a period of change in which there was very little time for school.

In December 17, 1807, he married Catherine Huey of Lancaster District. They made their home in the Elgin section near his brother Robert, who had married about 1800.

When the War of 1812 against Great Britian was declared, William Harper III was one of those drafted from Lancaster District for service in the two compaines sent from the district. The Lancaster men were sent to Haddrell's Point near Charleston where they guarded the coast. William was under the command of Captain John Montgomery and under the Regimental command of Colonel Adam McWillie.* He was given honorable discharge on the 5th day of March, 1815. He returned home rejoicing in the victory won by General Andrew Jackson, a native son of Lancaster, at the Battle of New Orleans.

Returning home in time to begin spring crops, he resumed life as a farmer. Along with other in the vicinity he began ot accumulat a bit of property. By 1820 he had several hundred acres land and three slaves and by 1830 was the owner of fourteen slaves and more land.

William and Catharine reared a family of eight, four boys and four girls. Since they lived only three miles south of the town of Lancaster they must have passed through the town frequently on their way to and from the services in Shiloh Church. They watch with interest the erction of the new and first brick courthouse, 1825 - 1828. That at least would be a familiar sight could they return today.

There must have been frequent invitations to join parties made up of relatives who decided to move to other states in search of greener pastrues. A number of Catharine's family migrated. They visited in the homes of those left the McMurrarys, Nesbits and Hueys.

William Harper passed away on February 5, 1831. He lies buried in the Shiloh cemetery in
an unmarked grave.

*See Catharine Huey Harper pension application on William Harper's service in War of 1812.

William's Wife
Catherine Huey Harper

Catharine Huey, wife of William Harper III, was called Katie but signed her name Catharine. She was the daughter of Hercules Huey, Jr., and his wife the former Isabella Smith.

Hercules Huey, Jr. was the son of Hercules and Catharine Persee Adams Huey who migrated to America and settled in what is now Lancaster County before the Revolutionary War. Hercules, born in Ireland in 1725, died Lancaster (Camden) District in 1775, aged 50 years. His wife, the former Catharine Persee, whose first husband was an Adams, was born in 1728 in Ireland and died in Lnacaster District, November 16, 1808, aged 80. The stone erected to their memory in the Waxhaw Presbyterian Church cemetery where they were buried is a double sont which bears the following inscription:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF
Hercules Catherine
Huey Huey
Sept. 1775 Who Died
Aged 50 years Nov. 16, 1808
Aged 80 years

This monument is erected by
Hercules Huey their son.


According to Huey family history Hercules Huey, Sr. was the son of James and Margaret Ellis Huey. Margaret Ellis was sister to Lord Hercules Ellis of Antrim, Ireland. James Huey was born near Londonderry, Antrim County about 1680. The Hueys (Huets) left France about 1660 and settled in Ireland. Catharine was daughter of Sir Richard Persee of Ireland.

The Will of Hercules, Sr. is on file in the Kershaw County Wills.15 He died, as shown on the tombstone in 1775, just before the Revolutionary War. In his Will he named the following children: Alexander, expected to come from Ireland with proceeds from the sale of Huey property there but whos is said to have been shipwrecked at sea; John, James, Arculeas (Hurcules, Jr.), Mary, Eleasebeth Huey and stepchildren Margaret and Abram Adams.


(V.H. Huey: Huey Family History; Southern Univ. Press, Birmington Publishing Co. Birmington, Als. 1963)

(Kershaw Wills, Vol. I, Page 55 S. C. Archives, Columbia, S.C)


The Hercules Huey, Jr. Family

There is in existence a letter written by Robert Alexander Harper, son of William Harper III and his wief Catharine Huey Harper. In that letter he made one error those who had the letter byt no the retraction. In the letter he made the statement that his grandmother Harper was the former Isabella Blair when in truth she was Ann Young. The letter is as follows with attention called to the errror:

Herbert, Ala.16
May 26th, 1894

Dear Nephew:

You want to know what year my grandfather came from Ireland. I do not know but it was before the Revolutionary War. Was married (according to the ship's list he was in error here for William, Jr. was not married. Apparently he was thinking her of William, Sr., his great-grandfather.) My father settled in three miles of the Town of Lankister and lived there until he died in year of 1831. My mother left South Carolina in the fall of 1822 and settled in haris Co Ga and sold out in 37 and moved to Sumter County Settled on the place that Wm. Dozier now lives and died there. My Grand Mother Harpers name was Isabella Blair.* My Grand Father Hueys name (was) Harkles** Grandmother Isabella Smith (they) rasied Tin children, five boys and five Girls Oldest Boy Sam (Huey) married
Sally Hagins settled in haris Co James (Huey) married Mary Smith Settled in Ga haris Co. John (Huey) and Alexander (Huey) do not know who they married. Joe Huey got Burned to death when he was twentyone yers of age Alex Huey married and lived in South Carolina Oldest Gril named Catharine married William Harper Girl named Sally married John Sibley lived in S.C. several years moved to Macon Co Ala Margret married John McMerray had one child McMerry Died Child name John after its Father She then married William Deen Nancy married William Woods Mary Married William Hinkle moved S C to Mississippi. The Harpers and Hueys all belonged to Shiloh Presbyterian Church in S C***
Robt A Harper


*Later when his attention was called to fact that he had given name of Isabella as name for both his gandmothers Robert A. Harper stated he had made a mistake, only the Grand-mother Huey was named Isabella. The fact is that his Grandmother Harper was Ann Young as has been seen.

**Harkles is a variation of the spelling of Hercules and is found in same deed with either spelling reffering to same Hercules. "Harless" was also sometimes used.

***The elder Hueys were buried in Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Chuch cemetery and so were some of the older Harpers. Shiloh was organized in 1801 and was the church of William Harper, Jr. and his wife, Ann Young Harper and children.

William married Catherine (Katie) Huey, daughter of Hercules Huey Jr. and Isabella Smith, on 17 Dec 1807. (Catherine (Katie) Huey was born in 1790 in Lancaster County, South Carolina and died on 13 Jun 1855 in Sumter County, Georgia.)

  Marriage Notes:

Reference Number:191002