Don't know if anyone has ever posted this bio sketch of Wm Strother of Orange Co., Va, which is pp144-148 of Wm E. Railey's "History of Woodford County, KY", 1968 reprint from 1938 published by author from a series of articles which appear in The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 1920-1929. Also, would like to say that I am not researching this family but am posting it for those who have interest in this family. William Strother of "Orange" was born about 1720, in Orange County, Virginia, and lived in that county until he came to Kentucky. He was twice married, both events occurring in Virginia. His first marriage was to Sarah (Bailey) Pannill, in 1751. She the widow of William Pannill; second to Anna Kavanaugh, widow of Philemon Kavanaugh.* There was no issue from the second marriage. By the first marriage was Susanna Strother, who married first Captain Moses Hawkins, second Thomas Coleman; William Dabney Strother, who was killed at the battle at Guilford Court House while an officer of a company in the regiment of Col. Richard Taylor, his brother-in-law; and he and Sarah Strother, who became the wife of Col. Richard Taylor, were the parents of General Zachary Taylor, who was commander of our armies in the Mexican War, and afterwards elected President. William Strother was a large land holder in both Orange and Culpeper counties, Va., as various documents of record in these counties disclose, and copies of these records ar in possession of Henry Strother, of Ft. Smith, Ark., who has made many trips to Virginia in research work. In Culpeper County one deed, among others, reveals property deeded by William Strother in 1758 to his daughter Susanna, and his son William Dabney Strother. On August 1st, 1727, Margaret (Thornton) Strother conveyed to her son, Francis Strother, certain slaves, by name, with reversion at his death to his son, William Strother, of "Orange", and these slaves were delivered to William, at the death of his father, Francis, in 1752. When William Strother arrived at the age of maturity he had an uncle in Stafford County whose name was confused with his in business affairs so the one was ever afterward known as William of "Orange", and the other as William of "Stafford", in business and social affairs. +Captain Moses Hawkins and his wife, Susanna Strother, were married March 3rd, 1770, and they had the following issue: 1st Sarah Bailey Hawkins, 2nd William Strother Hawkins, 3rd Lucy Hawkins, and 4th Moses Hawkins, Jr. Captain Moses Hawkins entered the service of the Revolution early in that conflict and was killed at the battle of Germantown, Oct 4, 1777. After the war his widow married Thomas Coleman, who was a neighbor, and friend of Captain Hawkins before the war, and a corporal in his company during the war. Within a few years after the Revolution William Strother of "Orange" and his wife, Anna Kavanaugh, asscompanied by Thomas Coleman, his wife, Susanna Strother Hawkins, and her four Hawkins children, came to Kentucky and settled not far from Mortonsville in Woodford County, and very near the home of Jeremiah Morton, whose wife, Judith Colemen** was a sister of Thomas Coleman, and it is likely they all came to Kentucky at the same time, but just what year I am unable to state, but it is a matter of record that William Strother bought land in the county from Col. Richard Young as early as 1789, and from James Bullock, Jr., in 1794. In his will (see will book C, page 105 county court) he devised the homestead to Susanna Hawkins Coleman, his daughter, and the adjoining farm to his daughter Sarah, who married Col. Richard Taylor. I am informed that the old homestead is now the property of J. A. Eaton. I am quite sure that the remains of William Strother, his wife, Anna Kavanaugh, Thomas Coleman and his wife, Susanna, and perhaps a number of descendants were buried on the Eaton farm. By his will his son-in-law, Col. Richard Taylor, and grandson, Hancock Taylor, were executors of the estate. Col. Richard Taylor and Sarah Strother settled in Jefferson County, where they raised a large family, most of whom were born in Virginia. Gen. Zachary Taylor also had a large family, of whom General Dick was the most distinguished. He served in the Confederacy, and after the war wrote a history of the "Civil War;" Sarah Knox Taylor married Captain Jefferson Davis of the regular army, afterwards became President of the Confederacy; and Anna Mackall Taylor, who married Gen. Robert C. Wood, of the Confederacy. They have a son, Trist Wood, who now resides at New Orleans. General Zachary Taylor, through his grandmother, Elizabeth Lee, the wife of Zachary of Orange County, Va., is descended from Col. Richard Lee, who was also the ancestor of General Robt. E. Lee, and progenitor of that family in America. Although the census of 1810 discloses a large citizenship of Taylors in Woodford, and Col. Richard Taylor's wife owned a farm there, near Montonsville, I don't think that any of his children ever lived in the county, yet he, his wife and his children were frequent visitors to their relatives. Besides his father-in-law, William Strother, his brother, Captain Zachary Taylor, who married Alice Chew, lived in Woodford County and died there. Sarah Bailey Hawkins, lst of Captain Moses Hawkins and Susanna Strother, married James Thornton. She was named for her grandmother, the first wife of William Strother, and for the reason of the namesake she was the only one of the four grandchildren mentioned in her will (Sarah Bailey Pannill) on record in Orange County, Va., and she was handsomely remembered. James Thornton and his wife, Srah Bailey Hawkins, had these children: Damascus Thornton, who, as a very young man, went to Louisiana and managed the plantation of General Zachary Taylor. The climate was against him and he died within a few years; William, who married and went west at an early age; Willis, who married a southern girl and left two daughters, one of whom married Bishop Key, of the Methodist church, whose daughter, Sarah Versel, is in charge of the North Texas College, at Sherman, Texas; James, Jr., who went south at an early age to take charge of General Taylor's plantation after the death of his elder brother. He did not return to Woodford County until he reached his fiftieth birthday, and soon afterward married Elizabeth Kidd; Richard Taylor Thornton, who enlisted in the regiment of Col. Whitaker in 1861 and was killed at the battle of Shiloh; Susan Strother Thornton who, upon the death of her mother, took charge of the hom and the care of the younger children and died a spinster; Sarah, who married John P. Cammack, who has a son living in Dallas, Texas; Emma, who married Thomas J. Waller; Lucy Ann, who married ___Busby and died without issue, Sophia, who married Hiram Wilhoit, and had James T. and John. Sue Thornton, who married Zach T. Walker, had Mabel and Les Walker; and Lutie Thornton, who married Joel Chiles, were daughters of James Thornton, Jr., and Elizabeth Kidd. She the latter, and her children live in Missouri. William Strother Hawkins 2nd of Captain Moses Hawkins and Susanna Strother was born June 1, 1772, and died October 26, 1858. He married Katherine Keith Oct 14, 1802, she a daughter of Captain Isham Keith and Charlotte Ashmore, and a grandaughter of the Rev. James Keith and Mary Isham Randolph. William Strother Hawkins and Katherine Keith had these children; Isham Keith, who*** married first Lucy Major, second Sarah Hall; Charlotte Ashmore, who married++ James Vaughn; Benjamine Dabney, who married Jane Watts; Lucy, who married Thomas McGinnis; Moses, III, who married Mary Sublett; Susan Strother, who married Thomas S. Edwards; William Strother, Jr., who married Elizabeth Gough; Katherine Keith, who married Richard Henry Railey Feb 25, 1852; and James Keith Hawkins, who married first Ann Sublett, second Amanda Joiner. Isham Keith Hawkins and Lucy Major had James and Elizabeth, who died young and Katherine, who married Aaron Darnell and had Isham Randolph Darnell. Isham Keith Hawkins and Sarah Hall had Mary Frances, who died single; Annie who married John E. Miles and had Mary Keith; William T., who served with Morgan during the Civil War, and married Gertrude Owsley, and had William Hall and Lena; Callie, who married George Byrnes; Clinton B., who married Elizabeth Owsley and had Frank H. and Clinton; and Susie, who married Richard J. Fogg and had William Clinton, Sadie and Richard J., Jr. Charlotte Ashmore Hawkins and James Vaughan had Edmond Vaughan, and William Vaughan. +++Benjamine Dabney Hawkins and Jane Watts had Cliff Hawkins, who married ____ ____, and had Susie; and Lucy Hawkins, who married Bush Allin, who was elected circuit clerk of Mercer County soon after his return from the Civil War, and the re-elected consecutively until his death, about l909. They have a son, Ben Casey Allin who is propreitor of the old Graham Springs, at the Harrodsburg, and another son, Bush, Jr., who is President of the Mercer Couty National Bank; and other children. Lucy Hawkins and Thomas McGinnis had William Strother, who married Belle Sublett and had Lucy, Woodford, Keene, James, and Matt Strother McGinnis. Moses Hawkins, III, and Mary Sublett had Ballard, who married John Trumbo; Sallie, who married Christopher Lillard, and Lee, who married David Castleman. Wm Strother Hawkins and Elizabeth Gough had Katherine, who married John Ed Hawkins; Robert, who married Mamie Lindsey; Francis, Eliza, Mary Belle, Matt, Charlotte and Bessie. Katherine Keith Hawkins and Richard Henry Railey had Wm. E. Railey, born Dec 25, 1852, who married Annie H. Owsley, Mary 26, 1886, and had Jennie Farris, born June 28, 1887, who married Douglass Wheeler King, June 1918; Bertha Hontas Railey and P. Woodson Railey. Lucy Hawkins, third child of Captain Moses Hawkins and Susanna Strother, and William George, her husband, had Katherine, Joseph and Sallie. Moses Hawkins, Jr. and Sarah Castleman, daughter of Lewis Castleman and Jemima Pearsoll, lived on Glenns creek on a farm, and he owned a grist mill that he operated for many years, know as Hawkins' Mill. My impression is that McDaniel afterward bought the property and operated the mill. Moses Hawkins, Jr., died in 1817, and in 1832 his widow moved with five of her sever children to Palmyra, Mo. Their descendants are numerous and prominent in Missouri. Mrs. Lela G. Wright, of LaBelle is a great granddaughter and has done much towards preserving this branch of the family history. (See Castleman sketch, page 62) The Strother line: William Strother (1) and his wife, Dorthy. William Strother (2) and his wife, Margaret Thornton. Francis Strother (3) and his wife, Susanna Dabney. William (4) of "Orange", and his wifes, Sarah Bailey Pannill and Anna Kavanaugh. *Philemon Kavanaugh and his wife had a son, Philemon **This is an error. See page 37 ***See page 222 +See supplement for his will ++See page 281 +++See page 400