Redheadkelly at 01:38, 30 August 2026

2026-08-30T01:38:48Z

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{{SHORTDESC:Landowner of Rocky River, North Carolina, and Montgomery and Stewart County, Tennessee}}
{{About||the distinct William Ross of Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County|William Ross of English Buffalo Creek}}
{{Infobox Ross ancestor
| given_name = William
| middle_name = 
| surname = Ross
| surname_prefix = 
| pre-nominals = 
| post-nominals = Sr.
| title_type = informal
| title_ordinal = 
| title_role = 
| title_particle = of
| title_object = Rocky River
| honorific_suffix = 
| date_format = mdy
| portrait = 
| landscape = 
| alt = 
| other_image = 
| birth_date_range_end = 27 Jan 1765
| baptized = 
| death_date_range_end = 6 May 1811
| flourished_begin = 
| flourished_end = 
| burial_place = 
| gravestone = 
| residence = Mecklenburg County, North Carolina;Cabarrus County, North Carolina;Montgomery County, Tennessee;Stewart County, Tennessee
| years_active_beg = 
| years_active_end = 
| organization = 
| title = 
| height = 
| weight = 
| father = 
| mother = 
| spouses = {{partner|Elizabeth Unknown}}
| children = {{plainlist|
* [[Isaac Ross (c1775-bef1835)|Isaac Ross]]
* [[Mary Ross (-aft1833)|Mary Ross]]
* [[William Ross Jr. of Rocky River|William Ross Jr.]]
* [[Charles T. Ross (bef1791-aft1835)|Charles T. Ross]]
* [[Leah Ross (c1784-aft1866)|Leah Ross]]
* [[Joshua Ross (-aft1835)|Joshua Ross]]
* [[Eleanor Ross (-aft1834)|Eleanor Ross]]
* [[Sarah Ross (-aft1829)|Sarah Ross]]
}}
| family = Rosses of Rocky River
| immigration_date = 
| immigration_place = 
| sex_chromosomes = XY
| y_matched_group = 
| familysearch = 
| wikitree = Ross-30035
| rin = 28538
}}

'''William Ross Sr.''' (before 27 January 1765 – c. 1811) was granted two tracts of land on Rocky River, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in the 1780s, and is documented in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County deed and marriage records through 1793. He is documented under substantially fuller records in Montgomery and Stewart County, Tennessee, from 1800 until his death about 1811, where he is the father of eight documented children, including [[William Ross Jr. of Rocky River|William Ross Jr.]] and [[Charles T. Ross (bef1791-aft1835)|Charles T. Ross]]. This article combines what were, until recently, two separate wiki articles treating the North Carolina and Tennessee records as possibly unrelated individuals; see [[#Identification with the Rocky River grantee|Identification with the Rocky River grantee]] below for the evidence connecting them.

== DNA evidence ==

=== Y-DNA ===
[[File:R-FT75634-yDNA-path.jpg|right|thumb|link=https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/snpTracker.html?snp=R-FT424248&walk&options=er|Migration path of Y-DNA haplogroup R-FT424248]]
One descendant of [[Eli Ross (1805-1885)|Eli Ross]] has done [[Y-DNA testing]] and he is a match to [[Y-DNA R Haplogroup - Family 01]]. Recent research by descendants of Eli Ross has determined that he is most likely the grandson of this William Ross though his son Charles T. Ross. If this is the case, then the [[Y-DNA haplogroup]] of this line is currently R-FT424248.

Several descendants of [[James Ross of Monroe County (c1760-bef1821)|James Ross of Monroe County]] also fall into this haplogroup branch. Y-DNA is estimating that the most recent common ancestor shared by these FT424248 men lived circa 1790 CE, but potentially anytime between 1650 CE and 1890 CE. The birth date of this William Ross is estimated to be circa 1765 or earlier. And the birth date of James Ross is estimated to be circa 1750. It's not clear, then, how these two lines could be connected.

{{R Family 01 branches text}}

Haplogroup R-FT424248 falls into the larger of the two Ross branches. This means that this line is not expected to be a direct descendant of [[Rose of Kilravock]]. More research is needed to determine the identity of these two Ross branches.

{{R Family 01 not a match text}}

{{R Family 01 R1b-L21 text}}

=== Autosomal DNA ===


== Biography ==

=== Early life ===
No birth record has been located for William Ross Sr. His birth is estimated as before 27 January 1765, on the assumption that he was of legal age (21) by the date of his first North Carolina land grant entry.<ref name="Mecklenburg Co. File no. 3681, William Ross" />

=== Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County, North Carolina, land records, 1786–1793 ===
<div class="leafletmap">{{#display_map: geojson=WilliamRossRockyRiver |
35.301063753179825, -80.48873264886541~Mecklenburg Co. land grant file no. 3681, William Ross;
35.33619927556412, -80.49766064886344~Mecklenburg Co. land grant file no. 3700, William Ross
36.4870,-87.3595~Residence and land, Green Tree Grove, Stewart County, Tennessee;
36.5290,-87.3595~Land transactions, Montgomery County, Tennessee, 1805-1808
|layers=Thunderforest.Pioneer
|service=leaflet
}}</div>
William Ross Sr. first appears in North Carolina land grant records in 1786, when he entered two tracts on Rocky River, Mecklenburg County: a 622-acre tract on "the waters of Rockey river" (entry 992, 27 January 1786) and a 97-acre tract "on the North side of Rocky River" (entry 993, 27 June 1786), both surveyed 28 April 1787 and issued to him on 26 November 1789 as grants No. 3681 and No. 3700.<ref name="Mecklenburg Co. File no. 3681, William Ross" /><ref name="Mecklenburg Co. File no. 3700, William Ross" /> The 622-acre grant adjoined the lands of George Tucker, David Cagle, John Hartsell, Douglass Winchester, Henry Price, and William Winchester; the 97-acre grant adjoined John Ashley and John Finney.<ref name="Mecklenburg Co. File no. 3681, William Ross" />

On 28 August 1789, Robert Smith conveyed William Ross a further 100 acres in Mecklenburg County adjoining John Finney, Peter Rape, and John Bigger; this deed was proved in court in January 1792.<ref name="Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, deed bk. 14 p. 33" /> In January 1792, William Ross conveyed 869 acres on Rocky River, Mecklenburg County, to Daniel Bean (also spelled Bain, Baine, or Bayne) — his own son-in-law, married to his daughter Sarah since December 1789 (see [[#Marriage and family in Mecklenburg County|Marriage and family in Mecklenburg County]] below).<ref name="Mecklenburg Co. bk. 14 p. 24" /> On 19 April 1793, Daniel Bean, of Cabarrus County (formed from Mecklenburg County in 1792), conveyed four tracts totaling 869 acres — the same lands, including the original 622-acre grant No. 3681 — to "William Ross, Junior," of Cabarrus County, for £400; the deed was witnessed by David McKinley Sr. and William Ross [Sr.], and acknowledged in open court by Daniel Bean in October 1793.<ref name="Cabarrus Co. bk. 1 p. 38">Cabarrus County, North Carolina Deed Book 1, p. 38 (19 April 1793, proved October 1793), FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G98M-ZS49?lang=en). The blog "Near the Mouth of Dutch Buffalo Creek" cites this deed as Cabarrus Co. deed book 2, page 38; that citation is in error — Cabarrus Co. deed book 2, page 38 is an unrelated deed (Alexander McLirty to John Means). The deed is correctly cited as book 1, page 38, confirmed directly against the deed books.</ref> This last-documented appearance — witnessing his own son-in-law's conveyance of his former land to his own son — is the final trace of William Ross Sr. in the Mecklenburg/Cabarrus County record.

=== Marriage and family in Mecklenburg County ===
On 29 December 1789, William Ross's daughter [[Sarah Ross (-aft1829)|Sarah Ross]] married Daniel Bane (Daniel Bain) in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, with William Ross himself signing as bondsman for the marriage license.<ref name="Marriage Bonds (Vols. A-C), C.065.60002, image 267 of 1096" /> This marriage record is the documentary link connecting the Rocky River land grantee to the William Ross Sr. otherwise documented only in Montgomery and Stewart County, Tennessee, from 1805 onward — see [[#Identification with the Rocky River grantee|Identification with the Rocky River grantee]] below.

=== Montgomery and Stewart County, Tennessee, land records, 1800–1811 ===
The earliest documented appearance of William Ross Sr. in Tennessee is the 1800 Montgomery County tax list: taxed by Charles Stewart in Capt. Charles Stewart's Company, William Ross Sr. was assessed for 1,116 acres and four enslaved persons, and William Ross Jr. was separately taxed as a single white poll — the two appearing together on the same tax list, consistent with father and son.<ref name="1800taxlist">Deborah Bishop Pierce, ''1800 Tax List, Montgomery County, Tennessee'' (D.B. Pierce, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., 1987), p. 9, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/688294/?offset=0#page=11&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=).</ref> By about 1803, when Stewart County was organized from Montgomery County, William Ross Sr. was still resident in the area.<ref name="tax">Jim Long, ''Stewart County, Tennessee Tax Lists, 1804–1840'' (Franklin, Tennessee, 2011), pp. 31, 40, 49, 70.</ref>

On 17 February 1805, William Ross Sr., of Montgomery County, Tennessee, granted to his son William Ross Jr., "for and in consideration of the love and regard he has for his son," a tract of land on the Little West Fork of the Red River, beginning at Joshua Ross's southeast corner; the deed was witnessed by Glidwell Killebrew and David Enloe.<ref name="1805deed">Montgomery County, Tennessee Deed Book D, pp. 187–188 (17 February 1805).</ref><ref name="mtgyco-deeds4">Don Simmons and Laura Willis, ''Montgomery County, Tennessee Deeds Volume 4, 1805–1809'' (Simmons Historical Publications, Melber, Kentucky, 1996), pp. 2, 16, 58, 67, 71, 85–86.</ref>

On 18 July 1806, Samuel Allen sold Glidwell Killebrew, both of Montgomery County, a 300-acre tract on the Little West Fork of the Red River adjoining land Allen had sold to David Dupuy, described in the deed as "son-in-law of William Ross Sr.," and part of three tracts originally granted to William Ross Sr. and William Whitehead.<ref name="1806deed">Montgomery County, Tennessee Deed Book D, pp. 262–263 (18 July 1806).</ref><ref name="mtgyco-deeds4" />

On 7 March 1807, William Ross Jr. signed a bond to his father in the sum of $2,000, conditioned on the understanding that if he ever made a claim against his father's estate, he would first pay $1,000 with interest before drawing his equal share as a child of William Ross Sr.<ref name="1807bond">Montgomery County, Tennessee Will Record Book A, p. 450 (7 March 1807).</ref><ref name="willis1805-1814">Laura Willis, ''Montgomery County, Tennessee Wills and Administrations Volume Two, 1805–1814'' (Simmons Historical Publications, Melber, Kentucky, 1995), p. 41.</ref>

On 2 September 1807, William Ross witnessed a deed of David Enloe to James Ross for 29 acres on the west fork of the Red River.<ref name="1807witness">Montgomery County, Tennessee Deed Book H, pp. 401–402 (2 September 1807).</ref><ref name="simmons1805d">Don Simmons and Laura Willis, ''Montgomery County, Tennessee Deeds Volume 4, 1805–1809'' (Simmons Historical Publications, Melber, Kentucky, 1996), pp. 29, 47.</ref> Later that month, on 18 September 1807, William Ross Sr. sold Thomas Blakeney 200 acres on the Little West Fork of Red River, part of a tract originally granted to the heirs of Clement Smith, witnessed by James Lockert and Lewis Elliott.<ref name="1807blakeney">Montgomery County, Tennessee Deed Book D, pp. 318–319 (18 September 1807).</ref><ref name="simmons1805d" />

On 29 February 1808, William Ross Sr. and Thomas Watson sold John Shelby 110 acres on Flat Lick Fork of the Little West Fork of Red River, part of a 640-acre tract the heirs of Clement Smith had granted them, witnessed by W. E. Williams, C. Clengen, and James Lockert.<ref name="1808shelby">Montgomery County, Tennessee Deed Book H, pp. 460–461 (29 February 1808).</ref> On 27 June 1808, Robert Nelson bonded himself to convey 274 acres on the east end of Green Tree Grove to William Ross once Nelson obtained his own grant entry, witnessed by William S. Bailey and James Hambleton and proven in court 13 June 1809.<ref name="1808nelson">Montgomery County, Tennessee Deed Book I, p. 20 (27 June 1808).</ref><ref name="willis1808-1812">Laura Willis, ''Montgomery County, Tennessee Deeds Volume 5, 1808–1812'' (Simmons Historical Publications, Melber, Kentucky, 1996), p. 11.</ref>

William Ross appears on the Stewart County, Tennessee tax lists from 1808 through 1811. In 1808 he is listed with 282 acres at Green Tree Grove and no poll tax; in 1809 he appears in Captain Warden's Company, still with 282 acres; the 1810 list places him in "Captain Ross' Company," alongside Reuben Ross, Charles Ross, Isaac Ross, Thomas Ross, Nathan Ross, and Hampton Ross.<ref name="tax" /> The 1811 list notes that his land was "received by order of Court, May Term 1812, for 1811, Alsey Bradford, Executor of William Ross, 100 acres and 1 white poll."<ref name="tax" />

On 28 September 1810, William Ross received a Tennessee land grant (No. 2557) for 140 acres in Stewart County, District 1, as assignee of Archibald McDonald's military service warrant No. 3843 (dated 16 March 1795), adjoining a 274-acre survey made for Robert Nelson south of Green Tree Grove; the tract was surveyed 17 January 1810 by D. Stewart and the grant was signed by Governor Willie Blount.<ref name="1810grant">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 9, pp. 1–2 (grant dated 28 September 1810, recorded 4 December 1829); "Stewart County, Tennessee Deeds, Indirect (Grantee Index)," online at USGenWeb.org (tngenweb.org/stewart/deed/TNStewartGranteeIndex.htm).</ref> On 28 November 1810, William Ross's property is mentioned as an abutting boundary in deeds of Henry Pugh to John and Thomas Haywood.<ref name="1810pugh">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book D, pp. 79–85 (28 November 1810); Mrs. John Trotwood Moore, ''Tennessee Records of Stewart County Deed Record Book Vol. 4, 1810–1813'' (Works Progress Administration, 1939), pp. 16–18, 71, 113.</ref>

=== Death and estate, 1811–1839 ===
At the Stewart County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions held at Dover on 6 May 1811, the last will and testament of William Ross was proved in open court on the oath of Charles Ross, Isaac Ross, and Timothy Taylor, and James Walker, the executor named in the will, qualified as such.<ref name="courtmin1811a">Stewart County, Tennessee Court Minutes, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, April 1808 – November 1812, pp. 54–55 (6 May 1811); also online at USGenWeb.org (tngenweb.org/stewart/minutes1808.htm).</ref> On 5 August 1811, James Walker, as executor, exhibited an inventory and list of sales of the estate to the court.<ref name="courtmin1811b">Stewart County, Tennessee Court Minutes, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, April 1808 – November 1812, p. 81 (5 August 1811).</ref> On 4 May 1812, the court granted James Walker leave to return two tracts of the estate (140 and 142 acres) for 1811 taxation, exonerated from double tax.<ref name="courtmin1812">Stewart County, Tennessee Court Minutes, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, April 1808 – November 1812, p. 124 (4 May 1812); Jim Long, ''Stewart County, Tennessee County Court Minutes 1804–1812'' (self-published, Franklin, Tennessee, undated), pp. 131, 144, 156.</ref> A settlement by the estate's administrators was filed 24 April 1813.<ref name="wills-a176">Stewart County, Tennessee Wills and Bonds Volume A (1812–1814), p. 176 (24 April 1813); Byron and Barbara Sistler, ''Index to Tennessee Wills and Administrations 1779–1861'' (self-published, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990), p. 317.</ref> On 4 May 1813, James Walker, as executor, conveyed a 50-acre parcel out of grant No. 2558 to Nathan Skinner in satisfaction of a bond of William Ross's, witnessed by Henry Pugh and Ezekiel Cox.<ref name="skinner1813">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book D, pp. 473–474 (4 May 1813).</ref>

On 5 May 1823, the Stewart County court appointed Nathan Ross, Robert Walker, and David Moore to settle with James Walker, administrator of the estate, and the settlement was returned 6 August 1823.<ref name="settlement1823a">Settlements, Wills and Bonds Volume A (May 1812 – May 1814), Stewart County, Tennessee, p. 209 (5 May 1823); Jim Long, ''Stewart County, Tennessee Abstracts of Settlements, Wills and Bonds, 1804–1896'' (2008), pp. 44–45, 67.</ref><ref name="settlement1823b">Settlements, Wills and Bonds Volume A (May 1812 – May 1814), Stewart County, Tennessee, p. 263 (6 August 1823).</ref> The 140-acre Green Tree Grove tract granted to William Ross remained listed in his heirs' names on Stewart County tax delinquency notices published in the ''Knoxville Register'' on 16 July 1824 (for 1823 taxes) and again on 4 April 1827 (for 1826 taxes), and on the 1830 Stewart County tax list.<ref name="knoxreg1824">''The Knoxville Register'', Knoxville, Tennessee, vol. VIII, no. 414, 16 July 1824, p. 4, col. 2.</ref><ref name="knoxreg1827">''Knoxville Register'', Knoxville, Tennessee, vol. XI, no. 551, 4 April 1827, p. 3, col. 4.</ref><ref name="tax" />

The Green Tree Grove tract, held as daughter Leah's dower and inheritance, was sold on 11 March 1830 by Leah's husband Stephen Howell, of Covington County, Mississippi, to James Walker of Christian County, Kentucky, for $9, quitclaiming Leah's one-ninth share; the deed was proven in court and registered 29 January 1831.<ref name="howell1830">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 9, pp. 165–166 (11 March 1830, registered 29 January 1831).</ref> On 4 August 1829, William Bain of Stewart County, acting as attorney for his father Daniel Bain (by then of White County, Illinois), released to James Walker all right, title, and interest that Daniel Bain held — in right of his wife Sarah Bain, formerly Sarah Ross, "one of the heirs of William Ross, deceased" — in the same 140-acre Green Tree Grove tract, for $10; the deed was proven in open court by the oaths of Benjamin Currie and William Hooks and registered 7 December 1829.<ref name="Stewart Co. bk. 9 pp. 11-12" /> On 9 January 1839, Young E. Watson of Christian County, Kentucky sold Samuel A. Tarry of Stewart County an 80-acre portion of the same 140-acre "Ross survey," describing it as six-ninths of the tract granted to William Ross and divided among his wife and heirs; the deed was proven in court 2 April 1850.<ref name="1839deed">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 16 (December 1847 – January 1851), pp. 579–580 (9 January 1839, proven 2 April 1850).</ref>

=== Ancestors ===
{{Ancestors & descendants chart
|descendants=
*'''William Ross Sr. of Rocky River'''
** m. [[Elizabeth Unknown]]
*** [[Isaac Ross (c1775-bef1835)|Isaac Ross]]
*** [[Mary Ross (-aft1833)|Mary Ross]]
*** [[William Ross Jr. of Rocky River|William Ross Jr.]]
*** [[Charles T. Ross (bef1791-aft1835)|Charles T. Ross]]
*** [[Leah Ross (c1784-aft1866)|Leah Ross]]
**** m. [[Stephen Howell (c1782-bef1860)|Stephen Howell]]
*** [[Joshua Ross (-aft1835)|Joshua Ross]]
*** [[Eleanor Ross (-aft1834)|Eleanor Ross]]
**** m. [[David Dupuy (-aft1834)|David Dupuy]]
*** [[Sarah Ross (-aft1829)|Sarah Ross]]
**** m. [[Daniel Bain (1760-1838)|Daniel Bain]]
}}
No source located for this article documents William Ross Sr.'s own parents.

=== Marriage and children ===
William Ross Sr. married a woman named Elizabeth, surname undocumented; a deed of 18 July 1806 identifies David Dupuy as his son-in-law, indicating a daughter's marriage by that date.<ref name="1806deed" /> His eight documented children are:
* [[Isaac Ross (c1775-bef1835)|Isaac Ross]]<ref name="isaacdeed">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 12, pp. 398–400.</ref>
* [[Mary Ross (-aft1833)|Mary Ross]]<ref name="marydeed">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 13, p. 21 (18 March 1833).</ref>
* [[William Ross Jr. of Rocky River|William Ross Jr.]]<ref name="wmjr">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 9, p. 239 (2 September 1829).</ref> — the same man previously discussed as the recipient of the 17 February 1805 Montgomery County land gift, above
* [[Charles T. Ross (bef1791-aft1835)|Charles T. Ross]]<ref name="joshuadeed">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book I, pp. 23–24; this citation is given for both Charles T. Ross and Joshua Ross in the source material reviewed for this article.</ref>
* [[Leah Ross (c1784-aft1866)|Leah Ross]], born about 1784 in North Carolina, married Stephen Howell.<ref name="howell1830" />
* [[Joshua Ross (-aft1835)|Joshua Ross]]<ref name="joshuadeed" />
* [[Eleanor Ross (-aft1834)|Eleanor Ross]], married David Dupuy.<ref name="eleanordeed">Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 18 (December 1852 – October 1854), pp. 485–487 (3 November 1834).</ref><ref name="long1834">Jim Long, ''Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Abstracts 1834–1854'' (2023), pp. 65, 72, 298, 381, 382.</ref>
* [[Sarah Ross (-aft1829)|Sarah Ross]], married [[Daniel Bain (1760-1838)|Daniel Bain]] (Bane/Baine/Bayne) on 29 December 1789 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, with her father William Ross signing the marriage bond.<ref name="Marriage Bonds (Vols. A-C), C.065.60002, image 267 of 1096" /> Sarah is identified as "one of the heirs of William Ross, deceased" in an 1829 Stewart County deed.<ref name="Stewart Co. bk. 9 pp. 11-12" />

A source consulted for this article separately reports "9" as the total number of children, one more than the eight documented above; this discrepancy is unresolved.<ref name="ydna-email">Jana Killebrew, "Re: Ross Surname Project Y-DNA results," email to Kelly Moores and others, July 8, 2026.</ref>

=== Occupation ===


=== Military ===


=== Death & burial ===
William Ross Sr. died about 1811 in Stewart County, Tennessee; his will was proved in open court on 6 May 1811.<ref name="courtmin1811a" /> No burial location has been documented for this article.

=== Timeline ===
{{Show timeline|person}}

== Research notes ==

=== Identification with the Rocky River grantee ===
The 1829 Stewart County deed discussed above identifies Sarah, wife of Daniel Bain, as "Sarah Bain, formerly Sarah Ross," one of the heirs of the Tennessee William Ross Sr.<ref name="Stewart Co. bk. 9 pp. 11-12" /> Separately, a Mecklenburg County, North Carolina marriage bond dated 29 December 1789 records the marriage of Daniel Bane (Daniel Bain) to Sarah Ross, with Sarah's father, William Ross, personally signing as bondsman in Mecklenburg County — placing the Tennessee family's William Ross Sr. in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in December 1789.<ref name="Marriage Bonds (Vols. A-C), C.065.60002, image 267 of 1096" /> This is the same county, and very nearly the same years, in which the Rocky River grantee is independently and extensively documented: he received his Rocky River land grants there in 1786–1789, and continued to be active in Mecklenburg/Cabarrus County deed records through 1793.

The connection is reinforced by Daniel Bain's own land dealings with the Rocky River family. In January 1792, William Ross Sr. of Rocky River conveyed 869 acres on Rocky River to Daniel Bain.<ref name="Mecklenburg Co. bk. 14 p. 24" /> On 19 April 1793, Daniel Bain conveyed those same 869 acres — four tracts, including the original grant No. 3681 tract — to "William Ross, Junior," with William Ross [Sr.] himself as a witness to the deed.<ref name="Cabarrus Co. bk. 1 p. 38" /> In other words, in the space of about sixteen months, the Rocky River William Ross Sr. sold land to his own son-in-law, who then conveyed the same land to a "William Ross, Junior" — a father-in-law-to-son-in-law-to-son transaction entirely consistent with a family land arrangement, and one that ties Daniel Bain directly to both a "William Ross Sr." and a "William Ross, Junior" in Mecklenburg/Cabarrus County at exactly the period Daniel Bain was newly married to the Tennessee family's daughter Sarah.

No single document states outright that the Rocky River grantee moved to Tennessee, so this identification rests on the convergence of these several independent records rather than on one conclusive statement. But taken together — the shared wife's name, the son-in-law and marriage-bond evidence placing the Tennessee family's patriarch in Mecklenburg County in 1789, Daniel Bain's direct land dealings with both a William Ross Sr. and a William Ross Junior there in 1792–1793, and the 1800 Montgomery County tax list showing a William Ross Sr. and William Ross Jr. already established together in Tennessee only seven years after the Rocky River father and son's last joint appearance in the Cabarrus County record<ref name="1800taxlist" /> — the evidence is now strong enough that this wiki treats the two records as belonging to a single individual. The identity of the "William Ross, Junior" named in the 1793 Cabarrus County deed with [[William Ross Jr. of Rocky River|William Ross Jr.]] of the Tennessee family remains a separate, still-unresolved question; see [[William Ross Jr. of Rocky River#Research notes|William Ross Jr. of Rocky River]] for further discussion.

=== Possible connection to the Ross family of Elizabeth City County, Virginia ===
A different, much earlier and geographically distant Ross–Bean marriage is documented among the descendants of [[Hugh Ross the Immigrant (bef1674-bef1708)|Hugh Ross the Immigrant]] of Elizabeth City County, Virginia: Anne Ross, daughter of Francis Ross, married John Bean, and their son William Bean witnessed a will in Elizabeth City County in 1744.<ref name="boddie">John Bennett Boddie, ''Virginia Historical Genealogies'' (1954), pp. 118–119 (https://books.google.com/books?id=AyhusD7Hc2MC).</ref> It has been suggested that this Elizabeth City County Ross family might be related to the Rocky River/Stewart County Ross family discussed in this article, given the recurrence of a Ross–Bean marriage in each. No evidence connecting the two families has been located, and the two Ross–Bean marriages are separated by roughly seventy years and several hundred miles; this remains speculative and is noted here only as a possible avenue for further research.

== Common discrepancies ==
* The Stewart County tax list for 1811 names Alsey Bradford as "Executor of William Ross," while the Stewart County Court Minutes for 6 May 1811 record James Walker as the executor named in the will who qualified in open court, and James Walker continues to appear as executor/administrator of the estate through the 1820s settlements.<ref name="tax" /><ref name="courtmin1811a" /><ref name="settlement1823a" /> This discrepancy between the two records is unresolved.
* A 9 January 1839 deed involving the Green Tree Grove tract is recorded in Stewart County, Tennessee Deed Book 16, a book otherwise spanning December 1847 to January 1851; the reason for this apparent gap between the deed's date and its recording book has not been established for this article.<ref name="1839deed" />
* This individual is easily confused with [[William Ross of English Buffalo Creek|William Ross of Mecklenburg/Cabarrus County]], who held land in the same general area in the same era; see that article for the basis on which the two are currently kept separate.
* [[Arthur Erwin Ross (-1833)|Arthur Erwin Ross]], of the unrelated [[Rosses of Frederick County, Virginia]] family, appears on the same 1800 Montgomery County tax list page, taxed by the same officer in the same company; Y-DNA evidence indicates that the two families are not connected.<ref name="1800taxlist" />

== Sources ==
<references />

'''Bibliography'''
* {{Peerage of Scotland full|edition=1st}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Ross |first1=Hugh |date=Summer 2026 |title=Clan Ross Y-DNA Project |title-link=Clan Ross News (Summer 2026) |magazine=[[Clan Ross News]] |publisher=Clan Ross America |pages=7-8 }}

== Acknowledgements ==
* Includes extensive research shared by [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Franklin-1969 Lisa Franklin]. Lisa is offering to [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ross-30035 cover the costs] for Y-DNA testing for a descendant of William Ross of Stewart County.

== Further reading ==


== External links ==


{{Disclaimer}}

William Ross Sr. of Rocky River - Revision history

Redheadkelly at 01:38, 30 August 2026