Reverend William McGregor (the “Fiery Old Scots Preacher”) was born about 1730-35 probably in Scotland. No records have been found as to when he immigrated to America, but he first appears in North Carolina in 1771 on the Bute County North Carolina tax roll, and was mentioned in the Kehuky Baptist Association minutes in 1774. He was ordained to preach in June 1776 in Franklin County. He was the organizing pastor of Mouth of Uwharrie Baptist Church in 1780 in Montgomery County North Carolina.

It is believed by some that when William came to America he was joined by two brothers, John McGregor and Bartlett McGregor, and in fact there are a John McGregor and a Bartlett McGregor in North Carolina, but no evidence has surfaced that proves they are William’s brothers.

William purchased land in Anson County in 1778 lying southwest of the PeeDee River near the mouth of Attaway Branch. He paid taxes in 1780 and 1782 for five hundred acres of land in Montgomery County in the same location. That land is now part of Morrow Mountain State Park in western Montgomery County.

Some internet sites say that William married Sarah (Molly) Flowers, but I have not seen evidence to verify the marriage. The John McGregor referenced above, lived in Northampton County North Carolina and is said to have married Mary Flowers, and in his will his wife was named Mary and he had a son named Flowers. If William and John were brothers, perhaps they married sisters.

Rev. William McGregor and his wife are probably buried in the cemetery above the Kron Cemetery and is called the McGregor Cemetery at the Morrow Mountain State Park. Rev. William died about 1804/5; it is not known when his wife died but probably around the same time as she was alive in the 1800 census.

There are many internet sites that have confused Rev. William, Sr. with his son William, Jr. There are sites that say Bartlett McGregor is Rev. William’s brother, and others that say Bartlett is William’s son. Some sites say Ezekiel and Willis are the sons of William, Jr. Also, Rev. William’s daughters have never been addressed. Let’s discuss the children of Rev. William McGregor, Sr.

1790 Census Montgomery County North Carolina (names spelled Megrigler) (pg 413)
William McGregor, Sr.
3 males 16+ (Sr. age abt 45-50, Jr. and ?)
2 males under 16 (Ezekiel and Willis)
3 females (Sr. wife, Jr. wife Mary Jane Stiles,
Jr. daughter Mary Ann)
4 slaves

Bartlett McGregor
1 male 16+ (Bartlett)
1 male under 16 (Harris McGregor)
2 females (wife Anne Harris McGregor and 1st child Avrilla)

1800 Census Montgomery County North Carolina (individual spelling below) (pg 520)
William Megriger, Sr.
1 male over 45 (William Sr. aged 65-70)
2 males 16-26 (Ezekiel and Willis)
1 female over 45 (Sr. wife)
6 slaves

William Megriger, Jr.
1 male 26-45 (Jr.)
1 female 26-45 (wife)
5 children

Bartlett Megreger
1 male 26-45 (Bartlett)
1 female (wife)
7 children

There is also a William Megriger aged 16-26 and wife on page 501. Could this be the male living in McGregor household in 1790? I don’t think it is William Jr.’s son as he named a child William b. in 1805. By 1810 census there were no McGregors in Montgomery County. I have not researched any of William Sr.’s grandchildren but have relied on information contained in web sites. In the 1790 and 1800 censuses, the names seem to have been put in a loose alphabetical order so we don’t know how close together they lived to one another.

Bartlett McGregor moved to Stanly County North Carolina where he died . William, Jr., Ezekiel and Willis moved to Warren County, Tennessee.

William McGregor, Jr. is the son of Rev. William McGregor, Sr. and was probably born between 1755 to 1770 either in Scotland or America and is probably the first son. I think Bartlett McGregor is the son not the brother of Rev. William McGregor, Sr. William Sr. could have had a brother named Bartlett and he could have come to America, but is out of the picture by the above time frame. Ezekiel and Willis b. 26 Nov. 1784 are the sons of William Sr. There could have been other sons who were out of the house or not living by the 1790 census.

There are web sites that say Mary Ann McGregor is a child of Rev. William McGregor, Sr. I believe she is the child of William McGregor, Jr. and his wife Mary Jane Stiles McGregor. Any daughters of Rev. William McGregor, Sr. are probably married by the time of the 1790 census. I have been told that a daughter named Susan married and moved to Rowan County North Carolina. There is another who I believe is the daughter of Rev. William McGregor, Sr., and her name is Martha McGregor and she is my ancestor.

William Boyd was 16 years old when he joined the Rowan County North Carolina militia in 1777. He lived in Rowan County, but I have not been able to find his father among the Boyds living there. In his Revolutionary War pension file, he states that he served in the Revolutionary War with Bartlett McGregor. In 1784 he was living in his father’s house when it burned down. I do not know where William was living in the 1790 census, but I believe he and Martha McGregor were married by this time. On March 18, 1794 William Boyd enters 100 acres great glade of Mountain Creek, border on McGehe. This land lies next to Rev. William McGregor’s 500 acres. Also, McGehe is another name for McGregor, although it is usually spelled McGeehee. In the 1800 Montgomery County North Carolina census William Boyd and Martha McGregor Boyd are listed on page 518 as being age 26-45 with 1 male and 4 females under 10.

About 1808 when the McGregors moved to Warren County, Tennessee, William and Martha Boyd went with them. William states in his pension file that locations he lived after his service were Montgomery County, North Carolina, Warren County, Tennessee, Lauderdale County, Alabama, McNairy County, Tennessee, and Washington County, Arkansas where he died. Other Boyds show up in Warren County as well. The McGregors and Boyds are in the 1812 tax list of Warren County, Tennessee. Other families that traveled to Warren County from Montgomery County were Ware, Rowland, Martin, and Burleson.

I don’t know the names or the fate of any of William and Martha McGregor Boyd’s children before 1800; the ones I do know about are McGregor b. 1804, William b. 1806, Willis b. 1808, Ezekiel b. 1811, Martha b. 1812 and another daughter I have not found as of yet. If anyone wants additional information regarding William and Martha Boyd please contact me directly.

The above is a compilation of my own research, web sites, and other sources. I would like feedback on what I have written. If you disagree with my conclusions, please respond and give your reasons and we can have an online discussion. And by all means please respond if you have additional information or know where we can find proof documents. There is so much misinformation on the internet, I thought by doing this we can all get it straight.
Dixie Bogard