Major Daniel Williams

1763 - 1781  (18 years)

• Name	Daniel Williams  [1]
  Title	Major
  Birth	1763	Granville County, North Carolina, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  DAR/SAR	Daughters of the American Revolution: Ancestor #: A125953  [2]
  		Seal-DAR Daughters of the American Revolution
  FSID	L8B5-7DJ
  Military Service	18 Nov 1781	Laurens County, South Carolina, USA   [3]
  	American Army - Revolutionary War: South Carolina Militia
  Death	18 Nov 1781	Laurens County, South Carolina, USA   [1, 3]
  	Cause: Killed in Action - Revolutionary War
  	Massacred by Major William “Bloody Bill” Cunningham and a large force of Loyalist militia
  Probate	1782	Caswell County, North Carolina, USA
  Burial	Hayes Station Edgehill Plantation, Clinton, Laurens, South Carolina, USA   [1]
  	Site of the Hayes Station Massacre
  		Memorial-Hayes Station Memorial to the men massacred by Bloody Bill Cunningham at the Hayes Station Massacre on 17 November 1781 at Hayes Station in Laurens County SC
  		Hayes Station Cemetery (Edgehill Plantation - Site of the Hayes Station Massacre) Clinton, Laurens, South Carolina Find a Grave: #2361338
  Person ID	I13580	A Tree Called Smith
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

  Father	Brigadier General James Henderson Williams,   b. 10 Nov 1740, Hanover County, Virginia, USA d. 7 Oct 1780, Gaston County, North Carolina, USA (Age 39 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Mary Clark Wallace,   b. 8 May 1743, Augusta County, Virginia, USA d. 1804, Cross Hill, Laurens, South Carolina, USA (Age 60 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	1762	Granville County, North Carolina, USA   [4, 5, 6, 7]
  Family ID	F10647	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1763 - Granville County, North Carolina, USA Military Service - American Army - Revolutionary War: South Carolina Militia - 18 Nov 1781 - Laurens County, South Carolina, USA Death - Cause: Killed in Action - Revolutionary War - 18 Nov 1781 - Laurens County, South Carolina, USA Probate - 1782 - Caswell County, North Carolina, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Arms Icons & Insignia		Military Grave Marker - Revolutionary War Killed in Action: American Service in the Revolutionary
  		Seal-DAR Daughters of the American Revolution

  
  

  Biographies and Histories		History-Battle of Hayes Station Battle of Hayes Station during the American Revolutionary War -- + https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/811119-hayes-station/
  		History-Hayes Station Massacre HAYES STATION MASSACRE - Daniel and Joseph Williams, sons of Brig. Gen. James Henderson Williams, were killed at Hayes Station Massacre along with their uncle Benjamin Goodman, who was married to Brig. Gen. James Henderson William’s sister Marya Williams Goodman.

  
  

  Burials

  Memorial-Hayes Station Memorial to the men massacred by Bloody Bill Cunningham at the Hayes Station Massacre on 17 November 1781 at Hayes Station in Laurens County SC

  
  

• Sources

  [S10484] Find a Grave (Killed in Action - Revolutionary War), WILLIAMS Daniel - Major American Army - 1763-1781 (Veteran) (KILLED IN ACTION). - Birth: 1763 Granville County, North Carolina - Death: 18 Nov 1781 (aged 17–18) Laurens County, South Carolina - Burial: Hayes Station Cemetery Edgehill Plantation, Clinton, Laurens County, South Carolina Major Daniel WILLIAMS, 1763-1781, son of Brigadier General James Henderson WILLIAMS, 1740-1780, and of his wife, Mary WALLACE, 1743-1804. Killed by Bloody Bill Cunningham at the Hayes Station Massacre https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54698849/daniel-williams Memorial-Hayes Station Memorial to the men massacred by Bloody Bill Cunningham at the Hayes Station Massacre on 17 November 1781 at Hayes Station in Laurens County SC [S4094] Daughters of the American Revolution - Ancestors, WILLIAMS, DANIEL DAR: Ancestor #: A125953. WILLIAMS, DANIEL Ancestor #: A125953 Service: SOUTH CAROLINA Rank(s): CAPTAIN Birth: Death: 11-9-1781 HAYES STATION SOUTH CAROLINA Service Description: 1) MILITIA http://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A125953 [S1407] USWars: Battle of Hayes Station - My Revolutionary War, (Name: American Revolutionary War;), The Battle of Hayes Station. Maj. William “Bloody Bill” Cunningham and a large force of Loyalist militia attacked a group of Patriot militia that were resting in the home of their commander, Col. Joseph Hayes. The Patriots surrendered when the home was set on fire. Bloody Bill then lived up to his name by personally killing every prisoner in cold blood. On November 19, Maj. William Cunningham crossed the Saluda River and headed to Hayes Station. The station was at Edgehill Plantation and was commanded by Col. Joseph Hayes. Hayes had been warned of the prsence of Cunningham's force, but after a scouting expedition returned with no evidence of Loyalist activity, he refused to heed any warning. Joseph Hayes owned a tavern adjacent to Edgehill Station - a stop along the local stage coach line. He and about two dozen of his men were sitting down to a nice meal when a colleague, Capt. John Owens, rode up and informed the men that smoke was coming out of the nearby plantation house of the late Brig. Gen. James Williams' widow. Hayes and his men jumped up from their meal and followed Capt. Owens out of the tavern and up a small hill to gather at an old Cherokee War Block House - to see what was going on at the neighbor's home. They were instantly surrounded by "Bloody Bill" Cunningham with about 300 Loyalists. Hayes and his men ran into the small block house, but it was soon torched, so they threw down their arms and surrendered. Cunningham warned Hayes that if any shots were fired at his men that all of the station's defenders would be killed. As the Loyalists approached the station, several shots were fired at them. Cunningham sent in a flag of truce and stated that if the post surrendered, he would spare the defenders. Hayes refused to surrender, thinking that reinforcements would be arriving soon. The fight continued for several hours until the post's roof was set on fire by flaming arrows. Choking from the fire's smoke, Hayes surrendered. Only 2 of the 16 Patriots were killed during the fight. Each man was forced to back out of the small block house to have their hands tied behind them then affixed to a long rope, ostensibly to be marched to another location. However, as soon as the last man was attached to the long rope, Cunningham strarted hanging them, and then his men dismembered fourteen of them, with Cunningham killing 4 Patriots with his sword. Cunningham then rode off, leaving the body parts scattered. https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/811119-hayes-station/ History-Battle of Hayes Station Battle of Hayes Station during the American Revolutionary War -- + https://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/811119-hayes-station/ [S982] Hunting For Bears, comp., South Carolina Marriage Index, 1641-1965, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT ; Date: 2005;). [S203] Edmund West, comp., Family Data Collection - Individual Records, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT ; Date: 2000;), Birth year: 1740; Birth city: Hanover County; Birth state: VA. [S634] Ancestry.com, North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT ; Date: 2016;), Book Title: Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 085. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Book Title: Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 085 [S6513] Find a Grave: WALLACE Mary Williams 1743-1804, Mary Clark Wallace Griffin Williams. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28175426/mary_clark_griffin_williams