William Ham (1795-1860)

At present, William Ham is the oldest Ham ancestor I have been able to locate. Not too much is known about him.

William Ham was likely born in North Carolina in either 1795 or 1780. It is possible that he was born in South Carolina as well. What is certain is that he passed away in March of 1860 in Patrick County, VA.

He appears to have been married to Martha Ham (maiden name unknown), who proceeded him in death.

There is little doubt he is the father of William Jordan Ham. It is assumed that he is also the father of Sintha (Ham) Goins, although that has not been proven completely yet.

In 2010, I searched through a reel of microfilm from the Library of Virginia, looking specifically for any will records. I was unable to locate any. I am planning a trip in early 2020 to spend a full day in the Library of Virginia to go through all records for him, and to make copies of any documents that may exist. According to the indexes, there is a record of death for him in the Patrick County microfilms.

To dispel any other thoughts, he does not appear to be the same William Ham of Grayson, VA. That William Ham appears to be the same one of another, well documented line. He passed away later than our William Ham, and does not appear to have had William Jordan Ham as a son.

If Sintha Ham is his daughter, then he likely lived (at some point) in Surry County, North Carolina. Marriage bonds were normally taken out by the groom in the county that the bride usually resided in. The marriage bond for Fuel Goins and Sintha Ham was signed in 1848 in Surry County. She would have been 17-18 at the time, most likely still living at home.