This is what I can prove from primary documents:
William D. Edins was born between 1791 and 1793 in South Carolina. (1850 Mortality Schedule for GA). His parents were John & Zilpha Edins (Zilpha's ad in 1828). He was probably born in Lexington (Zilpha's gift in 1816.)
William D. is probably one of the males under 10 in the household in 1800. In the 1800 US Census for Orangeburgh, SC, Selvia Eddins is head of household. In the household are two males under 10 (William D. & James A.), two males 10 - 15 (John S. & Ephraim), questionable 1 male 26 - 44--looks like it said one then was changed to zero. There are also one female under 10 (Unknown Female), two females 10 - 15 (and Unknown), and one female 26 - 44 (Zilpha). Neighbors include Muntz, Peter Lea, Elizabeth Kelly, William Kelley, Samuel Kelley, Roof, Blakeley, Turner, Borman, Senn, Carter, Hydle, Smith, Lipheart, Charles Corley, Lites (Lightsey), John Weisinger, William Daniel, Busby, John Ricord (Rickard), Geiger, Sanders, Evans, Christian Wingard.
http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=7590&path=South+Carolina.Orangeburg+District.Lexington.26&fn=Selvia&ln=Eddins&st=r&pid=495483&rc=&zp=75
In the 1810 US Census for SC, Widow Edins is in Lexington County. In the household are one male 10 - 15 (James A., 17?), two males 16 - 25 (Ephraim, 24 & William D.), one male 26 - 44 (Blakely, 30?). Also in the household are one female under 10 (Unknown), one female 16 - 25 (), two females 26 - 45 (must be SIL's) and one female 45 and over (Widow Eddins). Nearby neighbors are George, John, Henry Windgard (brothers of Benjamin, husband of Elizabeth?), Rambo, Furney, Busby, Jumper, Martin, Hendrix, Oaks, Johnston, Bookman, Oliver, Oswalt, Keixer, Busbee, Rall, Boozer, Gibson. Neighbor David King surveyed a plat for Zilpha in 1817.
http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=view&r=0&dbid=7613&iid=4433429_00136&fn=Widow&ln=Edins&st=r&ssrc=&pid=582582
In 1816 Zilpha recorded a document giving her land and goods to sons William D. and James A. Eddins after her death in return for their taking care of her. However, she controlled the property until she died. Here's the source for that:
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/25386112/person/1763287333/media/1?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7cpgNum
Whom did William D. marry in SC? There's no definite answer, but there is a clue.
According to Brett Holcomb's book Memorialized Records of Lexington District, William and Martha Edins left land to their children "for love and affection" in 1818. William D. would have been 27; no clue as to how old Martha would have been, or even her maiden name. But doesn't the document sound like the one Zilpha prepared in 1816, when she was at least in her 50s and putting her affairs in order? Who else could it be????
There is second-hand evidence that William was still in Lexington in 1819, when there was a lawsuit involving his brother Ephraim about a piece of land. The link is below. I have not seen the document, so I don't want to comment on it until I have. I'm sure the document exists; I just don't know how it fits in.
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/u/c/Barbara-S-Buck/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0359.html
However, Zilpha (that cougar) remarried sometime between 1818 and 1820, when she is found in the household of David Winchell, her second husband, who was significantly younger than she. There's nobody else in the household. Where did Zilpha's children go???
Most went out of state. Zilpha's ad of 1828 states that William D. no longer lived in SC. Where did he go? No smoking gun, but it looks like William D. and his family went to Pulaski County, GA, where William's older brother Blakely Eddins had been living since at least 1810, when he appeared on a list of petit jurors. (Source: Early Court Records of Pulaski County, Georgia 1809 - 1825 by Lee G. Barrow, published by Southern Historical Press, 1994; ISBN 0-89308-502-2)
However, Zilpha (that cougar) remarried sometime between 1818 and 1820, when she is found in the household of David Winchell, her second husband, who was significantly younger than she. There's nobody else in the household. Where did Zilpha's children go???
Most went out of state. Zilpha's ad of 1828 states that William D. no longer lived in SC. Where did he go? No smoking gun, but it looks like William D. and his family went to Pulaski County, GA, where William's older brother Blakely Eddins had been living since at least 1810, when he appeared on a list of petit jurors. (Source: Early Court Records of Pulaski County, Georgia 1809 - 1825 by Lee G. Barrow, published by Southern Historical Press, 1994; ISBN 0-89308-502-2)
It looks like William and Maybe Martha had three or four children. I have seen no primary evidence to support this, but at this point I have no reason to doubt it, either. Several family trees list at least these children: Zilpha, born about 1820 in SC; Zebulon Rudolphus, born between 1822 and 1825 in GA (1850 Census); and Asa, born about 1832 probably in GA (Fold3.com, 30 at enlistment in CSA).
It's likely that William D. and his cohort moved to GA between 1820 and 1822, but I can't prove it. If Zilpha Whigham is his daughter, then he was still in SC in 1820 when she was born. But both Asa and Zebulon were born in GA after 1822 (1850 Census and Asa's enlistment papers at Fold3.com), so 1820 - 1822 seems reasonable. Maybe they all lived with Blakely???
This is likely to be the correct William D. Eddins:
This is likely to be the correct William D. Eddins:
In the 1830 US Census for GA, William D. Eding is living in Capt. Roach's District, Pulaski County, GA. In the household are one male 0 - 5 (born 1825 - 1830), four males 5 - 10 (born 1820 - 1825), one male 30 - 40 (William D., born 1790 - 1800). There are also one female 0 - 5 (born 1825 - 1830), one female 10 - 15 (born 1815 - 1820), and one female 20 - 30 (born 1800 - 1810). Neighbors: Hardy Powers, James Kinsion (Kinshen), Perskins, Bush, Brown, Mathews, Wood, Pope, Ward, James Key (probably father of Emaline, who married William D., Junior in 1838).
In 1838 William was married to Emeline or Emaline Key in Pulaski County by James P. Kinchen, J.P.
http://interactive.ancestry.com/8756/GAT655_7-0323/413905?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fMS_AdvCB%3d1%26db%3dUSMortality%26rank%3d1%26new%3d1%26so%3d3%26MSAV%3d2%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dms_db%26gsfn_x%3dNP%26gsln%3dedins%26gsln_x%3dNS%26dbOnly%3d_F0007034%257c_F0007034_x%26dbOnly%3d_83004005%257c_83004005_x%26uidh%3dwy5&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults
William and Emaline had at least three children: Elizabeth, born 1844; George W., born about 1845; and Zacharias T., born about 1849. We know these children from the 1850 Census, in which Emaline has married James Mullis within the year. The three Edins children are living with them.
In the 1840 US Census for Pulaski County, GA, W.D. Edins lives in Capt. Eden's District. In the household are one male 5 - 9 (born 1835 - 1839), one male 10 - 14 (born 1825 - 1829), two males 15 - 19 (1820 - 1824), and one male 40 - 49 (William D., 1790 - 1799). There are also one female 0 - 5 (born 1835 - 1840) and one female 15 - 19 (Emaline, born 1821 - 1825). Neighbors: Hodge, Whigham, Simmons, Z. Pope, Bemby, Hosky, Hays, Sapp.
Benjamin Whigham was married (probably) to William D.'s daughter Zilpha. Zedikiah Pope shows up in Lee and Chamber Counties with James A. Eddins's daughter Zilpha E. Pope.
From the 1850 Mortality Schedule, we know that William D. Edins died in Pulaski, Georgia, in November 1849, of what reads as "inflamany" but is probably "influenza." He was 57, born SC.
http://interactive.ancestry.com/8756/GAT655_7-0323/413905?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fMS_AdvCB%3d1%26db%3dUSMortality%26rank%3d1%26new%3d1%26so%3d3%26MSAV%3d2%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dms_db%26gsfn_x%3dNP%26gsln%3dedins%26gsln_x%3dNS%26dbOnly%3d_F0007034%257c_F0007034_x%26dbOnly%3d_83004005%257c_83004005_x%26uidh%3dwy5&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults
I've tried here to put together a rough outline of William D.'s life. In the beginning, I thought I knew not a heckuva lot. But whaddya know, there was a lot more.
