William M. HAIRSTON

HAIRSTON.org ID#878, b. 6 June 1801, d. 26 December 1879
Father*Peter Hairston1 b. a 1772, d. a 1836
Mother*Mattie Martha BAKER b. a 1776
Birth*William M. HAIRSTON was born on 6 June 1801 in Abbeville, South Carolina.2,1,3 
He was the son of Peter Hairston and Mattie Martha BAKER.1 
County Name*Gwinnett County was formed from Jackson County and Cherokee lands - Dec 1818. 
Marriage*William M. HAIRSTON married Lavinia Forbush TOWERS, daughter of Isaac TOWERS and Elizabeth AKINS, on 6 May 1819 in Redland Creek, Gwinnett, Georgia.2,1,3 
Census 1820*William M. HAIRSTON appeared on the census of 1820 in Gwinnett, Georgia, Wm. Hairston; Males <10 1, 16-25 1, Females 16-25 1. William Hairston and his father Peter Hairston are listed next to each other on the census form.4

County NameDeKalb County formed from Gwinnett County - 1822. 
County Name1822 - DeKalb County formed from part of Gwinnett County. 
Property*William Hearston acquired lot #85 of the 3rd District in Carroll County in the 1827 Georgia Land Lottery. He listed that Dekalb County was his home. 
Census 1830*He appeared on the census of 1830 in Dekalb, Georgia, William Hairston, Males <5 1, 10-14 1, 20-29 1, Females <5 3, 5-9 1, 20-29 1.5

 
Census 1840*He appeared on the census of 1840 in District 563, DeKalb, Georgia, Males <5 1 (Little), 10-14 1 (William), 20-29 1 (Albert), 30-39 (William), Females 5-9 2, 10-14 2 (Lucinda, Martha), 15-19 2 (Matilda, Armanda), 30-39 (Lavinia).6 
Marriage*He married Miriam DUPREE on 13 October 1842 in Dekalb, Georgia.7,8,9,10,11 
Census 1850*William M. HAIRSTON appeared on the census of 29 August 1850 in Cross Road, Dekalb, Georgia, Wm 48 SC, Meriam 46 GA, Martha A.E. 20 GA, Amanda 15 GA, Little S 12 GA (male).9

 
Census 1870*He appeared on the census of 3 June 1870 in Evans District, Dekalb, Georgia, William 68, Miriam 65.12 
Death*He died on 26 December 1879 in Boboshelah Plantation, Dekalb, Georgia, at age 78.2 
Burial*He was buried in Isaac Towers Family Cemetery, DeKalb, Georgia. There is no inscribed marker, however, family members said he was buried here.11 

Family 1

Lavinia Forbush TOWERS b. 6 Oct 1801, d. a 1841
Children

Family 2

Miriam DUPREE b. 8 May 1804, d. 23 Dec 1870

Sources (www.HAIRSTON.org)

  1. [S3412] Stewart, William C., 1907-. Gone to Georgia: Jackson And Gwinnett Counties And Their Neighbors In the Western Migration. Washington: National Genealogical Society, 1965., unknown repository.
  2. [S46] Vic Hairston and Edward J. Bregenzer, The Hairston History, February 12, 1998. Personal Collection - copy.
  3. [S3452] Garrett, Franklin M. Atlanta And Environs: a Chronicle of Its People And Events. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia, 1969., Hathi Trust Digital Library.
  4. [S1820] 1820 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  5. [S1830] 1830 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  6. [S1840] 1840 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  7. [S41] Letter from Jane Yasui to Robert Hairston, 3 June 2009.
  8. [S42] Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013., Ancestry.com.
  9. [S1850] 1850 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  10. [S283] Georgia Genealogical Sources, Series - Marriages 1840-1856, DeKalb County, Georgia, Volume GA46, MariLee Beatty Hageness, (MLH Research, Annisiton, AL - 1998).
  11. [S3478] Georgia, Fulton County Records from the Atlanta History Center, 1827-1955, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL2J-V4WJ : 16 March 2018), Miriam Hairston, 1870; citing Burial, 1870, 23 Dec 1870, Atlanta History Center, Georgia., Family Search Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  12. [S1870] 1870 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
Last Edited17 Aug 2025