Did William Lusk die before the battle at Kings Mountain in 1780

Question

William Lusk is said to have been killed in the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. But his wife/widow Margaret (Vance) Lusk married James Piper 17 Nov 1779 according to Piper Bible Records. Published abstracts from court records indicate William died in 1775.

Answer 1

This roster has William as killed at King's Mountain, but does not give a source. This one does the same.

This site does not list him at all.

And, this FindAGrave memorial lists him as dying there. The memorial has extensive information on the Lusk family.

Comments

Thanks, Susan!

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Thanks Pip Sheppard. I looked at the sites. I don't see any evidence to prove William was at or killed during the battle. There is the bible record evidence of Margaret Lusk's 1779 marriage to James Piper. I believe Lewis Preston Summer's in his History of Southwest Virginia 1746-1786 made a mistake by assuming all the names appearing in the 24 Nov 1780 Washington County court records were men who were killed during or died after the battle. Samuel Colville is another name Summer's thought died during or shortly after the battle. I believe Samuel also died several months before the battle. Thanks again!

Answer 2

It appears that, according to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), William Lusk died 10-7-1780, the same day as the Battle of Kings Mountain.  You might want to contact DAR.org to ask what their source(s) are.  

According to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Revolutionary Era Ancestors search:

DAR ANCESTOR #A072468: WILLIAM LUSK
Service: VIRGINIA
Rank(s): SOLDIER
Birth 11-3-1743 LANCASTER CO., PA
Death 10-7-1780 WASHINGTON CO., VA

Service Description:
1) KINGS MT UNDER CAPT ANDREW COLVILLE
2) COL CAMPBELL

RESIDENCE: WASHINGTON CO., VA

SPOUSE: 1) MARGARET VANCE

Associated Applications and Supplementals:

Child: SARAH
[Spouse#] Spouse [1] JOSEPH COLVILLE

Child: WILLIAM
[Spouse#] Spouse SARAH DAVISON

Comments

Thank you. I do intend to contact DAR.

Answer 3

Alright, the death date for William Lusk October 7, 1780 comes from my Ancestry tree.  Our DAR files are based on this really old piece of paper that states:

The Standard American Enycylopedia Vol. 7.

"King's Mountain, an eminence in York Co. South Carolina, 80 miles NW of Columbia, where the battle took place Oct 7, 1980 between the Americans, under Levier, Shelby, Campbell, etc., and the British under Ferguson.  The latter were defeated with a loss of 456 killed and wounded, among whom was the commander and 648 taken prisoners."

His wife Elizabeth Vance and he had the following children,

John, William, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Margaret.

Comments

James Piper, NSDAR Ancestor # A089253, married Margaret Lusk 17 Nov 1779. According to P.H. Ropp's Notes on the Vance, Piper, Parrott, Ropp and Allied Families of Washington County, Virginia, the source of the marriage date for Margaret Lusk and James Piper is the James Piper Bible which was in the possession of Mrs. Ruth Crabtree Gray of Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1954. The date of Margaret's marriage to James Piper has been accepted by DAR. The Bible record and court records make a strong case that William Lusk was deceased before the Battle at King's Mountain.