The author of the below information warns: "The story told below lacks hard data. The courthouse with William Henry's records was destroyed in the Civil War. I feel certain that Robert Hawkins is William Henry Hawkins' (b 1766) great grandfather. Circumstantial evidence leads me to believe Gregory is his father. I would welcome input from others that would support or negate this working theory"
When William Henry "Robert" Hawkins was born on February 20, 1766, in Harford, Maryland, his father, Gregory Farmer Hawkins, was 32 and his mother, Elizabeth Matson, was 26. About 1776 William's father, Gregory, moved with his family to Fayette, Pennsylvania. About the same time two of Gregory’s cousins, William H Hawkins b. 1749 and Thomas Hawkins b. 1745 moved the same area in Pennsylvania. They were the founders of the "Hawkins Church" near Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Gregory and his cousins, William and Thomas, were grandsons of Robert Hawkins Sr. b. 1691 d. 1761.
The writer of this story, Alan Arthur Hawkins b. 1944, who is a descendant of William Henry "Robert" Hawkins, has 5 DNA matches with individuals having ancestry going back to Gregory Farmer Hawkins and 15 DNA Matches with individuals with ancestry going back to Robert Hawkins Sr b. 1691. This Robert Hawkins Sr. b. 1691 is the great grandfather of William Henry "Robert" Hawkins b. 1766. William's father, Gregory, remained in Pennsylvania until about 1799. He then moved to Kentucky. William Henry "Robert" Hawkins resided in Pennsylvania until about 1803 or shortly after the death of his wife, Cassandra in 1802. William H. Hawkins b. 1749, who was married to Cassandra Wells, remained in Pennsylvania until about 1790. He and some of his older sons went to Ohio where they prepared for the arrival of the rest of the family who arrived sometime later. Because William Henry "Robert" Hawkins and William H Hawkins had similar names, and whose wives were named Cassandra, and both being involved with the Methodist Church, some of their historical events and records have been intermingled. A brief account of the "Hawkins Church" is given as an example. Even though William H Hawkins b. 1749 was the founder of the "Hawkins Church", many historians have credited William Henry "Robert" Hawkins b. with the event. William H Hawkins b. 1749 acquired a 95-acre farm by means of a work contract with Jacob White of Centerville Borough, Washington County, Pennsylvania from 1783 to 1788. On June 9, 1790 William H Hawkins b. 1749 and Cassandra Wells sold the 94 acres to William Taylor for 140 Pounds. They also deeded a 1-acre plot containing the church building to the Methodist trustees. These events took place at the time of William H Hawkins' move to Ohio where their descendants lived and prospered. William Henry "Robert" Hawkins, while living in Pennsylvania, married Cassandra Roberts in about 1785. They had eight children together. After Cassandra Roberts died in 1802 following the birth of Isaiah Hawkins b. 1802, William took his eight children, together with his sister Ruth, and moved to Mongolia, Virginia. He then married Catherine Brumage and they had three children together. Catherine died in 1814 after giving birth to Josiah L Hawkins b. 1814. William remarried in 1816 and had two sons and two daughters with Martha Snodgrass. Martha died in 1841. Martha is buried next to William Henry "Robert" Hawkins in Minister's Cemetery 1.6 miles up Ministers Run Road (County Road 25/26) from Baxter on Moses Cox farm. This cemetery was cleared by Harry Denzil Hawkins who left it in good condition in about 1988. The following headstone readings were done by Flora Kisner Williams, 1988: Hawkins, William (Rev.) 1766 5 Nov 1885 (89 yrs) Martha Snodgrass 16 Apr 1782 2 Feb 1841 3rd wife William Henry "Robert" Hawkins died on 5 Nov 1855 in Marion, Virginia, having lived a long life of 89 years.
While doing a google search for the maps shown above, I found the following website with information about this family line. I do not have information about how correct the information is, but it was easy to read. You might like to look for yourself:
