William Ragland of Chatham County, North Carolina, fourth son of Stephen Ragland and Mary Hudson and progenitor of the Chatham County Raglands, was born in Hanover County, Virginia in 1730.  Brought as an infant to North Carolina by his parents he grew to manhood on his father's plantation along the Roanoke River in Bertie County (Northampton after 1741).  With the death of his father in 1747 William received his share of the estate 160 acres adjoining the land of his brother, George, and one slave which he was to receive after the death of his mother.  In 1753 William married Sarah Avent, the daughter of Willian Avent and Sarah Moore of Northampton County.  Soon thereafter, William purchased 260 acres a few mile from his mother's home "at the mouth of Ready Branch on Stoney Creek" and there established his home stead.  The next twenty years for the most part appears to have been uneventful for William and his wife consisting for the most part of building a plantation, raising a family, and acquiring additional land in Northampton and Halifax Counties.  Begining in 1767, however, William acquired land in Orange County (Chatham County after 1771) and about 1772 moved his family from Northampton to the newly formed county of Chatham, settling in the Buckthorn District.  Establishing his new homestead near "the Great Falls of the Cape Fear River" in what was then frontier country, William spent the remaining portion of his life building an estate which by the time of his death consisted of a plantation of over a thousand acres, numerous cattle, hogs and horses and 28 slaves which made him one of the wealthier citizens of the county.  During the American Revolution William's loyalties were undoubtedly with the American Cause.  Although to old for military service, he is known to have supplied horses to the Continental Army while one of his sons and two sons-in-law actively participated in the war on the American side.  William died in Chatham County in Aug of 1789 and his wife, Sarah, a few years later in the 1790's.  Both were probably buried in the Ragland family cemetery located on William's plantation.  They had ten children.

