Our Family line begins with William HAYNES, who died in Bedford
County, VA in the spring of 1781, in the midst of the
Revolutionary War. He is believed to have been born in Virginia
in 1710, in the midst of Queen Anne's War with Spain and France.
At that time, Virginia consisted of 58,000 colonists, and was
the largest of the North American colonies. William's parents
and birthplace have yet to be determined, but it is clear that
he moved to Bedford County from the east, as he and other
settlers developed the ability to live off the land and moved
westward into the Piedmont, towards the mountains, away from the
shore and dependence on England. The land that became Bedford
County was deep in Indian held lands when William was born; the
colonists were huddled along the Eastern Shores, reaching less
than 25 miles inland in 1710, still deeply dependent on European
trade for all finished goods. William was probably born in the
Eastern Shore, although he might have immigrated from one of the
other colonies, such as