William Mullican was a farmer, and appears to have moved with his father to South Carolina about 1787. On 10 Mar 1791 he purchased for 100 pounds 240 acres of land on Horse Creek, Greenville District, South Carolina from Joseph Dunklin. This land was bordered by the land of Jesse Chandler.
He was still living in Greenville District on 26 Jan 1792 when he appeared in court as witness to deed for his father. He may have moved to North Carolina for a few years as his son, William, on 1850 census says he was born in North Carolina. We do not know if his son gave the information to the census taker, or if it was a neighbor or some other person. If he did then he was back in South Carolina by 1797.
On 29 May 1797 he purchased for 40 pounds 300 acres of land from Joseph Webb (Joel Webb) on Seneca River in Washington District of South Carolina. This land was bordered by the land of James Chandler and Isham Irby. On 5 August 1798 he sold 240 acres of this land for 50 pounds to John Russel. The deed describes the land as being on Northside of Keowee River. William signed with an �X� as his mark.
On 4 November 1797 as William Millican Jr of Pendleton District he sold his livestock his father in Greenville District.
He is in the 1800 Pendleton District, SC census with 3 white males under 10, 1 white male 26 to 45, 2 white females under 10, and 1 white female 26 to 45. He was still in Pendleton District in 1801 when he helped inventory the estate of George Hoge.
By 1805 he is in Lincoln County, Kentucky as he is on Tax List with one white male over 21 and two horses. In the same tax district were Jesse, Joel, and Townsend Webb. He is also on the 1806 Lincoln County Tax List with one white male, three horses, and 200 acres of land on Knoblick Creek.
In 1806 part of Lincoln County including Knoblick Creek was formed into Casey County, Kentucky. He is listed as William Mullican, Jr on the 1807 and 1808 Tax Lists of Casey County with four horses and 100 acres of land on Knoblick Creek with his father as William Mullican SR. In 1808 Solomon Mullican is also listed on the tax lists. We feel he moved from Casey County in 1808-1809 to Warren County, Tennessee as on 17 September 1810 in he had his occupant claim of 177 acres of land surveyed on Mountain Creek adjoining James Webb.
He, his brother, John Mullican, Elias, James Jr & Sr, and Julias Webb is listed on the 1812 Warren County Tax list in Richard Cantrell�s District. Also in same district was.
On 6 April 1813 he entered 60 acres of land on dry fork of Mountain Creek in Warren County. The land, which included said Mullican�s spring, was surveyed on 17 October 1813 with James Webb and William Mullican as survey chain carriers. Also in 1813 he, brother John, and their father, William, signed a petition as citizens living in extreme Northeast corner of Warren County to move voting place to Pine Creek (in present DeKalb Co.) He entered 12 acres of land on 12 October 1814 on waters of Mountain Creek. The land was surveyed on 8 September 1815, and survey chain carriers were James Webb and William Mullican. He entered two tract of land in 1824 for 82 acres and 50 acres. In 1825 and 1826 he entered two tracts of land of 50 acres each. The 1825 and 1826 entries joined land of Jonathan Parris on Mountain Creek. He also entered seven acres of land in 1826 which joined his 60 acre tract he lived on, his 12 acre tract, and land he purchased from Enoch Anderson, James Webb, and Thomas Harper. In 1828 he entered 30 acres of land on waters of Collins River, and the 30 acres begin on beginning corner of tract John G. Mullican now lives so as to include the old 30 acre tract said Mullican now lives on. He also added to his land holdings in 1828 by purchasing 50 acres from Jonathan Davis. The land was on both sides of Mountain Creek. The land begin a few poles of the Baptist Meeting House, and joined Jonathan Parris�s lower 100 acre survey.
William and his wife, Wilmouth, were on the 1812-1816 membership list. of the Old Bildad Baptist Church on Sink Creek in present day DeKalb County, Tennessee. Also on the same list are Allen Mullican, Jane Mullican, Julius Webb, and Hannah Webb. William and Wilmouth may have moved their membership to Old Bildad�s sister church, Concord Baptist Church, after it was established in 1814. Concord was located south of Mountain Creek in Warren County, and may have been the church mentioned in the 1828 survey of Williams�s. Old Bildad and Concord held strong beliefs in predestination, and neither had a Sunday School or musical instruments. They would have a preaching service only once a month; lasting two to three hours, including the singing which was very slow. When William�s relationship with the Baptist Church begin is not exactly known, but it continued in later generations. As his grandson, John Jefferson Mullican, added a substantial wood frame room onto his log cabin for the church to meet on Jones Fork in DeKalb County. William�s great grandson, Jeremiah Mullican, continued the Primitive Baptist tradition as he was a Minister.
Rev. Ridlon states that Wilmouth Bruce was the wife of William Mullican. I have found no association of the Mullican family with the Bruce family. I have a theory that William�s wife may have been a Webb. It is obvious that William was close to his family, since he was close to them why would he move several times away from them. He first moves several miles away in a new county. Then he moves to another state. When his family joins him he moves to another state. There seems to be only one logical reason for these moves and that is his wife wanted to be with her family. In each of his moves the Webb family was close to him. He buys land from the Webbs, witnesses their deeds, and gives bond for them. There was a close association for there to be no relationship involved. Another indication of Webb involvement is his brother, John, purchased land from Julius Webb.
Then there is the William Mullican appointed as appraiser of the estate of Thomas Townsend, and Townsend was the father of Didama Townsend the wife of of Jesse Webb. Jesse and his son, Townsend Webb, were in Kentucky with William Mullican. John�s son, John, named one of his daughters, Didama Mullican. Per Tommy Webb, DeKalb County Historian, Julius Webb had a sister Didama Webb that married James Webb the neighbor of William, and of course Jesse Webb�s wife was Didama Townsend. The family Bible of Jeremiah Mullican, grandson of John S. Mullican and great grandson of William, has William marrying Willie Bruce. This is from copy made by Rock House Chapter, D.A.R., Sparta, Tennessee. This copy also has William�s brother, John, marrying Bettie Bruce. This information was from the second page of the Bible. In 1960�s I copied the original Bible of Jeremiah Mullican which was owned by Ms. Florence Williams, Dry Valley, Cookeville, Tennessee. The flyleaf on the Bible was dated 1893. In this Bible there was no mention of William Mullican and his wife. I also have portions of the original bible of John Jefferson Mullican, son of John S. Mullican, and it does not mention William or his wife. It is obvious that there is no clearcut evidence as to the surname of William�s wife.
The landholdings of William and the inventory that follows indicates that he was a farmer as was the majority of the men in his neighborhood. We can see from the inventory that he raised corn, oats, owned hogs and cattle. His home was probably made of logs that he had cleared from his land to farm.
William was dead by 24 March 1851 when the inventory of his personal property was taken. In his inventory was 1 clock; 4 bedsteads & furniture; 1 cupboard; 1 Bible; 1 table; 1 pothook; 1 lot of pewter; lot of stoneware; 1 pot oven with lid; 1 looking glass; 2 barrels; 1 bottle; 2 wheels; 1 check reel; 1 pot with hooks; lot of grain, 1 mans saddle; 1 lot of chain; 1 waggon; 1 froe; 1 weeding hoe; 1 wood saw; lot of shucks; 1 curry comb; 13 barrels corn; lot of fodder; stack of oats; cutting knife; lot of hoggs; 1 cow & calf; 1 pulley; 1 trunk; 1 plow; 1 bottom; 1 trough; 1 keg, $25.00 in cash; 1 note on Elias C. Barnes & James Barnes $10.00 due 25th Dec 1847 doutfull; 1 note on John G Mullican for $42.44 due 9th Sept 1840 which note is bad the maker being Insolvent he is one of the heirs 1 note on James Mullican for sixty bushell of salt. P. Mullican is dead & Insolvent; 1 witness claim for $2. considered good. The Inventory was taken by William C. Mullican and Samuel Fuston as administators. Buyers at the estate sale were: Zebedee Edge; Sarah Green; Nancy Fuston;Thomas Womack; Wm G. Mullican, Bible; Franky Mullican; Jany Mullican; Nancy Mullican; Pinkney Mullican; T. G. Mullican; John J. Mullican; Allen Mullican; Thomas Womack; Anderson Mullican; Wm J. Mullican; Isaac Jones; Wm Martin; Isaac Cantrell; Lovel Tipit; James Webb, Jr.; S. V. Green; James Barnes; E. B. Wood; Wm W. Cantrell; Henry Marcum; Nathan Womack; and Elijah West.