William Dorton Sr. and his family had settled here by 1773 and built a fort, one of several defensive structures erected by settlers of European descent on the Virginia frontier. Dorton’s sons William Jr. and Moses fought in the Revolutionary War, and at least one of their two other brothers served at the Battle of King’s Mountain on 7 Oct. 1780. During this period, conflicts between early settlers and Native Americans in this region led to the death of a fourth son, whose name is unknown, in 1777. Capt. William Dorton Jr. later served in the Washington and Russell County militias and died in 1826. He is buried just southwest of here.