Last updated: July 5, 2026
Person
William Lytle
Tennessee Portrait Project
Quick Facts
Significance:
Captain - 1st, 4th & 5th North Carolina Regiments Continental Line
Place of Birth:
Hillsboro, Orange County, North Carolina
Date of Birth:
February 17, 1755
Place of Death:
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Date of Death:
September 4, 1829
Place of Burial:
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Cemetery Name:
Lytle Cemetery
William Lytle was born in Hillsboro, Orange County, North Carolina on February 17, 1755. William's father, Robert, served as Justice of Peace and became Captain of the local militia company that same year.
William followed his father's example of service and joined the 5th North Carolina Continental Line on April 16, 1776, as a lieutenant. He earned a promotion to captain on February 28, 1779, serving in that role with the 1st and 4th North Carolina regiments through 1783. Captain Lytle and his men saw action in several engagements including:
- Briar Creek (Georgia - March 3, 1779)
- Stono Ferry (South Carolina - June 20, 1779)
- Siege of Savannah (Georgia - September 16 to October 18, 1779)
- Guilford Court House (North Carolina - March 15, 1781)
- Siege of Ninety-Six (South Carolina - May 21, 1781)
- Siege of Augusta (Georgia - May 24 to June 1, 1781)
- Eutaw Springs (South Carolina - September 8, 1781)
Lytle moved to Tennessee in 1790 with his wife Nancy to live off the nearly 26,000 acres of land grant property he had been awarded, inherited, and purchased. Five of their seven children were born in North Carolina. The remaining two, William Franklin Pitt and Julia Margaret, were born in Rutherford County, which their father had a major hand in founding. In 1811, William Lytle donated 60 acres of his land to serve as the county seat giving rise to Murfreesboro, named for William's friend and former commander of his brother Archibald, Colonel Hardee Murfree.
Captain William Lytle passed away on September 4, 1829, and was buried with his wife Nancy in the family cemetery. The cemetery lies near the intersection of Broad Street and Old Fort Parkway surrounded by the thriving city Lytle helped create.