In 1850, William J. Witcher located on 160 acres of land in Sebastian county. The town of Witcherville, formerly known as Salem City, was later built upon his farm and in 1880 he was a merchant there.
     He was born in Surry county, North Carolina 9-8-1829 and was the son of Lacy and Elizabeth (Lyon) Witcher. Lacy was the son of Ephraim Witcher and Elizabeth Phipps of Charlotte county, Virginia. Ephraim was the brother of Col. William Witcher, Sr. of Pittsylvinia County, Virginia. According to information received from others interested in tracing this family, William Witcher, Sr. was a large landowner in Virginia, and prominent in military and public affairs in Pittsylvinia county during the Revolutionary period. Ephraim apparently lived in Montgomery county, Virginia and sold land there in 1785, preparatory to moving to Surry county, North Carolina where he died in 1820.
     After the death of Lacy, while William J. was an infant, the mother married Edward Crossen, and in about 1835 they moved to Johnson county, Arkansas and from there to Sebastian county, where Mr. Crossen died in Fort Smith during the war.
     William J. had a twin sister (name not known) and the two were raised by their maternal grandfather Col. William Lyon, in Virginia. In some reports, it is stated they came to Johnson county in 1848, and in others that William J. was living in Johnson county in 1840 with his brother Thomas and two other brothers. No other information on these brothers has become available. In 1849, William married Mary E. Laster, formerly of Wilson county, Tennessee, where Mary was born. Mr. Laster was a North Carolinian by birth.

There were nine children of this union of William J. Witcher and Mary Laster.

• Diana Jane - married Samuel Timothy Bradley
• Abraham L. - married Martha Ann Stinebaugh
• Sarah Francis - single
• Nancy Catherine - married William R. Bradley
• Tenna Virginia - married 1st Dr. Harris, 2nd Thomas S. C. Gilliam
• William M. - married Amanda Blan
• Elizabeth - married John Marshall
• James Robert - married Alcid Lee
• Walter W. - single

     In 1862, William J. organized Company "D" of Col. W. H. Brooks, Inf. Regiment, and after serving some time as 1st lieutenant, was made captain of the company.
     In the fall of 1863, he was captured while at home, and until February of 1864, was held prisoner at Fort Smith and Little Rock. Finding it impossible to rejoin his company, he joined General Shelby's army, with whom he operated in Missouri and where he participated in the engagements in Prairie Grove and Helena. In the fall of 1864, he joined his family in the Choctaw nation, and soon after the surrender was returned to Sebastian county. Prior to the war, he was twice elected Internal Revenue Collector, which office he resigned to enter the army.
     During his latter years, he was a postmaster and farmer at Witcherville.