William Dorcey was the son of Thomas Joshua Gardner and Mary Jones Gardner from South Carolina,they had aleast 7 children :

1-Elizaeth born Dec.-2-1838 S.Carolina
2-William Dorcey- born Oct.-13-1841- S.C.
3-Henry born-1842- N.C.
4-Ferman born-1845 N.C. Died in the Civil War.
5-John born-1848- N.C.
6-Ann born-1851-N.C.
7-Ben born -1854- Florida





William Dorcey meet and Married Vicey Ann Walters b: 1843 in Mississippi they had at least 11 Children :
1-Julia Ann Gardner born-1860 she married J. Creel she died in 1920 and is buried in Village Mills TX.
2-Thomas Joshua Gardner born Sept.-17-1861 he married Josephine Ratliff hes buried in the Gardner Cemetery in Woodville, Texas.
3-Isabell B.Gardner-born 1856 and she died as a child in Mississippi.
4-Evander McKeever Gardner born June 30- 1866 in MS. and married Mollie Allison and there buried in the Gardner Cemetery in Woodville.
5-James Travis Gardner born-Sept.-18-1868 in MS. married Lizzie Gore he died Feb.-10-1949.
6- Benjamin D.Gardner born- 1872 in TX.and died in 1896 he never married.
7- Martha Marsie Gardner born-March -19-1875 in TX. died Oct.16-1954 she marr. Charlie Poindexter.
8-Monetta Ellen ( Nettie Ellen ) Gardner born-Fe.-11-1876 and married Hardy Alexander Snowden on Oct.-19-1892 in Tyler County Texas, they had 12 Children and Nettie Big Mama as we called Her went to be with The Lord on July-8- 1952.
9-Harman M. Gardner born 1879 in TX. and married Effie Perkins.
10--William H."Bill" Gardner born July-31-1881 in Texas and married Ida Tucker.
11-Pearl born 1885 in Texas and married John Charlton.




PVT.William Dorsey Gardner served for Company A 17th Battalion Miss. Calv. Confederate States Army.
17th Cavalry Battalion was formed during the early spring of 1863 with two companies, later increased to seven. The unit served in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, then merged into the 9th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment. Major Abner C. Steede was in command.

Company A -- Steede's Company (raised in Jackson County, MS)

Also serving with William Dorcey were 2 of his Brothers John and Ferman, John was killed in Service and the Yankees
captured William and Ferman they were serving in the same Unit.
They were thrown in Prison somewhere in Illinois.
They escaped by digging thur a dirt floor.
Ferman was very sick having come down with the Measles and just to weak to go on he begged his Brother William Dorcey and another escapee to leave Him so they could make good there escape.
They did so with much hesitation it was very hard on Grandad William to leave his dear Brother, Ferman was never heard of again we assume he Died soon afterward and we dont know where Ferman and John are Buried.
William Dorcey would work on Farms in Illinois for serveral months as he made his way back Home to Mississippi
he has been gone almost 4 years.
A few years later the Gardner Family would resume there migration to Texas.