William Brookshire was born about 1730 in Dorchester, Maryland. The first record of William is found in 1753 in Anson County, North Carolina, when William was a witness to a land transaction. His name is also found among the early tax lists in the North Carolina State Archives, including the 1758 Tax List of Rowan County, dated 8 Oct 1758 and William Millikan‘s List of Taxables, dated about 1768. His home was in the present day Randolph County, North Carolina, between the Litte River and Uharri River.

On 12 Jun 1764, William served on a jury in Rowan County, North Carolina. On 17 Jan 1769, William was appointed overseer of Roads in Rowan County, North Carolina.

William died 8 Aug 1779 in Rowan County, Maryland. On 8 Nov 1786, the inventory of the estate of William Brookshire filed. Jesse and Mary, William’s two oldest children, were administrators of William’s estate and were ordered by the State to give an accounting of his estate. They later show a balance of his estate to be 79.1.1 pounds.