Hi, Deb,
My great-great grandfather was Joshua Carithers, born 1803. If his father
was "James", then I would calculate James was born in the 1770s, as one
daughter, Susanna, was born 1796 and another son, David, was born in 1798 in Tennessee
(or SW Virginia). I believe the boundaries were a little questionable at
that time with North Carolina, the State of Franklin, Virginia including West
Virginia, and the Virginia County of Augusta including what was later West
Virginia. The names of James, John, and William have been repeated from generation
to generation. It may be that my great-great-great grandfather was "John",
but my grandmother many years ago, when she was quite elderly, stated that
Joshua's father was "James."
On one census, David said his father was "foreign born", but his mother was
"American born."
Best Regards,
Marilyn in Michigan