William Lenoir was born in Brunswick County, Virginia on May 8, 1751. After a brief career as a teacher, Lenoir moved to western North Carolina in Surry (later Wilkes) County, where he worked as a surveyor. He served as a captain during the American Revolution, first for the Surry County Regiment, and later for the Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia. Among the battles he participated in were Rutherford's Expedition in 1776, the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780, and Pyle's Massacre in 1781. After the war he built a home, called Fort Defiance, near the Yadkin River at the site of a former fortification built during the war. He later served in the state legislature from 1781 to 1795. He died in Wilkes County on May 6, 1839.