William Cartwright was a resident of Pasquotank Precinct, North Carolina. In 1734 Daniel Chancey, the local overseer of the road, made a sworn deposition that William, along with his parents and two brothers, violently assaulted and threatened Chancey when Chancey requested that the Cartwrights help him repair the road. While a jury later found that there was no enough evidence to charge William's mother and younger brother, the outcome of William's case has not been located. He likely died in Pasquotank sometime prior to 1746 because his father's will does not mention him.