 William Ashworth made a living operating a ferry(the dominant mode of travel at that time) along the rivers and bays, charging enough per passenger and their possessions to earn a respectable living.The Ashworths' also raised cattle and grew crops, one of the brothers also become also became one of the largest stock raisers in the entire county, in the decade before the Civil War.Like others of their status, they also owned slaves-not relatives, but human beings that they bought, sold, and passed on to their heirs-just like their white counterparts.