Joseph Harrison of Sussex Co DE & Augusta Co VA

In July 2010 Harald Reksten was working the Sussex Co DE Court Records. He abstracted a set of records and emailed them to me with the following message:

While looking at the court records I came across these entries about Joseph Harrison that I copied from the microfilm. These records are not published so no one would know about them unless they looked at the microfilm. Notice the references to Joseph Harrison as early as 1725. Makes me think the Joseph Harrison that died in the 1740s Augusta was not a grandson of Isaiah. Also this Joseph could have had quite a few children since he is involved in court cases as early as 1725. Makes me think he is at least the oldest son of old Isaiah's 2nd marriage.

The Isaiah Harrison in question is the old Isaiah Sr who was first married to Elizabeth Wright and then secondly to Abigail Smith. Joseph Harrison died in 1748 Augusta Co VA. Other members of the Isaiah clan were part of the estate settlement in 1748, but Joseph has never been conclusively placed within the Isaiah family. Harald and I believe Joseph was another son, by the second wife.

The Harrisons and Pattersons migrated from Sussex Co DE to Augusta Co VA in the late 1730's. Other families who migrated from DE to VA that were associated with them were the Blacks, Cravens, Stewarts, Ponders, Hoods and others. My Robert Patterson had a sister named Elizabeth who married Jeremiah Harrison (son of Isaiah) in DE. Additionally, Robert Patterson's son, Thomas Patterson (my 5-greats-grandpa) married a Margaret Harrison.

I used to think she was a daughter of Joseph, and then I thought she was a daughter of Samuel. Samuel and Joseph Harrison were brothers. Both of these theories have proven to not hold water,  however. As of 2018, I believe she was a grand-daughter of Gideon Harrison (son of Isaiah), who died in Sussex Co., DE in 1729.

FEBRUARY 1724(5) (Microfilm)
108. 2 February 1724(5) Preservd Coggshall vs Samuel Black. Continued Withdrawn.
109. 2 February 1724(5) Christ. Tophan agt Joseph Harrison. T.C. Sherd amoried – unto the Deft – appear the first day of next Term.

MAY 1725 (Microfilm)
115. 4 May 1725 Christopher Topham agt Joseph Harrison. The said Tophaim appeared for himself T.C. Sheriff amoried ¾ unless ye Deft. appear the first day this Term with Drawer in Costs.
116. 4 May 1725 Wm. PettyJohn vs Isaiah Harrison. David French for ye plantiff appeared T.C. Isaiah Harrison appeared by his attorney Francis Allen. Continued.

Linville Creek VA Early Settlers and Patents

The following resource notes are a collection of notes I've been studying of late. This post is simply a place to house them - together.

1) Linville Creek Timeline

This site gives a rich historical timeline regarding major events along Linville Creek, particularly some of the earliest patents and settlers. The 1739 event is of key interest to me, as my ancestors' patents butted up against this 7009 acre patent, and eventually including deeds containing pieces of this large tract.

7009 acres were granted to Hite, McKay, Duff, and Green at Linville Creek in Rockingham. This was surrounded by Fairfax lands that many tried to stay away from. The core grants, about 11 square miles of the 24 square miles for Rockingham County included lands on Linville Creek and it's main tributaries. This became the neighborhood of the Eymans, Brennemans, Shanks, Lincolns, Boones, Bryans, and related families.

2) Land Records of Robert Mackay Sr

Mackay was one of the patentees of the 7009 acre patent along Linville Creek in 1739. This site contains a great overview of the various patents Mackay and his associates were involved with in those early years in the Shenandoah Valley.

3) Great historical migrations, personal histories of key settlers, and even migration route details. As labeled on this site: English | Scots-Irish | The Great Wagon Road | German

The histories presented on this site reflect the migrations through the Shenandoah Valley and on into the Piedmont of NC (Yadkin River Valley) and in some cases on down to York Co SC around Kings Mountain.

4) William Linville Timeline

William Linville was the namesake for Linville Creek. He was the original owner of what is now Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC. He was the namesake for all things "Linville" in western NC, where he and his son John were killed in 1766 by Indians near what is now known as Linville Falls.

5) Thomas Linville Timeline

Brother of William Linville, Thomas owned land on Linville Creek, VA as well, and then later in NC between modern day Winston-Salem and Kernersville. Linville Road is named after him.

6) Joseph Bryan Timeline

Joseph Bryan was married to the sister of William and Thomas Linville. His daughter Rebecca married the famous Daniel Boone.

Again, these notes are simply a collection of related research that shares pertinent details regarding the history of our nation and settlements where my ancestors were. In fact, my ancestors knew these folks personally.

WP

Pattersons and Daniel Boone

Legends

Legends are the stuff that dreams are made of. Glory, grandeur, drama. When we think of legends we think of King Arthur, William the Conqueror, George Washington, General Custer, Daniel Boone. We often think of legends as the first to do something. Or, the greatest at having done something. Most of the time, however, our assumptions about these legends are highly inaccurate. At the very least, exaggerated.

For example, Daniel Boone. Yes, he was a great explorer, but there were many failures on his part along the way. That's okay, though, as persistence won the day for him. No problem.

Likewise, Boone was not the first explorer or even the only explorer to traverse the frontier in most places he traveled. He was simply the most famous.

The Frontier

When the Boone family first left Pennsylvania for the frontier, they traveled to the Shenandoah valley of VA. Daniel's parents, Squire and Sarah Boone, sold their PA land in 1750 and moved to the Linville Creek area of VA near modern day Harrisonburg. They only remained there for a year and then followed the many families who were migrating to the Yadkin River valley of Piedmont, North Carolina.

But have you ever wondered why they moved to Linville Creek, VA and then to modern day Mocksville, NC? The Boones were not the first families to make those moves. Many families had already begun settling the Linville Creek frontier region of VA in the 1730's. Families like the Linvilles, Harrisons, Cravens, Stewarts, Pattersons, Blacks, etc. By 1750, dozens of other families had arrived, such as the Bryans and Morgans, families which the Boones were heavily intermarried with (plus the Linvilles).

My gggggg-grandfather was Robert Patterson, born circa 1711. He bought 106 acres of land in Sussex Co DE in 1732 and then he and his wife Sarah sold it in March of 1738. That was when they moved to the Linville Creek part of VA, following their relatives and neighbors from DE who began the migration in 1737.

By 1748, Joseph Bryan was already in the Linville Creek vicinity. Joseph Bryan was a pillar in the community for the decade or so he lived there. He was married to Alice Linville, sister of William and Thomas Linville. The Linvilles were close neighbors to Robert Patterson. Additionally, Bryan's sister Elinor was married to William Linville.

Here's where the Boones come in... Joseph and Alice Bryan's daughter, Rebecca Bryan, married Daniel Boone in 1756 after they had all moved to NC. Another daughter of Joseph Bryan, named Martha, married Edward Boone. Furthermore, Joseph's brother, William Bryan, married Mary Boone, sister of Daniel Boone. Suffice it to say, the Boones and Bryans had a lot of mistletoe on their farms!

The Patterson Connection

On March 15, 1755, the estate of Benjamin Copeland was appraised at Linville Creek, VA. Three men were appointed by the court to appraise Copeland's estate, to wit:  Robert Patterson, Joseph Bryan, and John Brown. There were several Robert Pattersons in Augusta Co VA during those days, but there is no doubt as to which Patterson this was. My Robert Patterson did not sign his own name, he always made "his mark". But instead of an "X" he always made an "R". See the following image of the signatures and marks of the three appraisors.

Robert "R" Patterson, Joseph Bryan, John "J" Brown

Notice that Patterson and Brown both made their marks, while Joseph Bryan signed his name. By the following year, the Bryan family were in NC with their daughter Rebecca getting married to the famous Daniel Boone. They had known each other in PA, and then lived near each other (probably the very same farm) on Linville Creek in VA in 1750-51, and were then reunited in NC by 1756.

I find this appraisal record very intriguing, however. My ancestor being so closely involved in local matters with a man who was otherwise just an ordinary, run of the mill, normal man - Joseph Bryan. And he was a common man, as was his son-in-law, Daniel Boone.

Legends truly become legends after they're long gone from this old world. I would dare say this was true in the case of Ole Dan'l, as well. In 1750, he would have been a spry 16 year old while living near my Patterson clan. I wonder what sort of pranks he was known for carrying out? I'm sure my family could have told you "way back yonder".

Small World - Large Family

A former preacher at the church I attend here in Winston-Salem, NC had a saying that stuck with me. You know how it goes when something happens that prompts someone to quip "It's a small world"? Rod Sharp would hear that and immediately reply with "Large family!".

There's a lot of truth to that. I've especially come to realize this in recent years with genealogy research. It's no longer a shock when searching records from a different family to all of a sudden find overlapping kinship with some of my relatives from 200 years ago.

It's a small world.

Large family.

For the better part of a decade now I've been drawn in my research over and over to several individuals and families. There was never any proof or even strong indication of any relationship between my family and theirs, but I knew the possibility was there. I'm speaking of men like William Cravens and Samuel Stewart. And pretty much the entire Isaiah Harrison clan.

Who? you might ask. They were men and families that migrated from Sussex Co DE to the Shenandoah Valley of VA (around Harrisonburg) in the late 1730's and 1740's. My Pattersons and Blacks did likewise. And yes, there was intermarrying between my family of some of the others, but no obvious direct descent on my part from the Cravens, Stewart or Harrison families.

Nonetheless, I have continued to follow the Harrison clan, not only in DE and Augusta/Rockingham Co VA, but also in York Co SC and the Yadkin River region of NC (Rowan/Surry/Stokes/Forsyth/Yadkin Co's). There is a definite kinship in these families, plus I live here in Forsyth Co NC within 2 or 3 miles of where a group of the Harrisons and Stewarts moved to around 1750. Furthermore, when there is a name like William Cravens Patterson (1813-1864) in the family, you pay attention to associates like William Cravens.

Harald Reksten and I have continued working for years on these families as well. Harald is very methodical in his approach to research and it benefits all who come in contact with him. We both do a lot of research and share our work with each other all the time. In the last couple years, various details have come to light which present a very intriguing picture, especially to me in that 1) it seems now that I do descend from the Harrison clan, 2) the branch of the Harrisons I connect with seems to be present in Augusta Co, VA as well as Rowan Co NC and York Co SC, 3) this same Harrison branch seems to tie into the families of both William Cravens AND Samuel Stewart, and 4) I live within a few miles of one of the key locations, in particular, where Samuel Stewart died and is buried apparently.

In other words, it now seems that my Thomas Patterson (b ca 1740, d 1802-10) was married to a Margaret Harrison (more info on their marriage). Harald and I have worked extensively on the Harrison clan to find any possibly connections. Harald has focused on court records of all kinds from all pertinent counties in VA, PA, DE, NJ, MD, the Carolinas, you name it. His work has brought to light certain variables that are key to piecing the Isaiah Harrison clan together. There just isn't much out there in the court records on Isaiah Jr, oldest son of Isaiah Harrison. We no longer believe him to be a likely candidate for much of anything, especially the theories of being the progenitor of the Rowan Co NC Harrisons, or the York Co SC Harrisons, or the Lydia Harrison who married Samuel Stewart, or even the Isaiah Harrison who executed the 1748 estate settlement of Joseph Harrison in Augusta Co VA. In reality, it seems Isaiah Jr may have died at a fairly young age in DE or NJ perhaps.

Speaking of Joseph, he's the other key variable in Harald's research. Joseph was a key player in the records of DE, something not brought to light in J. Houston Harrison's Settlers by the Long Grey Trail. So much information has come to the forefront in recent months regarding this Joseph and his connection with the rest of the Isaiah clan, he has to have been another son of Isaiah Sr. Joseph was born ca 1700-1705, probably around 1702 or thereabouts. We also believe that Lydia Harrison, wife of Samuel Stewart, was another daughter of Isaiah Sr. The children of Isaiah Sr by his second wife Abigail Smith just weren't documented as well as the children by his first wife Elizabeth Wright.

Furthermore, the presence of Joseph Harrison at Harrisonburg, VA in the 1740's matches the timetable of the Harrisons of Rowan Co NC and later York Co SC. Both clans have Josephs and Nathaniels, Johns and Thomases, etc. Furthermore, their is DNA proof that the SC bunch (later in Buncombe Co NC) is related to the Isaiah Harrison clan. Their migration routes mirror that of my Thomas Patterson and Margaret Harrison, who married in 1761 in Augusta Co VA. Too much to go into here and now, but the evidence is quite striking.

It is our theory (no proof, just theory) that Margaret Harrison (m Thomas Patterson) was a daughter of Samuel Harrison (I used to think Joseph, but now think it was his brother Samuel). We also believe that an additional daughter of Samuel Harrison was Jane (m William Cravens), whereas Abigail (m David Stewart, son of Samuel and Lydia Harrison Stewart) was most likely a daughter of Joseph Harrison (d 1748 Augusta Va). Sons of Joseph Harrison would have been Isaiah, Joseph, and John. As for Samuel's sons, Nathaniel and Thomas for sure, possibly others.

In 1748, after Joseph Harrison died, a group of this family moved to Rowan Co NC near the Yadkin River in what is now Forsyth Co near the Yadkin Co border. This included Samuel Stewart and his entire family, plus Isaiah Harrison (son of Joseph), and eventually others like Joseph (Jr), John and Thomas. Abigail, who married David Stewart, was also here in NC.

In the early 1760's, other Harrisons - apparently Samuel Harrison and his children and their families - moved from VA to the Kings Mountain area of SC in modern day York Co. This included Nathaniel and Thomas, plus Margaret (m Thomas Patterson) and Jane (m William Cravens). It also included many members of the Black family and the entire Robert Patterson clan (father of Thomas).

If the above relationships are correct, and there is a lot more evidence than what I've shown here to indicate so, then when I look at William Cravens, I now see an uncle (his wife being a sister of my Margaret Harrison Patterson). When I look at Samuel Stewart, I now see an uncle (his wife being a sister of my Samuel Harrison).

Most of the Stewarts and Harrisons eventually moved away from the Yadkin River area, but two families stayed here, died here, and should be buried here - somewhere. That being Samuel and Lydia Harrison Stewart, and David and Abigail Harrison Stewart (Stewart Timeline).

All this time I have taken an interest in William Cravens and Samuel Stewart... and never knew they would end up being uncles. Remember, I can't prove it 100% at this time, but the hard evidence and the overwhelming circumstantial evidence as well, certainly point to this being the case. The research continues, but I can honestly say:

It's a small world.

Large family.

August 25, 2016 Update

I no longer lean toward the theory that Margaret Harrison, wife of Thomas Patterson, was the daughter of Joseph Harrison. That theory was mainly due to the extensive collaboration of the primary families (Harrison, Cravens, Patterson, Black, Ponder) who moved to Clarks Fork in York Co, SC in the 1760's, and their connections to the Joseph Harrison, Samuel Stewart, Jeremiah Harrison families, all of whom were involved in Joseph Harrison's estate vendue in 1748 in VA (Augusta Co., near Harrisonburg). The connections of these families in DE and VA were there, but they diverged at that point. The Joseph Harrison and Samuel Stewart clans moved to the Yadkin Valley of NC about 1748, while other Harrisons (most likely only Samuel Harrison - brother of Joseph), and the Cravens, Pattersons, Blacks, and Ponders moved to York Co SC later in the 1750's and early 1760's.

Edward Hughes facts

Facts to keep in mind as I plot the Yadkin Valley tracts:

1) On 27 May 1757- Edward Hughes to Edward Underhill of Chowan CO 188 acres s/side of Yadkin adj to Abraham CREASON -- Jon. Hanby and William Sheppard

2) Samuel Davis 579 acres directly opposite George Forbush, passed into Edward Hughes' hands in 1752. Source

3) John Pelham lived adj Edward Hughes near the Shallowford before 1756. In the spring of 1756, Pelham sold his tract to Nathaniel Wiltshire. Source

4) Nicholas Harford bought 331 acres from Edward Hughes at the shallowford in 1753. Harford was in the Shenandoah by 1742 and the Yadkin by 1753. Source

Stewart Land Entries Along the Yadkin River

Last Thursday I spent the entire day in Raleigh, NC at the state archives pulling land entries, surveys, grants, etc on microfilm. My primary focus that day was the Stewarts and Harrisons and their settlements along the Yadkin River in modern day Forsyth Co, but in those days, Anson, Rowan and later Surry counties.

*** The links below are broken, but the images for those can be found here. ***

I have more details on the Stewarts and their records along the Yadkin on my Stewart Timeline, but as a result of this archives trip, I can now understand the various records much better. In particular, there seems to have been six (6) land entries involving Samuel Stewart Sr and Jr, and David Stewart - from 1748 through 1762. There were subsequent deeds as well, but these six land entries are more specific to land "grants" - a subject full of confusion and speculation for many years as it concerns these Stewarts.

As best I can tell at this point, the following records are the extent of the land entries (application for grant), survey warrants, surveys, and grants, in regards to the Stewarts - east of the Yadkin River. Not all land entries and surveys led to grants. In some cases, grants were issued and later confiscated. So there still remains some confusion, but the following details certainly clear up many previous errors.

• 1748, (Stewart Entry #1) David Stewart entered 138 acres on the Yadkin River, Anson Co., surveyed 10 Jan 1748/49 (1749 by today's calendar). Per Hofmann's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 4, grant #285 says "David Stewart, plat dated 10 Jan 1748/49, 138 acres (Anson Co) on the North Bank of the Yadkin River opposite Eagleton, joining the river bank; CC: Abraham Potter, Antony Heavely; C. Robinson Surv." This tract was definitely along the bank of the Yadkin River. David was the first of the Stewart clan to enter land in Anson Co. However, there is no record of any grant ever being issued for this 138 acre survey. There may have been, but I can find no record of it.
• 1751 (Oct 9), (Stewart Entry #2) Samuel Stewart, Entered 640 acres on 9 Oct 1751, Warrant for survey dated 1 April 1752. Survey date is not known, but Grant was issued 10 Jan 1761 according to the warrant cover. This grant was for 640 acres on a branch of Muddy Creek above the head of Stewarts Run at a White Oak Mark'd. I found no grant paperwork for this, but again, the warrant cover had a notation that a grant was issued on the date previously noted. Also on the warrant cover, under Samuel Stewart's name, was "Muddy C" with the rest of "Creek" blotted out. Then under that note was "Esaih" and obviously something else after that blotted out. This would be a good time to note that many Harrison researchers have said that Isaiah Harrison Jr received a 640 acre grant in Anson Co NC under the name "Esaiah Harrison". I have never been able to find this grant at the NC Archives. Perhaps this particular grant was originally for him, but then was assigned to Samuel Stewart instead? Isaiah Harrison Jr is believed to have been Samuel Stewart's father-in-law.
• 1751 (Oct 9), (Stewart Entry #3) Samuel Stewart Junior, Entered 646 acres on 9 Oct 1751, Warrant for survey date is unknown, but a survey was completed on 23 Apr 1753, with chain carriers David and John Steward. No grant paperwork has been found, so it is not clear to me there was ever a grant issued for this survey. This survey was for 646 acres on the NE side of Yadkin River and on waters of Reed Creek, beginning at David Stewards corner. I believe that Reed Creek may have been south of Bashavia Creek and possibly somewhere in the vicinity of the Shallowford or even Double Creek. At this time, given that David Stewart's lands appear to have been between the Shallowford and Bashavia Creek and on the river bank, I'll assume Reed Creek is in that area as well.
• 1753 (July 16), (Stewart Entry #4) Samuel Stewart entered 640 acres on 16 July 1753, east side of Yadkin River on the South Fork of Barshaby (Bashavia) Creek, joining his other survey. This entry (Rowan Co) joined the bank of the Yadkin River. Wit: Jno Haywood, David Stewart. Warrant dated 30 Nov 1753, surveyed 24 May 1754 (for 508 acres), deed issued 9 May 1757 (warrant cover), same day as David Stewart's 380 acre grant. CC: John Stewart, John Dawson. The back of the grant described the grantee as "Samuel Stewart Sr". On the grant itself you can see that Samuel Stewart Sr always made his mark "S". This tract of 508 acres was later sold to Matthew Brooks in two parcels (1775 and 1779), both deeds mentioning the "bank of the Yadkin River" and the latter one also said "down the river". This was grant #4903 in Hoffman's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 3, under Rowan Co.
• 1753 (July 26), (Stewart Entry #5) David Stewart entered 640 acres on 26 July 1753, east (north) side of Yadkin, (Rowan Co) adj Joseph Hartford, Wagners line, John Miller, and the several courses of the sd river. Warrant for survey dated 30 Nov 1753 (warrant cover), surveyed 23 May 1754 (for 380 acres), deed issued 9 May 1757 (deed cover), same day as Samuel Stewart Sr's 508 acre grant. CC: John Stewart, John Dawson. This 380 acre tract was later referred to as David Stewart's Fishing Place, and then again later was described as containing a "Fish Pott" and "Seine Landing", the latter being a type of fishing net. I believe this land to have been at or near the modern day "Old 421 River Park" in modern day Forsyth Co NC. Another possible location for this tract is a little further south, closer to the Shallow Ford. This was grant #4898 in Hoffman's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 3, under Rowan Co.
• 1762 (May 24), (Stewart Entry #6) Samuel Stewart (Sr, but later sold by Jr) was granted 332 acres on 10 Aug 1762, Rowan Co East side Yadkin River and on both sides of Swan Creek, adj David Stewart, George Stown, John Howard, and bank of river. Wit: John Frohock; Surveyed by John Frohock 24 May 1762 (survey cover); CC: David Stewart, Thomas Harrison. Note: Plat was originally done in the name of Joseph Harrison, a line drawn through and Samuel Stewart written above. This survey was clearly on Swan Creek, clearly for Joseph Harrison originally, and clearly Samuel Stewart Sr, based on Samuel's "S" mark on the grant itself. This grant has always been attributed to being Samuel Stewart Sr, and referred to in Lydia Stewart's 1771 will where she left this land to her sons if they could "obtain a clear title". However, I no longer agree with the latter assumption. Lydia's will clearly refers to a tract of land on the "south" side of the Yadkin, and this tract was on the east (or north) side, so this is NOT the land Lydia was referring to. Interestingly, this land was sold by Samuel Stewart JR and his wife Elizabeth Stewart in 1774 to Joseph Williams (Surry Bk A Pg 95), witnessed by John Harrison, and bounded as "adj. David Stewart.... riverbank..." and George Stown to the east and John Howard to the south and west. Subsequent deeds describe this tract as "North side Yadkin River, both sides Snow Creek." It is DEFINITELY the same tract. It could be that Samuel Jr sold this land as an heir, and his wife (Elizabeth Winscott) as a witness of Samuel Sr's will. This 1762 grant was grant #60, Bk 6, Pg 221, Issued 10 Aug 1762 Rowan Co, and was entry #4905 in Hoffman's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 3, under Rowan Co.

Thomas Patterson's Wife?

I want to thank Harald Reksten for finding the recently published book (2005) titled Chasing the Frontier Scotch-Irish in America by Larry Hoefling. In this book the author shares information from the early days of a frontier church in Augusta Co Va, near modern day Harrisonburg, in the Shenandoah Valley. The church was Peaked Mountain Church, and "the list" presented by Hoefling shows baptisms and marriages from 1759 to 1764.

My gggg-grandfather was John Patterson, born in 1765 in SC. He married Margaret Black in the 1780's. Around 2000 or 2001 we were able to connect John Patterson to his father, Thomas, who in turn was the son of Robert and Sarah Patterson of DE, VA and York Co SC. That said, we had never found a name for the wife of Thomas Patterson, who should have gotten married circa 1760-64, theoretically.

This list contains the transcribed name of "Thomas Peterson". It is not uncommon to find our Thomas Patterson's last name spelled in various ways, such as Patterson, Paterson, Pattison, Petterson, Peterson, etc. Harald and I both scoured the other names throughout this document, and while there ARE names for the "other" Pattersons who were in Augusta Co Va at the time, the family associations were pretty distinct for the two apparently unrelated Patterson clans.

"Our" Thomas Patterson is overwhelmingly documented in records with Harrisons, Cravens, Blacks, and other families, too, but primarily these three families. Furthermore, as you will see on the attached lists, many of those names mentioned above and others, are well documented to have moved to York Co SC and the surrounding area at the same time our Pattersons did, during the mid 1760's. Also, the Cravens names in this list were transcribed as "Crevens", not unlike Patterson being transcribed as "Peterson".

I'm saying all that to say this... I am 100% convinced that Harald Reksten has just found the name of Thomas Patterson's wife, and my ggggg-grandmother. Her name was Margaret Harrison, and they married on 24 December 1761. You'll remember that in 1752 England and it's colonies officially transitioned from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar - in theory, but not so quickly in practice. New Years Day was changed from March 25 to January 1, and a few other changes were made. But in practice, many people still thought of March as the 1st month, instead of the 3rd month.

I mention that for this purpose. You'll see on this list below (the first one shows Thomas "Peterson" at the bottom right) that Thomas' marriage occurred on "10br. 24th" 1761. Huh? That was the writer's way of abbreviating December (10br), since in his mind December was the 10th month, and January and February were the 11th and 12th months.

Here are the images of the 4 pages of marriages and baptisms:

So the obvious question is, Who was Margaret Harrison? The quick answer is, I don't know. Long answer... there were many Harrisons in that region in 1761, but they were all from the Isaiah Harrison clan, so that narrows it down a lot. Isaiah Harrison (b 1666) died during the winter of 1737/38 when the family was migrating from Sussex Co DE to the Shenandoah Valley. He had seven sons and several daughters. The oldest son was Isaiah Jr. Another son Gideon, died in DE, but with issue, albeit not well documented. The other five sons were the ones who migrated to Va during 1737/38. They were Thomas, John, Jeremiah, Daniel and Samuel, the latter being the youngest, born circa 1712.

The families of Thomas, John, Jeremiah and Daniel are fairly well documented. A few years ago I discovered that Jeremiah Harrison's first wife was actually Elizabeth Patterson, the aunt of Thomas Patterson. Isaiah Jr's family and Samuel's family are not so well documented. However, as the years have passed and the Internet has grown, more has been learned about both of these branches. It seems that Isaiah Jr and his family moved to Va during the 1740s and then promptly moved to the Yadkin River region of NC around 1750.

Samuel on the other hand didn't move to the Carolinas until the early 1760s. It seems pretty certain now that Samuel Harrison and his family settled on the Lynches River region of what is now Lancaster Co SC. Samuel supposedly died there in 1790.

The fact that Samuel and his family moved to SC in the early 1760s is a key fact to remember, in my opinion. Samuel Harrison lived near the Robert Patterson clan in Va, so Thomas Patterson and Samuel Harrison's children would have grown up around each other. More research is being done on the Samuel and Isaiah Harrison Jr families, but for now, it is safe to assume that Margaret Harrison Patterson was either a granddaughter or great-granddaughter of Isaiah Harrison Sr. The Harrisons are very well documented, even before Isaiah. More on this to come later.

Again, thank you Harald Reksten for finding this information and passing it along. Us Thomas Patterson descendants are forever indebted to you for this.

Wes

NC Land Grants Requested

I tried a new process today (23 Feb 2010) - sending off for NC land grants using the NC Archives online web form. We'll see how this works.

The following grants are the ones for which I've submitted requests:

#1
For Person: David Stewart
In Year: 1748-1749
County: Anson
Other Info:
Per Hofmann's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 4, grant #285 says "David Stewart, plat dated 10 Jan 1748/49, 138 acres (Anson Co) on the North Bank of the Yadkin River opposite Eagleton, joining the river bank; CC: Abraham Potter, Antony Heavely; C. Robinson Surv."

#2
For Person: Samuel Stewart
In Year: 1752
County: Rowan
Other Info:
Hofmann's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 4, grant #287, "warrant dated 1 April 1752, to Charles Robinson, surveyor to survey 640 acres in Anson County on a branch of Muddy Creek above the head of Stewarts Run at 3 white oaks Mark'd and so up for complement."

#3
For Person: Samuel Stewart Jr
In Year: 1753
County: Rowan
Other Info:
Hofmann's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 4, grant #288, "survey date, 23 April 1753, surveyed by Jas. Carter, dep. surveyor, 646 acres on the N E side of the Yadkin River and on waters of Reed Creek... joins David Steward; CC: David Stewart, John Steward."

#4
For Person: Ezaiah or Isaiah Harrison
In Year: 1753
County: Rowan
Other Info:
Ezaiah [Isaiah] Harrison had a Rowan County, NC Land entry for 15 March 1753, of 640 acres in Anson County (later Rowan), on the South side of Yadkin River.

#5
For Person: David Stewart
In Year: 1753
County: Rowan
Other Info:
David Stewart entered 380 acres on 26 July 1753, east side of Yadkin, (Rowan Co) adj Joseph Hartford, Wagners line, John Miller, and the several courses of the sd river. Warrant dated 30 Nov 1753, surveyed 23 May 1754, deed issued 9 May 1757. CC: John Stewart, John Dawson.

#6
For Person: Samuel Stewart
In Year: 1753
County: Rowan
Other Info:
508 acres east side of Yadkin River, (Rowan Co) joining several courses of sd river. Wit: Jno Haywood, David Stewart. Warrant dated 30 Nov 1753, surveyed 24 May 1754, deed issued 9 May 1757. CC: John Stewart, John Dawson. The back of the grant described the grantee as "Samuel Stewart Sr".

#7
For Person: Thomas McCaul (McCall)
In Year: 1757
County: Rowan
Other Info:
Thomas McCaul (McCall) entered 656 acres in Rowan Co on Stewards Run, surveyed 21 April 1753, and the grant was issued on 12 May 1757. CC: Samuel Steward, David Steward. This was grant #4721 in Hoffman's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 3, under Rowan Co.

#8
For Person: Edward Hughes (Hughs)
In Year: 1755
County: Rowan
Other Info:
1755 (Feb 28), Edward Hughes was granted 331 acres on North East side of Yadkin River, adj Jos Harris (was this Joseph Harrison?); CC: Jos Harris, Daved Steward. It was grant #4636 in Hoffman's Granville District of NC 1748-1763, Vol. 3, under Rowan Co.

#9
For Person: Samuel Stewart
In Year: 1762
County: Rowan
Other Info:
1762 (Aug 10), Samuel Stewart was granted 332 acres on 10 Aug 1762, Rowan Co East side Yadkin River adj David Stewart, George Stown, John Howard, and bank of river. Wit: John Frohock; Surveyed by John Frohock 24 May 1762; CC: David Stewart, Thomas Harrison. Note: "Plat appears to have originally been in the name of Joseph Harrison, a line drawn through and Samuel Stewart written above".

#10
For Person: Martin Hauser
In Year: 1762
County: Rowan
Other Info:
1762 (Aug 27), Martin Hauser 256 acres on "Bersheba" Creek (Bashavia Creek), near the Yadkin River on the east. His tract was on both sides of Bashavia Creek; Wit: John Frohock; Surveyed by John Frohock on 21 May 1762; CC: Henry Spoonhour, Martin Hauser.

#11
For Person: Richard Thomason
In Year: 1778
County: Surry
Other Info:
1778 (Nov 13), Richard Thomason entered 400 acres Surry County on the North side of the Yadkin River adj the lines of Joseph Stewart and Martin Hauser and Joseph Phillips - 13 Nov 1778; grant issued 13 Oct 1783. This was entry #950 in Agnes M. Wells' Joseph Winston: His Land Entry Book, Surry County NC Land Entries 1778-1781.

#12
For Person: Matt Brooks
In Year: 1778
County: Surry
Other Info:
1778 (Dec 29), Matt Brooks enters 300 acres of land in Surry Co. on the S fork of Bershavia Creek adjoining Martin Howzar, Jos. Stewart, Benja. Stewart.

#13
For Person: John Lynch
In Year: 1779
County: Surry
Other Info:
1779 (Feb 3), John Lynch entered 100 A up river adj land he bought from David Stewart Sr, including the Fish Pott and Seine Landing.

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More to come...

Deed Mapper maps

Today I received two maps from Deed Mapper for plotting the grants and deeds of western Forsyth Co NC and eastern Yadkin Co NC. The Yadkin River is the boundary between these counties and it's the land on both sides of the river that I am researching currently. This involves the Stewarts tracts from the 1700s and many of their relatives and neighbors.

This also includes the Brookberry Farm lands on Stewarts Branch.

On with the plotting...