Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

Edgecombe County Court Minutes 1744-1762

Peter Anderson

[198]-17  (Feb 175_-Jun 1758)   On Motion of Bigans Sturdivant Order’d that a Summ. Issue for Joshua Tatum & Peter Anderson Evidences to a Deed of Feefment, from James Smith to the sd. Biggans, to appear here at Next Court to prove the sd. Deed. (this paragraph crossed out in original)

[214]-25  (Jun 1758-Sep 1758)   Sackfd. Adams to Peter Anderson Deed proved by Bigins Sturdivant

[215]   James Smith to Biggans Sturdivant Deed proved Peter Anderson

These references to Sturdivant pique my interest… a reputable genealogy (I assume) from 1970 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okgs/oklahoma_roots_sturdivant.htm has Biggens Sturdivant as the son of Daniel who was the son of John Sturdivant and brother of Matthew Sturdivant… whew, bear with me…

JOHN STURDIVANT, second husband of SARAH (HOLLAM) WOODWARD/STURDIVANT, apparently died ca. 1683/4. There is some evidence to indicate that he was employed, as an Indian trader, by WILLIAM BYRD I, of Westover, who wrote, 29 April 1684, from James City, to Thomas Grendon in England: “Old STURDIVANT, his son, Milner, Shipy, Womacke and Hugh Cassell were all killed by the Indians in their returne from the westward, about 30 miles beyond Ochanechee, what prejudice it is to mee you may guesse they having (had they come well in), made a very advantagious journey.” [Meyer & Dorman, op. cit., p. 351] & Tinling. The Correspondence of the Three William Byrds of Westover, Virginia, 1684-1776. pp. 15-16].      http://www.woodwardsof17thcenturyvirginia.info/index/VIRGINIA_(1681-)

another reference…

Death of John Sturdivant, Adventures of Purse and Person, P 351

John Sturdivant seems to have been an Indian trader in the employ of William Byrd I of Westover, who wrote April 29, 1684 from James City to Thomas Grendon in England.

“Old Sturdivant, his son, Millner, Shipy, Womacke and Hugh Cassell were all killed by the Indians in their returne from the westward, about 30 miles beyond Ochanechee, what prejudice it is to mee you may guesse, they having (had they come well in) made a very advantagious journey.”

The Correspondence of the Three Williams Byrds of Westover, Virginia 1684-1776

Letters of administration on the estates of John Milner, Thomas Shippy, Richard Womeck (and John Davis) were granted to their widows at the same Henrico County Court Aug. 1, 1684.

All of these men’s inventories shows some connections with the Indian trade: Indian boys and girls, trading knives, a tomahawk, Indian baskets.

The “Ochanechee” referenced above is not the Occoneechee Neck area I focus on… it is the Indian “fortress” island on the main “Trading Path” where the Virginia traders beat their path to the Catawbas, Cherokees and others.

“In 1727 Daniel Crawley sold Gideon and Mary Gibson 100 acres in Occoneechee Neck on

the north side of the Roanoke River between land owned by John Pace Sr. (Indian trader)

and Edward Clark. (I think this is Edward Clark Jr., son of Edward Clark the sexton of

New Kent Co.) Neighbors included John Hawthorne, John Pace Jr.,

Richard Turberville (Indian trader), Matthew Sturdivant (Indian trader) Thomas Whitmell (Indian trader),

Ralph Mason (Indian trader), Hezekiah Massey and John Gibson,

Gideon’s brother and also an Indian trader.”

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lksstarr/reports/elijahiv.txt

Just some food for thought…