Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

Its just the Court in Session again dear… 1698

It seems Mager Swan has deemed it in his best interest to explain hisself to the other members of the Court…

Minutes of the Perquimans Precinct Court North Carolina. Precinct Court (Perquimans Precinct) November 10, 1698 Volume 01, Pages 495-496 October 1698.

Mager [Major] Samuel Swann Acknowledg A dede [deed] gift to Capt. Henderson Walker for the yous [use]of Mistres [Mistress] Elisabeth Swann Elisabeth Gardner ye Rellock [Relic, sometimes spelled Relict] William Gardner desesed [deceased] prsented hir selfe [herself] before ye Court to bind hir [her] Son William Gardner to ye Honbl Govener Thomas Harvi [Harvey, aka the chief Keystone Kop] or his Heires thay Ingagen [engaged in] to Learn him to Reed [Read] Which In or to Was doon [done] till he comes to ye Age of Twenty on [one] yeares he being five years ould [old] now

a fortnite before Crismas Mr Caleb Calleway proved A Letter of Atturney of James Hogg And Ann Hogg by ye Oates of William Long And Sarah Long Mr Caleb Calleway Atturnney to James Hogg And Ann Hogg Acknowledg An Asignment of A Convaence for Land to Thomas Long

Ordered that Timothy Clare be overseer of ye High Way from ye Runn of boses Creek to ye place Covenant to make A brig At ye head of ye river And persons that are Willing Are requiered to Assist In ye Making of ye brig ——————– page 496 ——————–

Ordered that James ffisher be sepened [subpoenaed] before Mr Caleb Calleway And Mr John Barrow to Answer a Complant mad by the Constable And to Sepene Thomas Norcom An Evedence Mr Caleb Calleway Atturney to James Hogg And Ann his Wife provet thare [their] Letter of aturney by William Long and Sarah Long [sorry, I grew weary of correcting the Elitists’ spelling]

CALEB CALLAWAY JAMES BARROW JOHN WHEDBE SAMUEL NICHOLSON

Minutes of the Upper House of the North Carolina General Assembly North Carolina. General Assembly January 15, 1735 – March 01, 1735 Volume 04, Pages 75-114

Tuesday January ye 21st To the Honourable the Council being the upper House of Assembly now Sitting. Ordered that Mr James Castelaw Mr William Badham Mr Samuel Swann Mr Maurice Moore Mr George Turner Mr George Roberts Mr Stevens Lee Mr Samuel Sinclair Mr Gab: Burnham and Mr Arthur Williams to be a Committee

to Joyn with a Committee of the upper House to conferr on a bill entituled

an Act to regulate and Ascertain the Payment of Quit rents;

an Act for Establishing and fixing Circular Courts in this Province;

and an Act for regulating the Currency.

Sent by Mr Harrold & Mr Lee Ordered that a Message be sent to the upper House By Order JOS. ANDERSON Clk Genl Assy

Gentle Reader… these are the ingredients much as diced onions and potatoes are used to cook… but in this case the “soup” is corruption. Bear in mind that these intellectual Giants were what would be referred to today as: the “Elite”… Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off [that is the etymology of the expression ROTFLMAO]

Governor Pollock was estimated to have amassed upwards of 50,000 acres of real estate that he “bequeathed” to his offsprings. An example in Edgecombe County can be seen on my map between Swift Creek and Rocky Mount where you will notice some “Pollock” property.

Here is a sampling of some of the graft of the good Mager Swan mentioned above…

Of course Mr Moseley, Esquire, apparently never, you know, actually received this land… but it seems Majer Swann… you know, kept it and sold it piecemeal… Mr Moseley had his own scams to deal with. Here was my clue to this sordid bit of history…

Edge. Co. Db D, page 249, March 10, 1770 recorded August 1770, William Taylor, planter, of Edgecombe County to Thomas Williams, planter, of Edgecombe County for 185 pounds Virginia money a tract of 200 acres in Edgecombe County, being part of a purchase patent at one shilling per hundred quit rent taken by and a patten granted to (Wm.) Samuel Swain bearing the date the fth day of November in the year 1728, lying on the north side of Tar River beginning at a Mulberry tree on the river bank at the mouth of a gut then along a line of marked trees to a spruce pine in the gum pond then along that side of the sd. Pond to the (said) line then (?) the said patent line to a hickory a corner tree on the side of Compass Creek then along a patent line to the river then up the various courses of the river to the rst station. Sign. (X) William Taylor, wit. (?) Nicholas Skinner, John Davenport. Edge. Co. Db D, page 282, deed date 28 Sep 1770, recorded Nov Ct 1770, Thomas Williams, Edge. Co to Nicholas Skinner, county aforesaid for 50 pds VA, a tract being the whole of two deeds the one dated 28 Apr 1753 and the other dated 2 Mar 1761, being on both sides of Kirbys Branch beginning at a hickory on the creek then east to a white oak a corner then to a white oak in William Skinner’s line then east along the said line to a crooked hickory then south along the surveyed line to a hickory a corner then west along the said line to a pine then north 160 poles to a pine then west to John Moors line then along the said line north to the rst station, containing 465 acres, signed Thos Williams, acknowledged in open court by said Thos Williams. Abstracted Feb 07, NCA lm C.037.40003 CTC.

My only motivation for telling this tale is that I would very much like to simply plot the various properties of the good folks settling in Early Edgecombe County. This one is proving to be somewhat difficult. What I need is some handy-dandy metes and bounds..Yessiree! not a bunch of bullchit. My good friend Holmes says his Momma used the expression “Bless their Hearts” when she had nothing particularly “good” to say. Of course those were “gentler” times in Edgecombe County.

Careful and studious researchers will note the difficult hoops I had to endure just to transcribe this historical document found purely by chance at the venerable NC Archives in Raleigh…