a Chuckatuck church…
I’ve been curious where the Chuckatuck Quaker church was. I’ve ran across the Quakers in that area numerous times in my searches but never found a good reference point… its just sorta there… somewhere.
I ran across this “escheat” patent for a guy named Billingsley. (an escheat is a grant of land which reverts to the state after a death with no heirs). In the description is a requirement for an acre to be set aside for a church. Since this date is 1672 it seems likely this may be for an Anglican church but “might” be for a Quaker church. Its a mystery for me and a curiosity. But then… there is no land description I can find… so I can’t map it. My only hope is to surround the patent and expose the land like that as a “void” to fill.
In any event, this guy piques my interest because he can evidently be tracked back to Holland… and here he is in little ole Chuckatuck. He is almost a celebrity!
Here is a Wikitree link for some background and then my stuff to poke and prod around…
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Billingsley-549
Click the (blue) filename below the image to get a larger view.
Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina 
Meetings were first held in private homes. 1661 at the house of Thomas Jordan and also at the house of Robert Lawrence. 1672 meetings at William Wright’s house, thought to have been in Nansemond.
Its believed that the first known Quaker meeting house in Nansemond County was that “General Meeting House” located in Chuckatuck and mentioned on record the 3rd day, 12th month, 1674, for the marriage of Henry Wiggs and Katheren Garret (Yarret).
The second house of worship, from the Chuckatuck records, for the 3rd day, 2nd month, 1702 “a meeting house built by them in the Southern Branch of Nansemond River standing on a spot of Ground belonging to Levin Buskins’ Plantation which meeting house is 20 feet in length and 20 feet in width…” (Buskin maybe Bufkin).
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PogMoThointon
February 24, 2023 at 3:28 pm