a further study of William Browne’s 1706 “missing” patent
Stephen (a commenter) and I have been wrestling with the clues… now William Brown has apparently returned from the dead to help out…
He has added his two cents:
comments from William Brown;
Patent, Nicholas Boon 6 May 1742 281 acres (genealogy gremlins scrubbed the river’s name in this record)
Patent Barnaby Bryant 25 Mar 1743 50 acres
Book Page 21, Page 101.
Nicholas Baggett, planter, to Joseph Jordan, both of Northampton County, NC, 5 January 1743, for £32 Virginia currency, 160 acres, more or less, joining James Bryant, which land was granted by patent to Nicholas Boon on 2 August 1727. Witness: Nicholas Baggett, Jr.
William Bridgers of Northampton County to Abraham Baggett of same, 18 October 1750, £20 current money of Virginia for 150 acres on the north side of Meherrin River, beginning at the dividing run on the river, it being the same 100 acres (150 acres) my mother Sarah Cotton let the said Baggett have a deed for in August 1730. Witnesses included Abraham Baggett, Jr.
Page 73, Book Page 462.
1743 – February 7, Barnabe Bryant of Northampton to Abraham Bagget of same, 100 acres for 18 pounds, part of a tract granted to Barnaby Bryant 22 Mar 1743, adjacent Bryant’s swamp, Maherin River, Brigers, mouth of Rushing Branch Wit: Nicholas Boon, James Boon Reg. Northampton Co. Feb Ct. 1743 J. Edwards C. Ct. (Northampton Co., NC Pg 111)
Page 66, Book Page 407.
Abraham Baggett of Northampton County to Abraham Baggett, Jr. of Northampton County, 3 November 1749, for £20 current money of Virginia, 75 acres, more or less, joining Ruskins Branch, Samuel Bridgers, other lands of Abraham Baggett, Nicholas Boon and Bartholomew Figures, and is the plantation whereon the said Abraham Baggett, Jr. now lives. Witnesses unknown.
Page 71, Book Page 449.
Abraham Baggett and Abraham Baggett, Jr. of Northampton County, planters, 23 January 1750, are held and firmly bound onto Newit Drew of Southampton County, VA in the sum of £250 current money of Virginia, a mortgage on 250 acres on the north side of the Meherrin River. Witnesses unknown.
Page 73, Book Page 463.
Abraham Baggett and Abraham Baggett, Jr. of Northampton County to Newit Drew of Southampton County, VA, 23 January 1750, £102 and 10 shillings current money of Virginia, 250 acres on the north side of the Meherrin River, 150 acres of which is part of a patent to William Brown on 29 November 1706, and the other 100 acres is part of a patent to Barnaby Bryant on 22 March 1742, joining Bryant’s Swamp, Meherrin River, Bridgers, and the mouth of Rushing Branch. Witness: Robert Warren, Thomas Lile, and James Washington.
James Bryant’s land:
March 14, 1708: RICHARD BRASSWELL to JAMES BRYANT, Sr. (both of Isle of Wight County, Va.) for 4,000 pounds of tobacco assign my right, title & interest in the within mentioned patent. Wit: JAMES BRYANT Sr. (X), (sic) JOHN DEW (Chowan County, N. C. Deed Book W #1, p. 187)
May 20, 1740: WILLIAM BRYANT & wife of Edgecombe County, N. C. to THOMAS UZELL of Nansemond County, Va., £1000 for a certain plantation plus 100 a. of land on NORTH side of MEHERRIN RIVER being plantation whereon JAMES BRYANT formerly lived and and of the patent granted to RICHARD BRASSWELL and also one hundred (100) acres of land bought of JOHN DEW by deed bearing date July 25 1730. Wit: JAMES UZZELL, THOMAS WHITFIELD, W. BAKER, August Court 1740. (Bertie County, N. C. Deed Book F, p. 133)
May 20, 1740: WILLIAM BRYANT of Edgecombe County, N. C. to THOMAS UZZELL of Nansemond County, Va. – for £25 320 a. – Land whereon JAMES BRYANT, deceased, formerly lived. Patent granted to RICHARD BRASSWELL for 640 a. dated November 24, 1706 … which patent being endorsed to JAMES BRYANT, SEN. the 4 day of March 1708 and recorded in Chowan County. Adjoining JOHN DUKES, Being the same 300 acres of land given JAMES BRYANT by his father JAMES BRYANT DECEASED & also one hundred acres I bought of JOHN DEW dated July 25, 1730. Land adjoining JOHN DEW, WILLIAM BRYANT, BRITT’S corner. Wit: THOMAS WHITFIELD, W. BAKER August Court 1740 (Bertie County, N. C. Deed Book F, p. 136)
My comments about his comments:
And a bit more intrigue…
Note on the map… Chitty’s patent straddles the border and mentions “Rushins Branch”… to me that pretty much makes obvious that the branch running to the Meherrin River is named after the Matthew Russian/Rushin deed of 150 acres. The question is…is that branch also “the Dividing Run”? (mentioned in William Bridgers deed of 1716)
I’m still shuffling clues…
______________________________
the Nicholas Boon 281 acre deed…1742:
(thank you Stephen for reminding me of this can of worms… as of now, it seems to be crucial) Who wooda thot?
A “tentative” placement of Nicholas Boon patent 1742. This does not please me as a mappist.
The nitty gritty…
___________________________________________
An aside…
A court case (provided by Stephen, thank you, sir) provides a couple of interesting details…
- The date of the original patent by James Gee is 1706. I have tried in vain to find this patent… here it is cited in 1795. So I will take that as a primary source.
- This case “seems” to indicate that I am correct with my placement on my map. Contradictory facts notwithstanding.
Yesterday I found a patent for John Council for 640 acres in 1714… it is almost what I call an “anchor patent”.
By the term “anchor point”, I mean it is pretty much ‘self evident’ and cannot be moved… further meaning that any patents adjoining it also are sacrosanct and also cannot be moved. If you consider my analysis of the creek called “Rushins Branch” then I think I have presented enough evidence to make my case.
I am still in the process of making an accurate and truly historical map of this area in North Carolina… this helps to add information.
This is my current interpretation…
All of the “hoopla” as I term it, concerning the above suit involving the “half mile” discrepancy lends a bit more mystery to the details of my map. I would need more evidence, however, to change the map.
This is hilarious and not to mention… fun. Folks could almost haul out metal detectors and look for artifacts from their ancestors to these maps.
Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina 
This may be an interesting exercise for me to describe where to place some puzzle pieces.
If my solution is correct, I would say that Rushin Branch and Dividing run are separate. You have the Dividing run correct and the Rushin Branch is the one that splits the Bartholomew Figures grant in two (west of Dividing run).
Barnaby Bryant 50 acre patent: If I followed instructions right, it consist of three line segments that looks like it was cut from a star. Place it NW of the the Figures grant in the circular area “Beach” above the marsh with the two ends abutting the Rushin branch.
The northern point would touch Baggets’ patent.
Nicholas Boon 281 acre patent: consist of two separate boundary surveys . For the east survey (3 segments). the southern tip would join the Barnaby Bryant patent at the vertex of the obtuse angle. I believe Boon’s patent does not extend into the marsh area. The Bryant patents indicates it joins Boon’s land at his “supposed” corner, thus Boon’s land is not clearly defined in that area. Since I really can’t scale things properly, the west survey is just places appropriately for acreage and abutting the County line on the North.
See it that works. I may have something interesting brewing, but want to look into it further. Stay tuned….
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 7:32 am
Since you brought up that Gawdawful deed that I had forgotten about (thank you)…
You may now share the experience again with me… feel free to find and diagnose the errors…
I will add it to the main Post…
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anderson1951
May 12, 2023 at 8:05 am
The way I interpret it is to start at the Country Line and assume the missing piece is to go due South. Then you will have a leg east, and then south again ending the first survey. This leg sits on Bryant’s patent. The line will run up the marsh (my opion) and then begin the “western” boundary survey that runs from the marsh up to the Country line. The space between the east and west boundaries is accordingly to area and fit I guess.
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 8:35 am
Here is what I read for the second survey (from riverside to country line)
N 10 W 20
N 10 W 144
N 37 E 54
N 5 E 40
N 5 W 32
N 108
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 8:49 am
It looks like a crooked stick and maybe joins the run on the western side?
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 8:54 am
see the main Post for my latest…
A point that must be considered is that the VA/NC border was “established” in its modern
persuasion in 1728. This patent was issued in 1742… I cannot explain this discrepancy.
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anderson1951
May 12, 2023 at 9:08 am
Ascii Art:
country line
———————————————————
I I
i I
I I
I I____
I I
===== I
====== I
=============*
marsh area
point of asterisk joins Bryant patent at vertex of angle
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 9:09 am
Looks like it reformatted my ascii art.
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 9:10 am
Calm down Stephen… I suggest a Red Snapper (a Bloody Mary replaced with Gin instead of Vodka).
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anderson1951
May 12, 2023 at 9:15 am
That might wind me up
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 9:39 am
ok, your stair step line looks like I think it should. However; I have that as the eastern boundary. It is the first leg of the survey. From there, doesn’t the Meherring flow from west to east? if so, moving up the river would be moving west from your first survey leg. Also, the “crooked” line boundary for me was straighter. I’ll check my numbers.
I might mention that the Bryant survey will protrude under the Boon patent some and will be the dominant factor in defining the southern border of the Boon patent.
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 9:36 am
Who was the neighbor shown on the Boon patent… Mensham? Mitchum/Meachum? this is a new guy to this area?
Can anyone pinpoint the Bryant patent adjoining Boon?
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anderson1951
May 12, 2023 at 9:38 am
There is an Edward Meacham in IOW.
IOW deed:
pg. 580 18 Jun 1723 John Mason of Surry to Edward Meacham of same. 100 acres on the south side of Meherrin River bounded by the Great Swamp. Wit. Richard Reives, and John Ellison.
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 10:24 am
I’ve studied the Boons for a while… they will, at some point, establish a ferry across the Meherrin River… it is shown on later maps (Mouzon?). This Boon patent seems to be in the right area…
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anderson1951
May 12, 2023 at 9:50 am
Maybe we need to be drunk to do this. I’ll be out the rest of the day, but I believe that I made it easier if you want to take one more shot. Just enter these exactly.
begin (bottom left of patent and will move clockwise)
N 10 W 20 p
N 10 W 144 p
N 37 E 54 p
N 5 E 40 p
N 5 W 32 p
N 0 W 108 p Meachams Corner (top left of patent)
N 90 E 90 p along country line
S 0 E 320 p to a beach in low grounds
N 90 E 120 p along John Bryans line
S 0 E 96 p (bottom right patent)
Back to first station
I figured a distance for the “country line” of 90 poles and will probably give a little more than 281 acres (within 15-20 acres). It will resemble a tall back chair facing east. If this doesn’t work, we’ll figure something out later.
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stephen
May 12, 2023 at 12:07 pm
If I might make a suggestion…
For anyone interested in testing out an interesting patent or deed… there is a free (trial) program to do just that..
https://www.tabberer.com/sandyknoll/more/metesandbounds/metes.html
It is the same program I have used for years…
Go ahead… make your/my day…
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anderson1951
May 13, 2023 at 5:23 am
Will you change your map with a court order?
In Sandifer v. Foster, 2 N.C. 237, Gee’s patent began on the mouth of a dividing run, thence north, thence east, thence south to a white oak, thence along the river to the beginning. This white oak stood half a mile from the river, and if the line were run thence to the beginning, a large part of the land described in the Plaintiff’s grant would be left out of (86) Gee’s patent. It was decided that the river must be considered the boundary of Gees’ patent.
A half file is a “country mile” in my book.
It’s interesting that in the quest of locating “dividing run” is a place that sets precedents in “Priority of Calls in the Law and Surveying”
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stephen
May 18, 2023 at 1:08 pm
Interesting… I will add an “aside” to my Post to address this…
I can’t help but smile at the fact (historically speaking)… that the current records have this case being cited fourteen times. I’m not a lawyer, but I think this is called “precedent”.
https://casetext.com/case/sandifer-v-foster/how-cited?citingPage=1&sort=relevance
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anderson1951
May 18, 2023 at 2:41 pm