Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

…a “colonial” grist mill

I’m known to simplify things to my level of understanding… I don’t grind my own flour or cornmeal so this is my version of “flour grinding for Dummies”. This is the simplest explanation of how mill stones work that I have run across… indeed, even I understood it. (the stones part)

If you simply add running water in place of that handle…then you have a water mill. First… get some stones…

…this has to happen before you turn the crank…. this is my favorite gardener…

This is all an introduction to my “where was the preacher’s Mill?” Post… perhaps coming shortly…

…

OK… so my head is all filled up with fancy 2 story brick water mills… horse manure… I’m researching the 1600s when things were more primitive and scarce.

As I start to realize…. the first Mill was constructed in 1621 near Jamestown. Mention is made “In the same year, the Treasurer of the Virginia Colony was commanded to construct a water mill.” As you see, I have my mind centered around what might be a very “primitive” and practical water mill.

And the land was pretty flat near the Old Brick Church. So I envision a pretty small affair with these very first Mills.

Here is a no “frills” run of the mill Mill. Of course this has a “modern” vertical setup… so my purpose here is to try to show a possible setup for an early Mill. I’m curious if this little setup could actually have used that rather LARGE millstone.

I also think the Race was On to construct the best mill prototypes. The Colonists did very well on their own… but they did have to import the machine gears and such. The best stones could be imported from France. I heard that sawmills were better quality in the Colonies simply because the British were loathe to introduce new sawmill technology that might disrupt the employment of the overhead and underhead sawmen. They tried to protect buggywhips!

It seems Robert Bracewell, Clerke (minister)… upon his deathbed, desired to leave a Mill for the sake of posterity…. and his sonne.

I am left ruminating about the details of that enterprise… and I am not convinced that there was not some earlier attempts to build a Mill near the same spot. I am still searching for clues…

But this is about the Mill… and these details seem pretty impressive…. meaning a substantial Mill….

It wasn’t that long ago this was a trip to the library. I’ve seen hints that Publishers are really pissed about copyright issues and may be suing. It looks like an avalanche of technology that can’t be stopped to me. In the meantime between lawsuits… enjoy

…had a helluva time finding this… Jennifer from California helped me out…

So the Big Dark Cloud hanging over this Will is that it was “Imbezelled“. Man…I needed some scandal to get my juices flowing…

So with that in the background, perhaps you puzzle solvers might take a crack at dissecting this puppy…

hey…if you really think it is 1702 just say it…

…and click the blue filename above for a better view   I ain’t gonna ask who you think the Imbezeller was…

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That was the warm up…

Roger Bagnall’s wife was a Rebecca…….. no one seems to have identified this woman… I really suspect this woman was “somehow” connected to Robert Bracewell the preacher.

Roger’s son was James Bagnall… wife Ann Bracewell (daughter of the preacher)…James Bagnall had a daughter Rebecca/Rebeka

Roger’s grandson was Robert Bagnall… wife Rebecca This Roger Bagnall had a sister Rebeka/Rebecca Bagnall   (one Rebeka Bagnall stays around the area as of 1755… I have not dissected her as yet)

Has anyone identified these Rebeccas? Of course, to add to the puzzle, the preacher also had a daughter Rebecca that married William West “the Rebel” and seems to have stayed with him until her death (but I still do not rule her out of the puzzle.)    …with that being said…

I’ve been focused on the older part of IOW lately… notably I have been trying to find the preacher’s house.

Who was Rebeca West in Rev Robert Bracewell’s will?

This is a Post about a Post… my apologies to the purists…

This is about the Wrights of Isle of Wight…

This is my attempt to fulfill the promise to provide more information”:

I have provided my research….what is your next question?

The preacher would be the Rev. Robert Bracewell

I do not know if the good Reverend Bracewell ever actually preached at the “Old Brick Church” but it seems rather obvious since the church is reputed to date to 1732. Rather, I am just looking for the preacher’s house, since the church is well,… still there. It probably had a dirt floor.

While I am looking for the preacher’s house, a commenter asks a question: do I know about a certain WRIGHT that may have lived around… “the area that I am currently studying”.

Well…yes I do…

I keep stumbling over this guy in my research… one William Wright… as early as 1644…

75 years later…

One can’t help but notice that in 1719 a John Wright purchased from Rebecca Bagnall 60 acres … that 60 acres seems to be nigh the Old Brick Church. see file above

But, lest you get too excited and think I have figured out the details of this “Herring Branch” business, note that this was a very popular area evidently… also note a “Thomas Wright” in 1713…

All of which are on the same land (seemingly).

As I try to sum up clues… it is apparent to me that a Mill was established on Herring Branch (which is the head of Pagan Creek now Jones Creek). The Rev. Robert Bracewell may have set up the first mill. (I am looking for evidence). From the deed above these names for the same Mill emerge:

Webbs Mill…..Tullagh Mil…..Wests Mill

I do have a Mill question…. it is also obvious at this Mill (from the deed descriptions) that an active Spring was “boiling” from one of the ponds. This seems to be very advantageous to a pond since the pond will forever be full… like a bath tub with the faucet left on. It seems to me that with a magic pond so close to the mill it could allow it to run pretty much 24/7.

If that spring is still active, I would love to fish that little pond.

So I worked up these notes and realized… Hmmm… this study can stand on it’s own.

My objective was to find the house of the Rev. Robert Bracewell in Isle of Wight. I am now at the place of a stone’s throw… or at least an arrow’s shot of finding it. A lot of people are interested in his neighbors…

That Post is in the works… this is just to chew on…