Dobbs County, NC - Dobbs County Provisions Tax List, 1780 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Martha Mewborn Marble - 58marble@suddenlink.net Transcribed by William [Bill] L. Murphy, dec’d Posted with permission of the Greene County Museum, Snow Hill, NC The Greene County Museum has the copyright on all of Bill’s publications including the booklet entitled "Two 1780 Dobbs County Tax Lists". Allen Barwick re-transcribed the summary list a number of years ago to be posted and the Museum, through Mike Edge, has kindly allowed this list, The Provisions List, to be placed on the appropriate county GenWeb Archives sites. We greatly appreciate the Museum’s generous donation of this material. Both the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution are using this list as proof of Patriotic Service. One correction has been made to the introduction based on where people lived in 1780. Captain Harvey’s district was what is today called Contentnea Neck Township of Lenoir Co. and adj to the Contentnea Creek on the south side, Pitt, Greene and Craven Counties. INTRODUCTION By William L. Murphy Anyone who has done research in the Dobbs County area is familiar with the 1780 Tax List. But few people realize that this list, which gives only a total valuation of taxable property, is actually a summary of the "true" tax list. The Actual 1780 Tax List was a provisions tax and gave much more information on the tax and tax payers than does the oft-used tax list. By 1780, the Revolution, which had basically been fought in the Northern Colonies after Moore’s Creek, was beginning to be brought home to the South. Cornwallis had landed in Charleston, SC and would soon march into North Carolina where the battle of Guilford Courthouse would be fought on March 15, 1781. In April of that year, after a retreat to Wilmington, Cornwallis would march north through North Carolina (and Dobbs County) and on to Yorktown for his final surrender. With the times becoming troubled due to the war economy and the threat of invasion "hard" money was becoming scarce and the paper money being printed by the colony was being steadily devalued. The government needed provisions. The taxpayer needed a way to pay his taxes, Thus, a provisions tax. Each taxpayer’s property was assessed and then he was given several means by which to pay. The tax was paid per hundred dollar valuation in one of the following ten ways: 1 peck Indian Corn 1/2 peck wheat 5 lbs. good flour 1 1/4 pecks Clean’d Oats 3/4 pecks rye 1 peck rough rice 1/3 peck clean’d rice 3 lbs. good port 2 lbs. salted pork 4 1/2 lbs. good beef All told, the county tax was paid in 8,037 3/4 pecks of Indian corn, 19 1/2 pecks of wheat, 112 pecks of oats, 35 pecks of rough rice, 5908 1/4 lbs fresh (good) pork, 2204 lbs. of salted pork and 375 1/4 lbs. of beef. The payments of the tax tell a good deal about the county and the tax payers. It would appear that even by 1780, pork and corn, the standard staple of the Southern diet for generations to come, were already well entrenched in the area as the chief or at least most abundant commodities of the populace. Rice was used as payment only in Capt. Jeremiah Loftin’s District. This area was in eastern Lenoir and western Jones counties in the area adjoining Duplin. This area, containing many swamps, streams and pecosons was near the upper reaches of the rice culture in North Carolina. Wheat was used in payment only in Capt. William Ormond’s District (on the north side of Contentnea Creek, Greene County, and oats were used only in Capt. Matthias Harvey’s District) the area of LaGrange, Lenoir County). Both these areas were in the upper plateau areas of the county where the well drained, fertile soil was good for the cultivation of grains. In addition to telling how each taxpayer paid his taxes, other information is given. In the margins and inside covers of the volume, the Commissioners made notes concerning persons who gave service to the colony, who gave such items as guns, lumber, cart wheels, etc., and at least one resident who was exempt from paying tax because "He found his own Rations while serving a tour in making Cartridge Boxes". In some instances, it is noted to whom the tax was paid or by whom the tax was paid when it was other than the tax payer listed. In the summary tax list, the value of the property is listed or no listing is made. In the original list, those with no listing are noted as being "insolvent" or "Distressed". Insolvent in this case can mean lacking in funds or having removed from the county and distressed appears to mean delinquent in payment. A number of other tax payers are listed also as being in distress and the amount of distress is given. For example, my ancestor John Murphrey is listed in Capt. William Ormond’s District with a valuation of 2,068 pds. In the original list, no payment is given next to his name but it is noted that he is in "distress" or delinquent on his tax to the sum of 16.2. Specie. The summary list and the original list have a number of differences in the names of the tax payers. Danl. Godwin on the original list becomes Danl. Gooding in the summary, Jas. Falconer in the original becomes James Folkor in the summary, etc. There are also differences in the number and names of the districts themselves. The original list contains eleven: Kennedy’s, Henry Taylor’s, Jere Loftin’s, Thos. Shutes’, Jacob Langston’s, William Ormond’s, Willm. Speight’s, Joshua Davises, Captn. Harvey’s and John Graingers. It should remembered that at this time, Wayne County had already been cut off and established independent of Dobbs County. Therefore, all the districts fall within the present counties of Greene and Lenoir with some overlapping into Jones and Duplin. The districts themselves were located basically as follows: John Kennedy’s – Lenoir, north side of Neuse River including Kinston and Falling Creek Townships and probably a portion of Moseley Hall Township Henry Taylor’s – Lenoir and Greene, lower portion of Jason Township in Greene and Institute and most of Moseley Hall Townships in Lenoir Jeremiah Loftin’s – Lenoir, south side of Neuse River in the area adjoining Duplin and Jones, including Trent and Pink Hill Townships Thomas Shute’s – Lenoir, south side of Neuse River adjoining Jones, including Woodington and part of South West Townships Jacob Johnston’s – south side of Neuse River adjoining Jones, including upper South West and Sandhill Townships and that portion of Jones in the angle formed by these two townships William Ormond’s – Greene, north side of Contentnea Creek, including Ormonds and Olds Townships William Speight’s – Greene, north side of Contentnea Creek including Speights Bridge and Carrs Townships Joshua Davis’ – Greene, south side of Contentnea Creek adjoining Wayne County including Bullhead and Shines Townships Matthew Harvey’s – Greene, south side of Contentnea Creek including Snow Hill, Hookerton and part of Jason Townships NOTE: His name was Mathias Harvey. Captain Harvey’s district was what is today called Lenoir Co., Contentnea Neck Township and adj to the Contentnea Creek, Pitt, Greene and Craven Counties. John Grainger’s – Lenoir, north side of Neuse River, including Vance, Contentnea Neck and part of Sandhill Townships Capt. Goodman’s – Lenoir and Duplin, part of Trent and Pink Hill Townships in Lenoir and parts of Albertson and Smiths Townships in Duplin. This district seems to be a partial duplicate of Jeremiah Loftin’s District and was probably a mistake in the original listing and not carried over to the summary list. NOTE: This list was not transcribed as it gave no provisions paid and the people are listed in the summary already posted.