Caroline County, VA - Survey Book Wm and Mary College Quarterly , Vol. 19, No. 3. (Jan., 1911), Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 19, No. 3. (Jan., 1911), pp. 168-173. Caroline County Survey Book Page 168 CAROLINE COUNTY SURVEY BOOK COMMUNICATED BY LEWIS BECKNER, WINCHESTER, KY. This fall, while at work in the office of the county clerk of Campbell county, at Alexandria, in this State, I ran across an old record book which was brought from Caroline county, Va., about the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is a part of the records of the surveyor's office of Carolina county, but was also used for a time as a deed book of Campbell county, KY. It is a large book, about half a sheet in size, and covered with vellum. On the inside of the covers are written "James B. Taliaferro's book, November 24, 1814," and "James T. Taliaferro" and "John Taliaferro Jr.," and "James B. Taliaferro." On the back is "John N. Taliaferro, Newport, Ky., July 7, 1821," also "James Taylor, C.C.C.C." Inside in several places there are "James Taylor, Jr."; and John N. Taliaferro, by his signature, shows that he is deputy for James Taylor, clerk of the Campbell County Court. The Campbell county deeds are written in the back of the book, and do not interfere with the Carolina county surveys, which take up the front. The first Caroline county survey entered in it is dated the 22d of May, 1729, and the last the 26th of January, 1762; and the first Campbell county entry is dated the 11th of July, 1821, and the last the 16th of May, 1821. In the Campbell county end there are twenty deeds, two surveys and one sale bill, while the Caroline end contains forty-seven surveys, all made by R. O. Brooke, S.C.C.C., although from the dissimilarity of the signatures of the earlier and the later surveys I would judge that two "R.O. Brookes" had used it. Between the Caroline county surveys and the Campbell county deeds there is a large section of the book unused except a few pages, which have been used by James B. Taliaferro to state and work a number of problems in physics, surveying and arithmetic. The first survey is for 137 acres, on the 22d of May, 1729, in the parish of St. Margaret's, and is for Richard and Francis Fowler. Page 169. 2. For William Marshall, 150 acres, of the same date, in the same parish. 3. For Henry Reins, 250 acres on May 28, in Drysdale Parish. 4. For Henry Dillon vs. Thomas Coleman, 600 acres on the Mattapony, on the 10th of June, 1729. 5. For the prison bounds, 9 acres and 8 poles, on the 3d of June, 1729. 6. For Richard Long, 340 acres and 70 poles, near Solamon's Garden, in St. Margaret's Parish, on the 13th of June, 1729. 7. For Thomas Carr, 2,530 acres, in St. Margaret's Parish, on the 28th of October, 1729. 8. For Major Thomas Carr, 575 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, near Thomas Dickerson, October 5, 1729. 9. For Captain Richard Mauld, 387 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, on the 9th of September, 1729. 10. For Micajah Chiles, 379 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, on the 11th of December, 1729. 11. For Robert Beverely, Esq., 4,775 acres, on the same date as above. 12. For Robert Chandler, 357 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, on 2d of February, 1730. 13. For John Ellis, 530 acres in St. Margaret's parish, on the 26 of February, 1730. 14. For John Ellis, 533 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, same date. 15. For Zach Martin, 306 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, near Paul Pigg, Robert Powell, William Marshall and Mr. Baylor, same date. 16. For Robert Faldo vs Ralph Wormeley, William Taliaferro claims 600 acres of the Henry Berry patent, 1664, and survey made April 29th, 1730. 17. For Major Thomas Catlett, 66 acres in St. Mary's Parish near Messrs. Robert Taliaferro, Grymes, Thomas Corbin and White, March 22d, 1730. 18. For Major William Woodard, 630 acres in the Edward Page 170. Wrackley patent, 1662, on Abe Moon's Creek, November 19th, 1730. 19. For Robert Beverley, Esq., 929 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, on February 24th, 1730. 20. For Mr. Charles Gooddale, both sides of Long Beach in St. Margaret's Parish, on May 14th, 1731. 21. For William Perry, 162 acres beginning at Francis and Anthony Thornton's corner, February 18th, 1731. 22. For Major Thomas Catlett, 1,276 acres in St. Mary's Parish, bounding on Taliaferro and Royston's outside line and the Goldenvale Swamp, on March 23d, 1730. 23. For Richard Long, 1,165 acres in St. Mary's Parish, near Nicholas Battaile's, near Solamon's Garden and adjoining Francis and John Taliaferro, April 26th, 1733. 24. For Charles Morgan vs. William Daniel, 122 acres near Port Tobacco, May 6th, 1734. 25. For George Marsh, 68 acres in St. Mary's Parish, near John Ellis and ------Martin, May 30th, 1737. 26. Hugh Rea, 118 acres in St. Mary's Parish, bounding on Durrett and Richard Mauld, on June 1st, 1737. 27. For Crutchfield vs. Baber, 2,920 acres of the Bray survey; not dated. 28. For same, 596 acres on Herring Creek, Bray survey, on June 27th, 1738. 29. For Henry Bowcock vs. Henry Ball, 557 acres in Pewmondsend Swamp, on March 11, 1730. 30. For William Trigg, 157 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, near William Eubanks, on April 23d, 1731. For same, 162 acres, near John Hurt and Reedy Swamp, April 23d, 1741. 31. For George Marsh, 68 acres, near John Ellis and ----- Martin, May 31st, 1737. 32. For Hugh Rea, 110 acres in St. Margaret's Parish, near Richard Mauld's, June 1st, 1737. 33. For Wormeley vs. Beverley, by the edge of a Percorson in Sir Thomas Lunsford's patent, near Pewmoundsend Swamp. The names appearing are Hon. John Grymes, Esq., executor or Page 171. his father, Mr. William Taliaferro; Col. Lunsford Lomax. Made on September 18th, 1738. 34. For Capt. Joseph Berry, 286 acres in Drysdale Parish, near Col. William Beverley, Thacker, Baylor and Taylor, on January 4th, 1739. 35. For prison bounds, 10 acres, on March 14th, 1752. 36. For William Coune, 1,165 acres, on February 9th, 1754. 37. For 96 acres lapsed from William Morris by Col. Edwin Pendleton, February 28th, 1757. 38. For Adam Lindsey, 290 acres, on July 11th, 1755. 39. For William Butwell, 18 acres, on Dec. 31st, 1759. 40. For Absalom Davis, 72 acres, on May 7th, 1759. 41. For John Micou, 138 acres, in the Sunken-ground or Percorson, on November 29th, 1760. 42. For the executor of Henry Terrell, deceased, 255 acres lapsed of John Chiles. This survey made by Edward Vauter, assistant. Not dated. 43. For Lawrence Taliaferro, 12 acres and 42 poles of sunken land, on March 17th, 1761. 44. For Robert Goodloe, of Spotsyvania, 190 acres, on January 22d, 1762. 45. For Samuel Hargrave, 15 acres on Fleming Island, January 26th, 1762. These notes were not taken with a view to form the basis for this article, else they would have been more complete, and would have given every name mentioned in each survey. The book captured my attention because I was on the chase of some elusive Taliaferro ancestors, and it looked like it would repay an investigation. Seeing it was so full of Taliaferro names, I made the above abstract. It will be noticed that the entries in which Taliaferro appear have been more fully noted by me. My mother, Betty Taliaferro, was a daughter of Major John Taliaferro, of Winchester, Ky.; he the son of Hay Taliaferro, who came to Clark county, Ky., about 1812, from Caroline county, Va., and was a son of William Taliaferro, of the latter county, and his wife, Margaret Aylett. Page 172. It was my search for the ancestors of the last named parties that led me to make the discovery of this curious relic. Since then it has occurred to me several times that it ought to be brought to the notice of some one in Virginia; and I can think of no one to whom the notice would be of more interest than to the readers of the WILLIAM AND MARY QUARTERLY. Surmising upon that part of the history of the old book which is not shown upon its pages, I would say that one of the Taliaferros was assistant to Surveyor Brooke or married into his family, and so became possessed of the book; and by some mistake carried it to Kentucky at the time of the Taliaferro migration. James Taylor, of Caroline county, father of the James Taylor, clerk of the Campbell County Court, married for his wife a Taliaferro, daughter, I believe of Colonel John, of Dissington, and his wife, a Thornton. This will doubtless account for the fact that John N. Taliaferro was deputy clerk, and why the book was used for a deed book. This (Clark) county was the seat of a large settlement of Caroline county people -- Battailes, Taylors, Taliaferros, Thorntons, Willises, Lanes, etc. -- and amongst them were Hubbard and Reubin Taylor, brothers of James, the Campbell county clerk, and Hay Taliaferro, my ancestor. They were kinsmen, and one can imagine the thrill of interest with which I went through the old book. SKETCH. The sketch is a copy of the sketch that accompanied numbers 17 and 34 above. It was made offhand, and does not pretent to absolute accuracy, but is a fair approximation. The original gives the location of the Henry Berry patent, 1664, and that of Sir Thomas Lunsford. It was copied because it showed the location in 1730 of the homes of Lawrence, William and Richard Taliaferro, one of whom was possibly my ancestor. I would like very much to know if this were so. The use of "percorson" (so spelled) for sunken land was interesting, and presumably, is from the Indian. Page 173. Not forseeing that this use would be made of my notes, I neglected to note just when the "R. O. Brooke" signature changed, but by memory I am inclined to say that it was between numbers 35 and 36, or thereabouts. INSERT DRAWING Sketch of Map Accompanying Description of Caroline County, Virginia, Old Record Book in Campbell County, Kentucky, by Lucien Beckner, of Winchester, Ky. Winchester, Ky.