Changed 5/29/2012 changes are in red.
·
Property location,
from Mark Phelps, Snow Hill, NC 2006: James Phelps Land was on the East
side of the Country Line Creek in Caswell County just across the
Creek from the future Town of Milton, N.C.
His property was bordered on the West by the lands of Anne Smith, on the East,
by Shadrack Hudson, on the South by Nathaniel Pass
Sr. and on the North by the Virginia Line. To the East of
Shadrack Hudson were the lands of John Warren, whose daughter Jane
married James Phelps' son William. James's son Thomas, married Nathaniel Pass
Sr.'s daughter Mary and James Phelps' daughter Lucy married Willis Buckingham
Smith, the son or grandson of Anne Smith. Anne Smith acquired her property in
the year 1760 from "the Right Honourable John,
Earl of Granville by deed bearing date the second day of August in the year of
our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty & registered in the Registers
Office in Caswell County aforesaid in Book E
Page( blank)”. This passage is from a Deed from
James and Anne Reiley (Anne Smith's daughter and
son-in-law) of Caswell County, N.C. to William Thomas Sr. of Pittsylvania
County, Va., in 1779 (Caswell Co. Deed Book A--Page 115). Ironically, This
Deed was witnessed by my 6th Great-Grandfather Andrew Haddock, as well as by
Charles and John Boulton. This property consisted
of 50 acres "Beginning at Benjamin Merritt's corner White Oak on the Virginia
Line, and on the West side Country Line Creek".
William Thomas Sr. of
Pittsylvania County, Va. had a son,
Asa Thomas who is widely credited as being the
Father of Milton, N.C. Quoted from The Caswell County Historical Association's
(CCHA) website. " The town of Milton
in northeast Caswell County
was incorporated in 1796 as a center for warehousing and inspecting tobacco
and flour. It was a natural site with a fine location on the Dan River. The
property of Asa Thomas was selected. Because the
new town was to have been located near the mill owned by
Asa Thomas, it naturally was named Milltown or Milton." This mill was
originally built by Benjamin Merrit and later sold
to Anne Smith. If Asa Thomas was the Father of
Milton, N.C., Then Anne Smith was the Grandmother of the town of Milton as it
is situated on the land previously owned by her. Below is the transcription of
Ane Smith's Will.
· Date born: Between 1729-1734. James' eldest son was William (b.1754- d.1824)[1] so James was b. bet. 1729-1736 assuming James was 20-25 years old or more at Williams birth.
· First recorded appearance in NC was his land entry in 1778: " Land entry #781. James Phelps enters 320 acres of land joining the line of Ann Smith of the Virginia line of the north side of Mill Creek including his improvement. 20th Nov 1778" It was entered by James and Nathaniel Pass (NC Archive Land Entry Book CR020.404.1) He was on the 1784 Caswell Tax List - Richmond District 292 Mill Creek 2. His land grant of 1779, December 20 was NC #277, 292A on "County Line Creek adj. Province Line of Virginia, Nathaniel Pass and Ann Smith." (Caswell was formed in 1777.) Based on later sales of inherited property of Obediah, a son, his land was on or near Mill Creek.
Based on the 300 acres in James' deed and the reported cost of 50 shillings per 100 acres (see the deed below) , the cost was about 150 shillings. Accounting for 20 shillings per English pound, the equivalent dollar cost in 2003 would would be about $1530. See Money and Denominations
The daily income for unskilled laborers in England did not much exceed a shilling a day. Source: Bound for America: The Transportation of British Convicts to the Colonies, 1718-1775. That would be about about $10 a day in 2003
· Died 4/19/1786 NOW uncertain. . The estate inventory of the January 1787 Caswell court , page 175, states "Inventory of James Phelps estate deceased April 19, 1786..." implying the deceased date. However Mark Phelps who has seen many such estate inventories says they are alway dated and says the date refers to the inventory not the death. (why write "deceased " since clearly he was dead?.) . His will was signed 3/5/1785. recorded 10/1788. Was not in the first Caswell census of 1787.
· Married to a Mary, based on his will. Some researchers (probably using the unsourced LDS records) have named Mary Bateman of Perquimans Co, NC or Mary C Bateman as his wife. The LDS records for the Mary C Bateman marriage show 1765 as the marriage date and a birth of 1735 for James' birth - both of which are quite reasonable. The other Bateman-Phelps entry shows a marriage of 1786 - clearly invalid. Perhaps more suggestive is the evidence, presented in "other clues" below, that James came from Anne Arundel Co, MD - where there were Batemans. But since there is no evidence for this marriage and there is evidence that the Phelps-Bateman marriage has been incorrectly assumed I contend that we cannot assume that Bateman was Mary's last name. In Perquimans Co., NC there was a Mary Bateman who married a Phelps as documented in two Bateman wills of 1750 and 1753, but the James who has been assumed to have married that Mary, died before ours. See Samuel Phelps of Perquimans Co ( Candidates for James' Father )
· Caswell formed in 1777 from Orange. Orange formed in 1752 from Johnston. Johnston formed in 1746 from Craven which was formed in 1705.
1. A likely relative to James, Thomas Phelps of Caswell, born 1727, possibly from Wales (see the letter discussed elsewhere), first appeared in Caswell in 1777 on the tax list.
2. A John Phelps proved James' will in 1788. He is in the 1782 Halifax VA Heads of Household list - with 7 whites and 9 slaves. He also is in the 1785 Halifax VA Heads of Household list - with 5 whites. 1 dwelling and 11 other buildings. A John Phelps is named in a Person Co. sale of an estate of James Farquhar Sen. in the 1814 August court. A John Fleps was in the 1790 Caswell Census, St Lawrence District Series: M637 Roll: 7 Page:.7
(Based on the extensive genealogy records I now have on the line John Phelps of Halifax Co, VA, d. 1749, and the John Phelps line of Bedford Co, VA d 1772 I feel it is very likely that the John of Halifax was the one who proved James' will.)
3. William Cromwell, who proved James' will in 1788 is in the 1785 Halifax VA Heads of Household list - with 4 whites.
4. Shadrack Hudson, who proved James' will in 1788 is in the 1782 Halifax VA Tax list.
5. James Williamson also proved James' will.
6. There were no Phelps listed in the Pittsylvania 1782 Heads of Households or First List of Titheables - 1767.
· James' mother is with him in 3/1785, based on his will. Old naming patterns among English was to name the 2nd daughter after the father's mother, so perhaps James' mother was named either Betty (a nickname for Elizabeth), Patty (a nickname for Martha) or Lucy (a nickname for Lucinda). Alternatively, in the early colonies, women's names follow the same practices as men's names, but generally follow the maternal line: The eldest daughter is often named for her maternal grandmother.
· Since James' mother was with him at his death, it would seem that he was born in America. Otherwise, his aging mother would have had to make the arduous voyage to America.
· Since William was born in 1754 (see above) when James was at least 20 then we should look for adult records of James between 1754 and 1779 and of William between 1774 and 1779. James should have married around 1753.
James Phelps Caswell County 1779
Page 404
[of the Caswell DEED Book per ML Phelps]
State of North Carolina No. 277
Transcribed by: Latham Mark Phelps 2003
To all that these presents shall come greeting:
Know ye that for and in consideration of the sum of fifty shillings for every
hundred acres hereby granted paid into our Treasury by James Phelps have given
and granted & by these presents do give and grant unto the said James Phelps his
heirs and assigns forever a tract of land containing two hundred and ninety two
acres lying and being in the County of Caswell. On the waters of Country Line
Creek beginning at a white oak on the Provence Line of Virginia Graves, thence
south sixty five chains to a red oak on Nathaniel Pass's line, thence his line
west forty five chains to a red oak on Ann Smith's line, thence her line north
sixty five chains to a pine on the Provence line, thence the Provence line east
forty five chains to the first station. As by the plat here unto annsaid doth
appear with all the Woods, Waters, Mines, Minerals, hereditaments and
appurtenances to the said land belonging or ascertaining. To hold by the said
James Phelps, his heirs and assigns forever. Yielding and Paying to us such sum
of money yearly or otherwise as our General Assembly from time to time may
direct. Provised always that the Said James Felps shall cause this Grant to be
registered in the Register's Office of our said County of Caswell within twelve
months from the said date hereof, otherwise the same shall be void and of no
affect. In Testimony hereof we have caused our Grant Seal to be hereby affixed.
Witnesses, Richard Caswell Esquire and Governor, Captain General & Commander in
Chief at Kingston the Twentyeth day of December in the fourth year of Our
Independence & in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy
Nine.
By His Excellency's Com. R.C. Caswell
J.R. Franck Sec.
The dimensions of this are 292 acres.
65 chains = 65 x 66’ = 4290 feet N/S
45 chains = 45 x 66’ = 2970 feet E/W
Sq ft / 43,560 sq ft = 292 acres