Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Deed of Gibbea Chavers - 1777, Granville County

Hi all! Well, this is a deed that I've transcribed from the State Archives of North Carolina. This is of Gibbea Chavis (spelled Gibbe Chavers in the deed) giving land to Joseph McDaniel.. This deed was found in deed book L of Granville County on page 382. Although the deed is from 1775, it was not recorded until almost 2 years later. Mentioned in the deed is Hudspeth and I'm very interested in who this person is. They may be another free Black, like Chavis, but I really think they were white even though their name pops up all the time in records concerning free Blacks in Granville County. If anyone has information on the Hudspeth line, I'd love to get in contact with you. Seems to me that Gibbea was doing fairly well for himself to be selling off 300 acres, and it looks like keeping some of the land for himself. http://www.freeaainnc.com/landdeeds/granvillecogibbeachavis1777.pdf

Deed of Gibbe Chavers to Joseph McDaniel, 1777

To Joseph McDaniel of Granville Co, NC from Gibbe Chavers, planter, of aforesaid, 8 September 1775, for 44 pounds 8 shillings and 10 pence proclamation money of North Carolina which he the said Gibbe Chavers is justly indebted unto the said Joseph McDaniel & honestly desire to secure & pay to him & for & in the further consideration of 5 shillings like money, one tract or parcel of land lying on the North side of Tar River, Beginning at a White Oak in Hudspeth's line, then running West to a corner Pine, thence North to a corner Pine, thence East to a corner Pine, thence Southern to Chaver's line, then along the various courses of Chavers' line to the first station, containing by estimation 300 acres, be the same more or less; also 1 spotted stone horse, 1 grey horse gelding branded with L on the near buttock, 1 spotted mare branded with a stirrup iron on the near shoulder and buttock, & her colt, 1 young spotted sores branded on the near shoulder a& buttock, with a stirrup iron, 1 young Sorrell horse branded on the near shoulder 3 & on the near buttock 8, 5 cows & calves, 2 hefers, & 1 (?), the cattle that are marked are marked with a crop & half crop in the right ear & a half moon in the underside of the left ear.
Gibea Chavers
Wit: Zacharias Higgs,
Jurat: Jonathan Kittrell
Granville County August Court 1777.
Prov'd by the oath of Zacharias Higgs
Reuben Searcy C.C.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great job on showing the role of free people of color in N.C.! I am a descendant of Joseph McDaniel, by the way. Take care.

Erin said...

Thanks for commenting, I'd love to learn more about Joseph as I've seen his name appear in many documents about free people of color in Granville Co.

Anonymous said...

Hudspeth = Hedgepeth

The Hedgepeths are a very large family and are not white. Like many of the families you're discussing they are "mixed race" American Indian. I guess like Paul Heinegg, you fall into the trap of believing these families were mostly black or "lost their Indian identities". Looking at historical records without understanding the social context, critical race theory and ideas about race at that time, is a dangerous thing.