James Wood Esquire, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia to all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting know ye that by virtue of a Land Office Treasury Warrant number thirteen thousand two hundred and eighty nine issued the third day of August one thousand seven hundred and eighty two there is Granted by the said Commonwealth unto Jonathan Akers, assignee of Peter Scaggs who was assignee of George Boothe, a certain tract or parcel of Land Containing seventy two acres by survey bearing date the fourth day of November one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight, lying and being in the County of Montgomery, on the head branches of Mill Creek and adjoining the Pilot Mountain and is bounded as followeth to Wit Beginning at a white oak an Ash on a small branch and runneth thence - North three degrees West one hundred and twenty poles to a chestnut and white oak on the top of a hill, south thirty seven degrees West thirty poles to two white oaks, North fifty seven degrees West twenty poles to a black oak and hickory south thirty eight degrees West fifty two poles to a dogwood and black oak on the top of a hill, South eighty one degrees West one hundred and eighty poles to a black oak and sapling, and South eighty one degrees East two hundred and fifty five poles to the beginning, with its appurtenances to the said Jonathan Akers and his Heirs forever In Witness whereof the said James Wood Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia hath hereinto set his Hand and caused the lesser seal of the said Commonwealth to be Affixed at Richmond on the twenty second day of September In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety seven, and of the Commonwealth the twenty second.James Wood
I interpret this as George Boothe getting the land during the Revolution and having the deed registered after the war in 1782 when the land office opened back up again. He sold it to Peter Scaggs, and the next part is speculation, Old Peter surveyed the land in 1788 (but I bet we can verify this from the survey records which I think are complete). Peter sold the land to Jonathan Akers in 1797. I think this Jonathan Akers was brother to the Blackburn Akers who married Susanna Scaggs, daughter of James Scaggs and Susanna.
So interesting! There are so much more genealogical information to decipher about Peter/Martha Scaggs from this older Land Grant Deed. I agree, there must be more detailed survey records or an Indentured deed for our Old Peter Scaggs concerning this 72 acres. What I find most interesting about this deed is the descriptive location of this 72 acres that states, (On the head branches of Mill Creek and adjoining the Pilot Mountain.
ReplyDeleteIronically, I have friends who are Bishops and they currently live ON THE HEAD BRANCHES OF MILL CREEK ADJOINING PILOT MOUNTAIN. They informed me that from their home traveling/climbing due south you will reach the top of Pilot Mountain and then continuing southbound on down the mountain you will come to the Little River around the Broad Shoals Ford. This is the area that most current Bishops believe was the 1806 deeded homestead of John Bishop and his second wife Ruth Elkins Scaggs Bishop before it was sold to John Altizer . So this 1797 deed of Jonathan Akers formerly Peter Scaggs apparently confirms the 1788,1789, 1790 + Tax Lists of Montgomery County, Virginia that shows our Peter Scaggs living very close John/Ruth Scaggs Bishop. More circumstantial evidence that points to Peter Scaggs mom was Ruth Scaggs Bishop. And the fact that John/Ruth Bishop son David Bishop must have been very close to our old Peter/Martha that David eventually followed Peter to Blaine. Interesting indeed!
Thanks for posting that information about the Bishop family. I took a quick look for George Boothe and I found this:
Deletehttp://fridley.net/boothe/p197.htm#i9809
4 Nov 1788. George Boothe--72 acres at head branch of Mill Creek adjacent to Pilot Mountain. (this appears to be a summary of the survey record)
It appears that George Boothe was the person who had the survey completed in 1788, not Old Peter Scaggs, but I guess we will only know for sure by looking at the actual survey record. George Boothe was an interesting character. According to the work done at the link above:
Wood presents the story of George's birth as a son of an English earl in 1745. His escape to America was due to the lifting of a cornerstone to a plot of land, a punishable offense. Wood mentions that George "often made the trip on horseback from his home in New York, bringing back many droves of horses, which he turned out on a 'range.' He lived in the present county of Floyd many years and is buried on the land he took up."
So....I just verified that George Boothe did have this 72 acres surveyed and recorded on 4 Nov 1788. I will send you a copy of the survey record. So....Old Peter must have acquired this 72 acres between 4 Nov 1788 and 1797. But, I have looked at the Grantor/Grantee deed Index records for Montgomery Co, Va. for Old Peter from 1788-1797 and coming up with nothing. Where do we look now ?
ReplyDeleteI’m not familiar with Virginia’s land warrant/survey/grant system but if this was a Kentucky grant I would interpret it this way:
ReplyDeleteJonathan Akers was granted 72 acres of land by virtue of a survey and a warrant. The warrant (not land) was obtained from Peter Skaggs who obtained it from George Boothe.
Under this scenario the record would show Jonathan Akers receiving a 72 acre land grant in 1797 by virtue of a warrant dated 1782 and a survey dated 1788.
Thank you, I think this makes sense. Jonathan Akers obtained the warrant from Peter Skaggs. The survey had already been completed for George Boothe. Jonathan Akers was the person who was granted the land by the State of Virginia based on the warrant he obtained from Peter Skaggs.
Delete