At
this time the early life of Thomas Ashley, Sr. is unknown. His patents, birth
year and birth location are unknown. What we do know about Thomas, a
blacksmith, comes from the court records of Bertie County, North Carolina.
Thomas
Ashley, Sr. first appears in documents in 1734 when Thomas was the witness to
two land transactions. Daniel Frazor and Robert West sold land to each other on
6 May 1734. Two years later he witnessed a deed between George Phenney and
Thomas Jones.[i]
On 3 August 1739 “Thomas Ashley,
blacksmith, & wife Ann” were in Bertie County Court once again. They sold
340 acres of land on Rawquiss Swamp to Edward Howkett for 60 British pounds.[ii]
On 2 August 1740 Thomas Lovick sold
to Thomas Ashley 150 acres on Black Walnut Swamp. Thomas Lovick was the
executor of the will of Laurence Larson and sold the land in that role. Thomas
Ashley paid 30 British pounds for the land.[iii]
Thomas Ashley and his wife, Ann, had
at least one child, Thomas Ashley, Jr. born circa 1710. There is evidence of
Thomas Ashley, Jr. in Bertie County on 10 August 1742 when his father sold him 120
acres of land on Cashoke Creek. Thomas Ashley, Jr. paid 100 British pounds for
the land adjacent to Henry Van Luven’s land. One of the witnesses to the
transaction was William Ashley who may have been a family member.[iv],[v] William’s
name appears in many records of the county.[vi]
Thomas Ashley “the Elder” sold 50
acres on Black Walnut Swamp to Samuel Cook four British pounds May
13, 1747.[vii]
On 16
May 1753 Thomas Ashley, Sr., blacksmith, sold 100 acres of land on Black Walnut
Swamp to Richard Lakey.[viii]
On 23 April 1759 he sold 50 acres of land to Patience Demsey. The land was:
50
acres on south side of Solomon Creek, joining Florence Branch, Waters Branch.[ix]
This is the last reference to Thomas Ashley, Sr. in the
courthouse records. His death date is unknown.
[i] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial Bertie County, North
Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 - 1757 (2nd Edition). Greenville, SC: Southern
Historical Press, Inc. Pages 99 & 114.
[ii] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial Bertie County, North
Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 - 1757 (2nd Edition). Greenville, SC: Southern
Historical Press, Inc. Page 148.
[iii] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial
Bertie County, North Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 - 1757 (2nd Edition).
Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc. Page 157.
[iv] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial Bertie County, North
Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 – 1757 (2nd Edition ed.). Greenville, SC:
Southern Historical Press, Inc., page 174. Aug. Court 1742. Deed Book F, 317.
[v] Haun, Weynette Parks. Bertie County North Carolina County Court
Minutes 1740 thru 1743; 1758 thru 1762. Book II. North Carolina: 1977.
From the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Charlotte, NC.
[vi] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial
Bertie County, North Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 - 1757 (2nd Edition).
Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc.
[vii] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial Bertie County, North
Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 - 1757(2nd Edition ed.). Greenville, SC:
Southern Historical Press, Inc., page 190. May Court 1747. Deed Book G, 31.
[viii] Bell, M. B. (1963). Colonial Bertie County, North
Carolina: Deed Books A - H, 1720 - 1757(2nd Edition ed.). Greenville, SC:
Southern Historical Press, Inc., page 234. May Court 1754. Deed Book H 99.
[ix] Bradley, S. E.
(1992). The deeds of Bertie County, North Carolina, 1757-1772. Keysville, VA:
S.E. Bradley. Page 13.
He left a lot of good records! Were property taxes collected then? If they are available, they can help you pinpoint dates of birth and death.
ReplyDelete