Caroline County Virginia Survey Book
By Lewis Beckner in 1910 of Winchester KY; A copy of this article is at the Campbell County Historical & Genealogical Society in Alexandria in the James Taylor family file. Believed to have come with the Margaret Hartman collection. Members of the Society have searched for this book and it is not in the courthouse collection.
This fall while at work in the office of the county clerk of Campbell Co 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 part of the records of the surveyor's office of Caroline county, but was also used for a time as a deed book of Campbell Co Ky.
It is a large book about half a sheet in size and covered in 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 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 Caroline county surveys, which take up the front. The first Caroline county survey entered in it is dated the 22nd of May 1729, and the last is 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 Co there are forty-seven surveys, all made by R O Brooks, SCCC, although from the dissimilarity of the signatures of the earlier and later surveys, I would judge that two "R W Brooks" had used it.
Between the Caroline county surveys and the Campbell co 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.
1. The first survey is for 137 acres, on the 22d of May 1729 in the parish of St Margaret's and if for Richard and Frances Fowler.
2. For William Marshall, 150 acres of the same date in the same parish.
3. For Henry Reins, 250 acres on May 23 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 4h of June 1729.
6. For Richard Long 340 acres and 70 poles near Solomon'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 11th of December 1729.
10, For Micajah Chiles 379 acres in St Margaret's Parish on the 11th of December 1729.
11. For Robert Beverley 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 Pariah, 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 Wormley, 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 Wrackley patent, l662, 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, 1,376 acres in St. Mary's Pariah, bounding on Taliaferro and Royston's outside line and the Goldenvale Swamp, an March 23rd 1730.
23. For Richard Long, 1,165 acres in St. Mary's Parish, near Nicholas Battaile's, near Solomon's Garden and adjoining Francis and John Taliaferro, April 26th, 1733.
24. For Charles Morgan vs. William Daniel, 122 acres near Port Tobacco, May 6 1734.
25. For George Marsh, 68 acres in St. Mary's Pariah near John Ellis and ____ Martin, May 30th 1737.
26. Hugh Rea, 118 acres in St Mary's Parish, bounding on Durret and Richard Mauld on June lst 1737
27. For Crutchfield vs. Babar, 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 Bowcook vs. Henry Ball, 557 acres in Pewmondsend Swamp, on March 11th, 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 Swapp, April 23d, 1741
31. For George Marsh, 68 acres, near John Ellis and ___ Martin, May 31st, 1732.
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 Pcwmoundsend
Swamp. The names appearing are Hon. John Grymes, executor of his father Mr.
William Taliaferro, Col Lunsford Lomex. Made September 18th 1738
34, For Capt Joseph Berry, 286 acres in Drysdale Parish, near Col Wm Beverly, 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 28th 1760
42. For the executor of Henry Terrell, deceased 255 acres lapsed of John Chiles. The 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 Spotsylvania, 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 later county and his wife Margaret Aylett.
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 that 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 on its pages, I would say that one of the Taliaferro 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.
Clark county was the seat of a large settlement of Caroline County people--Battailes, Taylors, Taliaferros, Thorntons, Williams, Lanes etc. and amongst them were Hubbard and Reuben Taylor, brothers of James, the Campbell County clerk and Hay Taliaferro, my ancestor. They were kinsman and one can imagine the thrill of interest with which I went through the old book.