Guilford County, North Carolina
Land Grants

Pre-Revolutionary Land Grants

From the Register of Deeds, Rowan County*, Books 1-7, at Salisbury, North Carolina.

The Province of Carolina, embracing that territory which is at present North and South Carolina, and extending westward to the Pacific Ocean, was, under a grant issued by King Charles II of England, the property of eight Lords Proprietors. In 1729 the right to this land was surrendered to the King by all the lords except Granville, who retained his one-eighth part.

"In 1743 Granville's interest was laid off in severalty. It embraced the northern portion of North Carolina, and extended as far south as the Montgomery County line, or near it, and thus included the lands in Guilford County.

"Though Granville retained no political power, his right in the soil carried with it the right to appoint land officers and agents, thus forming a sort of government in a government, and involving complications which added to those grievances which helped to prepare the way for the 'Revolution." (Dr. C. H. Wiley's Address on Alamance Church.)

In 1744, September the seventeenth, George II granted the Earl of Granville one-eighth part of North and South Carolina.

In 1745 George II granted Henry Eustice McCulloh eight tracts of land in the Province of North Carolina, each tract containing twelve hundred and fifty acres. That part of McCulloh's land in Guilford County lay on the head waters of the Alamance and Stinking Quarter Creeks. Parcels of it were sold to William Rose, Peter Amick, Nathaniel Robinson, Jeremiah Kimbro, James O'Neal, Solomon Grace and Smith Moore. The remainder of McCulloh's lands in Guilford County was confiscated to the use of the State, and by an act of the Legislature of 1795 it was granted to the trustees of the University of North Carolina. McCulloh's land was within the limits of Granville's part of North Carolina.

In 1753 James and his wife Jeane Graham, of Anson County, sold to William McKnight, for five shillings, a parcel of land in Anson County on a branch of Buffalo Creek, six hundred and forty-one "Eackers,"** "Be ye same more or less, yielding and paying ye yearly rent of one pepper corn at ye Feast of St. Mickals ye Archangel only if ye same be then demanded."

In 1753 William Renolds and Rachel, his wife, of Orange County, conveyed by deed to their son, Jeremiah Renolds, two hundred and sixty-six acres of land on Polecat Creek.

In 1753 Tabuland Gant (also spelled Gaunt, Gauant) bought of James Carter, for five shillings, six hundred and thirty-two "acors by estimation," on the south fork of Deep River.

In 1753, in the twenty- seventh year of the reign of George II of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc., Henry Beddingfield sold William Mebane six hundred acres on the North Buffalo Creek for the sum of forty-five pounds, current money of Virginia. To this indenture Alexander Mebane and John Thompson were witnesses.

In 1753 Granville granted Robert Rankin a tract of four hundred and eighty acres for three shillings proclamation money.

In 1753 Granville sold John Cunningham a grant of six hundred and forty acres of land on Reedy Fork Greet for three shillings.

In 1754 George Jordenjur sold to Jonathan White three hundred and twenty acres of land on the south side of Hogin's Pond, south of Haw River. To this indenture Daniel Weldon, Blake Baker and Edward Underhill were witnesses.

In 1754 Granville granted Alexander Mebane a tract of six hundred and forty acres of land on the upper branches of the Great Alamance. A yearly rent of twenty-five shillings was agreed upon.

In 1755 Henry Ballinger sold David Renolds, for five shillings, a tract of land on South Polecat Creek. "A yearly rent of one pepper corn" was agreed upon, "if the same be demanded." In May of that year Granville sold Henry Ballinger a tract of land on the same stream.

In 1755 Granville's agents granted Robert Thompson a tract of four hundred and sixty-four acres on the north side of Reedy Fork. Robert Thompson was the first man killed in the Battle of Alamance, 1771.

In 1755 Robert Rankin and his wife, Rebekah, sold William Denny six hundred and forty acres of land in Rowan County.

In 1755 Granville sold George Finley a tract on the north side of the Reedy Fork, in Orange County.

In 1755 Robert Jones sold John Blair, of Virginia, land on the Dan River.

In. 1755 Granville sold Anthony Hoggett, for three shillings proclamation money, four hundred and eighty acres on Deep River. Granville also in the same year granted Philip Hoggett four hundred and twenty acres on Deep Creek.

In 1756, November the ninth, Granville granted John McNight that tract of land on both sides of Nix's Creek, a branch of the Reedy Fork of Haw River. To this indenture the signature of Peter Henley, Chief Justice of Rowan County, is affixed. Mordecai Mendenhall came to this territory at or before this time. He owned many hundred acres of land on Deep River.

In 1756 Granville granted John Kirkpatrick a tract of land embracing three hundred acres in the Parish of St. Luke, on the Buffalo Creek. In the same year Granville granted John Rhodes, for ten shillings, a tract joining Robert Harris's land on the north fork of Haw River.

In 1756 Granville granted Joseph Ozburn 640 acres of land on the Reedy Fork of Haw River.

In 1757 Zebulon Guantt, wheelwright, sold John Hiat six hundred and thirty acres of land on the north of Deep River. William Shepperd and his wife, Martha, sold Isaac Beason four hundred and eighty acres of land on the Deep River.

In 1757 Christopher Nation and his wife, Elizabeth, sold Benjamin Cox a tract of land on Polecat Creek.

In 1757 Henry Ballinger and Thomas Hunt bought of Richard Williams fifty acres of land for five shillings. This tract the deed declares to be "for the use, benefit, privilege and convenience of a Meeting House which is already erected, and bears the name New Garden, for the Christian people called Quakers to meet in for publick worship of Almighty God, and also the ground to bury their dead in."

In 1758 Mordecai Mendenhall and his wife. Charity, of Rowan County, sold Nathan Dick four hundred and fifty acres on Horsepen Creek. That year Uriah Woolman, merchant of Philadelphia, and Joseph Miller, yeoman of Chester County, Pennsylvania, bought of William Buis a tract of land on the Deep River. To this indenture Moses and John Mendenhall were witnesses.

In 1759 Granville granted William Mebane six hundred and thirty-six acres in St. Luke's Parish on South Buffalo, beginning at Kimbrough Corner and running along John McAdoo's line. In that year Granville granted John Boyd four hundred and sixty-seven acres on Reedy Fork.

In 1760 Thomas Donnell sold James Donnell three hundred and twenty acres of land on the North Buffalo for five shillings.

In 1762 Granville granted William Armfield five hundred and forty acres of land in St. Luke's Parish for ten shillings, or two dollars and a half. He also granted James Mendenhall for the same amount two hundred and four acres of land joining Richard Beason's land on Deep River; and William Millican, six hundred and twenty acres of land on the same stream.

In 1763 John Nicks sold James Denny, of Pennsylvania, six hundred and fifty acres of land on the North Buffalo.

In 1764 Thomas Donnell sold Alexander McKnight land on the North Buffalo. In that year Robert Tate sold William Trousdale land on the North Buffalo.

In 1765 Henry Eustice McCulloh sold Robert Sloan two hundred and eight acres on Pott's Creek.

In 1766 Thomas Donnell sold Francis Cummings, for five shillings, four hundred acres of land on a branch of the South Buffalo.

In 1766 James Mathew, Sr., sold James Mathews, Jr., for one hundred pounds proclamation money, five hundred acres of land on the Alamance Creek.

In 1767 John Hodge sold Alexander Penny, for five shillings, three hundred and twenty-six acres of land on the Buffalo Creek, this being a part of a tract granted John Gillespie by Granville in 1762.

In 1768 Adam Mitchell sold John McKnight and William Anderson, as trustees for the Presbyterian Congregation and their successors, one acre of land on the waters of the North Buffalo, for twenty shillings. This land the deed affirms to be for the use of a Presbyterian Meeting House for those that are members of the Synod of. Philadelphia and New York, and is ''for that use forever, including the meeting house and the study house."

In 1769 Benjamin and Elizabeth Beason gave land on the Polecat Creek to their sons, William, Richard, Benjamin and Isaac Beason.

In 1770 Robert Forbis sold Welcome W. Hodge land on Joseph's Creek.

In 1770 Joseph Scales owned land on the Dan River.

In 1770 John Fraizer and Abigal, his wife, sold Thomas Buller land on the Deep River. In 1770 James Graham, of Rowan, sold John McGee, of Orange, a tract on the Great Alamance. This was a part of the land sold by Herman Husbands to James Graham in 1766.

*. Rowan County was set up from Anson County in 1768. Orange County was once a part of Granville County. From Rowan and Orange, Guilford County was erected in 1770.
**. Believed to be Acres, from search of the internet.