There are a variety of evidences which shed light upon your question, which I
will recount shortly.
First -- a general statement -- the governor could not issue deeds to anyone.
The governor did issue patents, in the name of the King -- which is something
very different from a deed which transfers property from one owner to
another -- but it is the real starting point for a title to land in colonial
Virginia.
In the case of Frederick County -- which was part of the Proprietorship of the
Northern Neck -- there was a controversy in the 1730's as to whether this was
royal land or proprietary land. Hence the conundrum that some of James Wood's
initial surveys lead to royal patents from the governor and some lead to
proprietary grants from Lord Fairfax. Whichever route they took, they were all
legitimized by the final agreement between Lord Fairfax and the Crown in 1745.
Now, to your three ancestors: each of them claimed land under surveys made by
James Wood made in the fall of 1735 or the winter of 1735-1736, (See "List of
grants in disputed surveys since October 1735," British Public Records Office:
CO 5/1320:109 ff -- available at LVa on microfilm). Further evidences of these
surveys -- only some of which lead to actual patents or proprietary grants can
be found in Hudgins, Denis, ed., _Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia
Land Patents_, vol. 4 (Richmond, Va, 1994), and Gray, Gertrude E., ed, _Virginia
Northern Neck Land Grants ( 1742-1775), vol. 2 (Baltimore, Md, 1988).
You also must consult O'Dell, Cecil, _Pioneers of Old Frederick County,
Virginia_ (Westminster, MD, 2007) for an extended discussion, with excellent
maps and documentation regarding the Wood's, and other early surveys of the
early valley settlements.
I hope this gives you leads.
Peter V. Bergstrom, PhD
Independent Historian
Computer & Historical Consultant
336-286-6854
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Madaline Preston
Sent: 06 March 2011 3:09 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: 1735 Frederick Co. surveys
I have three ancestors with property surveyed by James Wood in 1735 in Old
Frederick County.
William Chambers, William Hyatt and Abraham Hollingsworth.
The Fred. Co. deed books start in 1743.
Are these deed....probably from the Gov. of VA... in Orange County.
Haven't found them in Fred. Co.
Thanks for any input.
M. Preston
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
|
