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- First Tax List of London Britain Twp. (1729): Chester County, PA Thomas Allison: "On 7 January 1758 Sloan deeded three quarters of an acre to Robert Simonton, Thomas Allison, Samuel Thornton, Patrick Duffie, and William Simonton for the “use and Benefit of the Presbyterian Society, commonly called the Fourth Creek Congregation Society. Eleven days later, Luke Dean, a witness to the transaction between Sloan, his wife and the congregation’s trustees, appeared before Rowan County’s Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions to offer proof of the affair."
1759 ROWAN COUNTY TAX LIST
This tax list was found between the walls of the old court house by Wm. D. Kizziah, Register of Deeds. When found, it was but scraps of paper, but was fitted together and transcribed by him. This list was made before Rowan Co, NC was divided into other counties and is the oldest tax list ever found in Rowan (to my knowledge). It contains no figures and is not typed here as copied. I have put the "a's" together, the "b's together, etc. When a slave or negro is listed with another's name, I left those names as they appeared on the typed list. Some names in the "b's" were torn off or could not be read. They are listed at the end of this page. There is a copy of this list, as transcribed by Mr. Kizziah, in the Rowan County Library, Salisbury, NC..
Relevant to this line found on this list are:
Allison, Andrew
Richard
Adam
Thomas, Negro Jude
Gracey, Patrick
Gillispie, Matthew
Simonton, Wm. & Negroes, Rachel & Peter
Smith, John, Constable & his son
Rich'd
Peter
Jacob
George
William Gibson, Written 21 Dec 1793 Proved 25 April 1795 of Little Britain township Lancaster county:
Granddaughter Margaret Allison money when she turns 18 & to her sister Christiana of N.C. Money left in the hands of their grandfather Thomas Allison of N.C, which he gave him to purchase land.
Leaves money bequeathed to him by his brother in law Rev. John Allison of James's Island S.C. to his grandson William Allison, Thomas Allison power of Attorney to recover this money for him. which he received none. (Source: genkssst on 21 Sep 2008)
Note: Son-in-Law of James Allison:
William Watt, an early Fourth Creek settler is listed in the “Descendants of Watts” by VanBuren, D.; compiler. This is an unpublished genealogy of the Watt family of Iredell Co., NC. Also in “ Heritage of Iredell County”, by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County (North Carolina) c 1980, c2000, p. 537, Items 664-665
William Watt, born 1722 and died in 1791, was one of the first settlers near Statesville. A land warrant in Anson County was issued by Lord Granville's agents on February 18, 1750 to survey for William Watt 640 acres of land on the south branch of Fourth Creek joining John McColloh's [name of one of witnesses to younger John Allison's will - Donegal Twp, Lancaster Co., PA - SF] survey and crossing Sherrill’s Path. The location of this survey and later a grant from Lord Granville was at the intersection of present Highway I-40 and North Carolina Highway 115.
William Watt arrived from Pennsylvania probably in late 1749 with the Allison’s, who were the first settlers on Fourth Creek near Statesville. William Watt married Jean Allison on an unknown date. James Allison of Donegal Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania named William Watt as his son-in-law in his will of August 31, 1762. Thomas Allison, Andrew Allison and Robert Allison probably were brothers of Jean Allison, and if not were closely related. They had entries on Fourth Creek in 1750 and were issued Granville grants on March 25, 1752. The Allison’s grants on Fourth Creek were on good bottom land. It appears William Watt chose to settle on Sherrill’s Path, the only route of travel at that time in the present Iredell County near Statesville.
Fort Dobbs was built in 1756 near Sherrill’s Path and William Watt lived nearer to the fort than any other settler. He probably furnished oxen and helped construct Fort Dobbs.
The Rowan Court Minutes show William Watt had two horses stolen by the Cherokee Indians when they made their attack on Fort Dobbs in February of 1760. William Watt was the third Constable in Captain Allison's District after Rowan County was formed in 1753. Thomas Allison was the first Constable, John McElwrath was the second and William Watt was appointed on April 17, 1755.
On March 24, 1754, William Watt had his brand recorded for his livestock. He served as tax collector, overseer of road, and numerous times was on jury duty in Rowan County.
William Watt's land holdings of Granville and state grants consist of about 800 acres, the southern boundary being the present Hartness Road and Race Street in Statesville. His home is shown on the William Sharpe Map. William Watt had a family of five children by Jean Allison, his first wife. She died October 14, 1763 and was buried in the Fourth Creek Cemetery. The children were William, Jr born about 1755, James, Rebecca born about 1760, Margaret born 1755 and Jane born 1757.
William Watt, Jr. was known as “William Watt, the distiller.” He operated a mill and still on Third Creek. His wife was Elizabeth and could have been a Stroud by her first marriage. William Watt's will of 1809 names sons, James, John and William M. and refers to daughters, but not by name. The children by records moved to Rutherford County, Tennessee.
James Watt, the second son, was a Revolutionary War soldier. His record is in "The Catawba Frontier" by Mary Elinor Lazenby. He died about 1834 and probably is buried in Fourth Creek Cemetery in an unmarked grave.
Margaret Watt was born in 1755 and married John McLelland, the distiller. The family lines of Margaret Watt and John McLelland are known and many of their descendants are living in Iredell County.
Rebecca Watt married Thomas Bailey.
William Watt's second marriage after the death of his first wife in 1763 was to Jane Reid. No marriage license was found, but use of the name 'Reid' in the naming of the children indicates Jane Watt was probably a Reid. Their children were:
Thomas Watt, the youngest son, was born in 1775. He married Margaret Lock, the daughter of George Lock. Thomas Watt died in 1811 at the age of 36. He left a widow and five children. Thomas Watt was probably buried in the Fourth Creek Cemetery in an unmarked grave near his father. Thomas Watt lived with his mother, Jane Watt, on the old home place near the intersection of the Chipley Ford Road and North Carolina Highway 115.
William Watt is buried in Fourth Creek Cemetery with his two wives, Jean Allison and Jane Reid. A record of their burial is provided by the “National Society of Dames of America.”
More on Jane Reid Watt can be found in the “Last Will of Jane Watt” in the “Abstracts of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1815-1822, Iredell Co, NC”.
James Watt, brother to William Watt, was born in 1729, and arrived after William had settled on Fourth Creek in 1750. James, along with the Morrison families and William Carson, were among the first settlers on Third Creek in the present Statesville-Loray area in the 1750s. Later William Stevenson and other pioneers made their homes on Third Creek.
Both William and James are believed to have come from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Wills of James and Rebecca Allison, made in 1762, show William Watt as a son-in-law and married to their daughter, Jean. James Watt's wife was Mary, and it is believed she may have been a Bartholomew. This is based on the 1770 will of William Bartholomew of Rowan County, in which all of his worldly possessions were left to William Watt, the son of James and Mary Watt. This could be a grandfather leaving his possessions to a grandson, or an uncle to his nephew.
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