Land records are a great tool for putting back together your ancestral history. In this case, while researching the area where my Burris family lived in Stanly County, mapping efforts put me in contact with John Perry who wrote Governor Zebulon B. Vance pertaining to her husband’s whereabouts during the civil war. In following up from my last post on that subject, I’d like to share with you a bit about John Perry’s loose estate papers recorded 1865-1871. The following land division of his estate clearly locates neighbors and the old “Concord Road.” And looking at the GIS map for Stanly County, the estate land is identifiable in present-day property lines.
Not included in the estate division is Margaret Perry’s dower rights to one-third of the acreage. Routinely the widow’s third incorporates the “homeplace” …the house and fields nearby where the couple once lived together. Again, in this case, in the loose estate papers, it is evident Margaret petitioned for her right though the papers do not spell out the location. Knowing Margaret is buried just short distance to the north of land to be shown in this writing, I believe that is the location of John and Margaret’s old homeplace. That is the dower third, being land that once belonged to Margaret’s family.
As follows, the above image of John Perry’s estate division plat is defined below. Following that is the above division plat overlaid against the present-day GIS map. Notice the run of the present-day Frog-Pond Road in comparison to what was known as the Concord Road back in 1871. Study the neighbors, and where their lands adjoin those once owned by John Perry. Finding this morsel of detail gives us an anchor point which will be used to learn where others lived nearby. Take a look at the estate division:
State of North Carolina Stanly County March 3rd, 1871.
Pursuant to an order of the Probate Court issued the 28th of Feby., We the undersigned commissioners after being summoned and duly sworn proceeded on the 3rd day of March 1871 to lay off a lot and value the lands of John Perry, dec’d as follows:
First Division Lot No. 1 (red shaded below) – Beginning at a post oak by a small hickory on the side of Concord Road in Silvia Smith’s line and runs with said line So 14 ½ Et 38 chains to her corner red oak, thence So 66 Wt 2 chains and 70 links to a stake by a red oak, thence So 76 Wt 20 chains to a stake in Benjamin Hathcock’s line by post oak, red oak, and pine, thence with his line & passing his corner no 2 ½ Et 43 chains to a stake in Lloyd Hathcock’s line on the side of the Mill Road by 3 red oaks, a corner of Lot No. 2, thence east 9 chains and 60 links to the beginning containing sixty-four acres allotted to Lewis Perry valued at $160 dollars.
Lot No. 2 (yellow shaded below)– Beginning at a stake on the side of Mill Road in Loyd Hathcock’s line, by 3 red oaks a corner of Lot No. 1 and runs with said Hathcock’s line No 2 ½ Et 14 chains to his corner bunch of sourwoods, thence with line again 86 ½ Wt 55 chains and 75 links passing his corner to a stake by 2 post oaks Green D. Whitley’s corner, thence with his line No 3 Et 11 chains and 75 links to a stake in the said line by a red oak and post oak, thence So 85 Et 55 chains and 50 links to a stake in Sandy Dry’s line by 2 red oaks and a post oak, thence with said Dry line So 21 Et 14 chains and 64 links to a stake in the Concord Road by white oak, pine, and sweet gum, thence with Silvia Smith’s line So 14 ½ Et 11 chains and 75 links to a post oak by a small hickory on the side of the Concord Road, a corner of Lot No. 1, thence with the line of said Lot Wt 9 chains and 60 links to the beginning containing 67 acres allotted to Silvia Smith valued at $150-75 cts.
Lot No. 3 (green shaded below) – Beginning at a stake in Sandy Dry’s line by 2 red oaks and post oak, a corner of Lot No. 2 to a stake in Green D. Whitley’s line by a red oak and post oak, thence with said Whitley’s line No 3 Et 14 chains to a stake by a post oak, thence So 87 ½ Et 37 chains and 50 links to a fallen hickory in a field Sandy Dry’s corner, thence with his line So 2 Wt 5 chains and 50 links to his corner maple near a branch, thence with his line again So 79 Et 7 chains and 25 links to his corner stake by 2 pines, thence his line again So 2 Wt 6 chains to his corner dead red oak by 2 hickories, thence his line again So 79 Et 9 chains and 25 links to his corner stake in the Concord Road by 2 post oaks, 2 red oaks, and a black gum, thence his line again So 21 Et 3 chains to the beginning containing 67 acres allotted to Caswell Perry valued at $134 dollars
And we further report that each distribution shown is 148 dollars and 25 cents and that Lewis Perry whose Lot No. valued at $160 dollars pays to Caswell Perry who drew Lot No. 3 valued at one hundred and thirty-four dollars, the sum of eleven dollars and 75 cents, and that Silvia Perry who drew Lot No. 2 valued at one hundred and fifty dollars and 75 cents, the sum of two dollars and 50 cents to make his share equal.
Given under our hands and seal – B. T. Hathcock, J. T. Tucker, Lewis Tucker.
They Lived Along a Rocky River 