Person:James McCutcheon (20)

James McCutcheon was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia

Contents 1 The McCutcheon Family of Augusta County, VA 2 About James McCutcheon 3 Early Survey in Augusta County, VA 4 Sons of James McCutcheon		Welcome to Old Augusta Early Settlers Beverley Manor Borden's Grant Register Data Maps Places Library History Index
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The McCutcheon Family of Augusta County, VA

The following article: Early McCutcheon's in Augusta County, Virginia examines the probable relationships and evidence linking these early McCutcheon's.

About James McCutcheon

James McCutcheon is thought to be the probable father of the five McCutcheon brothers that migrated probably from Scotland/Ireland to Pennsylvania, and then to Orange/Augusta County, Virginia abt. 1738. According to family tradition, the McCutcheon's first migrated to Pennsylvania, but found the Quakers somewhat inhospitable to Irish settlers, so they followed the migration of many other settlers on to what was then Orange (later Augusta) County, Virginia, where land was available to settlers that appeared in court to claim their "headrights" (between 50-100 acres per adult). There was an early land survey for a James McCutcheon in 1738, listed below, that is likely for this James McCutcheon. Sometime after this survey, but certainly around the same time period, this James McCutcheon supposedly died, probably in Orange County (Augusta County was formed in 1738, but was not organized and records kept until 1745). There does not appear to be a reference to James McCutcheon's wife in any records, so it is supposed that she probably had predecesed him. Although no record of a will of James McCutcheon has been located, his sons are listed in the will of James' son, William McCutcheon, who died before 7 July 1789, when his will was probated in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He named his brothers James, Robert, Samuel and John.

Early Survey in Augusta County, VA

It is probable the this is the James McCutcheon whose survey is listed in "Hume's Survey Book", listed in Chalkley's:

(72) ( ) ye 15, 1738, survey for James McCutchan, beginning at Saml. Walker's corner to a White and Red Oak in ye Back Creek in Geo. Hutchison's line.

James McCutcheon apparently died shortly after Hume's Survey in 1738, as he was unable to complete the process of obtaining land in Augusta County, and the land was likely acquired by one of the other settlers that received land patents surrounding George Hutchinson's land shown in the map above. Two of the probable sons of James McCutcheon, John and Samuel McCutcheon did receive patents in 1741 and 1742, respectively.

Sons of James McCutcheon

"Pioneer" John McCutcheon, Eldest son of James

John McCutcheon, frequently referred to as "Pioneer" John, apparently the eldest of the sons, was supposedly named as "guardian" to his younger minor brothers William, Robert and Samuel and was taxed in Orange County, VA in 1738. (Source: "A New McCutcheon Paradigm: An Alternative Theory of the Early Virginia Pioneers and Their Families"). It is likely that the land originally surveyed in 1738 for James McCutcheon may have passed to his eldest son, John, who received his patent for 900-acres (shown as 920 acres in "Beverley Manor" from William Beverley on 28 May, 1741, as follows:

Patent: William Beverly of Essex Co to John McCutcheon of Orange Co. 900a Orange/Augusta, Patrick Campbell, John Buchannon's, Patrick Carr, Patrick Cook, Wit. Robert McLeanahan, Wm Skillern, Robert Evans, 28 May 1741, [Orange Co., Virginia Deeds].

Samuel McCutcheon of "North Mountain/Borden Tract", son of James

"Pioneer" John McCutcheon's brother Samuel, received a patent for 600 acres just across the Beverley Manor line in the Borden Tract from Benjamin Borden in 1742. Although not adjoining the land of his brother John, this land is certainly "within a stone's throw", at least as shown on the J.R. Hildebrand Map below:

James, Robert and William McCutcheon of the "Calfpasture", sons of James

The other sons of James McCutcheon, James, Robert and William, who had just recently reached adulthood, migrated a few miles northward to the nearby Calfpasture, where they all acquired land (William in 1746, James in 1747, and Robert is listed on the processioning list of 1748 and having a Mill on the Calfpasture in 1749).