Person:James Worrell (1)

Biography

James Worrell11 1 Carroll 1765-1815: The Settlements, by John Perry Alderman; Alderman Books, Hillsville VA, 1985, p. 115-116. James was from a family of Quakers in Pennsylvania and some of his early life is documented by the church records. He was born about1732 to Peter and Mary (Trego) Worrell in Chester County and married Elizabeth Crandall, probably in the late 1750s. Although he was a Quaker, he entered the service, joining the Sixth Battalion of Pennsylvania Militia (said to be a Chester County unit) and as a result his church dismissed him for participating in the war (Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 5). About the time his revolutionary soldiering days were over, he came to North Carolina; the family researchers belive it was to Guilford County. What is clear is the he came to Island Creek in what is now Carroll a little before 1793. He lost his first wife and remarried a widow named Barbara Pennick. James, together with his sons Esau and John, appears on the 1793 Wythe tax list; James had two tithables, probably himself and his son Amos. He acquired the rights to a tract of land on Island Creek (Montgomery, Entry A-185) which had been surveyed fro Nathaniel Pope as 100 acres. The grant was issued to James in 1793 (Grants, 29-333). He entered another tract in 1799 (Grayson, Entry A-87); it was 200 acres described as on Reed Island, but actually on the headwaters of Beaverdam and the Little Snake Creek. Probably it adjoined his first tract. There are not many records of him in old Grayson, except for the tax rolls. He wrote his will on January 7, 1802 and it was probated at January Court about three weeks later (Grayson, W.B. 1-10). He bequeathed to his widow the brown mare, which was her property when he married her, together with all the other property, which she brought to the marriage. She was given “her land” to do with as she thought proper; in James’ day a married woman did not have absolute control over her property. The last reference was probably to some land, which she still owned in North Carolina. His son Esau was to give the stepson John Pennick $20 and keep another $20 against the day and the widow might need it. The rest of Worrell’s estate was to be sold and the proceeds divided among “my seven children.” His personal property was appraised, along with his land. The land was described in the appraisal as being 497 acres worth 150 pounds, but the records that remain do not indicate that he held title to anywhere near that much. The personal property was appraised at 95 pounds, and included such handy items as axes, grubbing hoes, leather and a shotgun, as well as a few frontier luxuries: feather beds, sheets, a Bible, a Testament, and some linens. There were six hogs, two horses, and fifteen cattle (Grayson, W.G. 1- 11). The Bible was for many years in the possession of Mrs. Julia Gowdy of Pleasant Hill, North Carolina. Those who saw it years ago found that it was printed in 1755 and was then in bad condition with some pages missing. It recorded the births of five children and some of the inscriptive pages were torn. The five chidren who birth dates are given were born between 1760 and 1782, an unusual span of time for five. Since the will states there were seven, probably there are tow others to fit within that span, but the names and dates are unknown. Two of the Worrell questions for which his descendents have sought answers concern where was his land where was he buried. Since he purchased a survey rather than buying a tract from one who already had a title, his name does not appear in any of the deed books as a purchaser; nor does he appear as a seller. (The fact that his land grant was issued under the name of Worall did not help the researchers). Esau took it after James’ death and since it was all in the family and presumably he bought out his brothers and sisters, no deed was thought necessary. If one was executed, it was not recorded. James’ grant of 100 acres was one of the two tracts, which Esau sold to Charles Calfee in 1805 (Grayson, D.B. 2-78). The other question, sometimes asked, is where was he buried? This cannot be satisfactorily answered. Some of his descendents thought for years he was buried in a grave marked “J. Worrell” in the Amos Worrell Cemetery, and the D.A.R. accordingly placed a patriot marker there. Others remembered a tradition that he was buried a mile or two away in a new neglected cemetery of a few graves. Amos Worrell bought the Shockley farm (on which the Amos Worrell Cemetery is located) on Jan. 4, 1802, three days before old James wrote his will (Grayson, D.B. 1-465). Did they bury James on his own property knowing it was to be publicly sold under his will? Or did they bury him a few miles from his home at a place his youngest son had owned only a few weeks? James’ Bible lists five of the children; the other two remain simply unidentified. (1) Esau Worrell, born May 1, 1760, married Nancy Bobbott and is sketched in the Little Reed chapters of this book. (2) John Worrell, born Feb. 1765. (3) Sarah Worrell, born June 4, 1770. (4) Amos Worrell, born Jan. 17, 1772. (5) Catron, born Feb. 27, 1782. Catron is commonly found in the old records as a shortened rendition of Catherine (sometimes seen as Catern); she is likely an otherwise unidentified daughter. Sarah, who is known to have married Meredith Shockley, raised a large family on Little Reed.