Identity of Sarah Stockton in Albemarle Land Records, c1748-1773

26-29 Oct 1748	ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA, SURVEYOR'S PLAT BOOK,		This is a Plat of 397 Acres of Land in Albemarle County lying on the branches of Metchum River Survd. for Sarah Stockton Octobr. 26 1748 . . . by Thos. Turpin, Asst. Sur. Sarah Stockton's survey of 397 acres is on the same page of the surveyor's book as Davis Stockton's survey for 312 acres. They are both dated "Octobr. 26 1748." On 29 Oct 1748 a survey of 400 acres for Davis Stockton on Branches of Mechams River.	Need text of surveySee:Identity of Sarah Stockton in Albemarle Land Records, c1748-1773
12 March 1749	ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA, SURVEYOR'S PLAT BOOK,		Adam Goudelock, 182 acres on a Spring Branch, neighbors Martha Stockton and Sarah Stockton. This was on what was then known as Virgin Spring Creek, but is now known as Dollins Creek. See Adam Gaudilock's 20 Aug 1760 patent for this 182 acre property. It mentions Martha Stockton's line and Sarah Stockton's line. Samuel Stockton became owner of the Sarah Stockton 397 acre patent on 1 March 1773. He sold 322 acres of the 397 acres on Virgin Spring Creek to R. Dollins on 8 Nov 1773. Hannah Stockton, a daughter of Davis Stockton, appears to have met and married Adam Goudelock in Albemarle County, Virginia. The Adam and Hannah (nee Stockton) Goudelock family moved to Union County, South Carolina.	Need original text
10 March 1756	VIRGINIA LAND OFFICE PATENT BOOK NO. 34, 1756-1765, p. 19, LVA Patent	"George the Second . . . in Consideration of the Sum of Forty Shillings of good and lawful Money . . . Do Give Grant & Confirm unto Sarah Stockton one certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing Three hundred and ninety seven Acres lying and being in the County of Albemarle both Sides the Virgin - Spring - Branch of Mechum River and bounded as followeth to wit Beginning at a Pine in Davis Stockton's Line . . . the tenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and fifty six In the twenty ninth Year of our Reign . . . Robt. Dinwiddie"
16 Aug 1756	VIRGINIA LAND OFFICE PATENT BOOK NO. 34, 1756-1765, pp. 144-145,	"George the second . . . in Consideration of the Sum of Forty Shillings of good and Lawful Money . . . Do Give Grant and Confirm unto Adam Gaudilock one certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing four Hundred Acres lying and being in the County of Albemarle on the branches of the South fork of Meecham's River and bounded as followeth, to wit, Beginning at a Pointer in Henry Tyrells Line . . . to Pointers in Martha Stockton's line . . . to Pointers in Davis Stockton's line . . . the sixteenth day of August one thousand seven hundred fifty six In the Thirtieth Year of our Reign . . . Robt. Dinwiddie"
1 March 1773	VIRGINIA LAND OFFICE PATENT BOOK NO. 41, 1772-1773, pp. 130-131,	1 March 1773 "Whereas by one Patent under the Seal of this our Colony & Dominion of Virginia bearing date the tenth Day of March one thousand seven hundred & fifty six there was granted unto Sarah Stockton one certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing three hundred & ninety seven Acres in the County of Albemarle on both sides the Virgin Spring Branch of Mechum River . . . Whereas Sarah Branton (late Sarah Stockton) hath failed to pay such Quitrents, & Samuel Stockton hath made humble Suit to our, late Lieutenant & Governor General of our said Colony & Dominion & hath obtained a Grant for the same . . . Do Give Grant & Confirm unto the said Samuel Stockton the said Tract . . . Begining at a Pine in Davis Stocktons Line . . . the first day of March one thousand and seven hundred & seventy three, in the thirteenth Year of our Reign . . . Dunmore"

[edit]

Discussion

On October 26 1748 Sarah Stockton secured a land survey for 397 acres on Metchums River. On the same date Davis Stockton secured a 312 acre survey in the same watershed. Davis' wife is commonly identified as Sarah (under various maiden names) though it seems unlikely that the Sarah Stockton of this record would have been his wife. Certainly she was a kinswoman, possibly a daughter, possibly a daughterinlaw, but other relationships are plausible.

In anycase, the following year a survey is let for Adam Goudelock, for 182 acres on Spring Branch, also known as Virginia Spring Creek, and now as Dollins Creek (per analysis in Documentary Timeline for Davis Stockton and family.

Adam Goudelock, 182 acres on a Spring Branch, neighbors Martha Stockton and Sarah Stockton. This was on what was then known as Virgin Spring Creek, but is now known as Dollins Creek. See Adam Gaudilock's 20 Aug 1760 patent for this 182 acre property. It mentions Martha Stockton's line and Sarah Stockton's line. Samuel Stockton became owner of the Sarah Stockton 397 acre patent on 1 March 1773. He sold 322 acres of the 397 acres on Virgin Spring Creek to R. Dollins on 8 Nov 1773. Hannah Stockton, a daughter of Davis Stockton, appears to have met and married Adam Goudelock in Albemarle County, Virginia. The Adam and Hannah (nee Stockton) Goudelock family moved to Union County, South Carolina.

Martha is also presumed to be a kinswoman of Davis, but what their relationship might have been is no more obvious than that of Sarah. One possibility that might be considered, is that both were daughters of Davis. While we have no record for Martha's acquisition (just this reference to her as a neighbor of Adam Goudelock and living near Sarah, we might guess, as we did for Sarah, that Davis purchased this land for her, and placed it in her name. That would perhaps imply that both were his daughters. Why he would have felt a need to do place a substantial parcel in their names is not obvious, but it may have been related to limitations placed on the amount of land that could be acquired at low or no cost, as an inducement to settled. Thus, while the property might have been in Sarah's and Martha's name, the real owner might have been Davis. If Marth'as tract was as large as that known for Sarah and Davis, that would have given him a single parcel of close to 1000 acres.

A point that may support the above interpretation is court records show that Sarah, now Sarah Branton, had stopped paying quit rent on the land. This could have been for any number of reasons, but one possibility is that her ownership of the parcel was a fiction, and that after Davis' death she (and her husband, saw no need to pay quit rent on land that was of no use to them. Technically, they could have claimed ownership, but in practice, in this scenario, this was simply land effectively owned and improved upon by Davis. The fact that Samuel Stockton (presumably a son of Davis) took over the land (and presumably started paying the quit rents, suggests that he was the de facto owner of the land after Davis death.

Retrieved from "https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Identity_of_Sarah_Stockton_in_Albemarle_Land_Records%2C_c1748-1773"

Categories: Stockton Tapestry | Surname in place | Early Settlers of Old Augusta | Old Augusta Stockton Tapestry