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Archiver > CATAWBA-WEST > 1999-10 > 0940641939


From: <>
Subject: Re: Land Mystery
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 21:25:39 EDT


Pat Cloninger, it may not be a land mystery to you, but your explanation
casts some new light (for me) on the early Francis Summit (1741-1818) family
who settled on Leepers creek we believe around 1769 and moved over to Lyles
Creek close to St. John Lutheran in 1802. Francis Summit sold his Leepers
Creek 300 acres to Alexander Brevard and Joseph Graham in 1806 for $319.00
(Book 21, page 586). The land then joined land already owned by Brevard and
Graham and land ownd by Peter Forney and Richard Rosdell. Francis Summit had
purchased the first 150 acres from Charles and Robert Abernathy according to
this 1806 deed in 1789 and acquired the second 150 acres by North Carolina
patent in 1789. There is some confusion over when the Abernathys conveyed
the property to Francis Summit since the grantee/grantor indexes list the
date as 1769. As far as I know, no one has ever been able to locate the
actual deed, though there are at least two deed book cites reflected in the
records. One cite is Book 4, page 55. Other evidence indicates that Francis
Summit's eldest child, Christian, was born in North Carlina in May 1769, I
have leaned toward 1769 as the year of conveyance from the Abernathys.

Pat, I take it that this Francis Summit land probably was also locate in the
vicinity of Ore Bank. If so, would it have been located in current Lincoln
County or is there a possibility it could have been located in the area now
covered by Gaston County?

All of this raises several questions in my mind. When and how did the
Abernathys obtain the land they sold to Francis Summit? Where is the deed
supposedly in Book 4, page 55 conveying the land to Francis Summit? Since we
know the family was Lutheran, what Lutheran church did they associate with?
And, if we know the probable Lutheran church, are there any extant church
record? Pat, would you have any thoughts on these questions?

Paul Summitt
Freeport, FL



In a message dated 10/22/1999 3:22:47 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
writes:

<< Subj: Re: Land Mystery
Date: 10/22/1999 3:22:47 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: (Pat Caswell Cloninger)
To:

There is no land mystery. The Men started the Iron industry in Lincoln
County. They needed acres and acres of pine trees to make charcoal for
their Iron furnaces. In the area of which you speak they owned three
furnaces and according to the records they were quite productive so
therefore they had to cut many acres of pine trees to make charcoal. Thay
paid because the land was where they needed the wood. Why was there a
place called ORE BANK? Lincoln County was blessed with deposits of Iron
ore.
The remains are still available because they were constructed with stone
so big you wonder how they moved them without the use of bull-dozers and
other earth moving equipment. How do you think Davidson College was
founded? Iron money.

This should solve your mystery.

Happy to help with the History of the area.

Pat C. Cloninger


----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, October 22, 1999 5:16 PM
Subject: Land Mystery


> Hi Folks!
>
> I have been working on this little mystery for a while and not finding
> answers. I thought I would toss it out and see if any one may have some
> insights they might offer to help me figure this out..
>
> It involves 2 land grants my ancestor George Reel, Sr was granted and the
> subsequent sale of that land.
>
> On the 19th of Janaury 1773 in Tryon Co., NC, George Reel was issued a
Royal
> Grant; 200 acres of land on both sides of Leepers Creek on the Catawba
River
> - on the North side of said creek below a Shoal - land adjoining Lawrence
> Snipes (Lorentz Schnepp, his father in law) and George Dellingers land.
> Grant No. 1057
>
> The second grant was issued 29 December 1791 in Lincoln Co., NC. 200
acres
> adjoing his own line.
>
> Now here is my mystery:
>
> In January 1795 the first 200 acre land grant was sold to John Davidson,
> Joseph Graham and Alexander Brevard for 200 pounds sterling paid for the
land
> grant to George Reel in 1773, called the Shoal Tract, on both sides of
> Leepers Creek.
>
> (seems a lot of money to pay for 200 aces of land at that time period)
>
> George died before April 1795.
>
> On 22 Feb 1805 (Lincoln Co) one of his sons, Godfre Reel, sold to
Alexander
> Brevard and Joseph Grahm fo 50.00, 27 acres on Leepers Creek where Godfrey
> then lived (part of his inheritence)
>
> On 5 September 1808 (Lincoln Co), another son, Daniel Reel sold to
Alexander
> Brevard and Joseph Graham 200 acres for 200 dollars, adjoining the Shoals
and
> Brevard and Graham's property, of the original grant to George Reel.
>
> Who are Alexander Brevard and Joseph Graham? Why is this property so
> valueable and so desireable to Alexandser Brevard and Joseph Graham? By
1808
> they have bought 427 acres from the Reel family.
>
> I have a vague idea about the location of this property from using GNIS
> mapping online, which seems to show it located around Maiden, NC.
>
> Does anyone have some knowledge of early local history of that area that
> might be able to give me some clues?
>
> Thanks for reading this! And thanks for any help!
>
> Charmaine >>

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