University of Virginia Library

CAROLINE COUNTY'S FIRST SURVEY BOOK

The nineteenth volume of the William and Mary College
Quarterly contains a communication from Lewis Beckner, of
Winchester, Kentucky, which is, in part, as follows:

"While at work in the office of the county clerk of Campbell
county at Alexandria, in this State, I ran across an old record
book which was brought from Caroline county, Virginia, about
the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is a part of the
records of the Surveyor's Office of Caroline county, but was also
used for a time as a deed book of Campbell county, Kentucky.
It is a large book, about a half sheet in size, and is covered with
vellum. On the inside of the covers is written, "James B.
Taliaferro's book, November 24, 1814.' and `James T. Taliaferro,'
while on the back is "John N. Taliaferro, Newport, Ky., July 7,
1821," also `James Taylor, C. C. C. C.' Inside in several places
there are `James Taylor, Jr.' and `John N. Taliaferro,' who,

by his signature, shows that he is deputy for James Taylor,
Clerk of Campbell county court.

The Campbell county deeds are written in the back of the
book, and do not interfere with the Caroline county surveys,
which take up the front. The first Caroline county survey entered
in it is dated the 22d of May, 1729, and the last the 26th of
January, 1762; and the first Campbell county entry is dated the
11th of July, 1821, and the last the 16th of May, 1821. In the
Campbell county end of the book there are twenty deeds, two
surveys and one sale bill, while the Caroline part of the book
contains forty-seven surveys, all made by R. O. Brooke, S. C. C. C.

Between the Caroline county surveys and the Campbell
county deeds there is a large section of the book unused, except
a few pages, which have been used by James B. Taliaferro to
state and work a number of problems in physics, surveying and
arithmetic.

The first survey is for 137 acres, on the 22d of May, 1729,
in the parish of St. Margaret's and is for Richard and Francis
Fowler. (2) For William Marshall, 150 acres, of the same date,
in the same parish. (3) For Henry Rains, 250 acres on May 28,
in Drysdale parish. (4) For Henry Dillion and Thomas Coleman,
600 acres on the Mattapony, on the 10th of June, 1729. (5)
For the prison bounds, 9 acres and 8 poles on the 3d of June, 1729.
(6) For Richard Long, 340 acres and 70 poles, near Solomon's
Garden, in St. Margaret's parish, on the 13th of June, 1729.
(7) For Thomas Carr, 2,530 acres in St. Margaret's Parish on the
28th of October, 1729. (8) For Major Thomas Carr, 575 acres
in St. Margaret's parish near Thomas Dickerson, October 5, 1729.
(9) For Captain Richard Maulding, 387 acres in St. Margaret's
parish, on the 9th of September, 1729. (10) For Micajah Chiles,
379 acres in St. Margaret's parish, on the 11th day of December,
1729. (11) For Robert Beverley, Esq., 4,775 acres, on the same
date as above. (12) For Robert Chandler, 357 acres in St.
Margaret's parish, on the 2d of February, 1730. (13) For John
Ellis, 530 acres in St. Margaret's parish on the 26th of February,
1730. (14) For John Ellis, 533 acres in St. Margaret's parish,
same date as above. (15) For Zach. Martin, 306 acres in St.
Margaret's parish, near Paul Pigg, Robert Powell, William
Marshall and Mr. Baylor, same date. (16) For Robert Faldo vs.
Ralph Wormeley, William Taliaferro claims 600 acres of the

Henry Berry patent, 1664, and survey made April 29, 1730.
(17) For Major Thomas Catlett, 66 acres in St. Margaret's parish,
near Messrs. Robert Taliaferro, Grymes, Thomas Corbin and
White, March 22, 1730. (18) For Major William Woodford, 630
acres in the Edward Wrackley patent, 1662, on Abe Moor's Creek,
November 19, 1730. (19) For Robert Beverly, Esq., 929 acres
in St. Margaret's parish, on February 24, 1730. (20) For Mr.
Charles Goodloe, both sides of Long Beach in St. Margaret's
parish, on May 14, 1731. (21) For William Perry, 162 acres
beginning at Francis Anthony Thornton's corner, February 18,
1731. (22) For Major Thomas Catlett, 1376 acres in St. Mary's
parish bounding on Taliaferro and Royston's outside line and
the Golden Hole Swamp, on March 23, 1730. (23) For Richard
Long, 1,165 acres in St. Mary's parish near Nicholas Battaile's,
near Solomon's Garden and adjoining Francis and John Taliaferro,
April 26, 1733. (24) For Charles Morgan vs. William Daniel,
122 acres near Port Tobago, May 6, 1734. (25) For George
Marsh, 68 acres in St. Mary's parish near John Ellis and —
Martin, May 30, 1737. (26) For Hugh Redd, 118 acres in St.
Mary's parish bounding on lands of Durrett and Richard Maulding,
on June 1, 1737. (27) For Crutchfield vs. Baber, 2,920 acres of
the Bray survey, not dated. (28) For same, 596 acres on Herring
Creek, Bray survey, on June 27, 1738. (29) For Henry Bowcock
vs. Henry Ball, 557 acres in Peumansend Swamp, on March
11, 1730. (30) For William Trigg, 157 acres in St. Margaret's
parish, near William Eubanks, on April 23, 1731. For same,
162 acres, near John Hurt and Reedy Swamp, April 23, 1741.
(31) For George Marsh, 68 acres near John Ellis and —
Martin, May 31, 1737. (32) For Hugh Redd, 110 acres in St.
Margaret's parish, near Richard Maulding's, June 1, 1737. (33)
For Wormeley vs. Beverley, the edge of a percorson in Sir Thomas
Lunsford's patent near Peumansend Swamp. The names appearing
are Hon. John Grymes, Esq., executor of his father, Mr.
William Taliaferro; Col. Lunsford Lomax. Survey made on
September 18, 1738. (34) For Capt. Joseph Berry, 286 acres
in Drysdale parish, near Col. William Beverley, Thacker, Baylor
and Taylor, on January 4, 1739. (35) For prison bounds, 10
acres on March 14, 1752. (36) For William Coune, 1,165 acres
on February 9, 1754. (37) For 96 acres lapsed from William
Morris by Edmund Pendleton, February 28, 1757. (38) For Adam
Lindsey, 290 acres on July 11, 1755. (39) For William Boutwell,
18 acres on December 31, 1759. (40) For Absalom Davis, 72
acres on May 7, 1759. (41) For John Micou, 138 acres in the
sunken ground, or percorson, on November 29, 1760. (42) For
the executor of Henry Terrell, deceased, 255 acres lapsed of John
Chiles, this survey made by Edward Vauter, assistant, not dated.
(43) For Lawrence Taliaferro, 12 acres and 42 poles of sunken
land on March 17, 1761. (44) For Robert Goodloe, of Spotsylvania,
190 acres of January 22, 1762. (45) For Samuel Hargrave,
15 acres on Fleming Island January 26, 1762.

These notes were not taken with a view to form the basis
of this article, else they would have been made more complete,
and would have given every name mentioned in each survey.
The book captured my attention because I was on the chase of
some elusive Taliaferro ancestor, and it looked like it would repay
an investigation. Seeing it was so full of Taliaferro names, I
made the above abstract. It will be noticed that the entries in
which the Taliaferro name appears have been more fully noted
by me. My mother, Betty Taliaferro, was a daughter of Major
John Taliaferro, of Winchester, Ky. He was the son of Hay
Taliaferro who came to Clark county, Ky., from Caroline county,
Va., about 1812. Hay Taliaferro was the son of William Taliaferro,
of Caroline, and Margaret Aylett. It was my search for the
ancestors of the last-named persons that led me to make discovery
of this curious relic. Since then it has occurred to me several
times that it ought to be brought to the notice of someone in
Virginia; and I can think of no one to whom the notice would
be of more interest than the readers of the William and Mary
Quarterly. Surmising upon that part of the history of the old
book, which is shown on its pages, I would say that one of the
Taliaferros was assistant to Surveyor Brooke, or married into his
family, and so became possessed of the book, and by some mistake
carried it to Kentucky at the time of the Taliaferro migration.
James Taylor, of Caroline county, Va., father of the James Taylor,
Clerk of the Campbell county, Ky., court, married for his wife a
Taliaferro, daughter of Colonel John Taliaferro, of Dissington,
and his wife, who was a Thornton. This will doubtless account
for the fact that John N. Taliaferro was Deputy Clerk, and why
this book was used for a Deed Book. This (Clark) county was
the seat of a large settlement of Caroline county people—Battailes,
Taylors, Taliaferros, Thorntons, Willises, Lanes and others, and
among them were Hubbard and Reuben Taylor, brothers of

James, the Campbell county clerk; and Hay Taliaferro, their
ancestor. They were my ancestors and one can imagine the
thrill of interest with which I went through the old book . ."

Note.—Through the generosity of Fairfax Harrison, President
of the Southern Railway System, and Judge Embrey, of Fredericksburg,
a photostat copy of the foregoing book—page by page—
was made and presented to Caroline county and is now on file
in the clerk's office.