The Braxtons
Still Live Here
In Ihc» early days William Braxton
paid 10 shillings and 5 penec* per
year, or «»lse.
tty DON IIWI
ЛПЛ
Back m 1756, William Braxlon set¬
tled on a iract of land in Ihc colony of
Carolina, becoming one of the early
settlers in the "back country" of the
colony.
On Nov. 15 in that year, he received
a plat of 262 acres of land from officials
of the colony, and then, five years
later, on Jan. It). 1761. he received his
deed to that land, a grant from Lord
Granville, who owned much of the
central part of the colony. The deed
was for 265 acres.
There is little unusual about that
tact. Granville granted land to many in
the colony during that time. But what
is unusual is the fact that the land has
been in the same family ever since it
was granted, and descendants of
William Braxton still live on the same
tract of land . . and they still have the
ongm.il deed.
Howard Braxton today occupies the
farm which is located in southern Ala
mancc County in the area of Lindley's
Mill, the site of a battle during the
American Revolution. He operates a
dairy farm on the land which William
Braxton first farmed. In December, he
and his wife. Bonnie, will mark theii
50th wedding anniversary, and all ol
Braxton's life has been spent on that
farm.
Howard Braxton inherited the land
fiom his lather and mother, the late
John and lla Braxton
I he deed, as well as the plat, is re¬
markably well preserved. They tell the
story of the land transfer which estab¬
lished the Braxton family in what is
now' southern Alamance County.
I homasC hild. a special representative
of L.oid Granville. I hild was a leading
official m the colony at the time, and he
was later honored by having a town
named lor him. That town was Childs-
borough. but that honor later was re¬
dacted. and the town became known
as Hillsborough, the county seat of
Orange.
Granville was a major official in
Great Britain at the lime. He is de-
scnbed in the deed as Karl Granville,
viscount Carteret and Baron Cartel et
ol Hawnes in the county of Bedford in
the Kingdom ol Gieat Britain. Lord
President of His Majesty's most Hon-
oiable Privy Council, and Knight of
the Most Noble Ordci ol the Garter.
According to the deed King George
II of Great Britain had gi anted land to
Giaiiville on Sept 17.1744 The grant
covucd a "certain district territory or
paicel ol land lying in the province ol
North Carolina in America, and all the
sounds, creeks, havens, ports, rivers,
streams and other royalties, fran¬
chises. privileges and immunities,
within the same, as they are therein set
out or dcsciibcd. alloted. granted and
continued, to the said John Karl Gran¬
ville. as aforesaid, for one eighth part
ol the charters granted by King
Charles the Second, in the Hfteenth
and Seventeenth years of his reign to
eight Lords Proprietors of Carolina; as
by the said indenture duly enrolled in
the High Court of the Chancery in
Gieat Britain, and in the Secretary’s
office ol the Province of North Caro¬
lina. . . .
The King Reserved Gold
The land was granted along w ith "all
woods, underwoods, timbei and lim¬
ber-trees. water courses and the privi¬
lege of hunting, hawking, fishing and
fowling, in and upon the premises, and
all mines and mincials whatsoever
Childsborough
At the time of the grant, the land was
located in the Parish of St. Luke in the
County of Orange in the Colony of
Carolina. The individual who trans¬
acted the transfer of the land was
Ho-ord ond Bonnie 8ro«lon look over iKe old deed
lo their property m Alomonce County. TKc lend woi
grunted to 8ro»ton4 oncettort in 1761, ond hn
lomily hot occupied the land iince. (Abo.e) The
Broiton lomily Bible dales bock to 1 765 A smoll
liome holds plot from I 756.
theiein to be found, (excepting and al¬
ways reset ving out of this present
giant unto the King s most excellent
majesty, his heirs and successors, one
fouilh part of all the gold and silver
mines to be found upon the premises
I he part about the mines was good
thmkmgon the part ofGianville There
was at one time a gold mine on the
property, according to Braxton.
In retuin foi the land. William
Braxton was to pay yearly 10 shillings
and five pence in "half year pay¬
ments." If the payments were not
made within six months of the set time,
the land would revert to the "said Earl,
his heirs oi assigns, to re-enter into the
said lands and to re-grant the same to
any other person or persons whomso¬
ever. as if this grant and such assign¬
ments. had never been made."
Appaiently William Braxton and his
family kept up the payments at least
until 1776 when the colonies declared
(Conlinuid on
раке
25 1
21
THE STATE. MARCH 1981