Brunswick County, Virginia
Recently I have found myself on a quest to discover more about my Neal family line. I made contact with Jean, a cousin, that lives in PA. After speaking with her and sharing our family information I decided to look into Brunswick County records. If my research is correct then the Neal family that settled in Warren County, North Carolina came from Brunswick.
We all know about burned counties, so I looked for other kinds of records. I am still searching but wanted to post about the discoveries I have made.
I found online Brunswick County Road Orders 1732-1746 by Nathaniel Mason Pawlett. It was part of the Virginia Transportation Research Council that was jointly sponsored by VDOT and UVA.
This document went through Order Book 1 and listed entries that dealt with roads, bridges and other projects. Names that are important to me for genealogy appeared.
- William Duke
- John Duke
- George Brewer
- William Brewer
- Col Allen
- Nathaniel Perry
- Thomas House
- William House
- John Bartholomew
- Byrd Lanier
- William Moseley
- James Upchurch
- William Upchurch
Then I started with Poll Lists.
For the 1748 list I saw several familiar names!
- George Brewer
- William Brewer
- James Upchurch
- Richard Lanier
- Nathaniel Perry
- Isaac House
- William Green
- Curthbert Smith
- John Duke
In the 1768 Poll List I again saw familiar names.
- James Brewer
- Nicholas Brewer
- William Brewer
- Michael Upchurch
- James Upchurch
- James Denton
- John Denton
- Thomas House
- Jordan House
- Isaac House
- Curthbert Smith
In a document that listed Land Patents in Brunswick County (1717-1801) I found the following information:
- 12 May 1759 William Brewer - both sides of Rattle Snake Creek
- 30 Aug 1763 William Denton - on North side of Maherrin Branch
- 28 Sep 1728 John Duke - on North side of Maherine River
- 22 Sep 1739 John Duke - on North side of three Creeks
- 30 Aug 1763 John Duke - on North side of Sandy Creek
- 10 Jan 1735 John Duke - both sides of Maherrin Branch
- 28 Sep 1728 William Duke - south side the fork of Reedy Creek
- 22 Jul 1754 Isaac House- both sides of Crab Louse Creek
- 7 Jul 1726 Isaac House of Surry Co. - the head of the North Fork of Stoney Hill Run
- 12 May 1759 Cuthbert Smith - both sides of Reedy Creek
- 20 Jul 1753 James Upchurch - on the North side of White Oak Creek
Well, there does not seem to be any Neals in the above documents....
On 5 Aug 1769 John Neal married Susanna Smith in Brunswick County. Susanna's father was Cuthbert Smith.
So, where was John Neal before 1769? I hope I will be able to discover the answer to that question.
Although I did not find John Neal in the records that are cited above I did discover some of my other lines. Many of the names above migrated to Warren and Franklin County North Carolina. Did they move together? Did they follow each other? How or Why did they pack up and leave? Many of the names above were joined in marriage, did they marry and then leave the area? So many questions!
Thanks for stopping by!
As I continue to research, I will share my discoveries!
If you have any documents or answers to my questions, please share.
Pattie
