To Hardy County Genealogy Page Between 1745 and 1797, the South Branch Valley lay within the boundaries of the Fairfax "Northern Neck" land grant, bordered on the north by the Potomac River and in the south by the Hardy-Rockingham county border, extended through Cabins, WV to the headwaters of the northern branch of the Potomac. Within this South Branch portion of his proprietary lands, Lord Fairfax created at least four separate tracts or manors including the South Branch Manor, the South Fork, the Wappacomo or Great South Branch of the Potowmack, and the Peterson Creek Manor. Each was subdivided into lots of a few hundred acres, most to be leased out for the term of 21 years (the life of the tenant) or more, at an annual fee of 25 shillings per hundred acres.
The two primary manors, consisting of about 55,000 acres each, were located along the South Branch of the Potomac. The Wappacomo, or Great South Branch of the Potowmack (sic), lay on both sides of the South Branch River from its mouth on the Potomac to the southern end of the Trough near Old Fields. The "South Branch Manor" extended from the southern tip of the Trough along the river south and west to the Petersburg area to the Royal Glen Gorge and included the lower portions of Mill Creek and Lunice Creek. The third tract lay on the South Fork from its mouth near Moorefield, south to Brake. This tract included only 18 lots. Another 10,000 acres situated along Patterson Creek was divided into 31 lots, extending from Headsville to just southwest of Russeldale on today's maps.
The best description of the South Branch Valley manor lands, their somewhat complicated history, geography, tenure agreements, and the names of the earliest settlers associated with these manors (ca. late 1740s-1750s) appears in two excellent articles by Charles Morrison entitled "Early Fairfax Land Grants and Leases Along the South Branch of the Potomac," in West Virginia History, V37 (Oct 1976), pp. 1-22 and "Early Land Grants and Settlers Along Patterson Creek," in West Virginia History, V40 (Winter 1979), pp. 164-199. Morrison indicates that the rental lists for the South Branch Manor found in the Library of the WV Dept of Archives and History are incomplete, not completely accurate, and undated (though internal evidence shows them to be prior to 1763). But they do include many of names of the lessees or those associated with him, perhaps as witness or bondsman.
The Patterson Creek, South Fork and Wappacomo manors have been mapped by lot number. Armed with a list of names of the lessees or deed holders, one could actually "find" the location of the deed on a plat of these three manors. Unfortunately, there seems to be no plat or reconstructed map for the South Branch Manor. Various maps and research notes regarding these manor lands, primarily the works of Charles Morrison and Galtjo Geertsema, can be found in the Hardy County Public Library.
It is important to remember that other families and individuals may have been living in the greater South Branch Valley on non-manor lands. Many had claimed the land prior to the Fairfax survey. And, of course, new settlers continued to arrive throughout the remainder of the eighteenth century. To add to the confusion, parts of the Fairfax grant in this area lay in Frederick County (north of the Trough), and those south lay in Augusta County. Since leases for this land was considered a private transaction with Lord Fairfax, they were not generally recorded in the county deed books, though references can be found in Hampshire, Hardy, Frederick and Augusta County records. Many of the Northern Neck land records are available at the Virginia State Library and the Library of the West Virginia Department of Archives and History. A few published abstracts of Northern Neck warrants, surveys and grants are also available, specifically in works by Peggy Shomo Joyner and Gertrude E. Grey.
The original data as recorded by Charles Morrison is listed alphabetically. By rearranging this data using numerical lot numbers or grouped by creek name, it is possible to discern geographical proximity and sometimes the actual location of a given farmstead or "plantation." This is useful in genealogical research because often it is the names of such neighbors that appear as witnesses on wills, estate appraisers, adjacent neighbors on land deeds, or bondsmen on other documents. Family researchers may also notice how often the maiden name of a wife appears as a neighboring name to the husband's family. Those listed below are thought to be among the earliest, settling in the late 1740s and early 1750s. I have listed them in numerical order by lot number. Locations are based on notes in deed records or other sources, and from reconstructed maps.
It appears that the South Branch Manor lot numbers began at the south end of the Trough (#1) near Old Fields, south to Moorefield (#20s), southwest to Petersburg (#60s) and west to the "Manor Line." The following list gives the lot number (where available), name of the renter, acreage (abbreviated as "a.") and approximate location (such as "South end of the Trough". E and W probably refer to East or West side of the river. Two or more names may appear on one lot if it was subdivided.
| Lot # | Name | Acreage | & Approximate Location (from Morrison or other sources) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Renick | 215a | (South end of Trough) |
| 2 | Abraham Hite | 668a | (also 71 a - no location given) |
| 3 | Christian Snider | 190a | |
| 3 | John Snivey/ Sively | 77a | |
| 5 | Harry Glebe | 210a | |
| 7 | Daniel McNeal | 320a | |
| 8 | Matthew Gilmore | 155a, etc. | |
| 9 | James Christian | 52a | |
| 9 | John McNeal | 437a | |
| 13 | Christopher Cocke/ Cox | 133a | |
| Joseph Inskip | 133acre,etc. | ||
| 14E | George Reed/ Reid | 135a, etc. | |
| 15W | John Lawrence | 124a | |
| 15E | Patrick Linch/ Lynch | 166a | |
| 17 | Hampton Manor (Noah Hampton?) |
96a | |
| 17 | John Renick | 122a | (also on Lot 1) |
| 19 | Jonathon Heath | 105a | |
| 20 | Charley Lynch | ||
| — | Linches Mill | 280a | "Mill Track" mouth of South Fork in Moorefield |
| 21 | Henry Maun | 78a | |
| 21E | Samuel Beall | 212a | |
| 22 | Charles Loyns/ Lynch | 81a | |
| — | Conrad Moore | 62a | (Site of Moorefield) |
| 23 | Charles Lynch | 116a | |
| 24 | Stephen Heart/ Heard | 50a | |
| 24 | Simon Hornback | 137a | |
| 25 | James Cunningham | 150a | |
| 25 | Samuel Hornback | 150a | |
| 26 | Henry March/ Marsh | 103a, etc. | |
| 27 | John Bishop | 83a | |
| 27E | Richard Cartright/ Cutwright | 86a | |
| 28 | Moses Hutton | 580a, etc. | |
| 29 | David Castleman | 119a | |
| 31W | Michael Alt | 24a | (also has 78 acres on 73W) |
| 33 | E[dward] Williams | 235a | |
| 33 | Isaac Hornback | 235a | |
| 35 | Ratliff or Westfall | 95a | |
| 36E | Luke Collins | 322a | (corner to 36 E) |
| 37W | Wm Ashby | 45a | |
| 40 | Michael Sea | 216a | (including an island in the river) |
| 42 | Wm Cunningham | 242a | (also has lot 57 W) |
| 43 | Robt Cunningham | 338a | |
| 43 | John Pancake | 52a, etc. | |
| 44W | John Kimble | 100a, etc. | |
| 45 | John Briggs | 55a | |
| 46 | Anthony Baker | 45a | (near Durgontown-Baker Rock) |
| 46 | John Miller | 45a | |
| 48 | John Harness | 271a | |
| 49E | Jacob Harness | 249a | |
| 49E | Alexander Liggett | 175a, etc. | |
| 50 | Matthias Hite | 8a, etc. | |
| 52 | Jacob Hinkle | 130a | |
| 52W | Henry Landers | 130a | |
| 55 | Andrew Byrn | 76a | |
| 55 | Christopher Huffman | 168a | |
| 55 | Seighman Hour | 59a | |
| 55 | John Miller | 76a | |
| 57W | Wm Cunningham | 68a | |
| 58 | Adam Hyder | 104a | |
| 59 | Anthony Badgely | 20a | |
| 59 | Lewis Bush | 77a | |
| 60E | Rudolph Hyer/ Hire | 165a | |
| 61 | Randolph Shobe | (Petersburg area ) | |
| 61E | Leonard Hyer/Hire | 223a | Ft. George here or adjacent lot (east side of river, opposite Petersburg) |
| 63 | Jacob Shobe | 169a | |
| 63W | Michael Hornback | 16a | |
| 64 | Martin Power (s) | 130a | |
| 65 | Christopher Hermantrout/ Armentrout | 266a | |
| 66 | Martin Shobe | 300a | |
| 66 | Henry Steel | 105a | |
| 67 | Jacob Stooky | 120a | |
| 70W | John Cochran | 55a | |
| 71 | John Robinson | 139a | |
| 73W | Michael Alt | 78a | Also Lot 31W |
| 76 | Benjamin Bean | 114a | |
| 77W | James Cooberly | 129a | |
| 82 | McKenny Robinson | 55a | |
| 84 | Valentine Power | 41a |
No lots given but all appear to be living in Petersburg area:
| —— | Thomas Arby | 1500a | Along Mudlick Run |
| —— | George Burn/ Byrne | 193a | Along Mill Creek |
| —— | Michael Hahn | 60a | Mill Creek |
| —— | Benjamin Jones | 311a | Mill Creek |
| —— | Edward McGuire | 1045a | Mill Creek |
| —— | Daniel Richardson | 465a | Mill Creek at Manor Line |
| —— | John & Henry Wilson | 258a | Mill Creek |
| —— | Leonard Harness | 202a, etc | Looney's Creek |
| —— | Abraham Kuykendall | 120a | Looney's Creek |
| —— | James Scott | 400a | Looney's Creek |
| —— | Joseph Watson | 322a, etc. | Adjoining his own land on Luney's Creek |
| —— | Job Welton | 172a | Looney's Creek |
| —— | John Welton | 244a | Looney's Creek |
| —— | Jacob Westfall | 140a | Looney's Creek |
| —— | John Westfall | 42a | Looney's Creek |
| —— | George Whitman | 90a, etc. | Claylick Run, draft of Looney's Creek |
| —— | David Welton | 373a | Flats |
Other names without lot numbers or creeks; some may have been witnesses or bondsmen.
| Maunis Alkier | 405a | ||
| James Anderson | |||
| Henry Batten | 100a | ||
| Wm Bonner | |||
| Bryan Bruin | 425a, etc. | ||
| Richard Byrn | 100a | ||
| Michael Carr | 89a | ||
| Samuel Cartwright | 137a | W (27?) | |
| Peter Casey | 620a | ||
| Channell | |||
| Robert Clark | 16a | ||
| James & Jonathon Cockburn/ Coburn | (Near mouth of Mill Creek at Petersburg according to George Washington diaries) | ||
| John Collins | 119a | ||
| John Conrad | |||
| Couchman/ Coughman | |||
| Friend Cox | 195a | ||
| Christian Dasher/ Tosher | 200a, etc. | ||
| Samuel Delay | |||
| John & James Delm/ Delham | 31a | ||
| Samuel Dew | 182a | ||
| Robert Ferguson | 100a | ||
| Adam Fisher | (Neighbors of Harness, Parson, See) | ||
| John Fisher | |||
| John Foxcroft | 352a, etc. | ||
| John Francis | 181a | ||
| Christian Funk | 42a | ||
| John Wm. Geinitz | 51a | ||
| Eve Glaze | 133a | ||
| Henry Hamilton | 106a | ||
| Noah Hampton | |||
| Conrad Harness | |||
| George Harness | 160a | ||
| Isaac Harness | |||
| Michael Harness | 249a | (West side of river, south of Fisher, across from golf course today) | |
| William Haton | 63a | ||
| Jacob Helmick | 100a | ||
| John Hogban | 60a | ||
| Daniel Hole | 88a | ||
| Anthony Hornback | 81a | ||
| Daniel Hornback | 152a | ||
| Joel Hornback | |||
| Houghton | |||
| John Howard | |||
| John Inskip | 89a | ||
| James Keith | 110a | ||
| Henry Kerr | 215a | ||
| Humphrey Keys | 170a | ||
| Peter Kuykendall | |||
| Henry Lancisco/ Lanciscus | |||
| William Lane | 209a | ||
| Thomas Larry | 89a | ||
| John Legate/ Liggett | 181a | ||
| Enock Leonard | 150a | ||
| Job Little | 60a | ||
| Jacob Long | 158a | ||
| Luny/ Looney | |||
| Nehemiah Martin | 150a | ||
| Philip Mason | 82a | ||
| Nicolas Mass | 32a | ||
| Robert Maxwell | 18a | ||
| Jacob May | 175a | ||
| John McCulloch | |||
| Elizabeth McCullough | |||
| Thomas McGuire | 463a | ||
| Daniel McLaughlin | 100a | ||
| Philip Moore | 138a | ||
| G.[George] Murray | |||
| William Naylor | |||
| William Norman | 119a | ||
| John or Joseph O'Bannon/ OBannion | |||
| Adam O'Bryan | 85a | ||
| Robert Owen | 100a | ||
| Andrew Pancake | 285a | ||
| Robert Parker | 232a | ||
| Baulden Parsons | 161a | ||
| James Parsons | 145a | ||
| Thomas Parsons | 22a | (Neighbor to See & Fisher) | |
| Peter Peters | 214a | ||
| Martin Peterson | |||
| Thomas Price | |||
| Henry Pringle | |||
| Samuel Pringle | |||
| Peter Rambo | 182a | ||
| Benjamin Ratliff | 131a | ||
| John Reagar | |||
| John Reed | 100a | ||
| Solomon Reed | 396a | ||
| Peter Reid | |||
| George Renick | 367a, etc. | ||
| William Renick | 108a | ||
| Daniel Richards | 140a | (Also at Mill Creek) | |
| Benjamin Robinson | 49a | ||
| John Ross | 100a | ||
| Philip Ross | 150a | ||
| John Royce | 228a | ||
| William Ruby | 90a | ||
| James Rutledge | 500a | Adjacent South Branch Manor | |
| Benjamin Scott | 35a | ||
| David Scott | |||
| John Scott | 351a | ||
| Frederick See | |||
| George See | |||
| Felix Seymour | 450a | ||
| James Seymour | |||
| Abram Shobe | |||
| Rudolph Shobe | 186a | ||
| Lawrence Shock/ Schrick | 46a | ||
| Herman Shook | |||
| Charles Smith | 155a | ||
| E[dward] Smith | |||
| William Smith | 400a | ||
| John Spohr/ Spohre | 215a | ||
| Philip Swank | 78a | ||
| James Tarpley | 20a | ||
| Tapley Taylor | 349a | ||
| Michael Thorn | 405a | ||
| Peter Thorn | |||
| Robert Travis | 55a | ||
| Andrew Trumbo | 232a | ||
| Garratt VanMeter | 298a | ||
| Isaac & Joseph VanMeter | 129a | ||
| Jacob Van Meter | 235a, etc. | Adjoining his own land on Spoor'/Spohr's Run | |
| John VanMeter | |||
| Joseph VanMeter | 288a | ||
| Andrew Waggener | 100a | ||
| John Walker | |||
| Cornelius Ward | 20½ a | ||
| Henry Welton | |||
| Jesse Welton | 243a | ||
| Jonathon Welton | |||
| Mary Welton | |||
| Solomon Welton | 412a | ||
| William Welton | |||
| Abel Westfall | |||
| Thomas Wheeler | 106a | ||
| John Williams | 270a, etc. | ||
| Mary Williams | |||
| Richard Williams | 232a | ||
| William H. Wilson | |||
| Andrew Wodrow | 100a | ||
| John Wood | 9a | ||
| Thomas Wood | 312a | ||
| George Yokum | |||
| John Yokum | 119a | ||
| Mathias Yocum | Near mouth of South Fork | ||
| Ebenezer Zane | Near Old Fields | ||
| Elizabeth Zane | |||
| William Zane | |||
The twenty lots along the South Fork were numbered sequentially beginning at the upper end of the South Fork at the Fairfax line and ending (#20) at the South Branch Manor Line near the mouth of the South Fork where Moorefield is located today.
| Lot # | Name | Acreage | & Approximate Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1& 2 | Peter Reed | 680a | (Starting near Brake, mouth of Dumpling Run) |
| 3 | Michael Stump | 366a | |
| 5 | Anthony Reagar | 375a | |
| 6 | Anthony Regarr/Reager | 498a | |
| 7 | Herman Choke/Shoker | 400a | |
| (Elias Cellars mentioned in Washington survey) | |||
| 9 | Abel Westfall | 400a | |
| 10 | Abram Vanderpool | 432 or 462a | |
| (Occupied by Michael Catt Lives on at time of original survey) | |||
| 11 | Leonard Naff/Neff/Nave | 432a | |
| 12 | Michael Stump | 510a | |
| 13 | Jacob Westfall | 400a | |
| 14 | James Simpson | 400a | |
| 15 | Philip Moore | 238a | |
| 17 | Henry Shepler | 294a | |
| (Washington describes Lots 16 and 17 under single survey, mentioning Henry Harris and Widow Wolfe houses on the tract) | |||
| 18 | George Osborne | 396a | |
| (Washington also gives "Jeremiah Osborne") | |||
Recreated map in Hardy Co. Public Library shows many of the lots straddling the river, others side by on either side of the river. Lots along the Wappacomo were numbered sequentially beginning with #1 at the Trough and ending with #64 at the mouth of the South Branch. #6 was at the mouth of Buffalo Run, #18 at Romney, and #28 at Hanging Rock (Wapocomo).
| Lot # | Name | Acreage | & Approximate Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Kirkendall | 420a | |
| 2 | Henry VanMeter | 405a | |
| 3 | Conrad Hoffman | 398a | |
| 4 | William Miller | 433a | |
| 5 | Mathias Kirkendall | 337a | |
| 6 | Jonathan Cockburn | 250a | |
| 7 | John Kirkendall | 448a | |
| 8 | Benjamin Kirkendall | 291a | |
| 9 | John Decker | 400a | |
| 10 | Giles Sullivant | 415a | |
| 11 | James Fannin | 347a | |
| 12 | Garrat Decker | 380a | |
| 13 | Peter Tostee | 403a | Both sides of river at mouth of McDowell's Run |
| 14 | Reuben Keyser | 406a | (lease) |
| 15 | William Buffington | 413a | |
| 16 | Maj. Samuel Eyrle | 323a | |
| 17 | William Watson | 217a | |
| 18 | Laid off in a Town called Romney | 350a | |
| 20 | John Collins | 425a | NW of Romney on east side of river |
| 21 | Peter Casey | 356a | |
| 22 | Benjamin Foreman | 300a | east slope of Mill Creek Mtn. |
| 24 | John Colvil | 369a | |
| 25 | John or Benjamin Foreman | 400a | |
| 26 | Benjamin Foreman | 400a | |
| 27 | John Blew | 304a | |
| 28 | Lodowick Castlemain | 300a | |
| 29 | Lodowick Castlemain | 404a | |
| 30 | Michael Pruntee | 312a | |
| 31 | John Welton | 243a | |
| 32 | Peter Peters | 232a | |
| 34 | Rev. Jacob Townshend | 203a | |
| 35 | Oliver Cremer | 385a | |
| 36 | William Cartman | 400a | |
| 38 | John Cunningham | 430a | |
| 41 | George Cowin | 219a | |
| 42 | Thomas Rennick | 270a | |
| 44 | John Parker | 350a | |
| 45 | James Ross | 400a | |
| 46 | James Ross | 236a | |
| 48 | Thomas Bromsey | 416a | |
| 49 | Edward McGuire | 346a | |
| 50 | Jasper Sutton, et al. | 400a | |
| 51 | John Martin's heirs | 400a | (lease) |
| 52 | George Hogg/Hoge | 400a | |
| 53 | George Hogg/Hoge | 400a | |
| 54 | Francis Ross | 400a | |
| 55 | Francis Ross | 456a | |
| 56 | Thomas Walker | 238a | |
| 57 | Robert Rutherford | 231a | |
| 58 | Edward Ruth | 251a | |
| 60 | Thomas Bryan Martin | 312a | |
| 61 | John French | 246a | |
| 62 | John French | 300a | |
| 63 | Thomas Bryan Martin | 360a | |
| 64 | John Hopkins | 310a | Mouth of the South Branch at the Potomac |
The thirty one lots along Patterson Creek north of Petersburg consist of lots 1-13 fronting or on both sides of the river itself. Lots 14 to 31 run adjacent to these river lots on the west. Names listed in 1762 survey as those who occupied or claimed lots of Patterson Creek Manor.
| Lot # | Name | Acreage | & Approximate Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Douthitt | 162½ | About 35 miles south of Burlington on west side of Patterson Creek |
| 2 | George Corn | 299a | |
| 3 | Solomon Hedges | 625a | Just northwest of Russelldale |
| 4 | Benjamin Rutherford | 529a | |
| 5 | Lord Fairfax | 561a | |
| 6 | Edward Corn and Philip Langly | 421a | At Burlington on both sides of the river |
| 7 | Timothy Corn | 333a | |
| 8 | Windle Miller | 280a | |
| 9 | John Ramsey | 278a | |
| 10 | Joseph Barker/Parker | 295a | |
| 11 | Robert Bell | 330a | |
| 12 | Charles Savours and Samuel McMurray | 371a | |
| 13 | Nicholas Seavours | 292½a | Just south of Headsville on Patterson Creek |
| 14 | John Moffitt | 296a | |
| 17 | John Hared | 201 |
Wild Meadow Run was Hamptons Run; Mill Creek was Ed. Corns Run; Staggs Run was Parkers Mill Run
| Lot # | Name | Acreage | & Approximate Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Parker | 399a | |
| 2 | John Adam Long | 293a | |
| 3 | Nicholas Reaner | 277a | |
| 4 | John Ratan | 354a | |
| 5 | Abram Johnson | 293a | |
| 6 | David Thompson | 312a | |
| 8 | Power Hasel | 328a | |
| 10 | Nicolas Crist | 167a | |
| 11 | Joseph Hamlin | 289a | |
| 12 | John Parker | 312a | |
| 13 | Mathew Rogers & | 379a | |
| Jacob Good | 394a | ||
| 15 | Joseph Walter | 238a | |
| 21 | Joseph Robinson | 332a | |
| 22 | Philip Martin | 283a | (Nephew of Lord Fairfax) |
| X | Capt. John Greenfield | 200a |
To Hardy County Genealogy Page