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From: EVELYN WALLACE <>
Subject: [NCGRANVI] Some Scattered Notes on the Bartlett Searcy family ofGranvile Co. NC and Madison Co., KY
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:58:31 -0800 (PST)


A subscriber asked about a later Searcy family of Kentucky but not of Madison
Co., KY

This query has caused me to refer to my notes, made over a period of years,
about Bartlett Searcy and from time to time about his brother Reuben Searcy,
whom I understand died in or around Nashville, TN. (You might try wiki and see
if there is anything about Reuben Searcy.)

If subscribers have access to the online genealogical database HeritageQuest, I
recommend two publications to you:

Boonesborough by George W. Ranck - particularly the notes/appendices at the end
of the book

A history of Henderson Co., KY by E. L. Starling.

The first part of the book about Henderson Co. KY tells a good deal of the
founding of Boonesborough. As I understand the founding of Henderson Co., KY,
it was the part of the land which the Commonwealth of Virginia awarded Henderson
& Co. after the American Revolution. (Henderson and his partners had hoped to
establish the 14th colony--a proprietary--but the American Revolution dashed his
and his partner's hopes.)

Here is more than you probably want to know about the Searcy family of Granville
Co. NC and early Madison Co., KY. Please use the citations
if you use this material in your family history.

BARTLETT SEARCY. (1730?-1784 KY) WIR00435. The Williams family of Nutbush
Creek area of colonial Granville Co., NC is said to have been related to the
Searcys of the same county. Lucy Williams, is said to be sister of the four
brothers, John Williams, Esq. (d. 1799), William Williams (d. at Boonesborough,
Dec 1775) Nathaniel Williams (d. ca 1831, Granville Co. NC WB 12-41), and
Charles Williams (d. ca 1819), is said to have been married to Bartlett
Searcy. This has not been confirmed, and there seem to be no evidences of
gifts of deed or purchase deeds between Bartlett Searcy and wife Lucy and the
extended Williams family of Nutbush Creek area.

Lucy was allegedly the daughter of John Williams Sr. (formerly of Goochland
Co., later of Granville Co.). (This has not been verified.)

This information comes from Alvahn Holmes in SOME FARRAR'S ISLAND
DESCENDANTS (1979) (FHL film 1033635). She quotes from a family Bible of Dr.
William Farrar Henderson, a son of Judge Leonard Henderson, whose wife was
Frances Farrar. (Source: Dec 1992 letter from Floyd R. Negley, Tucson, AZ,
descendant of Nancy [Williams] Negley of Henderson Co., KY, and thus a
descendant of Nancy's father, Samuel Farrar Williams, formerly of Granville Co.,
NC, who died in Henderson Co. after 1835.)


There is evidence in Granville Co. will abstracts compiled by Zae Hargett
Gwynn that one John Searcy, whose will was proved Feb Court 1787 had several
sons, one of whom was Bartlett Searcy. The other children were William
(deceased by 1783, when the will was made); John; Mary Reardon; Susanna Hayes;
Reuben, Elizabeth, Sarah Linsey, and Richard Searcy. (Granville Co. WB 2-1).

In the tax list of 1769, Granville Co., NC were these Searcys: John,
Sr., John, Jr; Bartlett, and Reuben. Bartlett declared 1 white, 1 black. See
John, Sr.'s biography.


In 1771 in Granville Co., Bartlet Searcy and wife, Lucy, deeded property to
Thomas Wiggins, 28 Oct 1771.
(Zae Hargett Gwynn, KINFOLKS OF GRANVILLE CO., NC).

See biography of Reuben Searcy, whose first wife was Susannah Henderson.
The Searcys, particularly Reuben, were frequently bondsmen for the Williams and
Henderson marriages. Note that John Williams, Esq. (of Granville Co., NC),
Lucy's said-to-be brother, and Reuben Searcy were co-executors of Bartlett
Searcy, whose will was probated in Madison Co., KY. Reuben held several county
offices, including county clerk and constable.

Other Granville Co., NC Records

Before migrating to Madison Co., KY, Bartlett Searcy and his extended
family had long been active in the politics and social life of Granville Co.
His probable father, John Searcy, Sr. had purchased land from the Williams
family. Refer to his separate biography.

Bartlett and Reuben Searcy, along with Anne Glover, were witnesses in 1751
to a deed of John Glover and wife Mary to William Searcy (Granville DB A-536
through 538). This is the first appearance of the Searcys in the Granville deed
books. There is some indication in sparse Hanover Co. VA records that the
Searcys had resided in that part of Virginia in the 1733-35 time period.

Granville Co., NC Deed Bk G-98-99 1 Aug 1762 - Grant to Bartlet Searcy for
520 acres on Reedy Branch at Hawkins' corner, Mitchell's line, Bullock's line,
Pascal's line. (Gwynn, DEEDS)

The following verifies that Searcy lived in the area of Nutbush Creek ca
1769:.

"Oct. 20, 1769. "Order'd that Bartlett Searcy & the Hands that Work's
under him turn the Road from Nutbush Bridge, by the School House, thr'o Daniel
William's Plantation the best & most & most (sic) convenient way into the other
Road, & that He keep in repair, that part which Len. Henley Bullock Esq. has
opened." "First reference to schoolhouse on the Ct. Minutes."

(Thomas McAdory Owen, HISTORY AND GENEALOGIES OF OLD GRANVILLE COUNTY,
NORTH CAROLINA, 1746-1800 [Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc.,
1993] p. 205.

Court minutes of] April 19, 1770, "Ordered that Bartlett Searcy be released
from the payment of one Levy for the Year 1769, having acted as Constable that
Year." (Owen, p. 237)

The following patents, grants by Lord Granville, show the close association
of the Searcy and the Williams families. Charles and Nathaniel Williams were
the younger sons of John Williams, Sr., as indicated by deeds. Possibly they
were brothers of Lucy Searcy, but this relationship is questionable. John
Williams, Jr. (later called Esq.) is so-called because his father, John
Williams, Sr. did not die until ca 1768-1770, as indicated by Granville Co.
records. Later, John Williams, Jr. was called in the records "John Williams,
Esq." as he was a noted jurist of colonial and later North Carolina.:

Patent Bk. 14, p. 2783, pg. 90 John Williams 28 November 1760. 600 acres
in Granville Co. in the Par. of St. John on both sides of Flat Creek, joining
Joseph Glover, Nathaniel Doughorty, and Nathaniel Norwood. OR /s/ John Williams
Jr. Wits: Will Hurst, Reuben Searcy examined by Tho Jones and William Hurst
surveyed 9 June 1755. SCC: Charles Williams, Nathl Williams Sherd Haywood D.
Sur


Patent Bk 14, No. 2787, pg 91, grant from Lord Granville to John Williams,
24 Jul 1761. 690 acres in Granville County on both sides of Hatchers run. OR
[original record] /s/ John Williams Jr. Wits: Thomas Lowe, Bartlet Searcy
surveyed 20 Aug 1760. SCC Thos Bradford, Robt Poire (?), Thos Person, surveyor.


(Margaret M. Hofmann,THE GRANVILLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA 1748-1763,
ABSTRACTS OF LAND GRANTS, V. 2)

On the same date, 2 Aug 1775, at Granville Co. court, both Bartlett Searcy
and Daniel Williams (probable son of Daniel I who had died in 1759) petitioned
to build grist mills on great Nutbush. These cases were continued. By Feb. 6,
1776, the court granted leave to Wm. Bullock to build a grist mill on little
Nutbush [as opposed to great Nutbush] on his own land. (Owen, op. cit., p. 161)

Owen notes that Bartlett Searcy was Justice for the county court, as
indicated by the years' court minutes: 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784. (Owen, p. 177)

On 3 May 1780 Bartlett Searcy applied for a license for ordinary at his
dwelling. (Owen, 188)

According to ROSTER OF NORTH CAROLINA SOLDIERS IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION,
Bartlet Searsey [sic] was captain of a company raised under "the present Act of
Assembly..." 25 May 1778. It is noted that another captain was Richard Searsey
who commanded, among others, Asa Searsey, planter. Another captain was Thomas
"Saleswhite," who probably is Thomas Satterwhite.. Asa Searcey and Thomas
Satterwhite were of Granville Co. as records indicate. (A Thomas Satterwhite
married daughter of ... Williams, but he is believed to have been of a later
generation; there were several generations of Thomas Satterwhites, who came
from Virginia.)

Apparently Bartlet Searcy was in the military during the Revolution. He
was awarded a land grant by North Carolina in Tennessee, but he apparently did
not claim it. The indication in the records is that he was in the Continental
line. His name appears in the list of 1782 for Davidson County, which later
became Tennessee:

"85. Bartelet Searsey [sic] 640 [A] on Stones Creek, Eastise of
Stones River."

(Goldene Fuller Burgner, NORTH CAROLINA LAND GRANTS IN TENNESSEE [Easley,
SC: Southern Historical Press, ....] p. 124)

On the suceeding page, a John Searsey, apparently also of the Continental
line, was also awarded 640 acres, same county, "near Auhers [?] Station."


Madison County, KY Records

Bartlett Searcy's will was probated in both Madison Co., KY, where he
probably died (made his will 28 Jul 1780, recorded 3 Mar 1795) and in Granville
Co., NC, where he and his survivors owned land (WB 1-409, rec 1784). If the
will were indeed made in 1780, then this refutes a list of "Pioneers at
Boonesborough" which states that Bartlett Searcy was killed in 1775.


(William E. Ellis, H. E. Everman, Richard D. Sears, MADISON COUNTY: 200
YEARS IN RETROSPECT [Richmond, KY: The Madison County Historical Society,
1985], p. 423).

In May 1786, WB 1-479, "Inventory of estate of Bartlet Searcy by Reuben and
Sam'l Searcy"

(Zae Hargett Gwynn, ABSTRACTS OF THE WILLS AND ESTATE RECORDS OF GRANVILLE
COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, 1746-1808, p 106)


Ironically, apparently a short time before Bartlett Searcy made his will,
he signed a petition addressed to the General Assembly of Virginia. It was from
"the inhabitants north of the Kentucky River (at Boons Station, on 10 Jun 1780)
petitioning for "a division of the County of Kentucky." (This information was
researched by Col. George C. Chadwick and published in KENTUCKY ANCESTORS V. 27,
vol. 4, p. 223. The original document is said to be at the Virginia State
Library, Richmond. VA.)

Bartlett Searcy's will made 28 July 1780, was filed in Madison Co., KY,
although Searcy was "of Granville Co., NC," as stated in the will. It appears
in Madison Co., KY mixed probate records, Vols A-B 1787-1819. Executors were
"Lucy, my wife," "Samuel, my son," John Williams, Esq., Reuben Searcy. Witnesses
were Elizabeth (X-her mark) Searcy, Leonard (X-his mark) Hays, Thomas Searcy,
and Reuben Searcy. When the youngest child was fifteen years old, the property
was to be sold and divided. The will was proved Granville Co., NC, Nov. 1784 and
probated in Madison Co., KY 1795.


(Question: Was Leonard Hays the nephew of Bartlett Searcy?)

(Source: Ardery, KENTUCKY COURT AND OTHER RECORDS, V. II, p. 68 The will as
filed in Madison Co., KY appears on film FHL 183,266, Madison County, KY Mixed
Probate Records Vols A-B 1787-1819).


Confusing this genealogy, however, is another abstract by Ardery on p. 99
showing will dated 17 Sep 1784, filed in Woodford Co., KY of Bartlett Searcy of
"Fiat Co., VA" with another wife and other children. No doubt this was a
namesake, who died at a later time. His executors were his wife Ann, Col.
Daniel Boone, W. Flanders Calloway. Further reference to this Searcy's estate
is found in Woodford Deed Bk B, March Ct, 1793 (Ardery, p. 163-64). Reference
is made to Robert Burton of Greenville Co., NC [Granville Co., NC?]. It is
probably this Bartlett Searcy who is listed on the list of Virginia Land Grants
in Kentucky :

Searcy apparently received three grants, all in Fayette Co., KY. These were in
1783, 1785 and 1786. This may have been for military duty for Virginia during
the American Revolution. More research needs to be conducted.

Refer to the biography of John Williams I of Hanover Co., VA for reference
to the marriage of Bartlett Searcy to the eldest daughter of Col. John Williams
(b. 1704), reportedly of Hanover Co., VA. These statements made by Mrs. Frances
Fouler, Chapel Hill, NC, in a letter dated 1 May 1947 to Worth S. Ray ("Ray
Collection," Special Collections, Family History Library, Salt Lake City) can be
verified. She indicates there was another sister who was married to William
Farrar, and that Mrs. Searcy's brothers were: Judge John Williams, Nathaniel
Williams, Charles Williams, and William Williams, who died at Boonesborough.
This coincides with the information found in Holmes' work cited above. (This
information should be checked against official records. John Williams, of early
Hanover Co., VA, has not found to be referred to as "Col." Also, to date, Lucy
Searcy the widow, seems to have had no connection with the Williams family of
the Nutbush Creek area of colonial Granville Co., NC.)

Mrs. Fouler stated to Ray that she was the great granddaughter of Frances
Henderson and Dr. Wm. Vannah Taylor (1790-1873), but she seems to have
eliminated the earlier generations of Hendersons from her letter. Again, this
information is probably garbled.

The Searcys were associated with the Bullocks in Hanover Co., VA. Several
documents remain which confirm this.


RICHARD BULLOCK, JUNR., 400 acs. (N.L.), Hanover Co., adj. Benjamin Brown,
Robert Kindle, Mr. Crighill (Craighill); Robert Sercey; Charles Snelson; &
Cock's line; 11 Apr 1732. p. 409 [VA Patent Book 14]


(Source: Nell Marion Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS, V. III, p. 414.)

Other Kentucky Records for Searcys

Fayette Co., KY Tax Records for 1788

Searcy, Bartlett 1 tithable; 3 horses
Searcy, Richard 2 tithables; 3 horses

Madison Co., KY Tax List for 1788:

Searcy Charles 1 tithable; 1 black over 16; 9 horses & cattle

The following probably refers to some of the children of Bartlett Searcy,
who died in Madison Co., KY. His wife, as stated, was Lucy.

Granville Co. NC Will Book 4-94-95, 29 Oct 1796 - Richard Searcey of
Madison County, Kentucky appoints William Williams Searcey of Madison County,
Kentucky attorney to convey his land in Granville Co., NC on Tarr River. Wits:
none


(Zae Hargett Gwynn, ABSTRACTS OF THE WILLS AND ESTATE RECORDS OF
GRANVILLE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA 1746-1808 [Rocky Mount, NC: 1973], p. 204)

A compilation of Madison County, KY marriages indicates that Lucy Searcy
and some of her children, who were married in that county, continued to remain
in Kentucky after the death of Bartlett.

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