Re: Richard Leake, will 1784 Orange Co. NC
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In reply to:
Re: Richard Leake, will 1784 Orange Co. NC
Cathi Gross 12/17/08
The abstract of Richard Leak's will from Shield's "Abstracts of Wills of Orange Co, NC" will add a little more information, but not much, since these abstracts are terribly incomplete.
Orange Co, NC Will book A p288 (Will in Archives. Dated 7 Feb 1784, proved May 1784
Richard Leak
dau: Elizabeth Terry, wife of James Terry
grandchildren: Richrad Leak Terry, John Terry and others
dau: Mary Moore
"to Richard Leak Moore one negor (sic) now in the care of my daughter Mary Moore"John Moore, relationship not stated.
Daus: Jean Harley, Susannah Campble
Richard Campble
Grandson: Walter Slatter (Slaughter?)
"my grandson Walter Slatter's son Richard Slatter"
Testator had land in Richmond County upon P D (Pee Dee River)
Ex: Walter Slatter
Witnesses: Charles Clindenin, George Webb, John Pugh
---end of abstract
It's pretty clear that seeing the original will would help a great deal, and in particular, finding out exactly what land was bequeathed to whom.
I don't have any time to dig any of this out right now, so this will have to be from memory.I recognize the names Charles Clendinen and John Pugh as living in the immediate vicinity where my mystery ancestor Sterling Moore was living (or being taxed on 200a of land by 1792).The area is the Hawfields area of Orange/Alamance Co and all these people had lands near Haw Creek, which ran off the east side of Haw River.
From other sources, which I can't dig out right now, I believe that Leak's will was proved by John Pugh, one of the witnesses...date above says May 1784.I believe that at one point I did locate the record from the published abstracts of Orange Co P and Q session minutes that indicated Pugh had proved it. And in the SAME court session, a deed of sale of land from John Pugh to Richard Leake is also proved.Since we know Leake was already dead, Pugh is apparently proving a sale of land to Leake transacted prior to Leake's death.The court record doesn't give the details of the land, only the notation that it was proved.The actual sale itself SHOULD be recorded in the Orange Co. deed books around the time of the May Court of 1784, but if so, it was NOT published in William Bennett's wonderful Orange Co land record series, so either he missed it, or it wasn't recorded as stated in the court abstracts.There are several deeds recorded in the same court that are also not found in Bennett.I don't know whether Bennett missed a few pages when abstracting the records, or whether a few pages may have been removed from the Orange deed records.The only way to find out is to go to the Orange courthouse and actually search each page of the deed books for the time of May, 1784.Unfortunately, I've never been able to do that.
But from the above, it's apparent that Leake apparently DID own land in Orange, even if it wasn't actually recorded until after his death.The reason this is important to me is that finding this deed might enable me to figure out whether the land of my mystery ancestor, Sterling Moore, for which he is taxed in Orange Co from 1792-1799 may have been part (or all) of that tract Pugh sold to Leake.This is a tract which Sterling Moore SOLD in 1799, but for which there is no know record of purchase in Orange deed books, but for which he is taxed from 1792-1799.During these years, the amount of land seems to have been reduced from 198 or 200a to 118a (the amount Sterling Moore sold in 1799)on the tax lists, perhaps due to a sale or other mysterious transfer to one William Askew of 80a.Askew also sells an 80a tract in 1799,for which, like Sterling's, there is no know record of purchase, but which land DID adjoin Sterling's and appears to be out of the same original tract.
So for me, finding out exactly WHO the daughter Mary Moore mentioned in Leake's will was married to is very important for me.Leake seems to be making various bequests of lands and slaves to his children, including some to Mary.Some of his lands might have been in Richmond Co where he apparently was living, but given the apparent sale in Orange from Pugh to Leake indicates he had some land in Orange as well.Perhaps Mary Leake Moore's husband was already dead at the time, or perhaps Mary allowed Sterling Moore to live on it beginning in 1792.Or perhaps she herself had died by then.There are no wills for Mary Moore or for any Moore to account for this land in Orange.
There were a large number of Moores living in old Orange Co at the time, but the ones who appear to be living closest to where Sterling sold the mysterious land in 1799 MAY have been out of the same area of Lunenburg Co (the northeast corner and adjoining northwest corner of Brunswick Co, VA).The names Robert, James, William, John and VALENTINE Moore appear in both locations, but years of research by me in both places has failed to determine the relation or connection among them, if any.There were Moores with these names living in Brunswick Co VA (Cedar Creek, Crooked Run Creek areas of northwest Brunswick, very close to the Lunenburg line) in the 1770's and 1780's and the same names begin to appear in Orange Co., NC in the 1780's.Perhaps Mary LEAKE Moore was married to one of them from the Lunenburg area who moved into Orange.Perhaps she obtained some of Leake's land in Orange by his will in 1784, and (again perhaps) this land passed "informally" to a son or nephew, Sterling Moore, who then sold it in 1799.As I mentioned, Mary didn't leave a will in Orange, and there's no will for a male Moore that would account for this land either FROM Leake or TO Sterling Moore.Somehow, this group of Moores just don't seem to have made wills, so if this is the line of transfer or the land, it can't be documented through known records, or at least not until the full will of Richard Leake AND the land record of the sale from Pugh to Leake can be found.If Leake's land did end up in Sterling Moore's hands, it must have been an informal transfer, at least until he sold it in 1799.
This is my speculation, but it's a long way from proof.Years and years of trying to determine Sterling Moore's parents, siblings or any family at all, have failed to yield any solid information.But this Leake presene in the same area of Orange Co as Pugh and Sterling Moore later lived, is my best clue.
There is also an Alexander Lacky/Lackey who died in Orange Co (1772? from my recollection, who had a daughter Mary Moore apparently married to Mordecai Moore.Alexander Lackey also sold Mordecai some land, but it's a different area of Orange, a little east of Hillsboro, on the Eno River.This Mordecai, however, is believed to be the son of a known Quaker family from Exeter, Pennsylvania, Richard Moore and wife Sarah, who were in Orange (or who were at least recorded at the Quaker records of Cane Creek meeting) between about 1757-67, but who then moved further south to Writesboro, Georgia.During their time of residence in Orange, several of Richard Moore's children were disowned by Cane Creek Quaker meeting, perhaps for outgoing marriages to non-Quakers.Mordecai was among those cast out, I believe.
I mention him only because there are some Lackey researchers who believe that Alexander Lackey's name is a variant of Leake, and that there may be a relationship of some kind to Richard.Whether or not this is true, I have no idea, but thought it worth mentioning as it might open up some other avenues of study for you.Note that no land can be found for this Richard Moore in Orange Co. records either...or at least I've never found it. The time period for Alexander Lackey in Orange and for the Quaker Richard Moore group (c 1757-1772) is, however, different from the time period of Richard Leake and Sterling Moore in Orange, so there may be no relation between these two groups of Moores.And it's always good to keep in mind that Moore is a VERY common surname, and there appear to be a number of probably unrelated different Moore families in old Orange.
There are a TON of records for various miscellaneous other Moores in both Orange Co, NC, and Lunenburg/Brunswick Co. Va.No doubt there are numerous unrelated Moore families since it's such a common name.Unfortuantely for me, most of them seem to be named John and James, and I have tried to sort out and follow each of them as best I can.Finding a record of the Leake land in Orange appears to be my best clue, but until the actual sale deed can be located, I cannot figure out of Sterling Moore is related to Leake and the Moores from Brunswick/Lunenburg Co, NC or not.
I do believe, however, that there was a migration route from New Kent Co. VA into this part of northern Lunenburg/Brunswick, and a later migration route into Orange Co, NC.A large number of families seem to have gone that way over the years.Perhaps Leake and Moore are among them.
More Replies:
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Re: Richard Leake, will 1784 Orange Co. NC
Wm garcia 4/29/09
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Re: Richard Leake, will 1784 Orange Co. NC
Cathi Gross 12/19/08