| Notes |
- The record of James (Eddy) Eaddy was first established in South Carolina about 1753 when he petitioned for a grant of land. This petition is found in Council Journal No. 21, pt. 1, pp. 148-149. "Read the petition of James Edie Humbly setting forth that the petitioner is desirous of settling on the waters of Lynches Creek and having a wife and two children for whom not yet for himself has any land been assigned him, and therefore he humbly prays his Excellency and their honors to order the surveyor general to run out to the petitioner 200 acres of land on the waters of Lynches Creek as aforesaid and that he may have a grant for the same and the petitioner as is duty bound shall ever pray."
"Char town the 2d day of Janu. 1753. James Edie. The Petition being considered and the Petitr appearing and swearing to the truth of his said Family Right the prayer thereof was granted and the Depy. Survy. ordered to prepare a warrant and the Surv. General to runout the 200 acres mentioned that_________ a grant may______to the Petitr for the same."
In Colonial South Carolina, land was granted under various laws and statutes as decreed by the King of England and/or the Lords Proprietors. Any free person could appear before the Council and petition for a survey to be granted land. The amount of land awarded depended upon a head of family status which at one time was valued at 100 acres for the head of household and 50 acres for all others of the household including slaves. This amount changed periodically depending upon the desire of the government to attract settlers to the colony. After the petition for a survey was submitted, the person appeared before the Council and petitioned for a grant to pass which authorized the surveyor to measure out the land.
The Lord's Proprietors were British nobles who were loyal to King Charles, II. of England and assisted him to return from exile and regain his throne. To reward them for their contributions, on March 24, 1663, the King gave them ownership of a large tract of land in the colonies. This was a very large segment of North America running from the Atlantic to the Pacific, lying between 36 degrees north latitude on the north and 31 degrees on the south. In 1665, the charter was amended to raise the north line 30 minutes and extend the south line by two degrees. Their claim, which was called Carolina, then included the part of North America that now includes the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, a small part of Missouri, most of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, the southern half of California, the southern tip of Nevada, the northern part of Florida, and a part of northern Mexico.
This huge section of continent was granted entirely to eight men, to be financed by them for their profit, and to rule with the help or interference of any local government as they might permit. The Lords Proprietors were: the Duke of Albemarle, Lord Ashley, Lord Berkeley, Sir William Berkeley, Sir George Carteret, the Earl of Clarendon, Sir John Colleton, and Lord Craven. It was their names which were given to the early counties, districts, and which continue even now as names of counties and places. The most important of these was Lord Ashley (Anthony Ashley Cooper), who laid out the street plan for the new city of Charles Town, South Carolina. His secretary was the philosopher John Locke who wrote the Fundamental Constitution of Carolina.
In 1719, the Lords Proprietors gave up their claims to property in the Colony. This probably occurred because they failed to understand the value of their possessions which they found could not be managed well from so great a distance. Arrangements were finally made to return the Colony to the King of England in 1731. The land records were left in great confusion as a result of their withdrawal and lack of control of changes made during the interim. To determine ownership, an act was passed in 1731 called "The Memorials". This required land owners to file a brief statement of their ownership, known as a memorial.
We find that James (Eddy) Eaddy, I. came on the scene about 1753 and his petitions and successful grants thereafter were documented in the Council Journal:
|
Abt 1730 - 1800 (60 years)
[1]