Rowan County North Carolina Marriages
|
Joseph Swann to Keziah Porter Oct. 26, 1774.
Bondsman: William Porter
|
|
The Joseph Swann family was ln Mecklenburg Courty North Carolina by 1775.
The first deed for Joseph Swann ln Mecklenburg County was in 1775.
They may have followed the Porter family to Mecklenburg County.
The Swann family and Porter family had intermarried.
Thomas Porter of Lancaster County Pennsylvania was in Mecklenburg County by 1765.
Keziah Porter was born 1748 probably Pennsylvania.
She died 1824 Mecklenburg County NC.
Mecklenburg County North Carolina Deeds
|
Book 7, P 289----1775
Moses and Margaret Swan to Joseph Swan---400 acres
|
|
Book 17, P 152----1806
|
State Grant #779 to Joseph Swan
23 acres Armor's Creek
|
|
Book 17, P 153----1806
|
State Grant #874 to Joseph Swan
16 acres Catawba River
|
|
Book 17, P 153----1806
|
State Grant #1903 to Joseph Swan
9 acres Armor's Creek
|
|
Book 19, P 20----1818
|
Joseph Swan to Joseph McRum
6 3/4 acres Armour's Creek
|
|
Book 21, P 30----1823
|
Joseph Swan to Joseph Mc Rum
23 acres Armour's Creek
|
|
Book 22, P 247----1832
|
Joseph Swan Estate, Sarah C. Swan, John Swan, Mary N. Swan to John Hart----Lease
|
|
Book 23, P 244----1834
|
Moses Swan, Joseph Swan Estate to Stephen McRum
Real and Personal----Armour's Creek
|
|
1790 Census North Carolina----Meckl enbur County----Page 159
| Joseph Swann |
Males16 and over:
|
1 |
Females
|
3 |
|
Males under 16:
|
1 |
|
|
1800 Census Mecklenburg County North Carolina----Page 27
| Joseph Swann |
Males under10:
|
3 |
Females 10-16:
|
1 |
|
Males10-16:
|
2 |
Females 16-26:
|
1 |
|
Males 16-26:
|
2 |
Females 26-45:
|
1 |
|
Males over 45:
|
1 |
|
|
1810 Census Mecklenburg County North Carolina---Page 8
| Joseph Swan |
Males 10-26:
|
2 |
Females 16-26:
|
1 |
|
Males 16-26:
|
3 |
Females 26-45:
|
1 |
|
Males over 45:
|
1 |
Females over 45:
|
1 |
1820 Census Mecklenburg County North Carolina----Page 2
| Joseph Swan |
Males over 45:
|
1 |
Females 26-45:
|
2 |
|
|
|
Females over 45:
|
1 |
1830 Census Mecklenburg County North Carolina----Page 346
| Name Name |
Males 70-80:
|
1 |
Females 40-50:
|
1 |
|
|
|
Females 50-60:
|
1 |
Will of Joseph Swann
|
April the 8th 1829.
ln the name of God
I Joseph Swann of the Cty of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina being weak of body, but of sound mind and memory, thonks be to God for the same, and calline to mind the mortality of my body, & knowing that it is appointed to all men once to die. Do make & ordain this my last Will & Testament. And as touching my worldly Estate which it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life, I give & dispose of in the manner & form following.
That is to say.I give & bequeath to my beloved wife Keziah, & my two daughters Jane and Margaret all my household & kitchen furniture including all my Beds & furniture, and also all my Cows and Hogs, and an honorable & comfortable maintenance off all my lands during their Single State.
I give and bequeath to my son Moses the land he now lives on lying & being on the Southwest side of a well marked line, running in the following manner.
Beginning at a blackoak on Porter's line near a small pond thence S E 56 poles to a Spanish Oak at the end of his line near his Spring, then along said lane near his house ________ E 52 poles to a post oak at his fence then S 69 E 42 poles to a Spanish oak and Dogwood then S 40 E 144 poles to a small blackjack on Joseph McRum’s line as will more fully appear by the enclosed Platt No. 1. To have and to hold the said land during his natural life, And should his Wife Jane survive her husband Moses Swann it is my Will that she shall have a comortable maintenance off said premises during her widowhood and also all the family be raised and schooled off said lands until they are ______ raised.
I give & bequeath to my two grandsons Joseph Swann and William M. Swann, two eldest sons of my son Moses all the above mentioned land & premises at the decease of their father with the incumbrance above specified for their only and proper use and their heirs forever.
I give and bequeath to Son James two Dollars.
I give and bequeath to my son John all my land on the south end of my plantation not above mentioned beginning on a small Hickory on McRum’s division line then S 58 W 93 poles to a small pine on Moses Swann's line before mentioned, during his natural life then to descend to his youngest daughter Susannah Swann and her heirs forever ( the premises will appear upon the enclosed platt No ___). And his wife Rebeca & family to be supported & schooled off said land in the same manner as Moses Swann's fariily.
And further I give to my son John my waggon & all my Gear.
I give & bequeath to my son William two Dollars.
I give and bequeath to my son Thomas two Dollars.
I give & bequeath to my son Joseph two Dollars.
I give & bequeath to my two granddaughters Mary K. Swann and Sally C. Swann two oldest daughters of John & Rebecca Swann all the remainder of my lands not before mentioned (as will appear by enclosed platt No 3 for their only & proper use forever with the incumberance of the female part of my family before mentioned and further paying to my son Richard H. M. Swann one Hundred dollars when the (sic) arrive to the age of twenty one years & my son John shall occupy said. premises until said grand daughters Mary K. & Sally C Swann arrives to the age of twenty one years without being liable to pay any rent whatever.
It is my Will that my books be divided equally by my Executors between my beloved wife Keziah my two sons Moses & John and my daughter Margaret. And my body cloathes betveen said two sons Moses and John, also my copper tools, log chain & planes I allow between them for their only use. And any other property belonging me and not specified in this will to be equally divided also beween Moses & John by my Executors.
And I further Will that my son John pay all my just debts and by so doing he shall be acquited of all the demands I now have or may have at the time of decease against him.
It is my will further that my funeral expenses together with expense of a monumental stone be defrayed by my Sons Moses and John.
And I hereby constitute and appoint my trusty friends Stephen McRum and Jno Haitt Executors of this my last Will and Testament.
And I do further ordain and appoint my worthy friends James Knox, Hugh McDowell and William B. Porter Guardians over all the female part of my family.
And I hereby utterly revoke and disavow all former will or wills by me before this time named or made, alefying? and confirming this & no other to be my last Will and Testament.
Signed, sealed, published and declared to be my las will and Testament in presence of:
Robert Knox
John Knox
James Wilson
John Carothers
In witesss whereof 1 have hereunto set my ______ and affixed seal the day and year first above written. his
Joseph x Swann (Seal) mark
|
|
This will was not recorded in the Mecklenburg County Will Books but is filed among the original documents of Mecklenburg County which are arranged alphabetically.
Above the beginning of the Will is the date April the 8th 1829. This date cannot be the writing of the Will. The Will appears to have been written many years earlier.
Richard H. M. Swann is mentioned as being under age. Joseph Swann did not have any sons underage in 1829. The 1800 Census shows 3 sons born 1790-1800. The 1810 Census shows 2 sons born 1794-1800 and no sons born later.
Richard H. M. Swann was born April 7, 1798 and would have reached the age of 21 April 7, 1819. Could the date of the Will have read April the 8th, 1819 instead of 1829? No one knows.
Joseph Swann was still living in 1830 as he appears on the 1830 Census. The tombstones in the Steele Creek Cemetery are confusing.
Steele Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Mecklenburg County North Carolina
|
Joseph Swann died 1827, age 81 years
Keziah Swann died 1824, age 76 years
|
|
Questions arise such as when were these tombstones erected. Sometimes tombstones were placed years after the death of the individuals. In such cases the accuracy of the information on the tombstones is as accurate as the knowledge of the person erecting the tombstone. Also tombstone inscriptions wear away until it is difficult to read the letters.
If the Will was written in 1818 or 1819, the death of Keziah may be correct. She would have been living at the time of the writing of the Will.
The 1830 Census shows that Joseph Swann was living in 1830. In his household in 1830 were two females , born 1770-80 and 1780-90. They were probably his daughter Jane born ca 1776 and his daughter Margaret born ca 1786.
These facts indicate that Joseph Swann died after 1830 and that this Will was written many years before their death.
Joseph Swann left all his property to his wife and to his two sons Moses and John. These two men were living in Mecklenburg County when he died. They both died there.
To his sons James, William, Thomas, and Joseph he left $2.00 each and son Richard H. M. $100.00. The fact that he gave only token bequests to four of these sons does not mean that he was disinheriting them. Thomas Swann had been living in Bedford County TN since at least 1812. James, William and Joseph were probably also gone from home. Joseph Swann does not show any sons remaining at home on the 1820 Census. He had probably given what he was able to give to James William, Thomas and Joseph before they moved away.
One interesting fact is that Joseph Swann mentions books in his Will, but he was unable to write as he signed his will with his mark.
|
