This volume contains abstracts of Warren County, N.C.
Record of Deeds, Book A, 1764-1766,
a record of the first deeds of Colonial Bute
County, N.C., presently in the vault of the office of the Register of Deeds of
Warren Co., in the Courthouse at Warrenton. When Bute County was divided into
Franklin and Warren, in 1779,
the records of the discontinued Bute County
remained in Warren County as the Bute County Courthouse had been in the area
which became Warren. Deed Book A is the first of eight deed books containing
the recorded deeds of the period of Colonial Bute County,
1764-1779.
No history of the area will be given here, but a few facts
are necessary for a better understanding of the references in these abstracts.
In 1746, when Granville Co., N.C. was formed from
Edgecombe, St. John's Parish was created, including all of Granville Co. In
1761, Granville Co. was divided into two parishes, the western part becoming
Granville Parish and the eastern part remaining St. John's. In 1764, the whole
of St. John's Parish, the eastern part of Granville Co., became Bute County
and a small part of Northampton Go., N.C. was added to Bute, in 1766.
The above will explain the many references to Granville
Co. in
these, the first deeds of Bute Co. You will note that the deeds dated before
10 June 1764
(the date on which the Act of Assembly
creating Bute Co. became effective) describe many of the grantors and grantees
as of Granville Co. and often the land as being in Granville Co., but that, by
the time the deed was proved, and registered, the area in which the land was
described had become Bute and those living on the land residents of Bute Co.,
the area of which included all of present day Franklin and Warren Counties,
and part of Vance County, N.C.
This area was included in the vast territory granted by
King Charles II, "in the fifteenth and seventeenth years of his reign" (and he
was King of England 1660-1685),
to the eight Lord Proprietors of Carolina,
one of whom was George Carteret, father of John Carteret, Earl Granville. King
George II, in 1744,
confirmed this grant to "Right Honorable
John Earl Granville, Viscount Carteret and Baron Carteret of Hawnes in the
County of Bedford in the Kingdom of Great Britain, Lord President of his
Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council and Knight of the noble order of the
Garter".
There are references to Earl Granville Grants on every page
of this compilation except four. There are fifteen Earl Granville Grants
registered in this deed book A, executed by several of the Agents of Lord
Granville and all executed prior to the formation of Bute County, as Earl
Granville had died before Bute County came into existence. Born in England
April 22, 1690,
he never came to America and died in London
January 22, 1763.
No attempt has been made to abstract all of the context of
the Earl Granville Grants; they have been abstracted only for
the names, dates, etc. which refer to the people of this area.
The many references to Halifax County, N.C. and Halifax
Court can be explained by the fact that Bute County was in the Halifax
Judicial District. The local Bute County Court was an Inferior Court of
Pleas and quarter Sessions, conducted by the Justices of Bute County, but
Superior Court was held at Halifax in the adjoining County. The Bute County
Court Minutes (which exist as far as is known at present only beginning in
1767) include
names of those appointed to serve as jurors at the Superior Court at Halifax
and the Bute County Sheriffs' Annual Accounts show the payment of "Jury
Tickets", fees for serving on the jury for Halifax Superior Court.
Names and places
on this page are not included in the Indices.
