Chapter 7
ISLAND
CREEK DISTRICT – GRANVILLE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
1790
- 1805
In the 1790s,
the Island Creek District was located in the northeast portion of Granville
County, North Carolina. In 1770, the district was described as “bounded by
Taylors Road from the County Line to Hico Road, by that Road up to Grassy
Creek, by Grassy Creek down to the County Line and by the County Line to
Taylors Road.” Circa 1778, the western portion of the Island Creek District,
from Island Creek west to Grassy Creek, was allotted for the creation of Abrams
Plains District, being named after Samuel Smith’s plantation. Therefore, by the
time the Shapard family arrived, the boundaries of the Island Creek District
were from Taylors Ferry Road down to Hico Road, from Hico Road to Island Creek,
up Island Creek to the Virginia state line, along the Virginia state line back
to Taylors Ferry Road. It was bounded on the north by Mecklenburg, Virginia;
bounded on the east by the Nutbush District; bounded on the south by the
Henderson District, Ragland District and Oxford District; and bounded on the
west by Abrams Plains District. Between 1867 and 1872, the irregular shaped
districts that followed natural landmarks were abandoned for a square-grid
system of townships. Most of the Island Creek District was assimilated into the
Townsville Township. In 1881, the eastern portion of Granville County,
including the majority of the old Island Creek District, was used to form Vance
County, North Carolina.
Not only did
Williamsboro become the economic center of the area, it also became the foci of
academia, due to the numerous schools that arose, offering classical education.
Prior to this time, the only school in the county for classical instruction was
Granville Hall, chartered in 1779. However, at Williamsboro, the first school
established was the Nutbush Seminary, initiated in 1788, a year after the
founding of Wiliamsboro, by Presbyterian minister, Rev. Henry Patillo, who had
previously taught at Granville Hall. Two years later, Rev. Patillo established
the Williamsborough Academy, teaching mathematics, science, English, Latin and
Greek. Circa 1799, law was being taught at Williamsboro by Judge Leonard
Henderson, son of Judge Richard Henderson. Although Williamsboro never acquired
a university, planter’s children could obtain higher education in the vicinity
at the University of North Carolina (established in 1789) at Chapel Hill, North
Carolina; Hampden-Sydney College (established in 1775) at Hampden Sydney,
Virginia; or William & Mary (established in 1693) at Williamsburg,
Virginia.
Evidence
clearly shows that William Shapard believed in the benefit of educating his
children. The records prove that all his male children (and possibly all of his
female children) received an education, however, where they obtained their
instruction remains unknown. By the time Mr. Shapard moved to the Island Creek
District, his remaining male children ranged in age from James at 21 years,
William, Jr., at 19 years, Lewis at 17 years, Booker at 15 years, Thomas at 12
years, John S. at eight years and Robert at four years old. The timeframe would
suggest a high probability that some of the Shapard children attended Granville
Hall, Nutbush Seminary or Williamsboro Academy. This hypothesis is further
supported by the fact that, in 1794, William Shapard had a financial
interaction with Rev. Patillo, most likely in the form of a tuition
reimbursement.
Despite an
amazing beginning, Williamsboro’s growth stalled in the early 1800s as other
towns began to boom. The surrounding Nutbush community, that drew its strength
from Williamsboro, waned in response.
The wealthy planters that were once drawn to this area and graced it
with culture and enterprise had scattered to the wind. The town’s fate was
finally sealed in the 1840s, when the railroad overlooked Williamsboro.
Between 1789 and 1790,
William Shapard purchased a 584 acre plantation from Mr. Robert Burton along
the west side of the road leading from Williamsboro to Taylor’s Ferry. Although
the deed to the land was not made official until 1797, tax records clearly show
that Mr. Shapard was in possession of the plantation beginning in 1790. “This
indenture made this 12th day of May in the year of our Lord 1797
between Robert Burton of Granville County and State of North Carolina on the
one part and William Shapard, Sr., of the County aforesaid of the other part.
Witnesseth that Mr. Robert Burton for and in consideration of the sum of £350
pounds 14 shillings Virginia Currency which sum is now paid off to the said
Robert Burton in ___ work to him in hand paid before the sealing and delivering
of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, hath granted,
bargained, sold, ___ released and delivered unto the said William Shapard one
certain tract or parcel of land situated lying and being in the County of
Granville on the east side of Little Island Creek and bounded as followeth:
Beginning at a white oak on the east side of the said creek Potter’s corner
running thence along his line east 148 poles to a stake thence along the said
Potter’s line north 81 degrees east 152 poles to a hickory Thomas Lanier’s
corner thence along his line north 24 poles to a post oak his corner thence
along his other line east 110 poles to a pine the said Lanier other corner
thence along his and Taylor’s line to Taylor’s Ferry Road thence down the said
road north 29 west 17 poles, north 10 west 64 poles, north 5 east 32 poles,
north 34 west 56 poles to a post oak on the west side of the said road William
Shapard’s corner thence along Taylor’s other line west to a red oak in Robert
Hides line the said Taylor’s other corner thence south 46 poles to a dead post
oak Shapard’s corner thence west 182 poles to a hickory Hides corner thence
along Barnett’s line south 192 poles to a hickory the said Barnett’s corner
thence along his line west 52 poles to a sweetgum standing on the east bank of
the said creek thence up the creek as it meanders to the first station
containing by estimation 584 and half acres…”
Between William
Shapard’s landholdings in the Island Creek District (584 acres) and the County
Line District (900 acres), he had acquired an impressive 1,484 acres. Three
years before the Shapard’s moved to Granville County, a detailed census was
taken that would shed light on the eventual social status of William Shapard
during this era. In 1782, of the 1,251 heads of families in Granville County,
819 (65%) were land owners. Of these 819 landowners: 35 had less than 100
acres; 548 had between 100 – 499 acres; 149 had between 500 – 999 acres; and 87
had more than 1000 acres. The largest land holders were Thomas Person – 64,437;
Philmon Hawkins – 7,333; and Memucan Hunt – 6,448. By 1789, the 819 landowners
decreased to 694 as land prices began to rise; thus only half of the white male
population owned land. By comparison, William Shapard, Sr., owned an impressive
1,484 acres in 1790; thereby, securing his planter status among the most
prosperous men in Granville County. His was a position few individuals reached,
and a tribute to his hard work, ingenuity and perseverance.
In addition, in 1782,
Granville County had 1,251 heads of families (white men 18 years or older) of
which 505 heads of families (40%) owned a total of 3,508 slaves. Of these 505
men: 110 owned only one slave; 294 owned between 2 to 9 slaves; and 59 owned
between 10 – 19 slaves. The three largest slave holders in the County were
Thomas Person – 98; John Penn – 61 and Charles Easton – 57. William Shapard
owned nine slaves when he arrived in Granville County in 1785, which increased
to ten slaves by 1788, and twelve taxable slaves by 1796. Thereafter, his
slaveholdings ranged between seven and eight taxable negros, which does not
account for any slaves under the age of 16 years old. By these accounts of
owning at least twelve slaves, William Shapard, Sr., resided in the upper
echelons of slaveholders in Granville County during his era.
Despite the Shapard
family moving to their new plantation by Williamsboro, the family continued to
manage and operate their 900 acre plantation in the County Line District, about
twenty miles away. The family would have divided and utilized their time
between the two properties to ensure each plantation was managed properly. This
process became easier as the Shapard children reached an age of responsibility.
Without a doubt, between the two plantations, the Shapard boys, especially
James, William, Jr., Lewis, Booker and Thomas, being in their early teens to
early twenties, would have found more excitement at their new home, being near
the events and social activities at the town of Williamsboro.
In the 1790s, the
Williamsboro population was booming and there was a need for skilled tradesmen,
especially in construction. Carpenters were in high demand for the building of
new homes, stores and outbuildings, as well as, repairing existing structures
from the constant effects of weather. It became popular, during this time, for
young men of the upper and middle classes to gain skills in construction
through brief, year or two-year long, apprenticeships. Records indicate that at
least two of William Shapard, Sr.’s sons were trained as tradesmen through such
an apprenticeship: James Shapard was a skilled carpenter and William Shapard,
Jr., was a skilled carpenter and house joiner. The carpenter’s job was to frame
structures by fitting large pieces of timber together to make the exterior
skeleton of the edifice. The house joiner’s job was a more precise and delicate
interior woodworking, whereby, he made and fitted the floors, window frames,
decorative molding, mantelpieces, doors, etc. The house joiner was skilled at
finishing wood with stains and varnishes. It may be of interest to note that
three of William Shapard, Sr.’s other sons had training in wood working and
construction and may have had similar apprenticeships during their youth:
Booker Shapard was skilled at molding; John S. Shapard was a carpenter; and it
was reported that Lewis Shapard built mills.
Tradesmen often used
skilled slave labor and apprentices in their craft. Orphans were periodically
apprenticed by the County Court system to a master tradesman in order for them
to acquire a life skill, obtain an education and have secure housing until they
came of age. Interestingly, in the early 1790s, both William Shapard, Jr., and
James Shapard were granted apprentices through the court system. On May 3,
1790, William DeGraffenreid and John DeGraffenreid, orphans of Baker
DeGraffenreid, were bound to William Shapard, Jr., who was about 20 years old
at the time, to learn the art and mastery of carpenter and house joiner. During
their time as apprentices, until they reached the age of 21, they were required
to faithfully serve and gladly obey their master, and in return their master
William Shapard, Jr., agreed to “teach and instruct or cause to be taught and
instructed the said William Degraffinreidt [and John Degraffinreid] to learn
the art and mastery of a carpenter and house joiner and also to read and write
and that he will constantly find and provide for the said apprentice, during
the aforesaid term, sufficient diet,
washing, lodging, and apparel fitting for an apprentice and also all other
things necessary both in sickness and in health.”
The
orphan’s father, Baker Degraffinreid, was possibly the nephew of Mary
Degraffinreid, eldest daughter of Tscharner Degraffenreid and Mary Baker, who married
Miller Woodson of Cumberland County, Virginia. Miller Woodson was the Clerk of
Cumberland County for 42 years, and was a brother of John “Poplar Foot” Woodson
of Cumberland County, Virginia, who married Joanna Booker, sister of Mary
Booker Shapard. Baker Degraffinreid would have been about the same age as
William Shapard, Jr., and may have been childhood friends from Virginia that
reconnected in Granville County, North Carolina.
A
few years later, William Shapard, Jr., was appointed as the overseer of Martin
Daniel, who had been orphaned about the year 1794. The orphan was bound as an
apprenticed to William Shapard, Jr., to learn the mastery and art of carpenter.
Martin was the son of John Daniel who lived near Oak Hill and died in 1779,
when Martin was an infant. His mother, Celia Daniel, raised Martin with the
assistance of guardians who financially ensured their survival and success.
Celia died circa 1794, when Marin was about 15 years old; thereafter, the
courts assigned Martin to William Shapard, Jr. After he came of age, Martin
Daniel moved to Mecklenburg, Virginia, where he had inherited land.
James Shapard, at age
23, acquired his apprentice from the Granville County Court on August 8, 1792,
whereby; “Robert Potter orphan of Abraham Potter with him the said James
Shapard to live after the manner of an apprentice and servant, until the said
Robert Potter shall attain the age of 21 years, during all which him the said
apprentice his said master shall faithfully
serve, lawfully command and shall not at any time absent himself from
the said masters service without leave, but in all things as a good and
faithful servant shall behave towards the said James Shaphard, and the said
James Shaphard on his part doth covenant promise and agree… that he will teach
or cause to be taught the said Robert Potter to learn the art and mastery of
the carpenter trade and also to read and write, and that he will constantly
find and provide for the said apprentice during his term aforesaid sufficient
diet, apparel, washing and lodging suitable to an apprentice and all other
thing necessary or by law required.”
The orphan’s father,
Abraham Potter lived in Granville County as early as 1777, where he and his
wife Sarah sold land to William Webb, who was John Webb’s brother. The Potter
family then moved to Island Creek District of Granville County, where on in
1790, William Shapard purchased land adjoining the Potter farm. Robert Potter
was apprenticed to James Shapard, no doubt, due to the close proximity of these
two families.
In 1795, William’s son
Lewis Shapard departed Granville County and migrated to Caswell County, North
Carolina. In November of 1796, Lewis married Martha Paine, who had been
widowed, a year earlier, by her first husband Michael Nicholson. Martha was the
daughter of former North Carolina Senator and Revolutionary War Captain Robert
Paine and Elizabeth Miller. Martha had three daughters from her previous
marriage (Sally P. Nicholson, Polly Nicholson, and Elizabeth M. Nicholson).
Together, Lewis and Martha had nine children: William Booker Shapard married
Margery Childress; Sophia Shapard married Joshua Norman Harrison; James Paine
Shapard married Rebecca Sloss; Booker Shapard married three times – Mary Clay, Sarah
Broyles and Ann Leftwich; Robert Paine Shapard married Parthenia Mitchell;
Lewis Shapard, Jr., married Thursa Burdette; Martha Shapard married Joshua
Wilson McCown; Thelia “Avilla” Shapard married James Bone; and Thomas Paine
Shapard married Ann Hope. Mr. Lewis Shapard engaged in agricultural pursuits
throughout his life. In 1810, he had amassed 16 slaves to work his 400 acre
plantation in North Carolina. Lewis and his family migrated to Tennessee, in
1813. Over the years, he resided in the counties of Williamson, Wilson, Smith
and Rutherford. Lewis died of cholera on June 16, 1833, at the home of his son
James Shapard in Middleton, Rutherford County, Tennessee. Lewis Shapard was 60
years old. The location of the hallowed resting site of his mortal remains has
been forgotten through the passage of centuries.
In 1796, William’s son
James Shapard left Granville County and moved to Caswell County, North
Carolina, where his brother Lewis was already residing. In August of 1797,
James married Francis Brooks, daughter of Richard and Ann Brooks. In the early
1800s, James moved to Orange County, North Carolina, and resided with his
family on their 273 acre plantation that bordered the county line between
Orange and Caswell counties at Stony Creek, until 1819; after which, he
returned to Caswell County. James died at the age of 68, on November 8, 1837,
being in possession of a small 75 acre farm and a few slaves. His gravesite is
unknown, though is most assuredly located near his farm in Caswell County. He
was survived by his wife and nine children: Nancy “Ann” Shapard; Elizabeth
Shapard married Stephen Page; Mary Brooks Shapard married Henry Powell; Francis
Shapard married Richard Smith; Joanna Shapard married Archibald Campbell;
Martha Shapard; Susan Shapard; William Shapard; and James Shapard.
About a year later, in 1797, William’s son
Booker Shapard also left Granville County and joined his older brothers, James
and Lewis, in Caswell County, North Carolina. Booker was skilled in wood
working and molding, was well-educated owing numerous books, dressed
fashionably and partook in spirits - especially brandy and whiskey. Booker
resided on the 400 acre plantation owned by his brother Lewis Shapard.
Unfortunately, in August of 1802, Booker became ill or was injured. Over the
following month his condition became urgent and he came under the care of Dr.
William S. Webb, who visited him twice in late September of 1802.
Dr. William S. Webb was
born in 1776 in Granville County, North Carolina. He was the son of Frances
(Young) (1749-1810) and William Webb (1745-1809) and the nephew of John Webb
(1747-1826) who married Amy Booker (1752-1835). Dr. Webb married Mildred Turner
(1778-1830) in Caswell County, North Carolina, in 1804, and they had numerous
children. In 1812, they migrated from North Carolina to Williamson County,
Tennessee, where they resided for the remainder of their lives. Mildred died in
1830, and Dr. William S. Webb died at age 90 in 1866.
During those visits by
Dr. Webb in 1802, Booker Shapard was given medicine in an effort to purge his
intestines, most likely due to constipation. He was also blood-letted, which
was an accepted medical practice until the mid-1800s, whereby, the patient was
cut to drain the “bad blood” and balance the humors in an effort to cure. In
Booker’s case, Dr. Webb performed a “venesection,” in which blood was released
from a large external vessel in an arm, leg or neck. Sadly, Booker died in late
September or early October of 1802. He was about 27 years of age and was not
married. His brother Lewis was the executor of his estate and settled his
affairs. The location of Booker’s gravesite is unknown. He may have been buried
in Caswell County near or on his brother’s plantation or his body may have been
removed to Granville County to reside in a family plot. As a tribute to his
beloved deceased brother, Lewis Shapard named his next son, born in 1803,
“Booker.”
In November
of 1796, Mr. William Shapard once again was called to play an active role in
the development of Granville County’s infrastructure, through the building of a
new road. He had been selected due to his status, as well as, his past experience
in roadwork. Mr. Shapard had been the surveyor of a road back in Cumberland
County in 1767; and, after he moved to Granville County, he had been elected as
the foreman of a new road in the County Line District in 1787. This time, he
and eleven other highly respected men of the community were called by the
County Court to layout a new road that spanned partially through the Island
Creek District. The road began on Robert Hyde’s plantation, located just north
of the Shapard estate, “…and from thence the nearest and best way into the road
leading from Williamsborough to Granville Court House, falling into said road
about half a mile below where Person’s Road leaves the Williamsborough Road…”
By January 19, 1797, Mr. Shapard and the other men had completed their work,
whereby, they had viewed, laid out and agreed upon exactly where the new road
was to be cut. They submitted their plan back to the court, which on approval
summoned a work crew for the road’s construction.
Over the
years, Mr. William Shapard had utilized his attorney son Samuel B. Shapard in
his business, especially in the collection of debts, as well as, to represent
him legally when needed. Samuel had been highly dedicated in tending to his
father’s needs, both personally and legally, often traveling between North
Carolina and Virginia to fulfill whatever was asked of him. Eventually, a
dispute arose between Samuel and his father over the amount of money he was still
owed for his services. In addition, Samuel desired to collect the monetary
value of the land and slave promised to him by his father for his service
during the Revolutionary War. Unable to settle the issue themselves, Mr.
Shapard and Samuel called on their trusted councilor Mr. John Webb along with
Mr. James Smith and Mr. Gideon Gooch to help resolve the matter. On August 28,
1797, all the men convened at the residence of Mr. James Smith and, as
requested, all pertinent financial papers were reviewed by the men and a
judgment was tediously rendered, which favored Samuel, in the amount of £94.
10. 3 ½. To prevent any further disputes
between William and his son on this matter, John Webb had all the financial
papers burned after the resolution was delivered and accepted.
About 1798, Mr.
Shapard’s son, William Shapard, Jr., left Granville County for opportunities
elsewhere. His whereabouts are unknown until 1807, when he was reported as
living in Richmond, Virginia, with his brother Robert, who was under the age of
21 years old. During this time, William, Jr., had a beloved bulldog named
‘Thaddeus,’ that was stolen, in 1812, by a runaway slave. In 1813, William, Jr., donated $200 worth of
gunpowder in support of the U.S. Army against the British during the War of
1812. William, Jr., had a savvy business sense and entered the business
community of Richmond as a commission merchant, initially under the firm name
of ‘William Shapard & Co.,’ yet, from 1815 through 1821, he partnered with
his
cousin Lewis Webb under the name of ‘Shapard & Webb.’ Apparently,
William, Jr., became very successful in his business and acquired tremendous
wealth. William, Jr., resided at his 1,300 acre plantation known as ‘Westham
Cottage’ on the north side of the James River on Big Westham Creek, which was
worked by his 54 slaves. In addition, he also owned several lots in the city of
Richmond in DuVal’s addition and on H Street near Monumental Church. William,
Jr., may have married in his youth, yet, no record of a marriage has been
discovered. However, he did marry in 1816, at 45 years of age, to Mary Haywood
of Granville County, who passed away in Richmond in 1818, apparently without
bearing surviving children. William, Jr., married in 1825, to Catherine
Bridges, being the widow of James Bridges. William, Jr., and Catherine had one
daughter, named Willianna, born on March 4, 1826. Apparently Willianna was
quite a beauty for her time, as
musician Gustave Bessner in 1842 composed a
waltz in her honor. Willianna married Philip Mayo Tabb of Richmond, Virginia,
in 1845. William Shapard, Jr., died at the age of 72, on February 16, 1843, and
was buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, where his towering
stone obelisk remains standing to this day. At present, this is the only known
grave marker still in existence from this generation of the Shapard family.
By the year 1799,
Thomas Shapard was the eldest son remaining in Granville County and he wanted
to follow in his father’s footsteps as a respected and successful plantation
owner. When Thomas turned twenty-one years old, on August 6, 1799, his father
rewarded him with a deed for three-hundred acres from his plantation in the
County Line District, as a gift of affection. Three years later, in August of
1802, William deeded his son an additional 165 acres, adjoining his previously
deeded tract of land. By 1803, Thomas was flourishing on his 465 acre
plantation, and had increased his slave holdings from two in 1802, to four
slaves a year later. Thomas appears to have had a particularly close
relationship with his brother-in-law Francis Royster and his sister Elizabeth,
who also ran a large plantation near Thomas’ land.
On May 2, 1804, William
Shapard’s daughter Anne married Mr. Joseph Barnett of Granville County, North
Carolina. Joseph was son of Thomas and Sarah (Graves) Barnett, who lived on a
large estate, in the Island Creek District, adjoining the Shapard plantation to
the west. By 1810, Joseph and Anne Barnett had five children under the age of
ten: three boys and two girls. The family also had three slaves. In 1828,
Joseph and Anne’s children were: Thomas Barnett, James Barnett, Matilda
Barnett, William Barnett, Mary Barnett, Elijah Barnett, Elizabeth Barnett, Ann
Barnett, Jane Barnett, Martha Hix Barnett, Robert Shapard Barnett, and Joseph
Worrell Barnett. It appears that Joseph and Anne remained in Granville County
for the duration of their lives. Records suggest that Anne predeceased her
husband, as she is not listed in his probate records from 1829. In the 1940s,
the headstone of Joseph Barnett, born October 29, 1778 and died December 23, 1828,
was uncovered by a WPA worker in a heavily overgrown family cemetery located in
upper Vance County, North Carolina, one mile from Townsville. Among the four
other headstones discovered, two were his children: Martha Hix Barnett, born
November 1814 and died July 1829, and William Barnett, born November 4, 1806
and died December 9, 1845. No headstone was found for his wife Anne, though it
is highly probable she is there.
William’s wife, Mary
(Booker) Shapard, died before June, in the year 1804. She was 57 years of age.
Evidence for this timeframe of death is supported by the fact that two of her
granddaughters, both born in 1804, were named in her honor: Mary Booker
Royster, daughter of Elizabeth (Shapard) (1767-1842) and Francis Royster, was
born in June of 1804 in Granville County, North Carolina; and, Mary Booker
Shapard, daughter of James Shapard (1769-1738) and Frances (Brooks), was born
in 1804 in Caswell or Orange County, North Carolina. Another indication
supporting the death of Mary (Booker) Shapard, in 1804, was the sudden onset of
highly atypical and uncharacteristic behavior displayed by her husband
thereafter this time. Mary (Booker) Shapard should be recognized as a strong
and adventurous woman, embodying the pioneering spirit of her era, and, no
doubt, was well loved and greatly missed by her friends and family. She was a
true matriarch of our family and worthy of our continued respect and
remembrance. Mary’s grave has long been lost to the ages; however, her mortal
remains most assuredly rest beneath the soil somewhere in the upper portion of
present-day Granville County or Vance County, North Carolina.
William Shapard
suffered great remorse over the death of his wife in 1804. His will to thrive
became greatly diminished and his activities become erratic and
uncharacteristic. Throughout his adult life, William Shapard had flourished
financially; however, in 1805, he became greatly indebted to his neighbors,
James and Henry Lyne. The debt payment was forced through the courts, whereby,
the sheriff of Granville County sold, to Alexander Smith, the 584 acre
plantation in Island Creek District that William had acquired from Robert
Burton in 1790. Losing his home, William returned to the County Line District,
most likely living with his daughter Ann (Shapard) Royster and her husband
Francis, who lived near his old plantation. Interestingly, two years later in
February of 1807, as William’s health was deteriorating, Alexander Smith kindly
relinquished the title of the land, in the Island Creek District, back to
William Shapard. Mr. Smith stated that his generous act was solely for the
benefit of Mr. Shapard and the Shapard children. Despite the reacquisition of
his land, it does not appear that William Shapard, nor any of his children,
ever returned there to live. It appears that the land was sold as part of Mr.
Shapard’s estate.
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