Notes for James EDDY, I

James Eaddy Family JAMES EADDY FAMILY

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Notes for James EDDY, I

JAMES EADDY, I
(AKA:
EADIE/EADY/EDDY/EDY)

LAND OWNERSHIP

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:

"Plats, Vol. 6 p. 296. Precept 2 June 1753. James Eadie, 200 acres on one
of the branches of Lynches Creek, Craven County, south side of creek.
Bounded on all sides by vacant land. Certified 2 Feb. 1753. John
Liviston, Deputy Surveyor. Entered 23 April 1753. (Reference to loose
plats, folder 516.)"

"Vol. 14, p 537. Precept 5 June 1770. James Edy. 100 acres, Craven
County, Long Branch, waters of Lynches. Southside bounded by vacant
land. Samuel James, D. S."

An examination of the two land grants received by James (Eddy) Eaddy, I.
will reveal that they were not "Bounty Grants". This means that he was
probably not an imigrant from overseas. This finding implies that he was
probably born in one of the colonies.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER AND
PATRIOT

James (Eddy) Eaddy, I entered the Revolutionary War with his two sons,
James (Eddy) Eaddy, II and Samuel (Eddy) Eaddy, Sr. James Eaddy, I was
reported to be an old man of about 45 years of age upon entry. They
fought with General Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox) who was a "guerilla
fighter" along the SC low country rivers, creeks, and swamps. They would
form up in nearly inaccessible swamps, attack the British, and disappear.

It is uncertain whether they participated in the capture of Jacob
Bartell, a Hession solder who fought with the British. See the Jacob
Bartell Family Feature for further information about this multi-talented
individual. Family legends have indicated that he rode a large black
horse which broke in a bridge over a creek or river. This was alleged to
be Black Mingo Creek, now in Georgetown County. He would not leave his
horse and was captured by the Americans. We know that he chose to remain
in America after the war. He became a close friend of the Eaddy family
and lived in what is now Marion County, across the Lynches River from the
Eaddy homestead. Their descendants have intermarried for generations.

James Eddy (Eaddy, I.) (var. sp.) was most certainly a patriot and could
have been a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His Revolutionary War
record can be found in conjunction with that of his son, James Eady
(Eaddy, II.) in Revolutionary War Records, Archives, Columbia, South
Carolina, (AA 2130). (The surname was variantly spelled in the same
documents as Eadie, Eady, Eadey, Eddy, and Edy.) "In March, 1784, Mr.
James Eady for account of supplies to the Army in 1781. SE F 449". This
was endorsed as "Rec'd 7 Jan. 1785 by order of James Eady Senior received
by Nath. McCants." There is also a record of receipt to James Eady
Senior for beef and supplies provided to the Southern Army commanded by
Major General Green. An endorsement was made in the Charleston District
for supplies to the Francis Marion Brigade. This account was attested to
before______(illegible) by James Eddy, Jr. (Eaddy, II.) in (AA 2131).

James Eady Sr. (Eaddy, I.) and (var. sp.) Mr. James Eady, Jr. (Eaddy,
II.) gave indents for provisions supplied for militia duty as noted in
SE F 448 and endorsed by Josiah Cockfield. It is recorded that James
Eddy, Sr. (Eaddy, I) and James Eddy, Jr. (Eaddy II.) gave authority to
Josiah Cockfield to collect, indent. This was for service in the militia
in Marion's Brigade and was dated in 1786.

The two above documents (2130 and 2131) provide records for both James
(Eady/Eddy) Eaddy, Senior. and James (Eady/Eddy) Eaddy, Junior. At this
time, the terms Sr. and Jr. did not necessarily denote the relationship
of father and son. They were suffixes used to distinguish two people of
different ages with the same name living in the same area, who could be
of any or no relationship. The documents cited here indicate that James
(Eady/Eddy) Eaddy II. was the son of James (Eady/Eddy) Eaddy, I.

JAMES EDDY LAND GRANT PETITION
ABOUT 1730

The location and date of birth for James Eddy is uncertain; but, some
evidence exits that he may have been an Englishman who was born about
1710. This James Eddy boarded a ship in Liverpool, England sometime
about 1728-30. The ship ran aground in a hurricane upon arrival in
Charleston, SC. James survived with a few other passengers by clinging to
the ship's wreckage and swimming ashore.

He petitioned, about 1730 for land in which he claimed the loss of two
children and his wife. The name of his wife and children alleged to have
been lost in the storm are unknown; but may be listed on the ship's
manifest which allegedly reported James Eddy as English. This may refer
to citizenship or location of boarding rather than ethnic origin.

It has been determined that a hurricane "of great violence" struck the
south side of Charleston on the evening of August 15, 1728, severely
damaged 23 vessels riding in the harbor, and killed some people. This
could have been the hurricane cited in the land petition which caused the
loss of his family.

This grant petition was related to Vanik S. Eaddy by Kenneth M. Eaddy.
Kenneth indicated that his Aunt Lillian Eaddy had visited in South
Carolina with her Eaddy relatives and had observed this document. The
original of this petition is supposedly located in an historical records
depository in Charleston or Columbia, SC; but, it could not be located
when a search was made in 1997.

The James Eddy of the shipwreck could be the father of James Eddy, I., a
relative, or a non-relative. Further research is needed to determine
these facts.

THREE RIVERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CHRONICLE
March, 1989
BETTY JEAN (EADDY)
SANDERS
Letter to Nell
(Godwin) Morris

I have also come across some information on a James Eaddy. According to
Easterby, J. H. ed. THE JOURNAL OF THE COMMONS HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.
Columbia: Historical Commission, 1953., page 119: January 13, 1743 "An
order drawn up by Captain Elias Horry in favor of Mr. James Eddy
amounting to the sum of five Pounds for provisions supplied the Militia
in the late alarm." The alarm was a minor squabble with the Spanish in
Florida. Also on page 334, on March 30, 1743 there was issued "...a
certificate in favor of James Eddy for victualing men by Elias
Horry...for five Pounds.

This is interesting because, if this is our senior James Eaddy, this
would place him in South Carolina a full decade before Elaine Eaddy's
earliest record of him in The Promised Land... It is also interesting
that our ancestor furnished the same sort of service to Francis Marion in
the Revolution, a slightly more serious "alarm."

Signed "Betty Jean Sanders", of Charleston, South Carolina.

SUMMARY

In summary, this is what we know about James (Eadie/Eady/Eddy/Edy) Eaddy,
I. He was born about 1730 and died between 1790-1800, having been
counted in the 1790; but, not found alive in the 1800 Census. We cannot
be certain of his national origin nor ethnic heritage; but, this author
has concluded that he was an Englishman who was probably born in the
colonies. No conclusive evidence can be found at this time to document
these assertions. The date of his birth will need to be adjusted if
documentation can be produced to corroborate the 1728-30 land grant
petition which cites the shipwreck arrival in America about 1728 of a man
named James Eddy. There is also another documented presence in Carolina
of a man named James Eady/Eddy who provided supplies valued at five
pounds to the Militia. Additional research is needed to confirm or deny
an association with these three persons.

A plausible theory is that James Eddy of the 1728 shipwreck is one and
the same as James Eddy who provided supplies to the Militia in 1743. If
this is a true hypothesis, there might also be evidence to prove that he
was the father of the man we know as James Eddy (Eaddy, I) who was born
in America rather than England. The reader is cautioned to examine these
assertions and challenged to determine whether this be true.

James (Eddy) Eaddy, I. married Sarah whose last name is unknown; but,
could have been Parsons or as some sources indicate Prosser. She died
prior to the 1790 Census. He successfully petitioned for land on Lynches
Creek in 1753 and again in 1770.

Although an old man in terms of age in his time, he served in the
American Revolution, or at least became a patriot by providing supplies.
It was apparent that James and Sarah (Eddy) Eaddy had two children before
1753, for whom we have no names, and they were presumed to have died
prior to reaching adulthood as no further record of them has been
located. Included in his January 2, 1753 petition for land was the
statement that they had two children for which no land had been granted,
nor for themselves. The record reveals that James (Eddy) Eaddy, II was
born July 8, 1754 and Samuel (Eddy) Eaddy, Sr. was probably born after
1754, so the reference in the 1753 land petition could not have been to
these two known sons.

Suggestions have been made that one of the unknown sons of James and
Sarah Eddy might have been named Henry Eddy (b. 1750 d. 1802) who was
cited in a DAR book as married to a Barfield. He was reported to have
been a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His war record included 120
days in the SC Militia (February 22, 1779 - May 13, 1779) under Eli
Kershaw and forty days under Col. Marshall. This record may be observed
in A. A. 2129 and Z391. The other unknown son may have been named Daniel
Eddy (b. Unknown d. Unknown) shown on the "Roster of SC Patriots in the
American Revolution". Additional research will be required to establish
these assumptions.

We know that James (Eddy) Eaddy, II. was born July 8, 1754 and died
September 30, 1819. He married Mary Drake on March 4, 1777. She was
born about 1760 and died January 23, 1834, the daughter of Edward Drake
and Anne Ruberry. The Family of James (Eddy) Eaddy, II. was listed in
the 1790 Census of South Carolina. They were cited on page 50 as
follows: Georgetown District, Prince Fredrick's Parish. James Eddy, Junr.
1 male 16+; 4 males under 16; 1 female 16+; 1 female under 16; 7 slaves;
and in a separate household living alone was James Eddy (Sr.), one male
16+.

Another son, Samuel (Eddy) Eaddy, Sr., was probably born after 1754 and
died March 25, 1827. He married Mary Elizabeth Singletary who was born
about 1750 and died about 1788, daughter of Ebenezer Singletary, I. and
Hannah Darby. The names of James (Eaddy, II) and Samuel (Eaddy, Sr) Eddy
appear in the Jury Lists of Prince Frederick's Parish for the period
1778-1791. We also know that the family of James Eddy, Jr. and probably
that of Samuel Eddy, Sr. changed their surname to Eaddy between 1819 and
1848.

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