Revolutionary War Land Grant Document Help--Robert Walker Jr. Surry, North Carolina
Hello. I am trying to find a Revolutionary document for my ancestor Robert Walker Jr. He served in the war with the Salisbury District Surry North Carolina Militia. It is reported he was wounded at King's Mountain Battle in 1780. As a reward for his service he was given a Land Grant #584 for land (1800 acres) located in Greene County, TN. on July 10, 1784. I am trying to get a copy of the Land Grant Records. Any help you can give me would be appreciated. Thank You!
Answers
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@John9777 Land grants can be accessed through the online catalog at the North Carolina State Archives. Easy to follow instructions can be found here: DOC Search Instructions
Another source is North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data This is a free site but you will need to register.
I was unable to find a Robert Walker Jr. on the index cards for military warrants on western lands (now Tennessee)--Digital Image Group #7159849. Can you share your source for the land grant number, acres, and location to help us know if they might be archived in Tennessee or in a different record set in North Carolina?
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Good Morning Serra. THANK YOU for helping me out. You are very kind. Since my original post I have learned that the Land Grant #584 Robert Walker Jr. is located in the Tennessee State Archives via Ancestory.com. Found out the Grant was issued to my ancestor for rendering aid (money and goods) to the Americans but not for being a soldier. A little disappointed with that but very happy my ancestor contributed to our freedom. I would dearly love to have a copy of the original land grant registration document from Ancestory but there is a $25. charge for it. Just a little pricey for me being a senior citizen on a fixed income. Anyway, Serra, again THANK YOU for taking the time to look for me. It is very much appreciated. All the best in 2023.
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Okay, so it was not a military warrant issued by North Carolina. You might try calling the Tennessee State Archive to see what they would charge to make a copy since you can supply the document #. The Archive recently announced access to record group 50, which Ancestry gives as the source: Tennessee State Archive
Or, if you are ever in Nashville you can get it for free.
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Also, Ancestry can be accessed for free at family history centers or many public libraries.
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@John9777 I didn't think Ancestry had the images of the actual land grants but turns out they do. They are Series 04, Record Group 50 and part of the record collection, titled "Tennessee, U.S. Early Land Registers". The images can also be found on FamilySearch, but not indexed as they are on Ancestry.
After looking at the entries for your Robert Walker, Jr, I don't believe he ever received a land grant. The #584 is the number of the entry in John Armstrong's entry book, where Robert Walker originally applied for land. There was much litigation over these entries because of duplication and in some cases, fraud. In 1806 a law was passed that no grants could be issued without approval of one of two Tennessee commissioners. By searching the collection in Ancestry I referred to with Robert's name, you can follow the paper trail for Robert. It seems his claim was part of the Congressional Reservation, an area where no land grants were permitted after 1806. A document in 1820 shows that he transferred the claim to William Wright who did obtain Land Grant #62 in 1822. I'm not sure what record you could get from Ancestry for $25.
Hope this helps. I am not proficient at reading legal documents so if I am wrong about my conclusions, I apologize.
I assume you have access to Ancestry, since you found information there. If not, you can go to a family history center as a previous responder mentioned.
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Hi Serra. You are so kind for doing all of this checking for me. It is much appreciated. Your advice and information you provided has been invaluable to me as I have tried to figure this all out. I will for sure check everything with the data you provided. THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU!!! With this said, wishing you and yours a HAPPY NEW YEAR, and, all the best in health and happiness in 2023!!!
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