Blount Family - North Carolina

compiled and annotated by Don R. Hender

In the beginning there was but Jamestown, for whether or not any actually did know of the fate of the Lost Colony or not, they would not admit to it as it would not have fit the British Class bredding. Thus, at first, all there was, was Virginia and 'The Sovth Part of Virginia' as marked by this very early 1657 map of Nicholas Comberford, was that which would become that part of North Carolina with the lands and rivers about the Pampticough (Pamlico) and Albemarle Sounds. As history would have it, there was no official land of Carolina before 1663 when the first successfully installed such charter was given to the Eight Lords Proprietors. The grant given to Roger Green, "clarke," of 1653 had totally failed but did lay some foundation for the later Carolina charters. Even then 'Carolina' only first extended as far north as the Albemarle Sound, it being the 36 degree northern latitude line from the 1653 failed document, and the 1663 charter merely marked the line along that same bearing dividing Carolina from Virginia beginning at a northern point of Luck/Lucke (renamed Colleton) Island west to the Pacific Ocean. The name Carolina was also a hold over from the 1653 failed grant and it referred to King Charles I by a French equivalent name of Carolina. Two years later the norther and southern boundries would be adjusted by a new 1665 edition of the Carolina Charter, and then at that point it did infact reach beyound the Albemarle Sound north to the northern borders of what is North Carolina today.
Likewise, though Albemarle County was established in 1664, and perhaps with intentions in mind that such would include the lands of the north shores of the sound, it was not indeed the fact of the matter until when the 1665 edition of the Carolina Charter did finially go into effect that it was actualy so. After, it was some three years later, by 1668, that Albemarle County was sub divided into Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans precincts, which we'll keep simple by not going into 'name change squables'. Now of these precincts, which were primarily founded upon the northern shores of the Albemarle Sound by early Virginian settlers, three of the four precincts did for practical purposes reach south across the sound to the southern shores of the sound as well as illustrated by this 1700 precinct/county mapping. And as for Chowan precinct, the western most precinct, it continued west across the Chowan river and beyond. That region of Chowan west beyond the Chowan river would in 1722 be divided from Chown and would become Bertie County. And in 1729, those lands upon the 'south banks' of the Albemarle Sound and Roanoke and/or Keziah Rivers would form another county named Tyrrell County. It is within and along these lands of Chowan, Bertie, and Tyrrell [and later Washington and Martin when they would be created from Tyrrell] that our North Carolina ancestors would come to settle and live in. To that end a page of maps and some history of this Albemarle region has been prepared and may be linked to. It would be within this juncture of time that the Blount family would first reach into the then Carolina land of the Albemarle County and Chowan precinct. Some record Capt. James Blount's presence there as early as 1669, that first precense though perhaps not being of a permanent habitation, for his son John Blount is recorded to have been born in Virginia, Isle of Wight County, on 17 October 1670. And this John Blount, son of James, is further said to have married Elizabeth Davis, the daughter of John Davis and Mary Burton on June 11, 1695 in Hennico County, Virginia. But before we get into the family of John Blount, we will first begin with his father James Blount and that immediate family from which John Descends.
Now here perhaps is where a note of divergence ought to be mentioned. As one source places the birth of John Blount in Virginia, Isle of Wight on 17 October 1670, there is another which puts the birth of John Blount in North Carolina, Chowan on 16 September 1669. Now James could have been traveling between the Isle of Wight and Chowan but records also show James as serving on the Albemarle Council as of 1669 as well. Somewhere the Blount family parts ways from Virginia and long before John Blount's childhood, marriage and the birthing of his children including Hester Blount born at Mulberry Hill, Edenton, Chowan in 1703. Such 'Virginia' genealogist in search for a wife of their John Worley of Virginia attempt to reach down into Carolina and recover in some cases a 13 year old Easter Blount daughter of John Blount and Elizabeth Davis to marry a 7 year old John Worley in some cases, depending upon accumlated and sorted datings.

Captain James Blount Family

Capt. James Blount was born in England and is said to be of the Astley Blounts, or Astley, War. His father is given as James Blount and his mother as Ms Clare. The family coat of arms in therefore split between Blount and Clare as shown. As to his migration he is reported to be in Virginia by 1655 where he first married in 1665, name of wife unknown. He later marries again to Ann or Anna Willix/Willis. His Children listed by his first wife, Mrs. Blount are James and Thomas Blount. The Children of his second wife Anna Willis are John Blount, Anne Blount and Elizabeth Blount.
The first places of recorded habitation for the Blount family in North Carolina was in what was termed the Chowan Precinct and near the township or city which was there located and named Edenton. Captain James Blount is said to have settled and built up what is named as Mulberry Hill. It is located 'about 6 miles out of town [Edenton]' to the southeast along the shore of the Albemarle Sound. One of the sons of Capt. James Blount named John Blount married Elizabeth Davis and mother about a dozen children, a daughter of whom is recorded to have been born at Mulberry Hill 17 March 1703. Her name is Hester Blount and according to the will of John Blount (written date 1725) she had married a Worley, namely John Worley. Whether this be our John Worley is some question that may be most simply stated that they are most likely related in some such manner, either his first wife, second wife or daughter-in-law, which sorting out is attempted on the various Worley family pages.

Will of John Blount of Chowan
North Carolina (1725-1726)

source: @http://aworsley.com/worsley.htm (John Blount Will - Chowan County - 1725

Hester Worley

source: @http://groups.yahoo.com/group/genpcncfir/message/5339

Hester Worley

Coat of arms on seal

There is full evidence that Hester was the daughter of John Blount and Elizabeth Davis and that she had married Worley, namely John Worley. To that there is no question. What the question is, is to which John Worley and when had she so married. Her father's will would establish that it was most likely before 1725 that she so married Worley. And it would be also logical that her John Worley was about her same age or older. Keeping that last concept in mind should help to narrow the John Worley canidates down some. And it may even prove to establish just whom it could not have been. But as to the actual Blount family to whom she belonged, we will begin there with them in our here further presentation.


John Blount and Elizabeth Davis Family
Mulberry Hill, Chowan, North Carolina

Blount Family - North Carolina

compiled and annotated by Don R. Hender

Captain James Blount Family

Will of John Blount of Chowan North Carolina (1725-1726)

John Blount and Elizabeth Davis FamilyMulberry Hill, Chowan, North Carolina

Will of John Blount of Chowan
North Carolina (1725-1726)

John Blount and Elizabeth Davis Family
Mulberry Hill, Chowan, North Carolina