Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC
Male, #3209, (say 1696 - 1745)
| Parent | Robert Culpepper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA (say 1664 - circa 1742) | |
| Parent | (?) (?) Unknown wife of Robert CULPEPPER of Norfolk Co., VA (say 1666 - before 16 Oct 1739) | |
Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC|b. say 1696\nd. 1745|p3209.htm|Robert Culpepper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA|b. say 1664\nd. circa 1742|p834.htm|(?) (?) Unknown wife of Robert CULPEPPER of Norfolk Co., VA|b. say 1666\nd. before 16 Oct 1739|p840.htm|Henry Culpeper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA|b. say 1633\nd. after 1675|p36412.htm|Elizabeth (?)|b. say 1640\nd. say 1676|p36058.htm||||||| | ||
| Name Variation | Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC was also known as Culpeper of Edgecombe Co., NC. | |
| Birth* | say 1696 | Joseph was born at Norfolk Co., Virginia, say 1696. |
| He was the son of Robert Culpepper of Lower Norfolk Co., VA and (?) (?) Unknown wife of Robert CULPEPPER of Norfolk Co., VA. | ||
| Marriage* | say 1721 | He married Martha (?) say 1721. |
| Deed | 10 Aug 1725 | He witnessed a deed grant on 10 Aug 1725 at Bertie Co., North Carolina.1 |
| Deed* | 5 Dec 1738 | A deed was granted to him on 5 Dec 1738 at Edgecombe Precinct, North Carolina. (Edgecombe Precinct NC, Deed Book 1, page 291 – John Edwards to JOSEPH CULPEPPER – This indenture made the fifth day of December in the year of our Lord God 1738. By and between John Edwards of Bertie Precinct Esq. of the one part and JOSEPH CULPEPPER of the said precinct planter of the other part. Witnesseth that the said John Edwards for and in consideration of the sum of sixteen pounds current money of Virginia to him in hand paid by the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER his heirs Executors and Administrators, by these presents doth bargain grant assign sell and confirm unto the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER his heirs and assigns forever a certain tract of land containing about 320 acres whether more or less situate lying and being in Edgecombe Precinct on the South side Moratock River in Fishing Creek beginning at a Beech on the west side of the creek, Emanuel Rogers corner thence his line of 160 poles to his corner Pine then west 320 poles to a Pine then north 110 poles to a Red Oak on said creek then down the water course to the first station. To have and to hold the said messuage or tract of land with all and singular the other premises therein before mentioned and intended to be herein granted with their and every of there appurtenances unto the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER his heirs and assigns forever to his and their only benefit and _____ forever more and the said John Edwards for himself and his heirs the said messuage and tract of land and all and singular the appurtenances unto the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER his heirs and assigns against the lawful claims of any person or persons whatsoever will warrant and forever defend by the presents. In witness whereof he the said John Edwards hath hereunto set his hand and seal the day and year above written John Edwards (seal). Signed sealed __ in presence of Archibald Thompson, Andres Janson, November Court 1739. The above deed was acknowledged in open court in due form of law and on motion was ordered to be registered. Test: J. Edwards, C. Ct.).2 |
| Deed* | 19 May 1741 | He granted a deed to Benjamin Culpepper son of Robert witnessed by Hopkins Wilder on 19 May 1741 at Edgecombe Precinct, North Carolina. (Edgecombe County NC, Deed Book 1, page 379 – This Indenture made the 19th day of May in the year of our Lord 1741 and in the 16th year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George the 2nd by the grace of God of Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland King defender of the faith and between JOSEPH CULPEPPER of Edgecombe County in the province aforesaid of the one part and BENJAMIN CULPEPPER of the County aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER for and in consideration of the sum of eight pounds to him in hand paid, hath given granted, bargained, released, and transferred unto BENJAMIN CULPEPPER his heirs and assigns forever a certain tract and parcel of land lying and being on the west side of Fishing Creek. Beginning at a Beech thence to a White Oak thence to a White Oak to a Red Oak then to a Pine then to a Black Oak then to a Pine for the compliment containing by estimation one hundred and sixty acres of land be the same more or less. Together with all houses orchards whatsoever any manner of ways, woods, under woods, water courses rights hereditaments and appurtenances to the said land belonging or appertaining. To have and to hold the said 160 acres of land to the said BENJAMIN CULPEPPER his heirs and assigns forever in as full and ample manner to all intents and purposes as the same is granted to the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER by the patent aforesaid. And the said deed the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER hereby obliges himself his heirs Executors, Administrators to warrant forever defend to the said BENJAMIN CULPEPPER his heir assigns forever. In Witness whereof the said JOSEPH CULPEPPER hath hereunto set his hand and seal the day and year first above written. Signed JOSEPH CULPEPPER (seal) in presence of Hopkins Wilder, George Yate. May Court 1741 – The above Deed of Sale was in open Court acknowledged in due form of law and on motion ordered to be registered. Test: Robert Forster, C. Ct.). |
| Death* | 1745 | He died at Edgecombe Co., North Carolina, in 1745. |
| Biography* | Joseph Culpepper was born around 1696 in Norfolk County, VA. He moved to Bertie County, NC in the early to mid-1720's, to an area which later became Northampton County. By the late 1730's he had moved to Edgecombe County, NC, where he died intestate around 1745. Since Joseph left no will, understanding the disposition of his land, and the disposition of the land of his brother Benjamin, is central to determining descendants of both lines. Joseph's son Benjamin apparently inherited all of his land by right of primogeniture. See the article on him for further details. Joseph's own ancestry is not in question, as he was a legatee in his father Robert Culpepper's will in Norfolk County in 1743, and no other early Joseph who could have been Robert's son. As mentioned, by 1725, if not earlier, Joseph was in Bertie County, NC, as in August of that year he witnessed two deeds there, one for William Whitehead and one for William Bennett. (Deed Book 1725-1727, B2, B14) Whitehead and Bennett owned land adjacent to each other on the Roanoke River. On 2 Aug 1727, John Bass, Jr., was granted "410 acres on the Northernly side of the Morattock [now Roanoke] River, joining the South side of Bear Swamp," adjacent to Robert House and Joseph Culpepper. (Abstracts of Land Patents by Margaret Hofmann, #2407 in her book, found in Patent Book 3, page 213). On the same day, 2 Aug 1727, Joseph Culpepper was granted 364 acres in Bertie County on the "Northernly parts of the Morratock [now Roanoke] River joining Robert Newsam and Robert House." (Abstracts of Land Patents by Margaret Hofmann, # 2435 in her book, from Patent Bk 3 p. 220). From the two previous grants, we can see that Joseph's land in the 1720's was near Bear Swamp in present day Northampton County, NC. So the land must have been east of NC State Road 305, and less than four miles north of present day Rich Square, NC (founded in 1750). Joseph may have lived in present day Northampton County, NC, from his first arrival in North Carolina, prior to 1725, until after the fall harvest of 1738. The John Bass, Jr., mentioned above, must have been related to Isaac Bass, who, some 30 years later, owned land on Peachtree Creek adjacent to Joseph's brother Benjamin. (Granville Grants Vol IV, by Margaret Hofmann, her no's. 963-5). On 5 Dec 1738, John Edwards [Sr.] of Bertie Pct. [later Northampton County], Esquire, deeded 320 acres in Edgecombe Pct. to Joseph Culpepper, for £16. The land was on the south side of the Morratuck River and the west side of Fishing Creek, and joined the land of Emanuel Rogers. (See more complete abstract above). As proven by the grant to the adjacent land owner, Emanuel Rogers, Joseph's new farm was near Beaverdam Swamp and present day State Road 48 and about 13 miles north of Rocky Mount, NC. The grant to Emanuel Rogers, was "on the South side of the Morattock River, joining Beaverdam Swamp (a branch of Fishing Creek). (Province of North Carolina 1663-1729 Abstracts of Land Patents by Margaret M. Hofmann, her # 2537, from Patent Book 3, page 246) Beaverdam Swamp is just south of Fishing Creek and just east of State Road 48. Joseph's new farm was about 30 miles west of his previous land on Bear Swamp in Bertie (later Northampton) County. Culpepper's Bridge, perhaps named for Joseph's nephew Benjamin, is on State Road 48 at Fishing Creek. A few years later, in 1749, William Culpepper got a grant in the same area. (Granville Grants Vol. I, by Margaret M. Hofmann, #645 in her book). Curiously enough, a land entry for a Benjamin Culpepper was adjacent to the land of John Rogers, thought to have been a brother of the above Emanuel Rogers. (Edgecombe County, NC Court Records, February 1741, Book of Rights, file # SS906, found at the NC Archives by Dick Culpepper). John and Emanuel Rogers may have been the sons of John Rogers, Sr., who died in Bertie (later Northampton) County, NC, in 1726. (Colonial Bertie County, NC, Deed Books A-H, 1720-1757, by Mary Best Bell, page 35 in the book, from Bertie Deed Book B, page 201, "Inventory of John Rogers, November 1726) Most of Emanuel Roger's land was north of Fishing Creek in the Quankey Creek area. J[ohn Rogers, Jr. owned land on Little Fishing Creek (a. k. a. Conway Creek), which was also north of Fishing Creek. In 1758 these areas north of Fishing Creek became part of Halifax County. In 1741 Northampton County and Edgecombe County were formed from Bertie County. In January 1741, Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe County deeded to his brother Benjamin Culpepper, of Edgecombe Co, 160 acres for £8 on west side of Fishing Creek, which was one-half of the John Edwards tract mentioned above. Some 260 years later, this one key deed is the most troubling one to current researchers. One can only speculate why, but this deed does not adequately describe the land involved in this sale. Was this the east half, or the west half, of Joseph's original Fishing Creek property. We may never know. And the question is important. (A more complete abstract of the deed will be found above) Joseph's cattle brand is recorded in Edgecombe County in 1741 in the "Book of Marks.3. On 27 Feb 1743, Joseph Culpepper took out a land entry for 300 acres in Edgecombe County on the north side of Swift Creek below the mouth of Tuckahoe Branch, including his own improvements. (Tuckahoe Branch on Swift Creek is not mentioned in "The North Carolina Gazeteer," by Powell. It does mention other Tuckahoes, and says that the Tuckahoe was a plant whose roots were eaten by the Indians.) The location of this grant on Swift Creek has not been positively identified. This writer thinks that it was probably near Hilliardston Community, in current day Nash County. This is the point at which Sandy Creek becomes Swift Creek. Back in Northampton County, on 6 April 1745, John Edwards was granted 595 acres on both sides of Bear Swamp, joining Joseph Culpepper's land, and at a point near the mouth of White Oak Branch, Solomon Fuller, William Boon, and the said swamp. (Land Patents, by Margaret M. Hofmann, her # 2839, from Patent Book 5, p. 223). And on 10 November 1745, John Edwards granted 139 acres in Northampton County on both sides of Bear Swamp to Thomas Hayes, for £20. The land joined Joseph Culpepper, Solomon Fuller, and William Boon, and was part of a 595 acre patent to John Edwards dated 6 April 1745. Since Edward's original patent (Patent Bk 5, p. 223, as found in Hofmann, Colony of NC Land Patents, p. 199) also mentioned the same adjacent land owners, this might suggest that Joseph Culpepper still owned his land in Northampton as late as 1745, having moved to Edgecombe County a few years earlier. It is not clear whether Joseph sold this land in Northampton prior to his death in 1745, or whether his widow or heirs sold it after his death. Whoever bought the land, unfortunately, did not record the deed. John Edwards Sr., gave his sons John Jr., and Thomas, land in the Rocky Swamp area north of Fishing Creek, in what later became Halifax County. (Edgecombe Pct. Deeds, by Margaret Hofmann, Book 3, p. 136, and Book 5, p. 192) John Edwards Sr. died in Northampton County in 1765, and his will does not mention a daughter who married a Culpepper. So while Joseph and Benjamin Culpepper lived south of Fishing Creek, some of their acquaintances lived north of Fishing Creek, such as John and Emanuel Rogers. Joseph died in Edgecombe County in 1745. His wife Martha was appointed administrator of his estate in May 1745, and in August was appointed guardian of their four minor children, John, Joseph, Argent, and Sampson. The children were all under the age of fourteen since their guardian was appointed by the court. At the time of his death, Joseph apparently owned one or possibly two tracts of land. He owned the west half of his 320 acre grant on Fishing Creek. And he may have owned a 300 acre tract on Swift Creek, for which no final patent has survived. This writer thinks that he owned both tracts, and that that both devolved by right of primogeniture, to his son Benjamin. See the article on Benjamin for further details. Joseph's widow, Martha, probably continued to live on the west half of the Fishing Creek property until she remarried, around 1751 to Benjamin Dumas. At this point, her son Benjamin sold his half of the Fishing Creek property to his cousin Benjamin, ferryman, whose own widowed mother already lived on the east half of the property. On 21 August 1753, William Wilder sold 100 acres adjacent to the widow Culpepper and the widow Mason and the south side of Fishing Creek. Witnesses were Thomas Mann, Benjamin Culpepper (B was his mark) and Nathaniel Powell (N was his mark). (Edgecombe Pct. Deeds by Margaret M. Hofmann, Deed Book 4, page 531) This land had been a grant to William Wilder on 2 May 1752. (Granville Grants Vol. I, by Hofmann, #1292 in her book, from Patent Book 11, page 304) From the description of the land, we can see that it bounded Joseph Culpepper's original Fishing Creek property on the west. The widow Mason, just mentioned, was probably Hannah, widow of Ralph Mason. (Estate Records of Edgecombe County, NC, by Joseph W. Watson, page 175) Later deeds show Ralph Mason's son Mark living adjacent to the Culpepper farm, so Hannah must have been deceased by then. (Granville Grants, Vol. I, by Hofmann, # 999 in her book, from Patent Book 11, page 237 -- see also #863 and #1292 in this book) Ralph's son, Foster Mason, also lived in this area, and his wife Elizabeth was a widow by this time as well. William Wilder, just mentioned, had married Elizabeth Culpepper, daughter of Joseph and Martha Culpepper, around 1745. According to testimony in court Martha Culpepper's second husband, Benjamin Dumas died 1 Oct 1763 in Anson County. He did not leave a will. Martha's will has been found in the court minutes of a case filed in Salisbury District by John and Joseph Culpepper, sons of Joseph Culpepper, Sr., against David Dumas, son of Benjamin Dumas and administrator of his estate. Martha's will was dated 23 Jan 1764 and was probated 26 Jan, 1764. (Rowan County Estate Records 1753-1929, under the heading "Benjamin Dumas, 1764" at the NC State Archives). In it she mentioned her "well beloved children" Joseph Culpepper, John Culpepper, Sampson Culpepper, Elizabeth Wilder and Sarah Culpepper. Sampson was called "my youngest son." Elizabeth and Sarah were not mentioned when Joseph died so they must have been over 21 or married. A daughter, Argent, was mentioned in Joseph Culpepper's estate, but not in his widow Martha's will. (Names referenced above: Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC Joseph Culpepper of Edgecombe Co., NC).4 | |
| (Witness) Research note | 3 Jun 2004 | Allison Culpepper appears to have been a grandson of Joseph Culpepper Sr. (died 1745) of Edgecombe County, NC, and was perhaps a son of John and Agnes Culpepper, or of John's brother, Joseph. The best clues we have to Allison's ancestry are in two 1827 deeds in Jackson Co, GA. In Feb 1827, Allison Culpepper sold his 240 acres in Jackson Co, GA, two separate tracts on Candler's Creek, to Ambrose Yarbrough. Witnesses were Joel Culpepper and Dennis Duncan. The tracts had been granted originally to David Allen (40 acres) and E. Marbury (200 acres). The chain of title from these men to Allison Culpepper has not been found (Jackson Co. Deed Bk. L, both on p. 32). The Joel Culpepper who witnessed Allison's deed was the son of Joseph Culpepper III. Ambrose Yarbrough, who bought Allison's land, was a Baptist minister from Anson Co, NC. He was married to Elizabeth Culpepper, apparent daughter of John Culpepper. But Ambrose was closely associated with the family of Joseph Culpepper III, as well. He was a witness to the 1816 will of Joseph Culpepper III in Jackson Co. GA. Ambrose's daughter Frances married James Culpepper, son of the above Joel Culpepper, son of Joseph III. And it is significant that this 1827 record of Allison was in Jackson Co, where Joseph Culpepper III lived. Malachi Culpepper, the other known son of Joseph, Jr., was also connected to Jackson County. He received Revolutionary War Grants there between 1784 and 1793. (Miscellaneous Records of Jackson Co, GA, by Joseph T. Maddox, and Early Jackson Co Court Records). Further research is needed. Your help with this person will be appreciated. Contact Lew Griffin (see footnote for details).4 |
Family | Martha (?) (say 1700 - 24 Jan 1764) | |
| Marriage* | say 1721 | He married Martha (?) say 1721. |
| Children |
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Citations
- Bertie Co. Deed Bk B, p. 23 Colonial Bertie Co., by Mary Best Bell
Aug 10, 1725. Wm Bennett & wife Grace to Nicholas Boon. 8 pds. for 100 acres which I purchased from Richard Braswell dec'd on May 14, 1723 on south side of Meherrin River, adj: William Kinchen on Middle branch. Wit: Thos Jenkins, (Fr>?)Parker, Jos Culpepper, Aug Court, 1725. Capt. John Winns D. C/C. - Abstracts of Edgecombe Pct. Deeds, by Margaret M. Hofmann, her page 26, from Book 1, page 291 in Halifax Co. NC Deeds. (Early Edgecombe deeds ended up in Halifax records.).
- " per Dick Culpepper, file No. 37.910.1, NC Archives
- Lewis W. Griffin Jr., 4307 North 34th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85018, e-mail address, Phone: (602) 955-2597.