James Brown 1774

Certificates continued to be issues by the court held at Harrodsburg October 28, 1779.   John Cowan in behalf of James Brown received the following:

"(Cert issued for 1400 fees &c pd. D.D. to John Cowan)

      John Cowan in behalf of James Brown this day claimed a right to a settlement and preemption to a tract of land lying on Clarks Run about 1 Mile or 1 and a half Miles above Clarks Station by improving the same in the year 1774 and raising a Crop of Corn on the premises in the year 1776 satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of the Opinion that the said Brown is entitled to a settlement of 400 Acres of land including said improvement & the preemption of 1000 Acres Adjoining and that a Certificate issue for the same."

[p. 22-23 Certificate Book of The Virginia Land Commission 1779 - 1780 , by The Kentucky Historical Society, 1923]

Let's see now... John Clark in 1774 claimed land on Clarks Run that contained a road leading from the Boiling Spring to the Knob Lick... and James Brown claimed land lying roughly 1 mile above (north) Clarks Station.  John Crow had established himself southwest from Fishers Garrison [known by Rees' Lottery Cabin] which became know as Crow's Station.  Wow....like working a giant puzzle...more pieces to come.

John Clark 1774

On the same day that John Crow had his settlement right certified [Oct. 28th 1779], a fellow named John Clark claimed his settlement right.   It reads:

"(Cert Issued for 1400 fees &c pd D.D.)

  John Clark this day claimed a right to a settlement and preemption to a tract of land lying on Clarks Run on the road leading from the Boiling Spring to the Knob Lick by improving the same in the year 1774 and residing in the country 12 Months since making the said improvement.  Satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of Opinion that the said Clark has a right to a settlement of 400 acres including the said improvement, & a preemption of 1000 Acres adjoining and that a certificate issue for the same."

Clarks Run is a branch of the Dick's River that flows through the southern part of what is now Danville.  Its name would suggest that the Clark family were the first to settle this area since they could name the creek.   By 1779 landmarks were "Boiling Spring" [James Harrod's settlement] and "Knob Lick" [what was to become Issac Shelby's settlement].  A "road" existed connecting both settlements which would be close to old 127 highway today which runs through the city of Danville.  More to come in the year 1774.

John Crow 1774

The "Certificate Book of The Virginia Land Grant Commission 1779-1780" records the official decisions regarding who was on first.  The folks who thought they owned the land had to come before this commission to make their case regarding their "rights" to own the land.  The following is given on p. 305 of the book by The Kentucky Historical Society:

" (Cert issd for 1400)  John Crow this day claimed a settlement & preemption of 1400 Acres of Land in the district of Kentucky on Acc't of improving the same in the year 1774 & 1777 & Raising a crop of Corn in the year 1776 the s'd Crowe is to survey a half way between 2 Cabbins with a Square line that the s'd Crowe built in the year 1774 one Cabbin covered South West from Fishers Garrison Known by Rees' Lottery Cabbin the other N.E. from s'd Station and the s'd Fisher is not to go more than half way to another Cabbin that the s'd Crow built in the year Aforesaid which Cabbin lies North from s'd Station Satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of Opinion that the s'd Crow has a right to a settlement of 400 Acres of Land to include the above Location & the preempt'n of 1000 Acres of Land adjoining & that a Cert issue accordingly.-"

John Crow was certainly busy during the year 1774.  It would appear that he built two cabins.  In also seems apparent that by the 22nd day of April 1780, a "...s'd Station..." [ Crow's Station] was known to exist.  "Fishers Garrison" and "Rees' Lottery Cabbin" were used as landmarks to locate this survey right.  The land that was to become Danville has its start in this "settlement & preemption".

Virginia Land Laws

The "Land Laws of Virginia" were the laws and customs under which new lands were settled and surveyed upon the western waters.  Understanding the process by which land was "taken up" helps one to realize the difficult environment surrounding the founding of Danville, Kentucky.

For those interested, these land laws have been presented and discussed in my blog "The Jones Genealogist".  The site of this information is:

                                                  http://thejonesgenealogist.blogspot.com

The subject and dates are as follows:

      Virginia Land Laws: A Chronology (Part I)  Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws (Part II) Important Rights  Monday, Dec. 20, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws (Part III)  Treasury Rights  Tues., Dec. 21, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws (Part IV)  Escheated Lands  Wed., Dec. 22, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws (Part V)  The Processioning  Thur., Dec. 23, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws (Part VI)  The Surveyors  Tues., Dec., 28, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws (Part VII) Surveyor's fees  Wed., Dec. 29, 2010
      Virginia Land Laws after 1713 (Part I)  Wed., Jan. 5, 2011
      Virginia Land Laws after 1713 (Part II)  Fri., Jan. 7, 2011
      Land Laws Virginia - Meritorious Service  Thur., Jan. 13, 2011
      Land By Rank - Virginia Land Laws 1763  Fri., Jan. 14, 2011
      Virginia Land Laws : Cabin Rights  Sat., Jan. 22, 2011

The last three posts deal with the context of military service.  It was following the French and Indian War that this became the major factor in the early settlement days of Danville, KY.

The Names of 1774

The folks who managed to get their names into the survey books of 1774 were an extra special group of guys.  These were the  first to establish their claims to the land that was to become Danville, Kentucky.  The following is a list of these men who became "official" owners of the land.  This information has been abstracted from "Certificate Book of The Virginia Land Commission 1779-1780".

James Brown, Clark's Run, 1000 acres, p. 215

John Clark, Clark's Run,, 1400 acres, p.22

John Cowan, Clark's Run, 1400 acres, p. 22-23

John Crow, 1400 acres, p.305

Azor Rees, 1000 acres, p.260. [Isaac Shelby was to obtain this land on Knob Lick 1776, p.8]

As best as I can tell, these men were the first to claim Danville, KY.  On survey, 1400 acres would be contained in a 1 mile x 2.2 mile area.  These folks would have roughly a 6 mile square area of land.

The Surveys of 1774

Folks got busy doing their survey work the summer of 1774.  An "official" survey office was finally organized and accepted under the colony of Virginia [Fincastle County].  Page 1, Plot Book A, states :

 "Warrants to Officers & Soldiers from the Earl of  Dunmore directed to the Surveyor of Fincastle County and by him recorded with the several assignments thereon".

The official directions were included in the very first survey recorded "28th day of February 1774".  In effect, having served as an officer or soldier in the years prior to 1763, you were "entitled" to land "...agreeable to His Majesty's proclamation in the year 1763...".  It went on to say, "...being desirous to locate the same in Fincastle County on any of the western waters if he can lay it on any vacant lands that have not been surveyed by order of council or patented since the above Proclamation...".  The surveyors were "...strictly authorised and required to survey the same."

So there you have it.  Lands were to be in Fincastle County.  They were to be on water courses (western waters) were the land had not already been surveyed.  [Some land had already been surveyed in 1773, but the patents had been denied official recognition. ]  It was this summer, the summer of 1774, that the first surveys were made on the lands that were to become Danville, KY.

The Summer of 1773

On December 12, 1771, John Murray (The Earl of Dunmore) arrive in Virginia.  One of his first activities was to create a new political jurisdiction west of the Alleghenies and south of the Ohio River.  His hand was being forced by the folks from Pennsylvania who had already opened a land patent office in this new territory.  Fincastle County it was called. (Some called it the District of West Augusta)  William Preston was appointed "surveyor".  Land warrants were being provided to those who had served during the French and Indian War.  Thomas Bullitt (Fauquier Co.), William Christian, John Floyd, Arthur Campbell, William Russell, and Evan Shelby were added to the list of individuals who were to aid in the survey of this new administrative jurisdiction. (At least from Virginia's point of view.)

Announcements of the plans to make surveys in this new territory were placed in papers being published in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.  Any folks who felt they had a right (or desire) to join the "official" survey crew were to join up at the mouth of the Kanawha River on May 29, 1773.  Thomas Bullitt with a survey party of some 30 men [including James Harrod and Hancock Taylor ] jumped the gun and started down the Ohio May 11, 1773.  These men were joined by James Robert, George McAfee, Samuel Adams, and James McCoun.

Following these guys down the Ohio about a month later (17 June 1773), a 20 year old named Isaac Hite and his crew had the idea (plans) to establish several towns along the Ohio River at regular intervals.  In his diary dated the 5th and 6th of August he writes:

                                              "Aug. 5th & 6th at the Town at the Falls".

By the end of the month of August he writes:

              "Friday 27th went & marked out lots in the Town & went up to the 1st Island".

It was this Issac Hite that was to become the business partner of one Walker Daniel.  In the summer of 1773, he began to open the doors to Danville.