Monday, April 9, 2012

James Parkins - Land Speculator?

[**Note: This is only the first page of this Grant. LOV was unable to locate the second page.]

James Wood Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia To All to whom
these Presents shall come Greeting. know ye that by virtue of a Land Office Treasury
Warrant November one thousand six hundred and sixty three, issued the ninth day
 of November one thousand seven hundred and ninety five. There is Granted by the
said Commonwealth unto James Parkins, Samuel Blogge, Gardener L Chandler
and William Coleman assignee of John Miller a certain tract or parcel of Land
Containing fifty thousand Acres by survey bearning date the eighth day of
December one thousand seven hundred ninety five Lying and being in the
County of Kanawha in the main forks of great Sandy River, and bounded as
followeth to Wit beginning at three poplars and beech at the lower end of an
Island on the North East bank of the left hand fork of said River corner to McLery's
Survey of one hundred and one thousand and two hundred and twelve and one half
Acres, and with his line North fifty degrees East two thousand two hundred poles to
two beech trees south thirty one degrees East two thousand three hundred and
twenty poles to a white oak and black oak south sixty five degrees East, three
thousand five hundred and thirty poles to two beech trees and sugar tree near the
mouth of a large Creek on the bank of the left hand fork of said River, Then.....

This is only one of many land grants provided to James Parkins before 1800. Although the name "Virginia Land Company" or "The Kanawha Land Company" is never used, I believe that James was a member of this company, and was used to help procure  these lands for sale and further pioneering of the then west. At that time, this area was still inhabited by Native Americans, and they were considered hostile to whites. Thus, these speculators were engaged to procure these lands and sell cheaply to those willing to frontier the new lands

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