JESSE HATHCOCK1561
Jesse Hathcock was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Hathcock of what is now Greensville County in the southern-most part of Virginia. There is no Information that would give a precise year of birth, but Jesse was probably born in the 1720's or 1730's. It is known that his brother John was born in 1722. In 1733, one Jesse Hathcock appears as a witness on the Brunswick County, Virginia deed of Richard Pace conveying land to a John Bradford. The deed conveyed a part of a tract of Richard Pace's patent dated 1724 (Will and Deed Book 1, page 56). Joseph Hathcock had also acted as witness in the same series of land transactions in 1733. The relationship of this Jesse Hathcock to Joseph Hathcock remains unknown. It is noted however. that Joseph's name is frequently mentioned in the Brunswick County records until he died about 1783, whereas this Jesse is mentioned in this single instance. Perhaps this Jesse was of an older generation - maybe Joseph's brother or father. Whatever the relationship, this Jesse could hardly have been the son of Joseph and the subject of this sketch. It is known from the Will of Joseph that Jesse in subject had brothers: John, Charles, William and a sister Mary.
The first known reference to Jesse Hathcock appears in a tax list of Greensville County, Virginia, in 1783. In this list, Jesse appears with Charles and William as the only Hathcocks in Greenville County at that time. The year 1783 was two years after Greensville County had been formed from Brunswick County, and in 1787 another part of eastern Brunswick County was annexed to Greenville County, forming the boot-like portion of southwestern Greensville County. This would indicate that Jesse lived in the area which is about two miles west of the present day Brink Community in southwest Greenville County. Jesse lived adjacent to his father and his brothers on Hog Pen and Split Rock Branches of Fountain Creek.
The next reference to Jesse Hathcock appears on a poll of voters of Greensville County, Virginia, taken on 26 April 1792. Charles and Jesse appear on this list as the only Hathcocks of that county. From other records, it is known that Jesse's brother John had moved to Bute (now Warren) County, North Carolina, between 1771 and 1776 and his brother William had moved to Northampton County, North Carolina, between 1783 and 1786. His father had died in late 1782 or early 1783 in Greensville County.
The third reference to Jesse Hathcock appears in the Greenville County land records in 1792. Jesse and his wife Molly sold land which had been devised to Jesse by his father's Will. The deed transferring this land from Jesse Hathcock and his wife to Henry Collier was dated 19 July 1796, but it was not recorded until January 1801 in Volume 3 at page 5 of the Greensville County records. The land consisted of 100 acres in Greensville County which lay on Charles Hathcock's line and on Morris's line. The selling price was 80 pounds and the witnesses were John Justice, Benjamin Woodroff and John Avent. From other records, a more precise location of this land can be determined as being on Fountain Creek at Split Rock Branch and near the old path which led to Richard Jones plantation, near the Littleberry Robinson place, near Braxton Robinson's line, and on Benjamin Avent's line. Other neighbors were Permealy Gray Avent, William Robinson and Joel Prince, all near Robinson's Old Store. Jesse, his parents and. his brothers all lived north of Jordon Road (now Brink Road), on the southside of, and on Fountain Creek.
By 1800, it appears that Jesse Hathcock had removed to Halifax County, North Carolina for he is enumerated on the 1800 Census of that county along with Reuben and Major Green Hathcock
[Note 1], who are believed to have been two of his sons. Other sons are thought to have been John and Robert Hathcock.
Note 1. A Green Hathcock is found in the 1850 Chatham County census. Also, a Major Green Hathcock was a grandson of Benjamin Hathcock, b.1742, who lived in Chatham County before the Revolution. A Sally Hathcock lived in Halifax County in 1777 and may have been related to Benjamin (see Section 3.9). A Green William or William Green was the son of John Haithcock and Mary Fields of Richland County, South Carolina. In the 1850 census, and the name Green is common among descendants of the South Carolina Hathcocks. 1800 Census of Halifax County, North Carolina
Page Name Males Females Free Colored
312 Jesse Hathcock Over 45 years 1 over 45 years 0
1 16-21 years* 1 10-16 years
1 16-26 years
312 Reuben Hathcock 1 16-21 years 1 16-26 years 0
1 10-16 years 2 0-10 years
314 Major Green Hathcock Over 45 years 0
1 10-16 years
316 Curtis Hathcock 4
318 Toliver Hathcock 8
318 Mary Hathcock 9
318 Calab Hathcock 9
318 Surry Hathcock 5
* Perhaps was John Heathcock who married Amy Shearrin in Warren County. The others on the above census are unidentified.
The estate papers of General Thomas Person of adjoining Warren County indicate that Jesse, John
[Note 2], Robert and Reuben Hathcock were all indebted to General Parsons when he died in August of 1804.
Note 2. John Hathcock is thought to have been the son of Jesse and the same John Hathcock who married Amy Shearrin in Warren County, who was daughter of Isham Shearrin. John Hathcock may have had a brother named Daniel and Daniel could have also married Amy Shearrin about 1818 (see Section 3.4.3). The 1810 census of Halifax County does not contain the name of Jesse Hathcock; however, it does include Reuben Hathcock at page 106. This may indicate that Jesse had died between 1800 and 1810. He would have been in his seventies by 1810.
1810 Census of Halifax County, North Carolina
Page Name Males Females Free Colored
106 Reuben Hathcock 9
106 Jeffery Hathcock 3
106 William Hathcock 6
106 Surry Hathcock 8
107 Henry Hathcock 6
107 Curtis Hathcock 6
107 Rachel Hathcock 6
Although the above census, as well as the 1840 census of Halifax County, seems to indicate that Reuben was Free Colored, the Reuben on the Northampton County census of 1790 seems to indicate that he was white. Also, the 1800, 1820, and 1830 Halifax census records him as white. This situation typically indicates that the person was in fact part-Indian. Other evidence also seems to point to the probability that Reuben Hathcock was Indian in part. (See section 3.4.1.)
The Greensville County. Virginia, marriage records indicate that Reuben Hathcock married Mary Jones in that county 6 August 1793. His marriage bond was secured by Braxton Robinson, who was a neighbor of Jesse Hathcock. It is noted that a Reuben Hathcock, a John and Newman Hathcock appear in the 1790 census of Northampton County, adjacent to Halifax County. Reuben is recorded as white and John and Newman are recorded as Free Colored. The 1820 census of Halifax County probably includes the names of Jesse Hathcock's sons, Reuben and John, along with others who are unidentified.
1820 Census of Halifax County North Carolina
Page Name Males Females Free Colored
150 Reuben Hathcock 1 26-45 Years Over 45 Years 0
1 10-16 2 10-16
3 0-10 2 0-10
150 John Hathcock Over 45 Years 1 Over 45 Years 0
151 Fred Hathcock 5
151 Hall Hathcock
151 Jeff Hathcock 6
151 John Hathcock 6
Several who are believed to be the sons and descendants of Jesse Hathcock must have remained in Halifax County, for they appear in the 1830 census of that county.
1830 Census of Halifax County, North Carolina
Page Name Males Females Free Colored303 Reuben Hathcock 1 60-70 Years 1 40-50 Years 0
1 40-50 4 20-30
1 5-10 1 15-20
1 10-15
1 5-10
304 John Hathcock 1 40-50 Years 1 70-80 Years 0
1 15-20 1 20-30
2 0-5 1 0-5
320 Charles Hathcock 1 40-50 Years 1 30-40 Years 0
1 0-5 1 10-15
1 5-10
349 Fred Hathcock 6
293 Absalom Hathcock 7
296 Berry Hathcock 1
296 Hansel Hathcock 3
296 Hal Hathcock 3
296 Herbert Hathcock 4
296 Jeff Hathcock 3
296 Kiar Hathcock 1
297 HartweII Hathcock 4
297 Larry Hathcock 2
297 Rachel Hathcock 1
298 John T. Hathcock 4
298 Mary Hathcock 7
298 Elizabeth Hathcock 4
Ten years later, in 1840, Reuben Hathcock was still living in Halifax County and he was living near John and Absalom Hathcock. It is believed that Reuben was probably born between 1765 and 1775.
1840 Census of Halifax County, North Carolina
Page Name Males Females Free Colored
003 Reuben Hathcock 1 50-60 Years 1 50-60 Years
2 10-15 2 20-30
5 15-20
013 John Hathcock 1 50-60 1
1-20-30
020 Absalom Hathcock 1 50-60 1 40-50
2 5-10
No further records have been located which would provide evidence of the migration of the sons or descendants of Jesse Hathcock. As to the other Hathcocks of Halifax County, it is known that they removed to the state of Ohio and settled in Ross County.
[Note 3] It is possible that other Hathcock families not presently traceable are descendants of Jesse Hathcock. This would include the early residents of Halifax County.
Note 3. The migration of Hathcock families from Halifax and Northampton Counties in the 1800s was only discovered in recent years and no documentation is available. Mr. Richard Lee Haithcock, who in 1989 lived in Xenia, Ohio, has published a booklet on these families and their migration. It appears that a general migration resulted in part from laws passed in the state of North Carolina around the time of the Revolutionary War which prohibited freed persons to remain in the state of North Carolina once they were freed. The Quakers were instrumental in providing assistance to these families in their removal to the State of Ohio. The migration of the Hathcock families to Ohio spanned a period from the early 1800s until the 1840s.