Charles Robertson Grant Deed facts for kids
The Charles Robertson Grant, also known as the Watauga Grant, was an important agreement. It was a land sale between the Cherokee Nation and Charles Robertson. This deal happened at Sycamore Shoals on the Watauga River on March 19, 1775. The land was a large area in what is now East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Some of this land had already been leased from the Cherokee before the sale.
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Where the Land Was Located
The Charles Robertson Grant was one of five land deals made at Sycamore Shoals. This area is now the city of Elizabethton, Tennessee. All these deals together are called the Watauga Treaties.
These treaties included:
- The Great Grant Deed
- The Path Grant Deed
- Two Jacob Brown Grant Deeds
- The Charles Robertson Grant Deed
The Great Grant sold land in Central Kentucky. The Path Grant sold land in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. It also created a safe path to the Kentucky land. The Jacob Brown Grants sold land near the Nolichucky River. The Robertson and Brown Grants helped make land ownership clear for settlers already living south of the Treaty of Lochaber line and the Holston River.
The Charles Robertson Deed came from earlier agreements with the Cherokee and other Native Americans. These agreements were for land west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Watauga Treaties marked the start of American settlers moving westward.
The Watauga Settlers Who Bought the Land
Charles Robertson was a leader for the Watauga Association. He bought the land from the Cherokee for 2,000 British Pounds. Before this, the association had only leased the land from the Cherokee. A few days later, Jacob Brown made a similar purchase for nearby lands.
As a trustee, Charles Robertson wrote down the details of the grant. This record was kept in an old ledger book called "Old Book A." The Charles Robertson Deed is on the very first page. This book was later used by James Smith, who ran the land office in Fort Watauga. The original book is believed to be in the North Carolina State Archives. A copy is kept in the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
The land was given to the settlers who were already living there. This purchase gave them clear ownership of their homes.
On the day of the Watauga purchase, March 19, 1775, 175 Watauga settlers asked North Carolina to make their settlement a county. They wanted their own government and courts. Their first request was not answered. More than a year later, they sent another, much longer petition. This time, many more people signed it.
In August 1776, the Watauga settlers again asked North Carolina for official recognition. This petition was very long and had 466 signatures from male settlers. It showed how serious they were. The settlers were worried about the laws and government they were under. They were also confused about where the border between Virginia and North Carolina actually was.
The Cherokee Who Sold the Land
In 1775, there were 64 Cherokee towns. Their total population was less than 9,000 people. This was a big drop from about 25,000 people in the 1750s. Their population decreased due to wars with white settlers and diseases brought by explorers.
Maps from that time show no Cherokee homes along the Holston, Watauga, and Nolichucky River rivers. An explorer named Dr. Thomas Walker noted finding abandoned Cherokee houses in 1749-1750. This suggests the Cherokee had already left these lands.
So, Cherokee leaders like Oconistoto, Attacullicully, and Savanuka were selling land they no longer needed. They had leased this land to the settlers before. It's possible the Cherokee didn't see a big difference between leasing and selling. Or, they were happy to get a second payment of 2,000 British pounds.
What the Watauga Grant Deed Said
The Watauga Grant covered parts of what are now northeastern Tennessee and northwestern North Carolina. The boundaries were written in "Old Book A," Page 1. It included the Watauga River area, part of the New River area in North Carolina, and land in Tennessee south of the South Fork of the Holston River.
The deed was a legal document. It stated that Oconistoto, Attacullaculy, and Savanucah, representing the Cherokee Nation, sold the land to Charles Robertson. They received two thousand pounds of British money. The deed described the land's boundaries, starting near the Holston River and following ridges and river courses. It also said that Charles Robertson and his heirs would own the land forever.
The deed was signed by the Cherokee leaders and witnessed by several settlers. These witnesses included John Sevier, William Bailey Smith, Jesse Benton, Tilmon Dixon, and William Blevins. Joseph Vann, a translator, also signed.
Actions by North Carolina
The Great Grant Deed article suggests that the land deals at Sycamore Shoals might have been made by sellers who didn't have the right to sell, and buyers who didn't have the right to buy. For the Charles Robertson Grant, this was only partly true. The Cherokee were indeed the original owners of the Watauga land.
However, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 by King George III had forbidden settlers from moving west of the Allegheny Mountains. These lands were considered Indian lands and could not be sold to British colonists.
North Carolina's Governor Martin spoke out against the land deals in February 1775. Later, North Carolina, along with Virginia, decided that the land deals were not valid. They claimed control over the western territory, which included all of what is now Tennessee. This area was called the Washington District in November 1777.
Because of this, the Charles Robertson purchase was officially declared null and void.
North Carolina's goal was not to punish the settlers. Instead, they wanted to make agreements with the Cherokee and bring the lands under proper government control. So, in 1778, land offices were opened. Settlers could then get official ownership of their land from North Carolina. They had to pay 50 shillings for every hundred acres to get a grant for their land. These new deeds were recorded in the Washington District office.
