Jacob Brown Grant Deeds facts for kids
The Jacob Brown Grant Deeds were special agreements where the Cherokee Nation sold land to a man named Jacob Brown. These sales happened at a place called Sycamore Shoals on the Watauga River on March 25, 1775. The land was located along the Nolichucky River in what is now East Tennessee. Some of this land Jacob Brown had already been renting from the Cherokee.
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Where the Land Was Located
The land Jacob Brown bought was along the Nolichucky River in East Tennessee. It was right next to land sold to Charles Roberson a few days earlier.
The Nolichucky Grants were part of five important land deals made near what is now Elizabethton, Tennessee. These deals are known as The Watauga Treaties. Other deals included the Path Grant Deed and the Great Grant Deed. These larger deals were for lands needed for people to travel into Kentucky. The Jacob Brown and Charles Roberson Grant Deeds helped make sure people already living there officially owned their land.
The Watauga Treaties, including Jacob Brown's deals, were some of the first agreements between Native Americans and European settlers. They marked the start of American settlers moving westward. Jacob Brown believed that giving land to settlers would help them escape the control of the British King.
Jacob Brown's Early Leases
In 1771, Jacob Brown arrived at the Nolichucky River. He set up a trading post there to trade with the Cherokee. In 1772, he rented a piece of land from the Cherokee. He paid for it with a "horse load of goods," which meant a lot of supplies. We don't know the exact borders of this rented land.
The lands along the Nolichucky River had very rich soil. The valleys were full of wild animals, making them great for hunting.
Jacob Brown was an important member of the Watauga Association, a group of settlers who formed their own government. Because he already had a large rented area, his properties were not part of the Charles Robertson Watauga Grant. This other grant was agreed upon on March 19, 1775. Brown had even sold parts of his rented land to others, like Richard Trivillian.
A "lease" is when someone lets another person use their property for a set time. There isn't a permanent record of Jacob Brown's original lease. At that time, there wasn't a strong government to enforce these agreements. The Cherokee didn't fully understand the legal term "lease." But for the payment, they agreed not to bother Jacob Brown or others living on the land. The closest Cherokee villages were about 95 miles away. However, they still claimed the land for hunting.
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 also played a role. This rule from the British King said that settlers like Jacob Brown couldn't buy land west of the Appalachian Mountains. This land was meant for Native Americans.
Jacob Brown's Purchases
In March 1775, about 600 settlers and 1,200 Cherokee gathered at Sycamore Shoals. They met to sell and buy land. Richard Henderson & Co. bought large areas described in the Path Grant Deed and the Great Grant Deed. These lands were in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Central Kentucky.
On March 25, 1775, Jacob Brown also made a deal with the Cherokee. He bought the lands along the Nolichucky River, including the areas he had been leasing. He paid 10 shillings in addition to his earlier lease payment. The American Revolution against the British King had already started. This meant the rules from the Royal Proclamation of 1763 seemed less important. The written records of these land sales still exist today.
Jacob Brown Purchase Tract #1
This agreement, made on March 25, 1775, was between important Cherokee chiefs and Jacob Brown. For ten shillings, Jacob Brown bought a piece of land on the Nolichucky River. The description used natural features like creeks, ridges, and mountains to mark the boundaries.
The agreement was witnessed by:
| Samuel Crawford | Oconostota | |
| Jesse Denham | The Tenesay Warrior | |
| Moses Crawford | The Bread Slave Catcher | |
| Zachary Isbell | Attacullaculla | |
| Chenesley |
Other witnesses were the warriors Thomas Bulla, Joseph Vann, and Richard Henderson.
Jacob Brown Purchase Tract #2
This second piece of land was also on the Nolichucky River, next to Brown's first purchase. Its boundaries were also described using natural landmarks like rocks, creeks, and mountains.
Joseph Vann and Richard Henderson were also witnesses to this purchase. Henderson was the buyer of the larger Path Grant and Great Grant lands. Joseph Vann was a half-Cherokee interpreter trusted by both sides. Their presence suggests that Brown's land deals happened at Sycamore Shoals, just like the other big treaties.
The Tennessee Historical Marker about Jacob Brown might mix up the events. It was likely the *leasing* of the Nolichucky property in 1772 that happened under a big oak tree near Brown's trading post. The *purchase* in March 1775 probably took place at Sycamore Shoals.
The Jacob Brown Grant Deeds were put together quickly. There wasn't time for a detailed survey while everyone was gathered. So, the land was described using natural features like mountains, rivers, and watersheds. This was a common way to describe land boundaries in North Carolina at the time.
Generally, Jacob Brown's properties were bordered by ridgelines to the north and mountains to the south. The eastern border was a ridge separating the Nolichucky and Watauga rivers. The western border was less clear but followed a line northward from Hot Springs, North Carolina.
What North Carolina Did
The Great Grant Deed article explains that many land deals at Sycamore Shoals were complicated. Sometimes, the sellers didn't have the full right to sell, or the buyers didn't have the full right to buy. For Jacob Brown's deals, the Cherokee were definitely the original owners of the land. However, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 from King George said that British colonists couldn't buy land west of the mountains. This land was considered "Indian lands."
There was a big argument about the Great Grant that also affected Jacob Brown. North Carolina's Governor Martin said in February 1775 that he was against these land sales. Later, North Carolina said that the "Transylvania Colony" (created by Richard Henderson's big land purchase) was not valid. North Carolina claimed all the western territory, including what is now Tennessee. This happened in November 1777.
Because of this, Jacob Brown's purchases were declared "null and void," meaning they were no longer valid.
By July 1777, the American Revolution was happening. The large land deals of the Great Grant were mainly a concern for Virginia and North Carolina. Virginia held official hearings and decided that these land sales were not valid in December 1778.
At the Treaty of Long Island on July 20, 1777, North Carolina's commissioner, Col. Avery, told the Cherokee and settlers that illegal land sales caused war and bloodshed. He said all such sales outside the new treaty borders must stop. Even though payments had been made for the land, Col. Christian said that the Cherokee should receive more payment for their hunting grounds. They were given 200 breeding cattle and 100 sheep. This meant Jacob Brown lost his official claim to much of the land he had bought in 1775.
However, North Carolina wanted peace and to protect settled lands. So, on November 27, 1778, John Carter of Washington County (now part of North Carolina) told the county surveyor to survey 640 acres on the Nolichucky River for Jacob Brown. This survey led to "Grant 790" from North Carolina, giving Jacob Brown official ownership of these 640 acres.
Jacob Brown received two more grants from North Carolina. The first, in 1779, was "Grant 995" for 640 acres. The second, later, was "Grant 1156" for 200 acres. In total, North Carolina gave Jacob Brown 1,480 acres. These three properties were next to each other along the Nolichucky River. This is how Jacob Brown finally got official ownership of the land he had settled.
Later Events
Later, on May 6, 1784, Jacob Brown asked the State of North Carolina to pay him back. He wanted money for the land he had bought from the Cherokee in 1775. North Carolina had then taken this land and sold it to the same people Brown had sold it to, but he was never paid.
Jacob Brown Petition to the North Carolina Assembly
May 10, 1784
To the honorable the General assembly of the State of North Carolina
Jacob Brown humbly asks that in 1775, he paid almost two thousand pounds for a large area of land near the Nole Chucky River from the Cherokee Indians. He sold parts of this land to settlers, hoping to get his money back. But to his great loss, when the Assembly passed a law giving first claim to those who improved the land, the people who had bought land from him refused to pay him back. Instead, they registered the land with the state's land office. Because of these problems, Jacob Brown asks your honorable group to look into this matter. He believes he can show his case clearly and hopes the government will help him.
May 6, 1784 Jacob Brown
Jacob Brown knew that Richard Henderson had also asked North Carolina for payment and received 200,000 acres in 1783. But unlike Henderson's request, Jacob Brown's petition was received by the North Carolina Assembly but was refused.
See also
- Path Grant Deed
- Great Grant Deed
- Atacullaculla
- Sycamore Shoals
- Watauga Association
