Jacob Blount

Jacob Blount (abt 1690-1766), m.(1) Elizabeth Long, m.(2) Johanna Spruill

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blount-72

Research Notes

"Literary and Historical Activities in North Carolina, 1900-1905"[1]

"Tom Blount, the last king of the Tuscaroras, of whom frequent mention is made in the accounts of the Indian War, received his name from this circumstance: In one of the earliest raids of the "enemy indians" upon the whites, some years before the Tuscarora War, there were twin brothers, Jacob & Esau, sons of Thomas Blount of Chowan. Esau was captured by the Indians and put to death in a shocking manner.... His brother Jacob swore vengeance for this act; and he took in battle the young son of the then Chief of the Tuscaroras and kept him a hostage for some time. Pity for the youth softened the hearts of his captors, and the boy was treated so kindly that he assumed the name of his benefactor, Thomas Blount, father of Jacob and Esau; and he was ever after the friend and ally of the settlers. Upon the return of the Indian King's son, Mr. Abraham Sheppard of Pitt County, then a mere boy, who had been captured by the Tuscarora Indians, was set at liberty. Mr. Sheppard, when quite an old man, gave these particulars to the late John Gray Blount of Washington (NC), who had them written in a book of his family records, now in possession of his descendants."

John Grey Blount was a great grandson of Capt. Thomas Blount.

Origins

Thomas Blount (d, 1706) was married twice. His first wife probably was the Christian Blount named without identification among Blount's headrights in 1680, although possibly the "transport" was their daughter Christian. Five of the ten children who survived Blount appear to have been born of the first marriage. They were James, John, Sarah, Christian, and Ann. By the time Blount made his will, in 1701, the three daughters of the first wife were married and were noted in the will as Sarah Peirce, Christian Ludford, and Ann Wilson. Blount's second wife was Mary Scott, widow of Joshua Scott of Perquimans Precinct. That marriage took place in 1686, probably in April. The children born of it included sons Thomas, Benjamin, and Jacob and daughters Bithay (also called Billah) and Zilphia. Bithay married Kellem Tyler; Zilphia married John Edwards. In addition to his own children, Blount was responsible for at least two wards: his brother John, who was a minor when his father died, and Grace Scott, Blount's stepdaughter. It is not known whether he also was guardian for Grace's sister, Sarah.