William Moore Bobbitt

William Bobbitt was a son of Lewis and Elizabeth (Moore) Bobbitt. Lewis Bobbitt Senior had three sons who lived to maturity. The sons were, Miles Bobbitt born in 1731, William Bobbitt born in 1738, and Lewis Bobbitt Junior born in 1742.

In several instances where William was bondsman for marriages, she signed his name as "William M. Bobbitt". I am certain that his middle name was "Moore" although I have never found a record that listed his middle name. On Friday, June 10, 1825, the Raleigh Register and North Carolina Gazette carried this notice.

"William Bobbitt died on Monday last, June 6, 1825. He was in his 87th year of age and a long time resident of Franklin County."

Lewis Bobbitt Senior, father of William Bobbitt, had 450 acres of land surveyed for him in 1749. The land was on the south side of Reedy Creek in what was at that time Granville County. The land was granted to Lewis in 1753. In the same year, Lewis Bobbitt and his family moved from Prince Edward County, Virginia to North Carolina. The land is today in Warren County, North Carolina.

In 1755, a tax list was made of the land owners in Granville County. The tax was for land and all males over sixteen years of age. Each household was listed with the name of head of household and the total number of taxable males over sixteen. In 1755 Granville County included all the territory that is now located in Warren, Franklin, and Vance Counties. The original tax list is in the North Carolina State Archives.

GRANVILLE COUNTY TAX LIST OF 1755

Miles Bobbitt 1 taxable

Lewis Bobbitt 1 taxable

John Bobbitt 1 taxable

Lewis Bobbitt was born in 1703, Miles Bobbitt was born in 1731, and John Bobbitt was born in 1725. They were the only Bobbitt head of households who were listed. None of the families listed had any sons over 16 years of age. William Bobbitt born in 1738 was very near the age of 16, and probably became 16 shortly after the tax list was made.

In 1755, William Bobbitt Senior, father of John Bobbitt and William Bobbitt Junior, was living in Orange County. William Bobbitt Junior was living with his father in Orange County. All were descendents of John Bobbitt of Chowan.

Source: http://www.keithbobbitt.com/book21/pp637-6730014.htm

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William Bobbitt born in 1738 in Virginia, was a son of Lewis and Elizabeth (Moore) Bobbitt. He moved with the family to North Carolina in 1753. He married Martha Turner and was the father of 6 or 7 sons. By his first wife the sons were, Sion, William, Turner, Solomon, and by his second wife, Lively Hight, the sons were, Allen and Archibald Bobbitt. William died in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1825.

From The Bobbitt Family in America:

In several instances where William was bondsman for marriages, he signed his name as "William M. Bobbitt". I am certain that his middle name was "Moore" although I have never found a record that listed his middle name. On Friday, June 10, 1825, the Raleigh Register and North Carolina Gazette carried this notice,

"William Bobbitt died on Monday last, June 6, 1825. He was in his 87th year of age and a long time resident of Franklin County."

Lewis Bobbitt Senior, father of William Bobbitt, had 450 acres of land surveyed for him in 1749. The land was on the south side of Reedy Creek in what was at that time Granville County. The land was granted to Lewis in 1753. In the same year, Lewis Bobbitt and his family moved from Prince Edward County, Virginia to North Carolina. The land is today in Warren County, North Carolina.

In 1755, a tax list was made of the land owners in Granville County. The tax was for land and all males over sixteen years of age. Each household was listed with the name of head of household and the total number of taxable males over sixteen. In 1755 Granville County included all the territory that is now located in Warren, Franklin, and Vance Counties. The original tax list is in the North Carolina State Archives.

GRANVILLE COUNTY TAX LIST OF 1755

• Miles Bobbitt 1 taxable
• Lewis Bobbitt 1 taxable
• John Bobbitt 1 taxable

Lewis Bobbitt was born in 1703, Miles Bobbitt was born in 1731, and John Bobbitt was born in 1725. They were the only Bobbitt head of households who were listed. None of the families listed had anysons over 16 years of age. William Bobbitt born in 1738 was very near the age of 16, and probably became 16 shortly after the tax list was made.

In 1755, William Bobbitt senior, father of John Bobbitt and William Bobbitt Junior, was living in Orange County. William Bobbitt Junior was living with his father in Orange County. All were descendents of John Bobbitt of Chowan.

On August 9, 1763. a deed was recorded in Granville County, Book F, page 369, which proved that William Bobbitt had reached the age of maturity. He was undoubtedly married at the time this deed was recorded.

"Lewis Bobbitt of Granville County to William Bobbitt of Granville County, 160 acres of land, for 29 pounds of proclamation money, land in Granville County on the south side of Reedy Creek, joining Lewis Bobbitt. Witnesses: William Person, John Edwards."

William Person, and John Edwards were son-in-laws of Lewis Bobbitt. It was on this land that William Bobbitt and his wife Martha Turner built their home and reared their family.

On November 20, 1764, an administrators bond was given to Governor Arthur Dobbs in the estate of Robert Moore, deceased. Robert Moore was the maternal grandfather of William M, Bobbitt. In this deed,William Bobbitt was the security for the estate.

In 1764 Granville County was divided Into Bute County. In 1779, Bute County was discontinued and divided into Franklin and Warren Counties. In 1778 the records of Bute County, Book 7, page 101, noted that William Bobbitt is selling 150 acres of his land to John Emmerson.

"William Bobbitt to John Emerson, both of Bute County, for 300 pounds of Virginia money for 150 acres of land on the south side of Reedy Creek. Witnesses: William Park."

After the sale of this land, William Bobbitt and his family moved to land that was located in Franklin County. The records of Granville County, Book N, page 110, recorded this deed which was dated, February 19, 1789.

"William Bobbitt of Franklin County To William Smith of Granville County, for 150 pounds specie, for 350 acres of land on Linches Creek, joining Edwards, the county line, and Eaton. The said land includes the plantation whereon the said Smith now lives. Witnesses: Joseph Mangum, Benjamin Johnston."

A similiar deed was recorded in Granville County, Book F, page 115, on January 17, 1794.

"From William Bobbite of Franklin County, to Johnathan Kittrell senior, of Granville County, for 33 pounds, 140 acres of land in Granville County, Joining Hays, Eaton, and Smith. Witnesses: Daniel Hunter, Isham Kitrell, A. Kitrell"

Franklin County was formed in 1779. The Bobbitt families of Franklin and Granville counties were so inter-related that records of the same family may be found in court houses of each county. The census records are equally confusing, indicating that the families lived near the borders of each county or moved back and forth frequently.

1800 census FRANKLIN COUNTY - formed from Bute County in 1779

William Bobbitt:

• 1 male under 10 (1790-1800)
• 1 female 45 & over (....-1755)
• 1 male 10 - 16 (1784-1790)
• 1 male 45 & over ( 1755)

William Bobbitt was a son of Lewis and Elizabeth (Moore) Bobbitt. He was born in 1738 in Amelia County Virginia. He married Martha Turner in 1762. William died in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 6, 1825 in his 87th year of age.

1790 FEDERAL CENSUS OF NORTH CAROLINA Bobbitt Family of North Carolina

The first census taken by the government of the United States was in 1790. The census taken in North Carolina is one of the few that survived the war of 1812. There are some differences in the printed versions of the North Carolina census, but the records here have been compared with all versions, the 1800 census, and the tax lists of the various counties.

The census listed the head of household by name, the number of males over 16 years of age, or born before 1774, and the number of males under 16 years of age, or born between 1774 and 1790. The totalnumber of females in a household was listed. Slaves both male and female were listed in a total number.

First Column = Head of household: Second Column = males over 16 Third Column = males under 16 Fourth Column = females Fifth Column = slaves Sixth Column = county-district

• Drury Bobbitt 1 1 3 9 Warren - Halifax
• John Bobbitt 1 0 2 2 Warren - Halifax
• John Bobbitt 1 1 1 8 Warren - Halifax
• Joshua Bobbitt 1 1 1 2 Warren - Halifax
• Randolph Bobbitt 1 2 1 0 Warren - Halifax
• Stephen Bobbitt 1 5 3 4 Warren - Halifax
• Lewis Bobbitt 1 4 4 1 Warren - Halifax
• Miles Bobbitt 2 1 6 0 Warren - Halifax
• John Bobbitt 2 1 1 12 Franklin-Halifax
• Turner Bobbitt 1 1 2 2 Franklin-Halifax
• William Bobbitt 1 0 1 0 Franklin-Halifax
• William Bobbitt 1 4 2 1 Franklin-Halifax
• Sherret Bobbitt 1 3 1 0 Halifax -Halifax
• Sion Bobbitt ... ... ... ... Orange -Hillsboro
• William Bobbitt 1 5 3 0 Granville - Hillsboro
• John Bobbitt 1 ... ... ... Granville-Hillsboro
• John Bobbitt 1 ... ... ... Sampson - Fayette
• David (Drury) Bobbitt 1 ... ... ... Sampson - Fayette

1790 SOUTH CAROLINA CENSUS

• Isham Bobbitt 2 5 5 0

Spartenburg Dist.961790 census for the state of Georgia is, missing.1790 census for the state of Virginia is made from tax lists.

The 1790 census of North Carolina lists the following Bobbitt families for Franklin and Granville counties.

FRANKLIN COUNTY:

• John Bobbitt 2 males over 16 1 male under 16 1 female
• Turner Bobbitt 1 male over 16 1 male under 16 2 females
• William Bobbitt 1 male over 16 0 males under 16 1 female
• William Bobbitt 1 male over 16 4 males under 16 2 females

GRANVILLE COUNTY:

William Bobbitt

• 1 male over 16
• 5 males under 16
• 3 females

John Bobbitt was a son of John Richard and Amy Bobbitt of Warren County. Turner Bobbitt was a son of William and Martha Bobbitt. William Bobbitt listed next was a brother of Turner Bobbitt and the next William Bobbitt is here listed with his wife, Lively (Hight) Bobbitt and seven of his children. The males had to be born between 1774 and 1790 to be under 16 years of age.

We are not able to identify the Bobbitt of Granville County. In some of the early records William Bobbitt of Granville County was not listed. In later records he is listed. Some genealogy notes say he was overlooked. Several studies suggest that the William Bobbitt of Granville County is the same Bobbitt family as listed in Franklin County and all our records seem to confirm this opinion.

In the 1900 census of Granville County, no Bobbitt families were listed. Bobbitt families of Franklin County were listed, which included John Bobbitt, Turner Bobbitt, and a William Bobbitt family.

William Bobbitt:

• 1 male under 10 (1790-1800)
• 1 female 45 & over ( 1755)
• 1 male 10 - 16 (1784-1790)
• 1 male 45 & over (....-1755)

This has to be William Bobbitt born in 1738. We believe that it is his second wife, Lively Hight, whom William married in 1788. The male under 10 is Archibald Bobbitt born in 1791. The male 10 to 16 is Allen Bobbitt born in 1789.

The relationship of members of this family to each other is complicated. There is a suggestions from the patterns of birth of the children that William Bobbitt may have been married three times. His first child was Turner Bobbitt and his last one Archibald Bobbitt.

William Bobbitt and his family was listed in the 1810 census of Franklin County.

• William Bobbitt: 2 males 16 - 26 (1784-1794)
• 1 female 16 - 26 (1784-1794) 1 male 45 & over (....-1765)
• 1 female 45 & over (....-1765)

The two males 16 - 26 are Allen Bobbitt born in 1789 and Archibald Bobbitt born in 1791. The female 16 to 26 is the wife of Allen Bobbitt. She was born in 1790 and they were married in 1808.

The children as near as we can determine from the records are;

Children of Martha Turner Bobbitt:

• Turner Bobbitt born 1764
• Charity Bobbitt born 1766
• Sion Bobbitt born 1767
• Solomon Bobbitt born 1769
• Amrilla Bobbitt born 1770
• William Bobbitt born 1774
• Britton Bobbitt born 1780
• Shadrack Bobbitt born 1783
• John Bobbitt born 1785

Children of Lively Hight Bobbitt:

• Allen Bobbitt born 1789
• Archibald Bobbitt born 1798

William Bobbitt Senior was not listed in the tax lists of Franklin County in 1820, although he was listed in 1819. We think that his second wife died in 1820 and in 1821, William went to Raleigh, North Carolina to live with a married daughter. According to a Raleigh newspaper story, William died on June 6, 1825 in his 87th year. He is believed to have been buried in Oakwood Cemetery, but I have not been able to find a record or to find his marked grave.

Although much of the data and proof for William Bobbitt is missing, a reading of the family land deeds recorded in both Granville and Franklin counties will support much of what is written here.

• William Bobbitt from Wales 1645 - 1703
• William Bobbitt Junior 1675 - 1738
• Lewis Bobbitt Senior 1704 - 1769
• William Bobbitt 1738 - 1725