Can we separate William Jackson from the mythical "Chief Bear Hart"? [closed]

+13 votes
1.3k views

"Chief Bear Hart" appears to be a mythical person created by Don Greene in his "Shawnee Heritage" books Shawnee Heritage III - Don Greene - Google Books  but he now appears in hundreds, if not thousands of trees including here on Wikitree.

According to some web sites he was:

Born and died in Alabama c. 1660-1775

Born and died in Virginia c. 1700-1775

Born and died in North Carolina c. 1700-1775

Married three times, to Nancy Baker, Mary Williams and/or Dorcas Green

Was a Catawba Indian, although he never lived where the Catawba lived

Was the father of Elizabeth Rachel Jackson Sizemore Jackson-1403 a woman born 400 miles from any of the places he lived

Was the son of "Chief Bear Hart" who lived in Alabama or of Thomas Jackson (also called Chief Bear Hart) of Virginia

There are endless variations on the theme none of which are supported by any historical records or documentation. "William Jackson" is a very common name; one of the Williams  wrote a will in Martin County, N.C. (Martin was originally part of Bertie) in 1775. North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:37SQ-29D9-BS9?cc=1867501&wc=32LR-ZNL%3A169765601%2C170359801 That man had a daughter Elizabeth married name Edwards but is attached here as the father of Elizabeth Rachel Jackson Sizemore, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Jackson-1403 born in "Wilkes, North Carolina" in 1728.  

A man named Thomas Jackson made his will in Bertie County, N.C. in 1746 and named a son William. 

WikiTree profile: William Jackson
closed with the note: Profiles separated
in Genealogy Help by Kathie Forbes G2G6 Pilot (998k points)
closed by Kathie Forbes
I think we can close this thread; I've removed reference to Chief Bear Hart in his nickname and added/edited a research note.

3 Answers

+10 votes
Yes, please, let's iron this out! The man with the will in Martin County is my ancestor. Fixing the William Jackson situation has been on my list of todos, but I always got hung up because people seem to be attached to this legend.  

Bad news or good news, depending on how you look at it: there is another William Jackson profile to which the Martin Co. man's children are attached. It also quotes the Martin County will, but asserts he was born and died in Pasquotank Co. He has two wives, one of which is Mary Williams (who I suspect is the correct wife for the Martin Co. man).  

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Jackson-17927

This seems to be a conflation of two people.   How this happened despite the presence of two unique sets of children listed right there in the bio boggles the mind.  

I doubt that William Jackson of Martin County ever lived in Pasquotank, and I doubt he was a Quaker.

I believe his wife was probably Mary Williams. I don't know where Dorcas Green comes in. His son Edward has dupes, both attached as children (one of them having taken on the birthplace of Pasquotank but s/b Tyrell or Bertie). The only purported child that doesn't seem to belong is Moses.
by Daphne Maddox G2G6 Mach 3 (32.4k points)
edited by Daphne Maddox
I just put a comment on this other profile to invite the profile mangers to join the discussion.
Thomas and William Jackson have a lot of deeds in Bertie, Edgecombe, Halifax and Martin Cos. I haven't checked Pitt Co., yet, there may be some there, too. I have started to locate the deeds and abstract them, with the expectation that I will at least be able to tie William to Thomas by the land bequeathed from father to son in then-Bertie county. I've been working on it on my phone and it is getting late, will return to this tomorrow on my laptop and get something written up.

I got a bit sidetracked seeking the origins of Thomas Jackson (which may be in Maryland), but I'm putting that aside now to return to the next generation, including proof, if proof be found, that he was father of William of Martin County. I must say that I would be more tentative, now, concluding that no one in this family was ever a Quaker, as a number of Thomas' associates are marked jurat in deeds. I am hoping to put up a detailed profile of Thomas' records this evening, though it may slip to tomorrow.

I think it is very safe to say that the William Jackson who executed his last will in 1774 in Martin C. is not a son of Daniel Jackson of Pasquotank Co., because we see Daniel's son living in Pasquotank in 1754 and 1764, transacting on land involving his brother Daniel Jackson, Jr.... e.g.,

8 Nov 1754: William Jackson of Pasquotank to Daniel Jackson. Wits. Moses Jackson, David [D] Jackson.<ref>William Jackson to Daniel Jackson, 8 November 1754. "Deed records, 1700-1910; general index, 1700-1915. Deed records, v. F-G 1755-1761." ''FamilySearch,'' film # 7,517,573, [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9983-6GQX page F&G:11 / image 14].</ref>

20 Nov 1764 William Jackson of Pasquotank Co. to Patrick Pool of same, 112A bounded by land sd. Pool has lately taken up and a piece of land sd. Pool purchased of Daniel Jackson.<ref>William Jackson to Patrick Pool, 20 November 1764. North Carolina. County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions (Pasquotank County). "Deed records, 1700-1910; general index, 1700-1915. Deed records, v. D-E 1761-1770." ''FamilySearch,'' film # 7,517,574, [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L983-6VQ8 page D&E:300 / image 306].</ref>

... and meanwhile, William Jackson of the Tyrrel Co./Edgecombe Co. border region (later becoming Martin County) appears there:

13 November 1754: John (x) Williams ''late of Tyrrel Co.'' to William Jackson of Tyrrel Co., for divers causes and £20 current money of Virginia, 225A ''partly in Tyrrel Co. and partly in Edgecombe Co.,'' bounded beg. a pine Daniel McLains or McLams corner tree mentioned in a deed from Earl Granville date 31 Oct 1752, running E 220 poles then W 220 poles then S 220 poles to the first station [these bounds are missing a northward line, see the following], being half of land granted in aforesaid deed from Granville to said WIlliams, being half of land granted 31 Oct 1752 to said Williams, with houses, orchards, etc. Wits. Humphry Bate, Sarah Bate, Ann Grish.<ref>John Williams to William Jackson, 13 November 1754. North Carolina. County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions (Tyrrell County). Deeds, 1736-1920; general index to deeds, 1729-1961. Deeds, v. 1-3 1736-1759." ''FamilySearch,'' film # 7,519,076,  [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G98Q-3XNT page 3:62 / image 507].</ref>

25 June 1774: William Jackson of Martin Co. to Bila Williams Jackson, for divers causes and L50 current money of North Carolina, 225A in Martin Co., b. beg. a pine Daniel McLams or McLains corner tree mentioned in deed from Earl Granville date 31 Oct 1752, running E 220 poles, N 200 poles, W 220 poles and S 200 poles, with houses, orchards, etc., being one [half] of grant from Granville to John Williams. Wits. Sam'l Turner Everitt, John Lewelling, Nathan Mayo.<ref>William Jackson to Bila Williams Jackson, 25 June 1774. Martin County (North Carolina). Register of Deeds. "Deeds, 1774-1941; index to real estate conveyances, 1772-1963. Deeds, vol. A Jan 1774-Sep 1787." ''FamilySearch,'' film # 7,548,557, [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9DX-W45D page A:33 / image 32].</ref>

I also now believe it is unlikely that this William Jackson was a son of Thomas Jackson of Bertie Co. If Thomas Jackson named his children in age-order in his last will, then his son William was born around 1740 -- too young to be buying land in Tyrrel in 1754.

I have to finish abstracting deeds in Edgecombe Co., and I need to track down deeds in Halifax Co. (the indexes there are a mess), but I am starting to suspect Thomas' son was living in Halifax Co. after the decease of the Martin Co. man. This is all complicated by the creation of Halifax Co. and later Martin Co. where the border of Edgecombe and Tyrrel had been in the earlier part of the 1750s.

Daphne,

When you can, can you please revisit these two different William Jacksons? I want to make sure we've correctly distinguished them. Specifically:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Jackson-2830

And

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Jackson-17927

Many thanks.

+2 votes
There a Jackson DNA-Project website at https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/jackson/about
by Rose Edwards G2G6 Mach 2 (20.3k points)
+2 votes

Abstract of Records compiled from the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Chowan County at Edenton, N.C. Hathaway's vol. 1

Att a General Court, held ye 27 September ,1670, at ye house of Sam'l Davis, for ye County of Albemarle, in ye Province of Carolina.(etc)

Will Jacson , petition ye Court Robert Bono, deceased , gave him all he had, and having proved by Thos. Simons, and Wm. Simons, there oath yt Wm. Jackson is ye lawful Executor, it is ordered yt said Jackson is possessed of the said Bono estate.

Abemarle ss. Willm. Jackson, planter,234 acres, Pasquotank Precinct, for transportation of 5 persons,16 Mar. 1693/4.The persons are Wm. Jackson Eliz. his wife a Negro named Nell, Robert Bonane, Isaac Skinner and the remaining 16 acres entered into the warrent.

Albemarle County.

February 21, 1695-1696. March Court, 1697. Sons: Will Jackson, Jr., Zachariah, David, Samuel, Daniel (plantation on the easternmost branch of Herrin Creek). Daughter: Ruth Davis. Wife: Elizabeth Jackson. Executors: Zachariah and Daniel Jackson. Witnesses: Hugh Campbell, Rich'd Plater, Wm. Sims

Location: N.E. side of Little river of Herring creek swamp

 Source:

Daniel Jackson, "William Jackson" in Re: Jacksons in Albemarle In reply to: Jacksons in Albemarle/Perquamins by Janice Patterson, Online Forum Message Posted to Genealogy.com Forum; Surnames; Jackson on 6 Jun 2011. (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/jackson/21333/)

by Rose Edwards G2G6 Mach 2 (20.3k points)

Hi Rose, please see my most recent comment under my answer, above -- the records pretty clearly reflect that William of Pasquotank was not the same as William of Tyrrel/Edgecombe/Martin Cos.

I have not included all of the deeds of the Pasquotank family here -- for more, you can find them from the index pages:

Jackson grantees in Pasquotank: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L98Y-JSYT

Jackson grantors in Pasquotank: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9983-N3MY

I think we need to start thinking about whether it is best to create a new profile for the Pasquotank Co. man or a new profile for the Martin Co. man, and then split up their information/children.

My inclination would be to create a new profile for the Pasquotank Co. man, since all of the Martin Co. man's children are attached to to Jackson-17927.

Thoughts?

Daphne,

I think your proposal is a good one. Create a profile for the Pasquotank man.
It's on my list of to-dos... meaning I will plan to do it, but I don't know when. :/

I have not had a lot of time for concerted genealogical research and documentation lately, and find myself spread too thin, with too many ancestors and associates whose profiles need improvement. I have research from two years ago that I have yet to formalize into profiles, leaving whole sections of my tree blank, for want of time to turn my notes into profiles.

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