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Amber Dalakas
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SIMON DEHART THROUGH STEPHEN H. DEHART
Simon DeHart, Jr. was born sometime before 1730. He was the oldest son of Simon DeHart and Aylse Eleson. He was also the older brother of Elias and Aaron DeHart. I have found very few traces of Simon, Jr.'s life but I have been able to put together a picture of part of his movements by the land grants, land patents, deeds, and court records. From these records I have made the following observations about his life.
The earliest record I found was a deed in which Simon, Jr. bought land from his brother, Elias, in the county of Amherst in 1762. (Book A, pg. 68 of the Amherst Co. Deed records.)
In May, 1768, a judgement was delivered against Simon DeHart in the Augusta Co. Court by Thomas McFarron for sundries.
There was also a brief mention of Simon DeHart in the surveyors book for Augusta Co. on 4 Aug. 1767. The surveyor entered a 400 acre tract of land with the following description "also 400 acres above and to the south side of Israel Christian's land on Craigs Creek where Simon DeHart lives.
The next official trace of Simon, Jr. was on 2 June 1770 when he sold 108 acres of land to his brother, Aaron in Amherst Co. for the sum of 5 shillings. This deed is recorded in Book C, pg. 88 of the Amherst Co. Deed Book. It was in this particular deed that Simon's wife's name is mentioned for the first time as being Rachel. After a careful check I have determined that this land which the deed stated lies on both sides of porridge creek was actually part of the original grant that his brother Elias, received from the King of England in 1760.
The next mention of Simon Jr. was a land patent issued in his name of 1 August 1772. This was in Augusta co. on Craigs Creek. It seems that Simon was probably homesteading on this land before he received the Land Patent. All indications point to this being previously unsettled land.
The final official record I found on Simon Jr. was on 9 July 1788 in Botetourt Co. in the form of a land grant from the Commonwealth of Va. It consisted of 200 acres on the north bank of Craigs Creek. This land, I believe, is probably adjoining the land in the 1772 Patent because after reading the two documents one can see that both documents mention a Colonel Potter's land as adjoining Simon DeHart's land. I believe this proves that the two documents are talking about he same general area even though two separate counties are involved. Also Botetourt Co. was formed from Augusta Co. in 1770 - so the Grant of 1788 in Botetourt Co. could be adjoining the (*handwritten note inserted says lands*) in the 1772 Land Patent of Augusta Co.
I am willing to draw another conclusion after careful study of the county formation maps and dates. This conclusion is that I believe this area of land was also very near to the land in Amherst Co. on porridge Creek where Aaron and Elias lived and where Simon also lived before he migrated west into the unsettled land on Craigs Creek.
1788 was the last record I have been able to locate to date involving Simon DeHart, Jr. However, I think with further research I will be able to locate more records on Simon, Jr. which positively will tie the Simon DeHart on Craigs Creek to the man of the same name on Porridge Creek in Amherst. Co. The two areas are very near each other geographically.
Mail to:
Amber Dalakas
Last updated: Thursday, 25-Apr-2024 09:54:37 MDT