The Pettyjohn family was among one of the early settlers in the Piedmont
section of eastern North Carolina in the mid eighteenth century. The
Pettyjohns, along with other allied families, came to North Carolina from Sussex
County, Delaware. They began their expedition southwest through Maryland and
crossed through the striking and vast Shenandoah Valley. The settlers crossed
the Blue Ridge Mountains surely stimulated by the sight of the Great Smoky
Mountains and slowly made their trek down the Great Wagon Road. They Pettyjohns
crossed the Yadkin River and settled on the North Fork of Deep Creek in the
Gransville District of Rowan County.
The Pettyjohns, along with the Skidmores settled along the North Deep Creek
in Rowan County. In 1771, Surry County was formed from Rowan County. According
to Fred Hughes' "Historic Land Grant Map of Yadkin County," John
Pettyjohn is listed with two land grants in 1784 in section B3 and C4, which
would presently be located southeast of the towns of Boonville and Yadkinville
respectively. The word Yadkin, which was derived from Yattken or Yattkin, is a
siouan Indian word that may mean "big tree" or "place of big
trees." In this period, the Cherokee, Tutelo, Saponi, and Keyauwee Indians
inhabited the Yadkin area. This region, the Yadkin area of the Piedmont section
of North Carolina, can be described as flat, rich lands interlaced with creeks,
hills and wooded areas. The first record that mentions Pettyjohns in Surry
County was the will of Sara Pettyjohn's brother Henry Skidmore. On November 7,
1774, John Pettyjohn and his brother James Pettyjohn were recorded in the will
of John Pettyjohn's brother-in-law, Henry Skidmore:
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I:32a. Will of Henry (x) Skidmore, very sick, 7 Nov. 1774.
Wife, Elizabeth. Sons: John, Thomas & Abraham. 3 daus: Jane, Mary
Elizabeth. Exrs: sons John & Thomas. Wit: Abraham Potter, James Petty
John, John Pette John. Prvd by last two & rec. Feb. Ct. 1775. [Note: The
names of Henry and Elisa Skidmore appear on the 1759 Rowan co. tax list. In
1770 in Rowan Henry Skidmore was overseer of the road from the Shallowford to
Hunting Creek, RC Min. of P & QS 3:171. The Skidmores came to Rowan from
Sussex Co., DE. There are extant estates papers at the NC Archives.] See 1:60.
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John Pettyjohn was one of the original settlers in the South Yadkin area who
arrived before the American Revolution. Like all other able-bodied men under
50, John Pettyjohn enrolled in the Surry County militia company, and thus it
happened that he saw military service during the Revolution against the British,
Tories, and their Indian allies in North Carolina. As a reward for his fighting
in the war, he was granted 200 acres of land north of Yadkinville along the
North fork of Deep Creek. The following is a excerpt in condensed form from the
land grant that John Pettyjohn received in 1782: "John Pettyjohn is
granted 200 acres of land, lying and being in our county of Surry and on a small
branch of the North fork of Deep Creek, 100 shillings and as the General
Assembly may direct. Signed, Alexander Martin, Esquire, our Governor, Captain
and commander in chief, at Fairfield, on October 24th in the 7th
year of our independence and in the year of our Lord 1782."
On September 8, 1778, John Pettyjohn was recorded entering 200 acres of land
in Surry County on a branch of the North Fork of Deep Creek. *Note: according
to the land records obtained from the North Carolina State Archives, John
Pettyjohn received a grant for 200 acres of land entered February 12, 1779 and
issued on October 24, 1782. The grant was signed by Joseph Winston, Entry
Officer of Claims for Lands in the County of Surry and ordered to be survey as
observed in the directions of the Act of Assembly of North Carolina:
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No. 689
W. Granted. |
John Pettyjohn enters two hundred acres of land, Surry County, on a small
branch of the North Fork of Deep Creek, beginning at a forked white Oak, at John
Williams' beginning of an Entry of land including his Improvements.
September 8, 1778 |
According to the above land entry and the order from Joseph Winston to
survey the land, Henry Speer, a known surveyor, large landowner and referred to
as Colonel Speer, surveyed and reported to the state the following document:
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State of N. Carolina
Surry County |
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This plan represents a track of Land Surveyd for John Pettijohn on a branch
of Deep Creek Beginning at a forked white oak John Williams corner running then
North twenty Degrees East Fifteen Chains to a Stake thence North forty Degrees
East three chains to a white oak thence North twenty five degrees East three
chains to a poplar thence North forty Degrees East crossing said Branch Three
times four chains to a poplar these Being lines agreed on By said Pettijohn and
Peter Miers thence East ten Chains to a white oak thence North sixty five
Degrees East crossing said Branch fifteen and a half Chains to a Spanish oak a
line Agreed on By said Pettijohn And Samuel Brown thence East twenty seven
Chains to a gum thence South forty five Chains to a Spanish oak thence West
Eighteen Chains Chains to a white oak said Williams's Corner thence along this
line to the Beginning Including two Hundred acres surveyd August 15th,
1779.
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Sworn Ch Crs |
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Peter Miers
Henry S.Pettijohn |
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Henry Speer
For Robt. Lanier | |
Map of Yadkin County, North Carolina
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