Quarles Family Research Site: South Carolina
Notes: Moses Quarles [1728-1801]

Prince William County, VA. Deed Book L, Page 21, June 26, 1749. Moses Quarles acknowledged he had received from Col. Thomas Harrison L35,18s, 2 1/2d which was Moses’ part of the estate of John Quarles. John Quarles died about 1729 [Stafford County, VA Tithables, 1730]. John’s wife Anne married Thomas Harrison about 1731 [Five Generations of the Family of Burr Harrison of Virginia, John P. Alcock]. The money Moses acknowledged receiving was his portion of his father’s estate which his step-father John Harrison had held until Moses’ reached twenty-one.

{Several published genealogies show Moses as the son of an older Moses Quarles [ca 1695-ca 1734], John Quarles’ brother and the younger Moses’ uncle. Although that relationship is possible, no proof has been found the elder Moses was married before his marriage to Seth Linton several years after Moses was born.}

Land Patent Brunswick County, VA, (Date uncertain) Moses acquired 88 acres on Red Oak Run in northern Brunswick County, VA, before 1755. Among his close neighbors were James and Hubbard Quarles. Hubbard had descendants named Moses. It is not known who were the parents of James and Hubbard. It is even possible they were cousins rather than brothers, and cousins of Moses [1728-1801].
James and/or Hubbard provide a fairly strong argument that the older Moses [ca 1695-ca 1734] actually did have a first marriage, a record of which has not been found. The younger Moses disposed of his Brunswick County, VA land in 1755.

Granville County Tax Lists 1755, 1761, 1762, 1764. Moses Quarles’ name is on each of these tax lists. Since lists 1756-1760 and 1763 have not been found, it is reasonable to assume Moses was a Granville County resident from 1755 through 1764. NC tax lists for the period record males over 16. Moses is the only one male shown in Moses’ household.

Granville County, NC, Deed Book F, pages 156 and 157. Moses bought 267 acres from Margaret Boggan. The land was on Knap of Reeds Creek north of the present Town of Butner, NC. Knap of Reeds Creek has silted up and become sluggish in the 240 years since Moses owned land along this waterway. It had a flow large enough to operate a waterwheel mill in Moses’ day. The same can be said about Red Oak Run in Brunswick County, VA, the site of Moses’ earlier holdings.

Granville County, NC, Deed Book G, page 360. Moses sold his Granville County land in 1764. No wife signed away her dower rights on the last deed, legally indicating Moses had no wife when he left Granville. The practice of a wife signing away her dower rights was sometimes ignored in colonial NC, so there is evidence Moses was a widower in 1764, but the evidence isn’t conclusive. The span of years between the birth years of Moses’ last two known sons, David and John, [David ca 1760, John ca 1773] suggests Moses’ first wife died before 1764.

NC Land Grants, File #1337, Book 18, pages 242 and 243. Moses got a grant of 200 acres on both sides of Kings Creek just east of the Broad River near the present Gaffney, SC. The site was believed to be in Mecklenburg County, NC, at the time of Moses’ grant, 1765. When the error in locating the NC/SC border was discovered, Moses and his neighbors successfully petitioned King George to have their grants made valid in Craven [later York] County, SC. [See Mecklenburg County, NC Deed Book 3, pages 149 and 150; Colonial Records of NC, Vol. IX, pages 1260-1263 and Vol. XI, pages 250-254]. Kings Creek was, and still is a good site for a colonial style water wheel.

York County, SC, Deed Book C, page 47. Moses sold his land along Kings Creek July 3, 1773. Moses was identified as a miller. Moses’ wife Sarah signed the will, indicating this was Moses’ last property in York County and she was signing away her dower rights to the property. [See discussion of forfeited lands,below.]

Union County, SC, Deed Book A, pages 201 and 202. Moses Quarles bought 150 acres on the west side of the Broad River, including an island in the river, December 2, 1773. The location was just south of the present Lockhart, SC.

British Sympathizers Jailed at Ninety-Six, SC Archives. During the Revolution Moses Quarles was found guilty of sedition by the American Court at Ninety-Six, SC. He was jailed at Ninety-Six for about three months, then sent along with other Loyalists to be a ward of the British at Orangeburg and at Charleston for the duration of the Revolution.

Forfeited Lands of Loyalists, Letter and List of Col. William Bratton, SC Archives. Moses’ York County land was made subject to confiscation after the Revolution because of his sympathies to the British during the War. There is no record of any land of Moses having been confiscated, even though Moses sold York County land in 1788 that he had owned since 1767. It is possible Moses and his oldest son, Thomas, shifted land ownership between them to avoid adverse happenings such as confiscation. For instance, Moses was granted 200 acres along Kings Creek in 1765. Thomas recorded possession of the grant in 1772. Moses sold the grant in 1773. Another example: Moses bought 150 acres on Wolf Creek adjacent to his Kings Creek land in 1767 [Mecklenburg County, NC, Deed Book #3, pages 149 and 150. The land was actually in York County, SC.] His wife, Sarah, signed off on the “last” piece of Moses’ York County land in 1773 [See above]. Moses sold his Wolf Creek land in 1788 after she had released her rights to the “last” York County land Moses supposedly owned [York County, SC, Deed Book D, pages 167-170]. Thomas Quarles witnessed the sale.

Union County, SC, RMC Book A, pages 80-82 and 211-213. In 1885 Moses sold his original Union County land, then bought acreage adjacent to it from the same individual. The Revolution had ended only two years before. Presumably, Moses had been back home less than two years. What kind of reception would a Loyalist have gotten on his return? There were a lot of Loyalists in upstate SC before, during and after the Revolution. Most folks just wished the warring parties would have done their shooting somewhere else.

Spartanburg County, SC, Deed Book F, page 199. In 1799, Moses Quarles bought 65 acres near the Pacolet River, adjacent to David Quarles east of Spartanburg.

Minutes of Spartanburg County, SC, Court of the Ordinary [1801], page 8. David Quarles was appointed administrator of the estate of Moses Quarles, deceased, October 1, 1801. David declined, and the Court did not pursue the matter. David and his wife, Anna, sold Moses’ 65 acres in 1808. [Spartanburg County, SC, Deed Book R, page 142.]

Censuses:

1790, Union County, SC: Moses [over 16], another male over 16, one male less than 16, four females.

1800, Spartanburg County, SC: Moses [over 45], one male 26-45, one male under 10, one female over 45, one female 26-45.

[Research of James Foster: May 14, 2004]

The Quarles Family Research Site
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~quarles/
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Last Updated: Sunday, 09-Sep-2018 06:59:05 MDT

Copyright © 2004 Myra Quarles Brown