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Richard Thompson Land Grant

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0412

  • Staff Only

This land grant records Richard Thompson's purchase of 200 acres in Hinds Valley for 50 shillings per acre. It was recorded in New Bern (Hawkins County) North Carolina, which has since become part of Knox County, Tennessee. The extensive description of boundary markers and neighboring plots is blotted and hard to read in parts. The document is witnessed by His Excellency Richard Dobbs Spaight, Governor, Captain General, and commander in Chief of North Carolina.

Dates

  • 1793 March 16

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (1 oversize folder)

Abstract

This land grant records Richard Thompson's purchase of 200 acres in Hinds Valley for 50 shillings per acre. It was recorded in New Bern (Hawkins County) North Carolina, which has since become part of Knox County, Tennessee. The extensive description of boundary markers and neighboring plots is blotted and hard to read in parts. The document is witnessed by His Excellency Richard Dobbs Spaight, Governor, Captain General, and commander in Chief of North Carolina.

Biographical/Historical Note

No biographical information is available regarding Richard Thompson beyond the fact that his 200 acres were originally granted to James King in 1779.

Richard Dobbs Spaight was born on March 25, 1758 in New Bern, North Carolina to Richard and Mary (Dobbs) Spaight. His parents died while he was young, so he was raised by relatives in Ireland and attended the University of Glasgow. Spaight returned to North Carolina in 1778 and served in the North Carolina Militia, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and mustering out in July of 1780. He married Mary Leach on March 24, 1795 and they had three children, including Richard Dobbs Jr. (1796-1850), who served as the 27th governor of North Carolina. Spaight was also active in politics, serving in the State House of Commons (1779-1783), in the Continental Congress (1783-1785), as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention (1787) and the State Ratification Convention (1789), as Governor of North Carolina (1792-1795), and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1798-1801). He returned to the North Carolina Senate in 1801 and was shot during a duel with his Congressional successor, John Stanly (1774-1834). Spaight died of his wounds on September 6, 1802 and is buried in New Bern, North Carolina.

Arrangement

This collection consists of a single folder.

Acquisition Note

Mrs. Kenneth W. Shirley donated this document to Special Collections in September of 1967 by way of the Frank H. McClung Museum.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480