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In 1739 there was a mass movement of Quakers into the County of Caroline. Thomas and John Pleasants were among the leaders of these Quakers, even though they probably never lived in Caroline. There were more Quakers in Caroline than in any other part of the Colony of Virginia. They did not confine themselves to this county but spilled over into the surrounding counties of Hanover, Spottsylvania and Louisa. They were a kind and gentle people and were opposed to slavery. They established Meetings throughout this area. In the era in which we are living, it may be difficult to imagine why such people were persecuted; but it must be remembered that at that time we had one Established Church, and it was supported by taxation from all the people. Any movement of dissenting beliefs would affect the status quo. It was not in the interest of the ministers of the Established Church to see these group becoming organized. However, in many cases they were overlooked by the ministers of the Church, as they were not too numerous. As they increased in numbers, some of the more zealous ministers, becoming alarmed, took measures to suppress them. This was especially true in the County of Louisa where the resident minister took court action against some of the leaders of the Quakers, causing them to disperse. The years 1754-55 and '56 were years of a terrible drought in the Caroline-Louisa section of Virginia. Too, the French and Indian War was in progress. Many Quakers at this time, due to these causes and to more strict regulations against them, moved away from this section to make homes in Bedford County and Southwest Virginia, with many going on into North Carolina. As they penetrated the frontier, getting away from the more settled portions of the State, they found the Established Church with less influence, and they were allowed more freedom in their worship. Especially was this true in the Colony of North Carolina, where in some areas the majority of the population were Quakers. Some of those going into the Bedford and Southwest Virginia area met with resistance from the Indians to such an extent that they were forced to give up their homes. Meeting Houses were abandoned, and they retreated eastward or went to the South ? to North and South Carolina. Only one of their early Meeting Houses in this area remains today in mute testimony to these good and kind pioneer settlers. This stone building stands on the southern edge of the City of Lynchburg. No longer are Quakers to be found in Caroline, Hanover, Louisa and Southwest Virginia. They flourished for a while, but gave away to the various denominations which sprang up just prior to, and following, the American Revolution. During this time the population seemed bent on ridding themselves of all things English, including the Established Church, and the rise of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. took control of the religious minds of the people. Some of the early Meeting Houses, or places of worship, in this section of Virginia for the people called Quakers were: Cedar Creek Meeting, established in 1721 in Hanover County, near the junction of the North and South Anna Rivers. This Meeting could have been attended by communicants living in nearby Louisa, Caroline and King William, as well as Hanover. In 1730 Fork Creek Meeting was established in Louisa, south of the South Anna River, and near the county lines of Goochland and Fluvanna. This Meeting, or Church, was within traveling distance for the early settlers of Fluvanna, Goochland, and Louisa. In 1739 Cedar Creek Meeting was established in Caroline and could have served settlers in Louisa, Hanover and Spottsylvania. In 1744 Camp Creek Meeting was established in Louisa, south of the South Anna River and near the Fluvanna and Albemarle County line. Settlers from the counties of Fluvanna and Albemarle, as well as Louisa, could have attended this Meeting. The site of the Camp Creek Meeting has been pointed out to the writer, but there are no visible signs that a building ever stood there. The Church stood on highway No. 613 between Trevillians and Zion Crossroads, and near Poindexter Post Office, and thus near the crossing of the north-south and east-west highways. This Meeting, standing in the famous Green Springs Area, was established largely through the efforts of the Haley family, landowners of the area, who had pushed westward from some of the earlier Meetings, especially Fork Creek Meeting. Camp Creek Meeting did not long survive as the Haleys, the leaders of the Meeting, left the area, moving west or south. Camp Creek was discontinued in 1753, with its members joining the Cedar Creek Meeting. Camp Creek and Cedar Creek Meetings should, therefore, be treated as one. The discontinuance of this little Meeting place shows the power of the State in controlling the minds of the people. John Haley of Louisa, who was born circa 1700, was the progenitor of the Quaker family of Louisa. He was probably the son of John Haley of King and Queen, though we cannot be positive, due to the burning of the Court House of that county by the United States Army. John Haley, the Quaker, first appears when he patented a tract of land in Hanover County. A few years later on the 15th of March in 1741, he patented a 377 acre tract of land lying west of Staunton River in the County of Brunswick. This tract would have been then on the frontier, far removed from home and friends. Perhaps he intended removing to this isolated spot; but for some reason unknown, he appears never to have done so, but instead sold the tract to relatives, the Clarks, all relatives of the Clark family which was later to be immortalized by the exploits of the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Western part of the United States. The sale of this tract was made on October 1, 1743, and thus took place before the three-year period had expired, which would have caused the tract to revert to the Crown. It is interesting here to note that John Haley was always interested in the frontier. His first purchase of land in Hanover was in the western portion of that county. However, as population increased sufficiently for a new county to be created on the frontier in 1742, his 400 acre plantation was found to be located in the area to be formed from Hanover into a new county called Louisa, in honor of the Princess Louisa, daughter of King George II of England and wife of Frederick V, King of Denmark. His purchase of the tract in Brunswick lay on the north side of Difficult Creek, from its mouth on Staunton River, up the Creek, then across to Staunton River, and down the river to the mouth of Difficult Creek. When patented, the tract was in Brunswick, but with population increase, the western portion of Brunswick was cut to form Lunenburg, and the tract was found to be located in the new County of Lunenburg. Still later, (with population increases) when the western portion of Lunenburg was severed to create a new County called Halifax, the 377 acre tract was found to be in Halifax. So, always, John Haley was to be in the forefront of those on the western frontier of his time. He seems to have been oblivious to hardships and fears of Indian attacks, and to have been among the leaders in settling lands to the west, as fast as the British Government opened up land for settlement. This bravery and fearlessness distinguished him as one of the unsung heroes in the development of the western country, where the more timid were less anxious to venture until peace and calm prevailed. John Haley's name first appeared among the Quakers when he signed a marriage certificate at Fork Creek Meeting in Louisa County on September 8, 1746. He was overseer of this Fork Creek Meeting for many years, and lived in the vicinity of this Meeting for many years, and died in this vicinity. On May 8, 1758, perhaps on account of age, he requested release as overseer of Fork Creek Meeting. He is mentioned as a member of Fork Creek Meeting on August 12, 1769, when his son John Haley was disowned. On April 25, 1772, John Haley of the Parish of Fredericksville, and County of Louisa, was granted Power of Attorney by William Haley, Senior, of the Province of North Carolina and County of Anson, to dispose of 400 acres of his land on Fork Creek in Louisa County, Virginia. John Haley therefore granted to William Haley, Junior, son of William Haley, Senior, of Anson County, North Carolina, the 400 acres on Fork Creek, with his son John Haley as a witness. On March 17, 1777, John Haley of Louisa sold to Richard Davis Hines of Goochland a tract of land consisting of 400 acres in Louisa for £60. Witnesses were his sons, John Haley and Benjamin Haley. This appears to be the final land transaction of John Haley, the Quaker, of Louisa. John Haley, it is believed, married a sister of Francis Clark, the son of John Clark. Both Francis Clark and John Haley were members of the Fork Creek Meeting in Louisa until Francis was disowned for using compliments on February 11, 1769. John, however, continued a member of Fork Creek until his death. His wife preceded him in death and is not mentioned in his will. To this union was born nine children: Tabitha Haley, Ursula Haley, Sarah Haley, Delila Haley, William Haley, Benjamin Haley, Randolph Haley, John Haley, and Bartlett Haley. John Haley's will was drawn in Louisa on January 20, 1777. He was deceased and his will admitted to probate on the 13th of April, 1778. His entire life was spent as a subject of his Majesty the King of England. He did not live to see his country severed from the mother country of England. How he felt is unknown, but he was too old to have participated. Some of his sons were drafted and forced into the Army, even with their Quaker background. Perhaps though their religious training may have weakened, or as that great Quaker General Greene, they may not have objected to the bearing of arms and served willingly. It is not possible to follow the progeny of John of Louisa in its entirety. However, mention will be made of some. John Haley, Junior, son of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa purchased 150 acres in Louisa on January 12, 1746. He probably made his home on this tract, which was located on branches of Roundabout Creek, near the Three Chopt Road, and along the Louisa and Fluvanna County line. His farm would have been near the present Highway No. 250 from Richmond to Charlottesville and very near Ferncliffe. Twenty-eight years later, on August 8, 1774, John Haley of Louisa sold this tract of land to Thomas Farrar of Goochland County for £75. Living up to the standards of the Quaker doctrine must have been very difficult, and many found it impossible. Any member found guilty of violating the tenets of his religion was dismissed from membership, after all that could be done to cause him to return had failed. Therefore, on July 12, 1769, "John Haley, son of John Haley of Louisa, was disowned for deviating from true plainness of speech and behavior, frequenting places of diversion, etc." One would wonder today at the places of diversion in the vicinity of Ferncliffe. Perhaps in that distant age, there may have been a tavern or saloon, etc., in the neighborhood. John Haley, Junior, still owned land in Louisa in 1789 and was probably living in the county at that time, though nothing further is known of him there, and he moved to Kentucky. On the first of October, 1805, John and Randolph Haley, both of Kentucky, sold 100 acres of land in Louisa County, Virginia, to Thomas Jennings and John Lea, both of Louisa. John probably spent his last years and died in Kentucky. It had been thought that Judith Haley of Louisa was the daughter of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa. However, she is not mentioned among the children in his will. She is mentioned, however, as being the daughter of John Haley of Louisa. Therefore, she has to be the daughter of John Haley, Junior. Judith Haley was married on the 12th of November, 1758, to William Diggs, the son of Marshall Diggs, deceased, of Louisa. To this union was born six children: Sarah Diggs, Rebecckah Diggs, Agnes Diggs, William Diggs, Pleasant Diggs, and Marshall Diggs. On November 12, 1768, Marshall Diggs and family were granted a certificate to another Quaker Meeting, probably in the State of North Carolina. They may also have lived in Kentucky before moving finally to Indiana, as the Quakers were opposed to slavery. Indiana, or any place above the Ohio River, appealed to them. Tabitha Haley, the daughter of John Haley, Senior, and granddaughter of Frances Clark, was married to James Dyches on the 8th of November, 1773, in the County of Goochland, though they were living in Louisa. Later they moved to Kentucky and were living there in 1832, probably in the County of Fayette. Sarah Haley, the daughter of John Haley, Senior, and granddaughter of Frances Clark of Louisa, was married on September 28, 1779, to Will Dyches in Goochland, though they were residents of Louisa. They probably moved to Kentucky. Delila (Delany) Haley, the daughter of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa and granddaughter of Frances Clark, was married on January 10, 1779, to Henry Dyches in Goochland, though they were residents of Louisa. They moved to Kentucky. Descendants of one of the above daughters lives today in the State of Nebraska. Ursula Haley, the daughter of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa and granddaughter of Frances Clark, was married to a Crews. On the 13th of April, 1771, she was given a "paper of denial" for marrying out of unity, "by an hireling priest." Her sisters above were also married out of unity and were probably also given letters of denial. Bartlett Haley, the son of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa, and John Clark were placed under the care of the Fork Creek Monthly Meeting on March 11, 1769. This was probably due to their fighting. Bartlett was married shortly after this date to Jean Stratham, the daughter of John and Martha Stratham. The marriage was performed in Goochland County. He was, therefore, on May 20, 1769, disowned for having married out of unity with Fork Creek Meeting and by a priest, and also for fighting. Their first child, Charles Haley, was born on August 16, 1770, and was baptized on December 3, 1770. (Douglas Register). On December 28, 1782, John Stratham and Martha his wife, of Albemarle and Louisa, sold to Bartlett Haley a 125 acre tract on the branches of Horsepen fork of Roundabout Creek for £200. William Haley, the brother of Bartlett, was a witness. Sometime after this, Bartlett and family moved across the county line into Albemarle County. On the 12th day of September, 1791, Bartlett Haley, his wife Jean, and son Charles, of Albemarle County, sold to John Smith 225 acres for £140 lying on Roundabout Creek in Louisa. Bartlett and family removed from Virginia to Kentucky, probably following this sale. He was living in the County of Lincoln in Kentucky in 1810. Randolph (Randall) Haley, the son of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa, was born in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1755. He married Agnes Clark, who died in Fayette County, Kentucky, in 1829.
The first half of the life of Randolph Haley was spent in the County of Louisa in Virginia, while the latter half was spent in Fayette County, Kentucky. There were so many Randolph Haleys, it is difficult to determine who was who among them. It is believed that Randolph Haley, the first of the name in Kentucky, left several children, among whom were: Coleman Haley, who married Mary Ann Vance, the daughter of Patrick Vance. At Patrick Vance?s death, Coleman and Mary Ann (Vance) Haley inherited his estate on September 1, 1832. Two years later Coleman and Mary Ann (Vance) Haley sold their one-sixth interest in the estate of her father to Jesse Vance of Scott County, Kentucky, for $300.00. Coleman Haley was a resident of the County of Garrard, Kentucky, in 1810. Randolph Haley's probable son, Randolph Haley, married Susan B. Lilly on February 7, 1831. Presumably it was his will which was probated on June 5, 1885. He probably spent his entire life in Fayette County, Kentucky. Randolph Haley from Louisa County, Virginia, was living in Fayette County, Kentucky, as late as 1840, and was then about 84 years of age, having been born in 1755 or 1756. Benjamin Haley, the son of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa, was born in Louisa County, Virginia, and resided in Louisa during and following the period of the Revolution. However, he moved to the Virginia County of Kentucky following the war and was paying taxes in Fayette County as early as 1789. On September 27, 1832, Benjamin Haley appeared in Court in Clarke County, Kentucky, and applied for a pension for services rendered during the Revolution. He stated that he was born and raised in Louisa County, Virginia, and that he was drafted into the Army in July of 1778. He was assigned the Albemarle Barracks and served as a guard over British prisoners. He subsequently served several tours of duty. He served as a private under Captain Philips in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Harris of the Virginia Line. John Dycke and Randall Haley testified to his services. At the time of his application, he was a resident of Franklin County, Kentucky. A certificate of pension was issued on the 7th day of December, 1833. His pension of $23.33 annually was to commence as of March 4, 1831. Arrears of $58.33, being due, were paid on March 4, 1834, as well as his first semi-annual pension of $11.67, or a total of $70.00, as the first payment he received from the Government. Benjamin Haley married Agnes Clark, the daughter of Francis Clark, Junior, of Louisa County, Virginia. Agnes Haley died in the County of Fayette in Kentucky in 1829. One child, John Haley, was born to this marriage. After the death of his first wife, Benjamin married secondly the widow Judith Dyckes, who had a son, James Dyckes, by her first marriage. Benjamin was living in Anderson County, Kentucky, at the time of his death. His will was dated July 27, 1835, and he died on March 12, 1837. The will was admitted to probate on April 4, 1837. His estate was to be equally divided between his son, John Haley, and James Dyckes, the son of his wife Judith by her former marriage. Witnesses to the will were: John Dyckes, William Dyckes, and Peggy Dyckes. William Haley, the son of John Haley, Senior, of Louisa County, Virginia, the remaining child of this family, was born in Louisa. He probably moved to Kentucky, as all of his brothers had settled in that state. In 1810 there was a William Haley in Fayette County, Kentucky, who was probably a widower, and was listed as being above the age of 45, with three sons and two daughters, and two slaves. Several of these children were apparently grown. This William is believed to be the one from Louisa County, Virginia. However, there were other Haleys in Fayette and the other Kentucky Counties who had not come from Louisa. William Haley, formerly thought to have been a son of John of Louisa, was probably a brother to John and also a Quaker. His name first appears in Louisa on February 14, 1742, when his cattle mark (of two smooth crops) was recorded. Again his name appears on October 10, 1743, when his negro boy was adjudged to be eight years old. His first land in Louisa was probably acquired before 1742, when Louisa was severed from the western portion of Hanover. Hanover records prior to 1742 might reveal more of William. His first patent to land in Louisa was "granted to him, the said William Haley, by his Majesty's letters pattent bearing the XXV day of June, One Thousand seven hundred and forty seven, and the revertions, To Have and to Hold." His next grant of four hundred acres was "granted to him the said William Haley by his Majesty's letter pattent bearing date the 10th day of February, 1748." On the 9th of August, 1746, William Haley was appointed Co of the newly settled Meeting at Fork Creek in Louisa. This Meeting was near the Louisa and Goochland County line. On the 16th of May, 1748, William and his family were received in membership in the Camp Creek Meeting. On April 16, 1750, William requested to be released as overseer of the Fork Creek Meeting, as he was now a member in good standing in Camp Creek. On the 25th of August, 1752, William was granted a certificate to the Cain Creek Monthly Meeting in North Carolina. He was no doubt thinking of leaving Virginia, probably due to persecution, as he was an outstanding Quaker among this sect. However, he seems to have attempted to remain in Virginia for the time being, and on April 13, 1754, he was serving on a committee of his Church and signed a marriage certificate for a couple. Conditions must have still remained critical, for in 1754 his property was seized due to the zeal of the new Minister of the Established Church in Louisa. On October 12, 1754, he requested a Certificate to Friends in North Carolina. His fellow Quakers seemed loath to see him leave their midst, for though he applied for a certificate to the Cane Creek Meeting in North Carolina on August 9, 1755, it was not until October 11, 1755, that the certificate was granted. He and his family moved to Anson County, North Carolina, in the fall of 1755, where the Established Church was of no consequence, and the majority of the population were Quakers. On December 6, 1755, William Haley was received on certificate by the Cane Creek Monthly Meeting in North Carolina from the Camp Creek Meeting in Virginia. So at last he had left his home state, no longer able to abide by conditions that prevailed there. On the 11th of November, 1756, having been in North Carolina for a year, William Haley sold to Elkanah Anderson, of the County of Hanover in Virginia, the 400 acre plantation on the branches of Fork Creek, which he had patented on the 10th day of February in 1748 for £40. Two days later, on November 13, 1756, William Haley, of the Colony of North Carolina and County of Anson, sold to Joseph Crews, of the Colony of Virginia and County of Hanover and Parish of St. Peters, 200 acres of land for £20 which had been granted to William Haley by his Majesty's Letter Patent bearing the 25th day of June, 1747. John Haley and Benjamin Clark were witnesses. On September 20, 1758, Elkanah Anderson and his wife Sarah sold back to William Haley of Anson County, North Carolina, Planter, apparently the same 400 acres for the original selling price of £40. On April 25, 1772, John Haley, of the Parish of Fredericksville in Louisa County, received a Letter of Attorney from William Haley, Senior, father of William Haley, Junior, both of whom were in Anson County, North Carolina, instructing him to see that the 400 acres on branches of Fork Creek were granted to his son William, Junior, which was accordingly done. Nowhere is the name of the wife of William Haley, Senior, mentioned, and it is assumed she was deceased, else her signature would have been required on the sale or transfer of property. Having the 400 acres on branches of Fork Creek in his own name, William Haley, Junior, of the Province of North Carolina, lost little time in disposing of the tract, as he sold it on June 13, 1772, to Nicholas Merewether of the County of Goochland for £20. This had apparently been a gift from father to son and seems to have been sold for far less than its true value. William Haley, Senior, made his first purchase of land in Anson County, North Carolina, on the 5th day of November in 1754, when he paid Joseph Kemp of Anson County £75 for 213 acres of land. He seems to have spent the remainder of his life in North Carolina, but had moved across the Pee Dee River into Richmond County prior to the making of his will on April 28, 1780. He was deceased prior to December Court, 1782, as his will was admitted to probate at that time. His sons Silas Haley and William Haley were named as his executors. Isom (Isham) Haley, the son of William of Louisa and Anson, married Elizabeth ______. He was received by the Cane Creek Monthly Meeting of Quakers in Anson County, North Carolina, from the Camp Creek Monthly Meeting in Louisa County, Virginia, on December 7, 1754. He and his family probably moved with his father and family at the same time to Anson County. On January 18, 1769, Isham Haley and his wife Elizabeth sold to Joseph Hinds for £30 a 100 acre tract lying northeast of Pee Dee on the north fork of Mountain Creek. This land had been patented by William Terrill in 1756 and was acquired by Isham in 1768. Isham Haley established a ferry on Pee Dee River, connecting Anson County with Richmond on the east of the river. In 1769 the Regulators circulated a petition in Anson County asking that the Government establish a warehouse at Isham Haley's Ferry on Pee Dee for the convenience of the people. Among the Regulators signing the petition were Isham Haley, his father William Haley, and his two brothers Silas and William Haley. Isham Haley's Ferry continued in the family for many years. From North Carolina Isham Haley and wife moved to South Carolina, where they became members of the Piney Grove Monthly Meeting. He served in the Continental Army from South Carolina. On January 27, 1816, Isham and wife Elizabeth were received by the Back Creek Monthly Meeting in Randolph County, North Carolina, from the Piney Grove Monthly Meeting in South Carolina. The Piney Grove Monthly Meeting in South Carolina had been discontinued. It is not known when Isham Haley died, nor do we know the names of his children. One son, William, was married to Elizabeth Matthews on December 7, 1762. He was dismissed by the Quakers on March 3, 1775. It is believed he had a son Jonathan Haley, as his ferry was the property of a Jonathan Haley in 1855, who left it to his grandchildren, the children of his son Mark; namely, Hiram Hailey, Robert Hailey, Mary Amelia Hailey, Thomas Hailey, William Hailey, Josephine Hailey, Virginia Hailey, Erasmus Hailey and James Hailey. It is also felt that Lucy Hailey, who married Lott Stricklin on March 17, 1783, in Richmond County, North Carolina, was a daughter who left the following six children, who were the grandchildren of Jonathan Hailey and were mentioned in his will: Milton Stricklin, Mary Stricklin, Martha Stricklin, Susan Stricklin, Hardy Stricklin, and Jonathan Stricklin. There were two Jonathan Haleys in North Carolina in 1820. One lived in Richmond County and was just under the age of 45, with a wife of approximately the same age, and they had four sons and four daughters. The other Jonathan was married; he and his wife being under the age of 26, with no children, probably recently married, were living in Anson County. The two Jonathans were most likely father and son, and son and grandson of Isham Haley. Randolph Haley, the son of William of Louisa and Anson, was probably never married. He lived in Richmond County, where his will was written on October 24, 1803. The will was probated at June Court in 1806. Randolph's name was often pronounced Randle or Randal. He was dismissed by the Quakers on June 7, 1783. William Haley, the son of William Haley of Louisa and Anson, was married on January 1, 1773, to Elizabeth Clark. He was apparently living in Richmond County, North Carolina, in 1796, for on the 15th of December of that year, Sarah Moorman of Richmond County appointed him her lawful attorney to settle for her her interest in the estate of her grandfather, Francis Clark. On the 16th of January, 1797, William Haley of North Carolina sold 80 acres to Benjamin Clark of Louisa County, Virginia, for £24. This was probably his settling of the estate of his niece Sarah Moorman. Nothing further is known of William and Elizabeth Haley. Lucia Haley, the daughter of William of Louisa and Anson, was married on March 10, 1756, to Benjamin Moorman. Nothing further is known of Lucia (Lucy) and Benjamin. Mary Haley, the daughter of William of Louisa and Anson, married a Jones. We know nothing further of this couple. Milly Haley, the daughter of William of Louisa and Anson, was probably never married. She was granted certificate to Deep River Monthly Meeting on June 1, 1799. Silas Haley, the son of William of Louisa and Anson, married Elizabeth (Price). He was one of the Regulators who signed a petition in 1769 requesting that a warehouse be established at Isham Haley's Ferry on Pee Dee River. In his father's will, dated April 28, 1780, he was given one feather bed, two cows and calves and £5. On the 6th of April, 1782, he was dismissed by the Quakers. Silas seems to have lived across the Pee Dee in the County of Richmond. It is not known the number of children born to Silas and Elizabeth, but we are aware of five of their children: George Haley, the son of Silas and Elizabeth Haley, was under age in 1803 when the will of his Uncle Randal Haley was written in Richmond County. He was evidently a promising looking lad, and his Uncle Randal left him his plantation and $500.00, the rent and interest of which was to further his education. Being thus financed, he should have received a better than usual education for the age in which he lived. How his life was spent we know not, but he apparently was a cotton planter. He married Elizabeth (Burgess) and they were the parents of seven children whose names we have not searched. George Haley of Richmond County, North Carolina, did not live to a great age but died in the summer of 1837, probably not having reached the age of fifty years. His will was dated May 23, 1837, and admitted to probate at July Court, in 1837. He left his widow Elizabeth and seven children. He left a tract of 200 acres which formerly belonged to his father; also he left his portion, which was about 80 acres, of a 170 acre tract formerly his father's. This would indicate that in 1837 only two of the children of Silas Haley were still alive. All of the lands of George joined the plantations of his brothers Harry and Charles. He also left his past year's cotton crop of twelve bags, which were then stored in Cheraw (South Carolina). All of the above was to be sold to pay his debts. He hoped, by the sale of the above, sufficient money would be realized to discharge obligations; however, if not, then so much of his personal estate as would be required was to be sold, thus settling all outstanding obligations. It is thus quite apparent that he must have owed quite a large debt. Whatever was left of his estate after his debts were paid was to be equally divided among his wife Elizabeth and the seven children. His brother Harry Haley was named executor. Aggy Haley, the daughter of Silas and Elizabeth Haley, was left a feather bed and a tea kettle in the will of her Uncle Randal Haley in 1803. On July 1, 1799, Elizabeth Haley, the wife of Silas, and daughter Milly Haley, living near Pee Dee River, were received on certificate from Cane Creek Monthly Meeting by the Back Creek Monthly Meeting. Harry Haley, the son of Silas and Elizabeth Haley, was executor of his brother George Haley's Estate in 1837. Charles Haley, a son of Silas and Elizabeth Haley, was a resident of Richmond County, North Carolina. The foregoing known children of Silas and Elizabeth Haley should probably be joined by John, Roxy Ann and Holdren Haley, who were probably children, though at the moment this has not been determined. John Haley, of Richmond County, the probable son of Silas and Elizabeth, married Nancy _______. It is doubtful they had any children. The will of John Haley, though undated, was probated at January Court in 1834. His wife Nancy was executrix. His 175 acre plantation, the River Plantation, was to be sold and his crop for that year sold in order to pay his debts. His Sand Hill plantation, joining Harry Haley, was to go to his wife and family. His negroes Hannah, Nanny, Lucy and child Rhody and child Mary, and William Scott were not to be sold but to belong to his wife for her natural life, and at her death they were to be set free. However, if the State forbade this, then they were to go to the children of his brother Holden Haley; viz, William Haley, John Haley and Harriett Haley, and the children of his sister Roxy Ann Burgess, one-half to each. Note from Michael Hailey: an examination of dates of marriages and deaths would indicate one or more generations were missed. For instance, Randolph Haley died in 1803 and left some of his estate to George Haley, son of his brother Silas, rents from which were to be used to pay for his schooling to the age of 21. However, there was already a George Haley on the 1800 census for Richmond Haley and that George would have had to be 21 to even be on the census plus the name George does not appear on the 1810 census but is back by the 1820 census when the second George should have been of age. |