1. Nathaniel1 Hart (Thomas2, Thomas3), son of Thomas Hart and Susanna Rice, was born in Hanover County, VA May 8, 1734. Nathaniel died July 22, 1782 in near Boonesborough, KY, at 48 years of age. His body was interred in family cemetery near Boonesborough.
He married Sarah Simpson in North Carolina, December 25, 1760. Sarah was born in Fairfax Co., VA February 24, 1743/4. Sarah was the daughter of Richard Simpson, Jr. and Mary Kincheloe. Sarah died March 1785 in Lincoln Co., KY, at 41 years of age. Her body was interred in family cemetery near Boonesborough. At 18 years of age Sarah became the mother of Keziah Hart in Caswell Co., NC, March 18, 1762. At 19 years of age Sarah became the mother of Susannah Hart in Caswell Co., NC, February 18, 1764. At 24 years of age Sarah became the mother of Simpson Hart in Caswell Co., NC, April 30, 1768. At 26 years of age Sarah became the mother of Nathaniel Hart, Jr. in Caswell Co., NC, September 30, 1770. At 27 years of age Sarah became the mother of John Hart in Caswell Co., NC, February 5, 1772. At 31 years of age Sarah became the mother of Mary Ann Hart April 7, 1775. At 32 years of age Sarah became the mother of Cumberland Hart July 17, 1776. At 35 years of age Sarah became the mother of Chinoe Hart in Boonesborough, VA (now KY), October 25, 1779. At 38 years of age Sarah became the mother of Thomas Richard Green Hart in Boonesborough, VA (now KY), June 29, 1782.
At 27 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Keziah Hart in Caswell Co., NC, March 18, 1762. At 29 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Susannah Hart in Caswell Co., NC, February 18, 1764. At 33 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Simpson Hart in Caswell Co., NC, April 30, 1768. At 36 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Nathaniel Hart, Jr. in Caswell Co., NC, September 30, 1770. At 37 years of age Nathaniel became the father of John Hart in Caswell Co., NC, February 5, 1772. At 40 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Mary Ann Hart April 7, 1775. At 42 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Cumberland Hart July 17, 1776. At 45 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Chinoe Hart in Boonesborough, VA (now KY), October 25, 1779. At 48 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Thomas Richard Green Hart in Boonesborough, VA (now KY), June 29, 1782. Nathaniel Hart was a member of the Transylvania Company and was one of the purchasers of some 20 million acres of land in Kentucky and Tennessee from the Indians in 1775. He was one of the original settlers at Boonesborough in 1775 and helped construct the fort there. His biography from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography edited by William S. Powell, Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1988, follows: Hart, Nathaniel (1734-82), pioneer, Revolutionary officer, and proprietor in and chief negotiator for the Transylvania Company of Kentucky, was born in Hanover County, Va., the son of Thomas and Susannah Rice Hart. His grandfather, Thomas Hart, a merchant, emigrated from London, England, to Hanover County about 1690 and left an only son, Thomas (1632-1755), father of Nathanlel. His mother was an aunt of Daniel Rice, the renowned Presbyterian minister who, before moving to Kentucky in 1781, is said to have taken part in the establishment of one or more early Presbyterian churches in Orange County (now Caswell County), N.C., among which Hyco (now Red House) is one of the oldest in central North Carolina. Shortly after Thomas Hart's death, his widow and children moved to Orange County and settled on Country Line Creek, where three of her sons--Thomas, Nathaniel, and David--in the late 1750s and early 1760s obtained land grants in the area that was cut off from Orange in 1777 to form Caswell County. Nathaniel Hart's estate, known as Red House, located at Nat's Fork on Country Line Creek, was of considerable proportions. Referred to as "Captain Hart," he was not only a polished member of society but also an "accomplished and complete gentleman." As one of the proprietors of the Transylvania Company, he was a leading spirit in opening the Kentucky territory and in establishing the town of Boonesborough. At the Battle of Alamance, Hart led a company of infantrymen in Governor Tryon's army; after the battle, he was highly complimented by the governor and his officers for the gallant and spirited behavior of the detachment under his command. Following the efforts of Daniel Boone and his brother, Squire Boone, to settle Kentucky, Richard Henderson of Granville County in association with Nathaniel Hart, Thomas Hart, John Williams, William Johnson, and John Lutterell, on 27 Aug. 1774 organized the Louisa Company for the purpose of purchasing from the Cherokee Nation a large territory lying on the west side of the mountains on the Mississippi River. In the autumn of 1774, Nathaniel Hart, the chief negotiator, along with Richard Henderson, president of the company, visited the territory and met with the chiefs of the various tribes in the Cherokee country to discuss their interest in buying the land west of the Cumberland Mountains. Nathaniel Hart, Jr., wrote that his father returned to his home with six or eight of the principal men of the Cherokee Nation, who remained with him until the latter part of the year and assisted in the selection of a large supply of goods to be used in exchange for the land. By 1775 the enterprise had outgrown the Articles of Agreement of the Louisa Company. After a reorganization, a new company, called the Transylvania Company, was formed and Daniel Boone was hired to explore the territory. Soon Nathaniel Hart and Richard Henderson brought vast quantities of goods from Cross Creek (now Fayetteville) to Sycamore on the Watauga River near what is now Elizabethton, Tenn. The Watauga meeting, arranged by Hart, lasted twenty days and was attended by 500 to 1,000 Cherokee Indians along with their chiefs. The Transylvania Company was represented by Hart and his brother Thomas, Henderson, and John Williams. Negotiations broke down and the Indians left, but it is said that Nathaniel Hart overtook them the next day, persuaded them to return, and an agreement was reached. On 17 Mar. 1775, the conveyance or treaty was signed, by which the Transylvania Company acquired all of the territory from the Kentucky to the Cumberland rivers. Title to the land was taken in the name of Richard Henderson, Nathaniel Hart, and the other seven proprietors of the company as tenants in common. This purchase was said to have been the largest private land deal ever undertaken in North America. Nathaniel Hart and his associates invested much of their time and private fortunes in the venture; they succeeded in obtaining for the colonies peaceful possession of the land from the Indians, thus permitting the opening of the Kentucky territory for colonization. Nevertheless, they received very little for their efforts. Because of a proclamation by the royal governors of Virginia and North Carolina that prohibited treaties or purchases of land from Indians by individuals, the Crown refused to recognize the transaction and declared it null and void. The same proclamation, in substance, was reenacted by the Virginia assembly after the colonies gained independence from Great Britain. As a consequence, the Transylvania Company retained only that small area of the land lying on the Green River in Kentucky and that portion lying on the North Carolina side of the Virginia line, and its plan to establish an original fourteenth colony in America resulted in failure. In 1760 Hart married Sarah Simpson, daughter of Captain Richard Simpson, a large plantation owner who was one of the earliest settlers in what is now Caswell County. Their daughter, Susanna, in 1783 married General Isaac Shelby, planner of the Battle of Cowpens and hero of the Battle of Kings Mountain, who became the first governor of the state of Kentucky and for whom the towns of Shelby, N.C., Shelbyville, Tenn., and Shelby County, Ky., were named. Nathaniel and Sarah Hart's grandson, Thomas Hart Shelby of Traveler's Rest, Ky., was said to have been the first importer of thoroughbred livestock, including racehorses, into the state of Kentucky. Hart was appointed a justice of the peace by the royal governor. He served as captain of militia before the outbreak of the Revolution and as captain in the army during the American Revolution. He was killed by Indians near Logan's Station in Lincoln, Ky., where he left his will. In 1783 his widow and their son Nathaniel, Jr., went to Logan's Station to prove the will.
SEE: John R. Alden, John Stuart and the Southern Colonial Frontier (1966); Walter Clark, ed., State Records of North Carolina, vols. 16, 19, 22, 24 (1899-1905); Lewis Collins, Historical Sketches of Kentucky (1850); Dartmouth Papers, 5, 127, 1353 (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh); Lyman C. Draper Papers (Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison); Genealogical Narrative, "The Hart Family in the United States" (North Carolina State Library, Raleigh); Archibald Henderson, The Transylvania Company and the Founding of Henderson, Kentucky (1929); Land grants of Caswell and Orange counties (Office of the Secretary of State, Raleigh); William S. Lester, The Transylvania Colony (1935); George N. MacKenzie, Colonial Families of the United States, vol. 2 (1966); W. E Palmer, ed., Calendar of Virginia State Papers, vol. 1 (1875); William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina, vols. 6, 8-10 (1888-90); Tyler's Quarterly 31 (1949), 32 (1950); Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 7 (1899-1900); Frederick A. Virkus, The Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy, vol. 5 (1933). VANCE E. SWIFT
A web site about the Hart family may be found at http://www.airtanker.com/mcnally/hart/index.html.
Nathaniel Hart and Sarah Simpson had the following children:
2
i.
Keziah Hart was born in Caswell Co., NC March 18, 1762. Keziah died February 13, 1837 at 74 years of age.
She married Laurence Thompson in Boonesborough, VA (now KY), ca 1780. Laurence was born
December 28, 1753. Laurence died April 21, 1835 at 81 years of age. At 27 years of age Laurence became the father of
Richard Laurence Thompson March 17, 1781. At 28 years of age Laurence became the father of Sarah Finney Thompson December
15, 1782. At 31 years of age Laurence became the father of Nathaniel Hart Thompson March 13, 1785. At 33 years of age
Laurence became the father of Chinoe Benton Thompson January 21, 1787. At 35 years of age Laurence became the father of
Thomas Azariah Thompson March 22, 1789. At 37 years of age Laurence became the father of Mary "Polly" Simpson Thompson in
Madison Co., KY, August 17, 1791. At 42 years of age Laurence became the father of Margaret W. Thompson Madison Co.,
KY, March 8, 1796. At 44 years of age Laurence became the father of Susan Shelby Thompson Madison Co., KY, April
23, 1798. At 46 years of age Laurence became the father of Alfred M. Thompson July 22, 1800. At 50 years of age Laurence
became the father of Allen J. Thompson 1804.
At 18 years of age Keziah became the mother of Richard Laurence Thompson March 17, 1781. At 20 years of age Keziah became the mother of Sarah Finney Thompson December 15, 1782. At 22 years of age Keziah became the mother of Nathaniel Hart Thompson March 13, 1785. At 24 years of age Keziah became the mother of Chinoe Benton Thompson January 21, 1787. At 27 years of age Keziah became the mother of Thomas Azariah Thompson March 22, 1789. At 29 years of age Keziah became the mother of Mary "Polly" Simpson Thompson in Madison Co., KY, August 17, 1791. At 33 years of age Keziah became the mother of Margaret W. Thompson Madison Co., KY, March 8, 1796. At 36 years of age Keziah became the mother of Susan Shelby Thompson Madison Co., KY, April 23, 1798. At 38 years of age Keziah became the mother of Alfred M. Thompson July 22, 1800. At 42 years of age Keziah became the mother of Allen J. Thompson 1804.
3
ii.
Susannah Hart was born in Caswell Co., NC February 18, 1764. Susannah died June 14, 1833 in Lincoln Co.,
KY, at 69 years of age. Her body was interred in family cemetery at Travellers Rest, Lincoln Co., KY. She married Isaac Shelby in Boonesborough, VA (now KY), April 19, 1783. Isaac was born in near
Hagerstown, MD December 11, 1750. Isaac was the son of Evan Shelby, Jr. and Letitia Cox. Isaac died July 18, 1826
in Lincoln Co., KY, at 75 years of age. His body was interred in family cemetery at Travellers Rest, Lincoln Co., KY.
At 33 years of age Isaac became the father of James Shelby February 13, 1784. At 34 years of age Isaac became the father
of Sarah Hart Shelby October 8, 1785. At 36 years of age Isaac became the father of Evan Shelby July 27, 1787. At 38
years of age Isaac became the father of Thomas Hart Shelby in "Travellers Rest", Lincoln Co., KY, May 27, 1789. At 40
years of age Isaac became the father of Susannah Hart Shelby March 20, 1791. At 42 years of age Isaac became the father
of Nancy Shelby December 23, 1792. At 44 years of age Isaac became the father of Isaac Shelby, Jr. 1795. At 46 years of
age Isaac became the father of John Shelby March 3, 1797. At 48 years of age Isaac became the father of Letitia
Shelby January 11, 1799. At 50 years of age Isaac became the father of Katherine Shelby March 14, 1801. At 53 years of age
Isaac became the father of Alfred Shelby in "Travellers Rest", Woodford Co., KY, January 25, 1804.
At 19 years of age Susannah became the mother of James Shelby February 13, 1784. At 21 years of age Susannah became the mother of Sarah Hart Shelby October 8, 1785. At 23 years of age Susannah became the mother of Evan Shelby July 27, 1787. At 25 years of age Susannah became the mother of Thomas Hart Shelby in "Travellers Rest", Lincoln Co., KY, May 27, 1789. At 27 years of age Susannah became the mother of Susannah Hart Shelby March 20, 1791. At 28 years of age Susannah became the mother of Nancy Shelby December 23, 1792. At 31 years of age Susannah became the mother of Isaac Shelby, Jr. 1795. At 33 years of age Susannah became the mother of John Shelby March 3, 1797. At 34 years of age Susannah became the mother of Letitia Shelby January 11, 1799. At 37 years of age Susannah became the mother of Katherine Shelby March 14, 1801. At 39 years of age Susannah became the mother of Alfred Shelby in "Travellers Rest", Woodford Co., KY, January 25, 1804. Susannah Hart met Isaac Shelby at Fort Boonesborough and they married there April 19, 1783. The couple lived at Travellers Rest in Lincoln County where they raised eleven children. She is buried at the family cemetery at Travellers Rest beside her husband. She is listed in the Kentucky Encyclopedia.
4
iii.
Simpson Hart was born in Caswell Co., NC April 30, 1768. Simpson died 1788 in Sumner Co., TN, at 20
years of age. Simpson Hart died unmarried.
5
iv.
Nathaniel Hart, Jr. was born in Caswell Co., NC September 30, 1770. Nathaniel died February 7, 1844 in
"Spring Hill", Woodford Co., KY, at 73 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. He married Susanna Preston in Montgomery Co., VA, August 26, 1797. Susanna was born in
"Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA October 7, 1772. Susanna was the daughter of William Preston and Susanna Smith.
Susanna died June 21, 1833 in "Spring Hill", Woodford Co., KY, at 60 years of age. Her body was interred in Frankfort
Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. At 25 years of age Susanna became the mother of Susanna Smith Preston Hart August, 1798. At 27
years of age Susanna became the mother of Sarah Simpson Hart June 8, 1800. At 29 years of age Susanna became the mother
of Letitia Preston Hart March 15, 1802. At 31 years of age Susanna became the mother of Louisiana Breckinridge Hart in
"Spring Hill", Woodford Co., KY, December 3, 1803. At 32 years of age Susanna became the mother of Nathaniel Hart April
27, 1805. At 34 years of age Susanna became the mother of William Preston Hart July 25, 1807. At 36 years of age Susanna
became the mother of Virginia H. Hart June 14, 1809. At 38 years of age Susanna became the mother of Susanna M. Hart July
9, 1811. At 41 years of age Susanna became the mother of Mary Howard Hart July 17, 1814.
At 27 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Susanna Smith Preston Hart August, 1798. At 29 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Sarah Simpson Hart June 8, 1800. At 31 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Letitia Preston Hart March 15, 1802. At 33 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Louisiana Breckinridge Hart in "Spring Hill", Woodford Co., KY, December 3, 1803. At 34 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Nathaniel Hart April 27, 1805. At 36 years of age Nathaniel became the father of William Preston Hart July 25, 1807. At 38 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Virginia H. Hart June 14, 1809. At 40 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Susanna M. Hart July 9, 1811. At 43 years of age Nathaniel became the father of Mary Howard Hart July 17, 1814. A brief sketch of his life from The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia by John Frederick Dorman (Filson Club, 1982) follows: Susanna Preston, fourth daughter of William and Susanna (Smith) Preston, was born 7 Oct. 1772, "Greenfield," Botetourt Co., Va., and died 21 June 1833, "Spring Hill," Woodford Co., Ky. She married 26 Aug. 1797, Montgomery Co., Va., Nathaniel Hart, son of Nathaniel and Sarah (Simpson) Hart, who was born 30 Sept. 1770, Caswell Co., N.C., and died 7 Feb. 1844, "Spring Hill," Woodford Co., Ky. Nathaniel Hart in his youth took part in several expeditions against the Indians and was for six months in 1794 on Gen. Anthony Wayne's campaign as aide de camp to Gen. Joshua Barbee. He participated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers. After their marriage they lived in Lexington, Ky., and for several years in Franklin Co., Ky., before moving to Woodford County in 1807. His home thereafter was "Spring Hill," one mile from Versailles. After the fashion of gentlemen in England, he kept about one hundred deer in his woodlands, as well as several head of elk, and at one time he owned a few American bison. In the autumn and winter of 1812 he made two trips to Philadelphia as agent of the Bank of Kentucky to transport large amounts of money in gold to Kentucky to finance war measures.
6
v.
John Hart was born in Caswell Co., NC February 5, 1772. He married Mary Irvine.
Mary is the daughter of Christopher Irvine.
7
vi.
Mary Ann Hart was born April 7, 1775. She married Richard Dallam.
8
vii.
Cumberland Hart was born July 17, 1776. He married Fannie Hughes.
9
viii.
Chinoe Hart was born in Boonesborough, VA (now KY) October 25, 1779. Chinoe died January 21, 1870 in Shelby
Co., TN, at 90 years of age. She married John Smith in Lincoln Co., KY, October, 1797.
John was born 1765. John was the son of Francis Smith and Ann Preston. John died June 16, 1851 in Memphis,
TN, at 85 years of age. At 33 years of age John became the father of Lucretia Hart Smith 1798. At 52 years of age
John became the father of Ann Eliza Smith January, 1818.
At 18 years of age Chinoe became the mother of Lucretia Hart Smith 1798. At 38 years of age Chinoe became the mother of Ann Eliza Smith January, 1818.
10
ix.
Thomas Richard Green Hart was born in Boonesborough, VA (now KY) June 29, 1782. He
married Rebecca Thompson. Rebecca is the daughter of John Thompson.
11. Thomas2 Hart (Thomas3) was born in England circa 1679. Thomas died circa 1755 Hanover Co., VA.
He married Susanna Rice in Virginia, ca 1729. Susanna was born in New Kent Co., VA 1707. Susanna was the daughter of Thomas Rice and Marcy. Susanna died 1785 in Orange Co., NC, at 78 years of age. At 23 years of age Susanna became the mother of Thomas Hart in Hanover County, VA, December 11, 1730. At 25 years of age Susanna became the mother of Benjamin Hart in Hanover Co., NC, October 1732. At 26 years of age Susanna became the mother of Nathaniel Hart in Hanover County, VA, May 8, 1734. Susanna became the mother of David Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1736. Susanna became the mother of John Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1738. At 33 years of age Susanna became the mother of Ann Hart Hanover Co., VA, 1740.
At 51 years of age Thomas became the father of Thomas Hart in Hanover County, VA, December 11, 1730. At 53 years of age Thomas became the father of Benjamin Hart in Hanover Co., NC, October 1732. At 54 years of age Thomas became the father of Nathaniel Hart in Hanover County, VA, May 8, 1734. Thomas became the father of David Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1736. Thomas became the father of John Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1738. At 61 years of age Thomas became the father of Ann Hart Hanover Co., VA, 1740.
Thomas Hart and Susanna Rice had the following children:
12
i.
Thomas1 Hart was born in Hanover County, VA December 11, 1730.
Thomas died June 23, 1808 in Lexington, KY, at 77 years of age. His body was interred in Old Episcopal Cemetery,
Lexington, KY. He married Susanna Gray in North Carolina. Susanna was born 1749.
Susanna was the daughter of John Gray. Susanna died 1832 in Lexington, KY, at 83 years of age. Her body was
interred in Old Episcopal Cemetery, Lexington, KY. At 19 years of age Susanna became the mother of Eliza Hart September
9, 1768. At 23 years of age Susanna became the mother of Thomas Hart 1772. At 31 years of age Susanna became the mother
of Lucretia Hart March 18, 1781. Susanna became the mother of Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart in Hagerstown, MD, ca
1784.
At 37 years of age Thomas became the father of Eliza Hart September 9, 1768. At 41 years of age Thomas became the father of Thomas Hart 1772. At 50 years of age Thomas became the father of Lucretia Hart March 18, 1781. Thomas became the father of Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart in Hagerstown, MD, ca 1784. Thomas Hart was engaged in business and had an entrprenurial bent. He was a member of the Transylvania Company and was one of the purchasers of some 20 million acres of Kentucky and Tennessee from the Cherokee Indians in 1775. This purchase was later nullified by the legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. Thomas moved to Lexington, Kentucky from Hagerstown, MD in 1794. He had moved to Hagerstown from North Carolina during the Revolutionary War for safety. His biography from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography edited by William S. Powell, Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1988 follows: Hart, Thomas (ca. 1730-23 June 1808), merchant, public official, and militia officer, the son of Thomas and Susannah Rice Hart, was born in Hanover County, Va., on a plantation settled in 1690 by his English-born grandfather, also named Thomas. John, Benjamin, David, and Nathaniel were his brothers, and Ann his only sister. The family moved to Orange County, N.C., in 1755 after their father died. By 1779, Thomas had received a total of 2,282 acres of land in grants and erected his home, Hartford, near Hillsborough. In addition to farming, he built a gristmill on the nearby Eno River and conducted other business enterprises at the location that became known as Hart's Mill. Later he became a partner with Nathaniei Rochester and James Brown in a mercantile establishment in Hillsborough. After establishing himself financially, Hart married Susannah Gray, the daughter of the wealthy and politically prominent Colonel John Gray. In 1775, the colonel died and left his entire estate to his son-in-law, including the large plantation Grayfields. With capital resources thus increased, Hart shrewdly expanded his business and by his industrious management accumulated a considerable fortune according to the Orange County tax books for 1779. In addition to his financial prosperity, Hart was successful politically. Shortly after settling in North Carolina, he became an intimate of James Watson, James Thackston, Thomas Burke, James Hogg, William Johnston, and Richard Henderson, and an acquaintance of Governor William Tryon and Edmund Fanning. This led to his appointment as a vestryman of St. Matthew's Parish as well as county sheriff for a two-year term and another beginning in 1768. In the latter year he was also made a captain in the Orange County militia and commissary for the troops of Orange and Granville counties. Throughout his tenure of office, the sheriff was in constant controversy with the increasingly active Regulators. In 1765, the Assembly passed a bill introduced by Edmund Fanning to award Hart £1,000 for his losses as sheriff, and the previous legislature had included Hart in a group exempt from the payment of taxes. These acts infuriated the Regulators, who claimed the sheriff had no losses, but was being rewarded at public expense for using his influence in the election of Fanning to office. Hart also displeased the government by his failure to collect the unpopular poll tax, either because he disapproved of the law or did not understand it. In 1765, the Assembly ordered him to make the collection. Whether or not he did, he settled his financial account in the colony satisfactorily, which won for him a tribute from Orange County residents because he was the only sheriff ever to do so. When Governor Tryon decided in 1768 to have Herman Husband arraigned in court for his Regulator activities, Sheriff Hart served the warrant and took the accused into custody. In the same year, and again in 1771, Hart was ordered to raise five hundred troops for the defense of the colony. He was unable to enlist the requested manpower but on both occasions accumulated sufficient provisions to sustain the troops Tryon assembled at Hillsborough. The actions of the royal government increasingly incited the wrath of the Regulators, and the sheriff was one of a group of officials they severely whipped in 1770. In view of such treatment, Hart undoubtedly received considerable satisfaction in serving as quartermaster for Tryon when the governor dispersed the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance. During the relative calm that ensued after the War of the Regulation, Hart was able to concentrate on business enterprises. The role of an entrepreneur appealed to him, and in 1774 he became one of the partners in Richard Henderson's Louisa Company to buy and develop lands in what became Tennessee and Kentucky. Hart journeyed to the Watauga section of Tennessee as one of the company's representatives at a meeting arranged by Daniel Boone with the Cherokee Indians. John Sevier and Isaac Shelby, who attended as spectators, saw the Indians accept several loads of "trading goods" in return for their titular rights to a huge area of western land. After this transaction, the company was reorganized as the Transylvania Company with Richard Henderson, Thomas Hart, Nathaniel Hart, William Johnston, James Hogg, John Luttrell, John Williams, David Hart, and Leonard Henly Bullock as shareholders. Trading with the Indians for western lands strictly violated the Royal Proclamation of 1763, but, as many Americans were engaging in land speculation despite the king's fiat, the Transylvanians ignored it also. The potential profit in the venture was enormous, and the partners lost no time in enlisting settlers to buy or rent land in the territory. Thomas Hart visited the Watauga again in 1775 and his brother, Nathaniel, became a resident agent for the company in the west until he was killed by Indians in 1782. The outcome of the American Revolution relieved the Transylvania Company of any interference in its affairs from the British government but presented a new dilemma because the states of North Carolina and Virginia claimed Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively, as part of their territory. The partners determined to establish their claim to the western land if possible and years of litigation followed. The final decision rendered that the company's purchase was illegal but a tract was awarded the partners to recompense them for the expenses incurred in the transaction. Hart traded part of his share for land in Kentucky and eventually settled on it. After the War of the Regulation, Hart continued to fill an important role in political affairs, serving as a juror; member of a commission to build a new jail in Hillsborough; member of the colonial Assembly from Orange County in 1773; and then representative in the First, Second, and Third Provincial congresses. When the Revolution began, he was appointed commissary for the Sixth North Carolina Regiment with the rank of colonel. In addition, he was elected a senator in the North Carolina General Assembly for the 1777 session where he became involved in the work of so many committees that he resigned his military commission in order to attend to them. Although Hart, with many others, could not condone the violent tactics of the Regulators, he felt no compunction in becoming an ardent patriot in the American Revolution when independence was formally declared. In doing so, he incurred the hatred of the loyal Tories who unleashed their persecutions when Lord Cornwallis approached Hillsborough with the British Army. Concerned for the safety of his wife and several daughters, Hart removed to Hagerstown, Md., accompanied by Nathaniel Rochester, one of his former business partners. Shortly after his departure the Battle of Hart's Mill was fought on his property, which the British occupied. Hart and Rochester built a mill and a nail and rope factory, both of which prospered. The colonel gradually disposed of his North Carolina property and never returned to the state. He sold his homeplace, Hartford, to Jesse Benton, husband of his niece, Nancy, and father of Thomas Hart Benton. As the purchaser died before paying for the place, Hart became the mortgagee of the property through a friendly lawsuit and allowed the widow and her family to continue to live there. The mortage was never fully redeemed, which apparently caused no ill will as Hart left the Bentons an additional tract of land when he died. In 1794, Hart moved to Lexington, Ky., where he resided for the remainder of his life. He built up his rope and hemp business into a highly profitable commercial enterprise and engaged in various forms of trade and investment. Due to his affluence, pleasing personality, and shrewd mind, Hart soon became one of the most prominent men in Kentucky. His daughter, Ann (Nancy), married James Brown who had engaged in business with the colonel and Rochester back in Hillsborough, and who later became the U.S. minister to France. Another daughter, Lucretia, born after the Harts left North Carolina, married Henry Clay. A niece married Isaac Shelby, and the other members of the family made marital connections in influential circles. In Maryland, Hart was a communicant of All Saints' Parish (later renamed St. John's), of the Protestant Episcopal church. In Kentucky, he joined an Episcopal society which eventually became Christ Church in Lexington. He was buried in the Old Episcopal Graveyard in that city. No portrait of Hart has been found.
SEE: Walter Clark, ed., State Records of North Carolina, vols. 11, 16, 24 (1895, 1899, 1905); Lyman Copeland Draper Letters (Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort); William S. Lester, The Transylvania Colony (1935); Frank Nash, Hillsboro: Colonial and Revolutionary (1953); Records of Orange County (Offices, Register of Deeds and Clerk of Courts, County Courthouse, Hillsborough); William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina, vols. 7, 8 (1890); Durward T. Stokes, "Thomas Hart in North Carolina," North Carolina Historical Review 41 (1964).
DURWARD T. STOKES
A web site about the Hart family may be found at http://www.airtanker.com/mcnally/hart/index.html.
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Benjamin Hart was born in Hanover Co., NC October 1732. Benjamin died January 2, 1802 in Brunswick, Glynn
Co., GA, at 69 years of age. He married Nancy Ann Morgan in North Carolina, 1760.
Nancy was born in Orange Co., NC March 17, 1747. Nancy was the daughter of Thomas Morgan and Rebecca Alexander.
Nancy died 1835 in Henderson Co., KY, at 88 years of age.
+
1
iii.
Nathaniel Hart was born May 8, 1734.
14
iv.
David Hart was born Hanover Co., VA ca 1736. He married Susanna Nunn in Orange
Co., NC, ca 1763. Susanna was born Hanover Co., VA ca 1742.
15
v.
John Hart was born Hanover Co., VA ca 1738.
16
vi.
Ann Hart was born Hanover Co., VA 1740. She married James Gooch in Orange Co.,
NC, 1763. James was born Hanover Co., VA ca 1736.
17. Susanna2 Rice (Thomas3, Edward4) was born in New Kent Co., VA 1707. Susanna died 1785 in Orange Co., NC, at 78 years of age.
She married Thomas Hart in Virginia, ca 1729. Thomas was born in England circa 1679. Thomas was the son of Thomas Hart and Mary. Thomas died circa 1755 Hanover Co., VA. At 51 years of age Thomas became the father of Thomas Hart in Hanover County, VA, December 11, 1730. At 53 years of age Thomas became the father of Benjamin Hart in Hanover Co., NC, October 1732. At 54 years of age Thomas became the father of Nathaniel Hart in Hanover County, VA, May 8, 1734. Thomas became the father of David Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1736. Thomas became the father of John Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1738. At 61 years of age Thomas became the father of Ann Hart Hanover Co., VA, 1740. (See Thomas Hart for the children resulting from this marriage.)
At 23 years of age Susanna became the mother of Thomas Hart in Hanover County, VA, December 11, 1730. At 25 years of age Susanna became the mother of Benjamin Hart in Hanover Co., NC, October 1732. At 26 years of age Susanna became the mother of Nathaniel Hart in Hanover County, VA, May 8, 1734. Susanna became the mother of David Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1736. Susanna became the mother of John Hart Hanover Co., VA, ca 1738. At 33 years of age Susanna became the mother of Ann Hart Hanover Co., VA, 1740.
18. Thomas3 Hart was born in England. Thomas died Hanover Co., VA.
He married Mary in England, ca 1675. Mary was born England. Mary became the mother of Thomas Hart in England, circa 1679.
Thomas became the father of Thomas Hart in England, circa 1679. Thomas Hart immigrated to Hanover Co., Virginia from England about 1690 bringing with him his 11 year old son, Thomas.
Thomas Hart and Mary had the following child:
+
11
i.
Thomas2 Hart was born circa 1679.
She married Thomas Hart in England, ca 1675. Thomas was born in England. Thomas died Hanover Co., VA. Thomas became the father of Thomas Hart in England, circa 1679. (See Thomas Hart for the children resulting from this marriage.)
Mary became the mother of Thomas Hart in England, circa 1679.
20. Thomas3 Rice (Edward4) was born in Shirementon, Bristol, England 1656. Thomas died ca 1711 in at sea.
He married Marcy in New Kent Co., VA, 1679. Marcy was born in New Kent Co., VA 1664. Marcy died after 1722 Hanover Co., VA. At 16 years of age Marcy became the mother of David Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1680. At 18 years of age Marcy became the mother of William Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1682. At 20 years of age Marcy became the mother of Michael Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1684. At 21 years of age Marcy became the mother of James Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 4, 1686. At 23 years of age Marcy became the mother of Thomas Rice in New Kent Co., VA, June 24, 1688. At 25 years of age Marcy became the mother of Edward Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 17, 1690. At 30 years of age Marcy became the mother of Mary Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1694. At 34 years of age Marcy became the mother of John Rice in New Kent Co., VA, September 18, 1698. At 35 years of age Marcy became the mother of Francis Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1699. At 38 years of age Marcy became the mother of Henry Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1702. At 43 years of age Marcy became the mother of Susanna Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1707. At 45 years of age Marcy became the mother of Elizabeth Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1709.
At 24 years of age Thomas became the father of David Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1680. At 26 years of age Thomas became the father of William Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1682. At 28 years of age Thomas became the father of Michael Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1684. At 29 years of age Thomas became the father of James Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 4, 1686. At 31 years of age Thomas became the father of Thomas Rice in New Kent Co., VA, June 24, 1688. At 33 years of age Thomas became the father of Edward Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 17, 1690. At 38 years of age Thomas became the father of Mary Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1694. At 42 years of age Thomas became the father of John Rice in New Kent Co., VA, September 18, 1698. At 43 years of age Thomas became the father of Francis Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1699. At 46 years of age Thomas became the father of Henry Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1702. At 51 years of age Thomas became the father of Susanna Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1707. At 53 years of age Thomas became the father of Elizabeth Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1709.
Thomas Rice and Marcy had the following children:
21
i.
David2 Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1680.
22
ii.
William Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1682. William died after December, 1734.
23
iii.
Michael Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1684.
24
iv.
James Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA April 4, 1686. He married Margaret
House.
25
v.
Thomas Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA June 24, 1688. Thomas died January 28, 1745 at 56 years of age.
26
vi.
Edward Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA April 17, 1690. Edward died October 15, 1770 Goochland Co.,
VA, at 80 years of age. He married Mary Claiborne. Mary is the daughter of William
Claiborne.
27
vii.
Mary Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1694.
28
viii.
John Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA September 18, 1698. John died after 1736.
29
ix.
Francis Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1699. Francis died after 1736.
30
x.
Henry Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1702.
+
17
xi.
Susanna Rice was born 1707.
31
xii.
Elizabeth Rice was born in New Kent Co., VA 1709.
32. Marcy3 was born in New Kent Co., VA 1664. Marcy died after 1722 Hanover Co., VA.
She married Thomas Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1679. Thomas was born in Shirementon, Bristol, England 1656. Thomas was the son of Edward Rice and Mary Claiborne. Thomas died ca 1711 in at sea. At 24 years of age Thomas became the father of David Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1680. At 26 years of age Thomas became the father of William Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1682. At 28 years of age Thomas became the father of Michael Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1684. At 29 years of age Thomas became the father of James Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 4, 1686. At 31 years of age Thomas became the father of Thomas Rice in New Kent Co., VA, June 24, 1688. At 33 years of age Thomas became the father of Edward Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 17, 1690. At 38 years of age Thomas became the father of Mary Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1694. At 42 years of age Thomas became the father of John Rice in New Kent Co., VA, September 18, 1698. At 43 years of age Thomas became the father of Francis Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1699. At 46 years of age Thomas became the father of Henry Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1702. At 51 years of age Thomas became the father of Susanna Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1707. At 53 years of age Thomas became the father of Elizabeth Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1709. (See Thomas Rice for the children resulting from this marriage.)
At 16 years of age Marcy became the mother of David Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1680. At 18 years of age Marcy became the mother of William Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1682. At 20 years of age Marcy became the mother of Michael Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1684. At 21 years of age Marcy became the mother of James Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 4, 1686. At 23 years of age Marcy became the mother of Thomas Rice in New Kent Co., VA, June 24, 1688. At 25 years of age Marcy became the mother of Edward Rice in New Kent Co., VA, April 17, 1690. At 30 years of age Marcy became the mother of Mary Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1694. At 34 years of age Marcy became the mother of John Rice in New Kent Co., VA, September 18, 1698. At 35 years of age Marcy became the mother of Francis Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1699. At 38 years of age Marcy became the mother of Henry Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1702. At 43 years of age Marcy became the mother of Susanna Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1707. At 45 years of age Marcy became the mother of Elizabeth Rice in New Kent Co., VA, 1709.
33. Edward4 Rice birth date unknown.
He married Mary Claiborne. Mary became the mother of Thomas Rice in Shirementon, Bristol, England, 1656.
Edward became the father of Thomas Rice in Shirementon, Bristol, England, 1656.
Edward Rice and Mary Claiborne had the following child:
+
20
i.
Thomas3 Rice was born 1656.
34. Mary4 Claiborne birth date unknown.
She married Edward Rice. Edward became the father of Thomas Rice in Shirementon, Bristol, England, 1656. (See Edward Rice for the children resulting from this marriage.)
Mary became the mother of Thomas Rice in Shirementon, Bristol, England, 1656.
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