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Descendants of Thomas Northfleete


Generation No. 5


      55. Whitmal5 Bell (Ferebee4 Norfleet, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1 Northfleete) was born Abt. 1752, and died 1824 in Edgecombe County NC. He married Elizabeth "Betsey" _____.
     
Children of Whitmal Bell and Elizabeth _____ are:
  162 i.   Whitmell6 Bell.
  163 ii.   Winny Bell.
  164 iii.   Jarrot Bell.
  165 iv.   Joseph Bell.
  166 v.   Bennet Bell.
  167 vi.   William Bell.
  168 vii.   David Bell.
  169 viii.   James Bell.
  170 ix.   Newsom Bell.


      62. William5 Bell (Ferebee4 Norfleet, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1 Northfleete) was born Abt. 1762, and died Abt. 1800 in Edgecombe County NC. He married Ann.
     
Children of William Bell and Ann are:
  171 i.   Sally6 Bell. She married James Dancy Abt. 1801.
  172 ii.   Charlotte Bell.
  173 iii.   Nancy Bell.
  174 iv.   Catey Bell.
  175 v.   Elizabeth Bell.


      63. Bythel5 Bell (Ferebee4 Norfleet, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1 Northfleete) was born Abt. 1765, and died 1802 in Edgecombe County NC. He married Name Unknown.
     
Children of Bythel Bell and Name Unknown are:
+ 176 i.   Henry Clinch6 Bell, born Abt. 1788.
  177 ii.   Elizabeth Bell, born Abt. 1792.
  178 iii.   Margaret Bell, born Abt. 1795.
  179 iv.   Marmaduke Norfleet Bell, born Abt. 1798.
  180 v.   William Wesley Bell, born Abt. 1801; died 10 June, 1810 in Edgecombe County NC.


      74. James5 Norfleet (John4, James3, Thomas2, Thomas1 Northfleete) was born 1744 in Perquimans County NC, and died 1796 in Gates County NC. He married Sarah Gordon 01 December, 1774 in Chowan County NC, daughter of John Gordon and Mary Hunter.
     
Children of James Norfleet and Sarah Gordon are:
  181 i.   Elizabeth6 Norfleet. She married Thomas Whitmel.
+ 182 ii.   Mary Gordon Norfleet, born 1780 in Gates County NC; died Abt. 1856 in Bowie County TX.
  183 iii.   Sarah Walton Norfleet, born 1784; died 1873. She married William Ruffin Smith Abt. 1801.
+ 184 iv.   Felicia Norfleet, born in Gates County NC.


      75. James B.5 Norfleet (Philishia4, James3, Thomas2, Thomas1 Northfleete) was born Abt. 1769 in NC, and died 1839 in Montgomery County TN. He married Elizabeth Hayes November 1797 in Bertie County NC.

Notes for James B. Norfleet:

James B. Norfleet (c. 1769-1839) of Bertie County NC and Montgomery County TN


Marmaduke Norfleet's Will

The first mention of James B. Norfleet in the official records is in the will of the first Marmaduke Norfleet (1700-1774). Marmaduke's will, dated 28 June 1774 (proven March 1775 in Northampton County NC), says the following regarding James Norfleet:

"…..…..      Item: I give and bequeath unto James Norfleet the son of Philissia Norfleet grandson to my Brother James Norfleet the land and plantation whereon Henry Sikes now lives lying in Bertie County on the east side of one branch of the head of Curshy swamp being the land that I bought of William Robertson. I likewise give unto the above named James Norfleet all the stock of cattle belonging to the above said plantation.

"Item: I give and bequeath to the above said James Norfleet two young Negroes namely Davey & Celia my will is that if the above named James Norfleet should die without issue or before he arrives to the age of twenty one years then the above Land, Negroes & Stock to be sold to the best bidder & the money arising from the sale of the Land, Negroes & Stock to be equally divided among my three children namely Reuben Norfleet, Judith and Sarah, or to their Heirs………"

It is interesting to note that, in the last paragraph of the will, Marmaduke appoints his executors with the following words:

"…..I do hereby ordain and appoint my trusty and well beloved Son Reuben Norfleet and my very good friend William Baker and my approved friend James Hogan to be my true and lawful Executors……"

William Baker was the owner of Buckland Plantation in Hertford County NC (this area in 1779 would become part of Gates County) and was the husband of Marmaduke's daughter Judith. James Hogan was a man, who would later become a Brigadier General in the Revolution and be what I consider to be one of the outstanding American heroes of that War. At the time of the will, James Hogan was the husband of Ruth (nee Blunt) Norfleet, widow of Marmaduke's oldest brother, Thomas Norfleet (d. 1746) of Edgecombe County NC.

Mother of James B. Norfleet

The mother of James, Philissia Norfleet was probably living in the household of Marmaduke Norfleet at the time he made out his will. She witnessed the will and a tradition in that branch of the Norfleet family (told by Marmaduke's great-great-granddaughter, Antoinette Rebecca Norfleet Smallwood) is that in Marmaduke's later years, after the death of his second wife, his niece (daughter of a deceased brother) had kept house for him. This was undoubtedly Philissia Norfleet. She probably died about the year 1780, as Reuben Norfleet was appointed as legal guardian of James on 04 March 1780 (see enclosure).

Father of James B. Norfleet

I have never been able to ascertain the name of James's father. The wording of Marmaduke Norfleet's will leads me to believe that he may have been illegitimate. I know of no Norfleet male living in the area at that time who would be a reasonable candidate as the legal husband for Philissia Norfleet. The middle initial "B." used in his estate papers in TN may be a pointer in this regard. However, it is odd that the only place where I have seen the name "James B. Norfleet" used, is in the estate papers produced after his death. On every other document (including his will), of which I am aware, his name is always given as simply "James Norfleet." Could the "B" stand for Baker? Further research is needed on this topic.

Bertie County Land and Tax Records

The extant tax records for the Norfleets in Bertie County for the years 1757-1810 are summarized in the enclosed listing. James B. Norfleet first appears in the Bertie County tax records as the owner of 200 acres of land in the year 1779. Presumably this land was the plantation he inherited from his great-uncle Marmaduke Norfleet in 1775. He also appears with these 200 acres in the tax lists for 1786, 1787 and 1788. For each of these years he was taxed only for the land but not for the free poll tax which was levied only on white males over the age of twenty-one.

In 1790 he not only is taxed on the 200 acres of land but also for one white male poll (presumably himself). This indicates that he had finally reached the age of twenty-one within the year prior to the tax assessment for 1790. This fact establishes his date of birth as being either late 1768 or early 1769. After coming of age in 1790, he soon sold his 200 acre inheritance. By indenture (Bertie County, Book P, Page 224), dated 29 January 1791, he sold the 200 acre tract to Joseph Horne of Bertie County NC. Accordingly, James Norfleet was not taxed for any land in the 1791-1797 assessments. James apparently did not again own land until 1798 when he acquired a 213 acre tract from Elijah Harrell by an indenture, dated 26 February 1798.
Edward Acre and Joshua Hayse

It is interesting to note that the Harrell indenture was witnessed by Edward Acre, the same person who had cosigned the marriage bond between James Norfleet and Elizabeth Hayes on 14 November 1797. In another indenture, dated 9 March 1798, Cullin Purvis conveyed a 170 acre tract of land to Joshua Hayse; this tract was stated as being near the land of Edward Acre. Both Edward Acre and James Norfleet signed as witnesses to the Purvis/Hayse indenture. I suspect that Joshua Hayse was either the father or brother of Elizabeth Hayes, who had recently married James Norfleet.

In the years 1799 and 1800, James was taxed for only 100 acres of land in lieu of the 213 acre total for 1798 (see above). This change is accounted for by an indenture dated in 1799 (Bertie County Book S, Page 86), wherein James Norfleet conveyed 113 acres of land to William Hunter.

The tax lists for the years 1801 through 1805, show that James Norfleet was taxed for one white male poll, but no further land ownership tax is indicated.

Slave Ownership

In 1790 James was taxed for two slave polls; presumably these were the two slaves "Davey" and "Celia" which he had inherited from Marmaduke Norfleet. However, for the years 1791 through 1796, James was taxed for only one slave poll. I have not yet found any document which explains this change.

From 1797 through the year 1805, James was again taxed for two slave polls. The identity of at least one of these two slave polls is revealed by a bill of sale (Bertie County Book R, Page 473), dated 18 December 1797, wherein Reuben Norfleet conveyed two slaves, a woman named "Penney" and a child named "Pheaseby" to James Norfleet in exchange for a slave named "Edy" and "sixty pounds Virginia Currency." The women "Edy" and "Penney" would be subject to the poll tax but probably not the child, "Pheaseby."

James acquired another slave poll by bill of sale (Bertie County Book S, Page 207), dated 26 February 1800, wherein William Ruffin of Bertie County conveyed one Negro man named "Champion" to James. Edward Acre was a witness to the Ruffin/Norfleet transaction.

I have found no record re the disposition of the two slaves, Davey and Celia, originally inherited from Marmaduke Norfleet.

Departure from Bertie County, North Carolina

James Norfleet apparently left Bertie County, North Carolina about the year 1806, as the last tax entry for him in Bertie County is for the year 1805.

Arrival in Montgomery County, Tennessee

The whereabouts of James B. Norfleet from 1806 to 1812 is unknown. The first notice of James B. Norfleet in Montgomery County, Tennessee is on 17 April 1812, when he acquired 223 acres of land on the east side of Parsons Creek, near the Port Royal road [see Montgomery County Deed Book I, page 309]. This 223-acre tract was adjacent to land owned by John Baker and Willie Blount (the Governor of TN during the War of 1812). James acquired his land from John Baker, the husband of Elizabeth Ann Norfleet. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Norfleet (1699-1753) of Chowan County, North Carolina and was James's 2nd cousin once removed. Very little is known of James's life in Montgomery County. His will, undated, is recorded in Montgomery County in Will Book H, page 214. The will was probated on 5 February 1839. Starky Norfleet, son of James, was named Executor and was required to post a bond in the amount of $3,650. The sureties on the bond, besides Starky Norfleet, were Philip Ford Norfleet and James Dortch (son of Captain Isaac Dortch).



     
Children of James Norfleet and Elizabeth Hayes are:
+ 185 i.   Lucinda E.6 Norfleet, born Abt. 1815; died Abt. 1874.
+ 186 ii.   Peggy Norfleet.
+ 187 iii.   Starkey S. Norfleet, born 17 April, 1797 in Bertie County NC; died 09 March, 1866 in Montgomery County TN.
+ 188 iv.   James Norfleet, born Abt. 1802 in Montgomery County TN; died 30 December, 1880 in Montgomery County TN.
+ 189 v.   Marmaduke Norfleet, born Abt. 1805.


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