Jeremiah Green Sr. in the Jersey Settlement

My Green ancestors migrated from Hunterdon County, New Jersey to Rowan County, North Carolina around 1755. Jeremiah Green Sr., my sixth great grandfather, brought his family to an area called the “Jersey Settlement”. Many of these settlers, like Jeremiah, had come from New Jersey.^{1, 2, 3} Jeremiah first appears in Rowan County court records serving on a jury and as a witness on several deeds in 1756.^{4, 5} Jeremiah and his oldest son, Richard Green, appear on the Rowan County Tax records for 1759.⁶ See Figure 1. That same year Sergeant Jeremiah Green was listed on a 1759 record of settlers that had been on patrol due to Indian attacks.⁷ In the 1750s Rowan County was on the “edge of civilization” and many of the early settlers moved further east in North Carolina or went back to New England.

*Figure 1: 1759 tax record for Jeremiah and Richard Green in Rowan County, North Carolina.*

Jeremiah obtained 541 acres on Potts Creek, which would be near Linwood, NC today. The deed was acknowledged in the Rowan County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions during its October 1762 session. He paid fifty-two pounds, eleven shillings sterling money of Great Britian for the parcel.⁸ That would be equivalent to $12,800 to $15,400 US dollars in 2025. The land description was provided in “metes and bounds” and referred to neighbors, trees, creeks and rivers, and other landmarks that change over time. An image of the land record is shown in Figure 2. Jeremiah Green Sr. died shortly after receiving the land in Rowan County and his sons Richard and Isaac, and Jeremiah’s wife Hannah Hunt Green, requested Letters of Administration for the estate.⁹ An image of the court record is shown in Figure 3.

*Figure 2: 1761 deed from Henry McCulloh to Jeremiah Green for 541 acres in Rowan County, North Carolina.*

*Figure 3: January of 1763 court record motioning Letters of Administration of the Estate of Jeremiah Green in Rowan County, North Carolina*.

(1) Heritage of Watauga County North Carolina, Vol. 1, 1984, published by Hunter Publishing, Winston-Salem, NC, pgs. 202-207.
(2) Greene, Dr. James C., A Family History: The Greenes In Western North Carolina, Beginning with William Green (1671-1722), Second Edition, 2015.
(3) Stroupe, Ethel, History of the Origins of the Jersey Settlement of Rowan County, North Carolina, The First Families of the Jersey Settlement, 1996.
(4) Rowan County, NC County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Deeds 1755-1757 and 1758-1762; images 228-229; Deeds from J. and A. Harry to G. Ruth, images 228-229; database and images, FamilySearch, Vol. 3-4, pgs. 437-439; accessed on 29 Apr 2025.
(5) Rowan County, NC County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Minutes 1753-1868; J. Green on jury, image 105; database and images, FamilySearch, Minutes, Vol. 1-3 1753-1772; accessed on 29 Apr 2025.
(6) Rowan County, NC Board of County Commissioners, Tax records (Rowan County, North Carolina), 1758-1892, tax record for J. and R. Green, image 204 or 1176; database and images, Tax records, 1758-1759; accessed on 29 Apr 2025.
(7) Linn, Jo White, Rowan County, North Carolina, Tax Lists 1757-1800, self published, 1995, pgs. 13-14.
(8) Rowan County, NC County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Deeds 1762-1764, 1764-1768; 1768-1798; Deed from H. McCulloh to J. Green, image 31 or 866; database and images, FamilySearch, V. 5-7, pg. 44; accessed on 29 Apr 2025.
(9) Rowan County, NC County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Court Minutes 1753–1767; Letters of Administration for estate of J. Green, image 438-731; database and images, FamilySearch, V. 1, pg. 441; accessed on 29 Apr 2025.