Biography of Charles Blackard I (1706/1711 - c1790)

Kate Blackard said this about Charles Blackard in a 1960 letter to her nephew Henry Doug Blackard:

"Charlie Blackard was said to be a Scot Highland lad, came down into Wales and met and fell in love with a Welch girl. They were married and had two children, then decided to come to America - I know nothing further until Willoughby Blackard, said to be their son, at the age of sixteen joined the Virginia Militia "

I believe that while this traditional family story may correct in some aspects, there are a few things that may have been confused over the generations. Currently, I believe that these two sons were a well-known William Blackard and a Thomas Blackard whom we have yet to find positive proof of yet.

The birth year of 1728(?) was recorded for Charles Blackard by Kate's nephew H.D. Blackard of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, but I have another estimate of the birth year of Charles based on documented events in his life.

Charles was on the Bute, Co tax list in 1766. This means he was at least 21 and therefore born before 1748. Also he was under the tax exempt age of 60 and therefore born after 1706. Charles was not recorded on the 1771 Bute County, NC tax list. This means he was at least 60 and exempted from taxation. Therefore he was born on or before 1711. Therefore, I estimate his date of birth as 1706-1711.

There is no positive proof yet, but I feel that Charles Blackard most likely was born in St. Michaels Parrish, Barbados and was the son of Francis Blackard reported in the 1715 census. The legends of a Welsh wife could arise from a member of the Welsh William's familiy or some other resident of Welchman's Hall near where Francis Blackard was recorded in Barbados.

I have no idea how the legends of the Blackards being in Scotland and Ireland started, however, after many generations of looking, noone has ever found evidence of any Blackard family in Scotland or Ireland before the 19th century. The Blackard family was, however, recorded continuously near the Willoughby family in Somerset and Lincoln in eastern England as early as 1540. The Willoughby family settled in Barbados after the English Civil War and Francis Willoughby was the first governor of Barbados. Another piece of circumstancial evidence is the fact that Charles named one of his sons, Willoughby Blackard.

1748-1755 Southeast Virginia and Edgecombe County, North Carolina

Most of the settlers that came to Granville and Edgecombe Counties in the mid 18th century came downriver from southeastern Virgnia. I have found several of these families earlier in Brunswick(Lunenburg) County, Virginia in 1748-1752. Additionally, many of these same family names (Hudson, Lett, Harwood/Haywood, Brooks, Sullivant, etc.) were recorded in the 1680 census of Barbados. This part of Virginia appears to be where Charles Blackard would have been before coming to North Carolina in 1755. However, we have no record of him in Virginia yet. But, one of Charles' older sons, William Blackard, was apparently born in Virginia before 1755. In the 1880 U.S. Census William's own son , Spivey, named his father's place of birth as Virginia.

A 1748 Edgecombe Co, NC Land Grant recorded the name J. Blacker who witnessed a land grant in Edgecombe County in the exact same spot where Charles Blackard was living and working later in 1756. J. Blacker appears to be a Blackard but we do not yet know how he was related to Charles Blackard. The other witness was a Smithwick who were among the very first residents of NC. One chain carrier was from the Lett family, just as the other chain carrier was on the 1756 survey. The man believed to be the father of these two Letts, William Lettis [sic], was recorded in the 1715 census of St. Michaels Parish, Barbados along with a Francis Blacchard [Blackard] (b.1683) and his own 3-year old son (b.1711).

PKB11-124 Robert Brinkley 24 June 1748 200 in Edge East Side of Conway Crk adj Brinkley’s line
Surveyed 2 Mar 1747 by James Connor
Witnessed: J. Blacker, Edwd Smithwick
Chain Carriers: James Lett, Wm Gilbert

1755 Edgecombe County, North Carolina

I have an estimate of the birth year of Charles based on documented events in his life.

Charles as on the Bute, Co tax list in 1766. This means he was at least 21 and therefore bornbefore 1748. Also he was under the tax exempt age of 60 and therefore born after 1706.

Charles was not recorded on the 1771 Bute County, NC tax list. This means he was at least 60 and exempted from taxation. Therefore he was born on or before 1711.

Edgecombe Co, NC Miscellaneous Land Papers #2208
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Warrant: 12 Nov 1755 To Colo John Haywood To surevey 640 acres in Edgecombe on both sides of Pine Branch And a line supposed to be Colo. Moseley's
Entered: 15 July 1755
Back reads: Deed 6 July 1760 Plat 21 April 1756 (Misc. L.O.P #2209) 570 Acres Edgecombe Co on the Both Sides of Pine Branch on the North Side of Little Fishing Creek Adjoining Capt. Jos. John Alston Colo Moseley's line Williams own line And various courses of the creek
SCC Charles Blackard, John Lott
Surveyor: John Haywood

Samuel Williams was a member of a Welsh family that left England around 1650 after the English Civil War and settled in Welchman's Hall, Christ Church Parrish, Barbados.

Surveryor, John Haywood, was born near the Christ Church/St. Michaels line in Barbados in 1685.

1757-1776 Granville & Bute Counties, NC

Patent Book 11-431 William Kimbrough 2 Dec 1760 Granville.Parish of St. John's adj Brayzers line, Blacks line Surveyed: 22 May 1760 SCC John Green, Wm Kimbro

In 1762 Charles Blackard witnessed the will of John Lett in Bute. This was probably the same man who was also chain carrier on the 1756 survey.

Patent Book 11-356 "Joseph Edwards 6 Feb 1762. 86 acres Granville. SS Tar,
adj Edwards lines, Blackers line, Mill Creek and said River.
Surveyed 29 June 1761"

In 1766 Charles Blackard is listed in the Bute County tax list close to the names Willeby Self, Thomas Blanchat, Phillip Alston and William Hudson. This was the year that Job Blackard was born.

ABSTRACTS OF WARREN COUNTY NC DEED BOOK 2 - by Mary Hinton Kerr DB-2, page 163.
" 14 March 1768. WILLIAM DAVIS(S) to WILLIAM ARNOLD, both of Bute Co. 54 Pds. Va. money for 237 A. in Bute Co. on SS the Reedy Creek adj. GREEN & MANGUM. Wit: JAME EATES, WM. COOPER, CHARLES BLACKER, DAVID ROSE, Ack: by WILLIAM DAVIS, Bute February Court 1769, BEN McCULLOCH, C.C. Reg: 28 June 1769, by WILLIAM JOHNSON, P.R. Marginal notation: Delivered the i day of Decemer. 1772 to THOS. RODGERS."

The 1771 tax list for Bute County did not include Charles, probably meaning that he had reached age 60 and was exempt from taxation by NC tax rules.

"Bute Co #55 Entry March 16, 1776 Jno Short enters 540 acres due to a former entry made in Earl Granville's office by Phil Hawkins border: Roland Wilson, Powell, Rivers adn Williams. on Macon Branch and Turkey Creek. Includes some improvements volentarily made on said land by Chas. Black and now in the possession of Samuel Morris.
Caveated May 7, 1778 by Samuel Morris. Land got by Morriss."