The Blackard "First Family" - Charles Blackard I (est 1706/1711 - est 1790)

Knowledge of the existance of Charles Blackard I comes to us from a great granddaughter of Willoughby Blackard named Kate Blackard (1883-1964) and her letters to nephew Henry Douglas "HD" Blackard. She named Charles as the father of Willoughby Blackard. "Old Charlie" as Kate called him, appears to have been forgotten over time, but recent research that I have done in NC records with the assistance of genealogist Louise Fuller has substantiated his role as the patriarch of the American Blackard family.

Charles Blackard apparently came to North Carolina from Virginia sometime before 1755/1756. William Blackard, who appears to have been his son was said to have been born in Virginia. Willoughby (b.1758) and Job Blackard (b.1766) were born in NC.

Charles was first recorded in 1755 in Edgecombe County, NC working as a surveryor's assistant on a land grant for a Samuel Williams. The surveyor was John Haywood from Barbados. The other surveryor's chain carrier and the William's family themselves were found in Barbados prior to coming to Virginia. A Francis Blacchard [Blackard] was recorded in the 1715 census of Barbados with a 3-year old son who could have been Charles Blackard I, but this has not been proven yet. However, many family names from Barbados show up in neighboring counties in Virginia shortly before Charles' appearance in NC. See my study on the Lunenburg Family Cluster for more information.

Charles was recorded in the 1757 Granville and 1762 and 1766 Bute tax lists, but not 1771. This indicates that that Charles reached the age of 60 between 1766 and 1771 and was exempted from taxation. This means that Charles was born in 1706-1711.

Charles was not recorded in the first U.S.Census of 1790 and it appears that he died sometime shortly before the census was taken in either Warren or Franklin County, NC, the two counties formed from old Bute County. An Elizabeth Bradway (age 47) was included in the 1790 Franklin County U.S. Census who may have been his widow and possible second wife. This name spelling occurs nowhere else in Franklin records.

The Franklin County Court Minutes of December 15, 1800 contain an order for Elizabeth Blanchard [Blackard?] to sell enough of the estate of her deceased husband to settle his debts. As there was no Blanchard family living there, this was probably an Elizabeth Blackard, the widow of Charles Blackard I.

After his death the sons Charles II, William and Willoughby began leaving NC looking for new land and their fortunes.

See my Biography of Charles Blackard I for more information.