The Blackard "First Family" - Charles Blackard II (est 1755 - aft 1815)

Charles Blackard II was probably born in 1755, son of Charles Blackard I, either in Virginia or Edgecombe County, North Carolina. The 1800 census gives his birthdate as 1755 or before and his disappearance from the tax record after 1815 also indicates that 1755 was the year of his birth.

There is some ambiguity in early NC records between Charles the father and Charles the son as they were recorded identially. However, there is some evidence to indicate that Charles Blackard I died before the 1790 census in either Warren or Franklin Counties, which were formed from old Bute County.

It is my opinion that it was Charles II who was recorded buying land in Franklin County in 1778, reselling it in 1779, and then immediately moves west to Caswell County, NC in 1780. In 1780 Charles Blackard is recorded on the Caswell County tax list and also he marries a Nancy Vermillion in Caswell County.

The 1777 Bute County, NC Court Minutes call for Charles Black [Blackard] to assist with maintaining a road near the property of Thomas Person, for whom Person County was named and also a later neighbor. This was requred of all young, adult males and means that he was over 21 (i.e. born before 1756) which is consistent.

In 1778 Charles Blackard was bondsman on a marriage of Frances Self (Snow) and Spencer Snow, bond dated 1 Jan. 1778 in Butte Co. NC. This appears to be the Francis Snow that Job Blackard's daughter Frances Snow Blackard was named after. After his army duty Willoughby lived near Spencer and Frances in Warren County (part of old Bute County).

In 1778 Charles bought 114 Acres in Franklin County (old Bute Co) on Buffalo Crk on 13 Jan 1778. He is mentioned in several land deeds as living adjacent to Job Self , White, John Hudson, Isaac Hudson, Wm Hudson

Also in 1778 Mollie Blackman [Blackard] married William Cooper and live near Charles

Then in 1779 Charles sold the same 114 Acres in Franklin County on 11 Nov 1779 to Job Self and moved to Caswell County where he obtained 108 acres of land and married the very next year in 1780.

In 1780 Charles Blackard was married to Nancy Vermillion (b.1750) in Caswell Co, NC . The marriage bond date was on July 18, 1780. The marriage bond was posted by his brother William Blackard.

Charles II was remarried in1783 to Betsey Henderson of Granville County.

Charles is recorded on the Caswell County tax lists from 1780 until 1786. But then Charles II is also absent from the first U.S. Census of 1790. However, in the second census he appears a bit further to the west in Guilford County, NC in 1800.

Then by December 1805 he was in Dickson County, Tennessee and in 1806 in Nashville, Roberston County, Tennessee.

Charles and son Eli are then in the 1810 U.S. Census in Barren County, Kentucky on the northern border of TN. Then he is recorded as owning land in Wayne County, KY in 1814 and 1815.

Charles then disappears from the tax lists as he had probably reached the age of 60 and was exempted from taxation.

The last potential record of Charles Blackard II may be a land grant issued to Charles Black [sic?] for 100 acres in Lauderdale County TN in the period 1819-1827.

See my Biography of Charles Blackard II for more information.