Research indicates that all American Blackard family lines descend from a Charles Blackard who was first recorded on Conway/Little Fishing Creek in Edgecombe Precinct, NC (now Halifax County) in 1755. Before 1755 he lived in Virginia where his son William Blackard was born. In 1757 Charles moved to Granville/Bute County but remained on Little Fishing Creek probably until his death sometime before 1790 in the area that is Warren County, NC today.
Charles Blackard I is likely to have come from Prince George County,
Virginia as did several neighbors. He is also likely to have been the great-grandson
of John Blackard who came to America around 1649 to what is today Prince George
County, Va.
Recent research also indicates that there may have been other Blackards in colonial NC near Charles.
A John Blacker/Blackband witnessed a land deed on Conway/Little Fishing Creek in Edgecombe Precinct in 1748. Both the 1748 and 1755 Little Fishing Creek deeds included the names members of the Lett family who were neighbors of Williams. He was also listed on the Edgecombe Militia list in 1754/1755 next to the surveyor for the 1755 land survey. Also in the year1762 there appears to have been two Blackards recorded in Granville County. This man man is likely to have been the father of our Charles Blackard I.
A William Black was recorded in the Granville District on Little Fishing Creek in 1747 near the Granville/Edgecombe county line. Because of his proximity to Charles Blackard and John Blacker, association with Samuel Williams, and the fact that he is not identified with the Black family, he may be a Blackard too.
A James Blanchet/Blanchard was recorded in the adjacent Bertie county on tax lists in 1764 and 1769. There is no evidence of the Blanchard family living there, so he may be a Blackard.
The name Blackard was most-often spelled incorrectly in colonial times (ex. Black, Blanchard, Blacker, Blackheart, Blockherd, Blackband, Blackboard, etc.). On this site, you will find the original spelling followed by what we think the real name should be in brackets like [Blackard].