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SOUTHERNS IN SURRY AND STOKES COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
TAX LISTS, 1775-1801
Tax lists are a fruitful source that provide annual "snapshots" of heads of households which supplement census records and in some cases capture families that enter and leave an area between census years. Stokes County tax lists are particularly rich in this regard. The following show the first appearance of the Southern family in North Carolina with William Southern in Surry County in 1775, and the apparent emergence of younger men out of his household in years thereafter. Stokes County was formed from Surry in 1789.
SURRY COUNTY
1775
Camplins District
William Suthern. 350 acres; 150 pounds
0 slaves
10 cattle, 3 horses; 220 pounds
Taken from the transcription by William Perry Johnson. This is the first record of William Southern's presence in North Carolina. Since he and Reuben appear in the 1774 titheables list of Buckingham Co., Virginia, the family apparently moved to N.C. between the time the two lists were taken.
1780
Name Acres Value Horses Value Cattle Value Slaves Money Total Reubin Southern 0 - 1 42 1 10 - 12 64 William Southern 515 280 3 126 9 90 - 64 492 William's son Reubin appears here as a separate householder, but without land of his own as yet.
1782______District
Name Acres Horses Cattle Value William Surthern 315 2 12 99
1783Capt. Bostick's District
Name Acres
deededAcres entered Negroes
1-7
50-60Negroes
7-16
40-50Negroes
16-40Horses
& MulesCattle Pounds Wm Southern Jr. 0 100 1 - - 2 1 51 Wm Southern Sr. 315 - - - - 2 13 83 Reubin Sothern 0 300 - - - 2 4 39 William "Jr." appears, perhaps William's son, but their relationship is not documented. The younger William was a veteran of the Revolution (link to Revolutionary War Service of William Southern II). He is shown owning a slave at this early date -- he was the only N.C. Southern ever to own a slave -- and consistently appears with a slave in subsequent records until his death in the mid-1830s. If the slave seen here was seven or younger in this record, it may be the same person who is the slave woman in her 50s in William's 1830 census. See The Slaves of William Southern II.
1785
Capt. Bosticks District
Name Acres Free Polls Gibson Sothern - 1 Reubin Sothern 300 1 William Sothern 315 1 Gibson appears here and in the 1787 list. By 1790 he was in Greenville Co., S.C. He was also a veteran of the Revolution (link to Revolutionary War Service of Gibson/Gipson Southern). He may have been William's oldest son, but their relationship is not documented.
1786
____ District
Name Acres Polls Reubin Sothern 300 1 William Sothern 315 1
1787____ District
Name Acres Polls Gibson Sothern 200 1 William Sothern 315 1 Reubin Sothern 300 1
1788Capt. Beaseley's District
Name Acres Polls William Southern 100 1 This is the younger William (the Revolutionary War veteran) on Snow Creek.
1789
Name Acres Polls Capt. Beasley's District William Southern 100 1 Capt. Bostick's District William Sothern 215 1 Reubin Sothern 300 1 Boaz Sothern 100 1 Ford Sothern - 1 The first appearance of Boaz and Ford in the record, younger men coming out of William and Magdalen's household. From this point onward, the family structure remains stable and consistent for over a decade.
STOKES COUNTY (formed from Surry in 1789)
1790
Name Acres Polls Capt. Beasley's District William Southern 100 1 Capt. Bostick's District William Sothern 215 1 Reubin Sothern 457 1 Boaz Sothern - 1 Ford Sothern - 1
1791
(*exempt because of his advanced age)
Name Acres Polls Capt. Beasley's District William Southern 100 1 Capt. Morgin's District William Sothern 160 -* Reubin Sothern 522 1 Boas Sothern 50 1 Ford Sothern 155 1
1792
Name Acres Polls Capt. Beasley's District William Southern 300 1 Capt. Morgin's District William Sothern 160 - Reubin Sothern 525 1
1793
Name Acres Polls Capt. Beasley's District William Southern 200 1 Capt. Morgan's District William Southern 150 - Reubin Sothern 457 1 Boze Sothern 50 1 Ford Sothern 155 1
1794
Name Acres Polls Capt. Beasley's District William Southern 200 1 Capt. Morgin's District William Southern Sen 160 - Reubin Southern 457 1 Boaze Southern 50 1 Ford Southern 155 1 The older William's last appearance in the record. He died this year. Link to Will of William Southern).
1795
Name Acres Polls Black Polls Beasley's District William Southern 200 1 1 Morgan's District John Southern 150 1 - Reubin Southern 457 1 - Ford Southern 155 1 - Campbell's District Boaz Suthern 50 1 - Young John replaces his father William this year. There is no substantial change for the next several years.
1796
Name Acres Polls Beasley's District William Southern 200 1 Morgan's District John Southern 150 1 Reubin Southern 457 1/2 1 Ford Southern 155 1 Campbell's District Boaz Southern 50 1
1797
Name Acres Polls Beasley's District William Southern 200 1 Morgan's District John Southern 157 1/2 1 Rheubin Southern 834 1/2 1 Ford Southern 155 1 Campbell's District Boaz Southern 50 1
1798
Name Acres White Polls Black Polls Capt. Beazley's District William Southern 200 1 1 Capt. Maygers District Rubin Southern 584 1 - John Southern 157 1 - Ford Southern 155 1 - Capt. Campbell's District Bouaz Southern 50 1 -
1799
Name Acres White Polls Black Polls Capt. Beazley's District William Southern 200 1 1 Capt. Bosticks District Rubin Southern 584 1 - John Southern 157 1 - Ford Southern 155 1 - Capt. Campbell's District Boaz Southern 100 1 -
1799 Stokes County Property Valuations: Houses, Lands, Slaves
Name Dwelling Houses
&Out Houses
Not Exceeding
$100 Value:
NumberHouses
ValueAcres Acreage
ValueSlaves Under
Age of 50
Subject to
TaxationCloud's District William Southern 1 $50 200 $300 1 Hairston's District John Southarn 3 $10 153 $153 - Ford Southern 3 $15 155 $200 - Rubin Southern 7 $25 584 1/2 $400 - Brinkley's District Boaz Southern 2 $10 100 $75 -
1800
Name Acres White Polls Black Polls Capt. Childress's District William Southern 200 1 1 Capt. Bosticks District Reuben Southern 584 1 - John Southern 156 1 - Ford Southern 355 1 - Boze Southern 100 1 -
1801
Name Acres White Polls Black Polls Capt. Childress's District William Suthern 200 1 1 Capt. Bosticks District Reuben Southern 584 1 - John Sothern 157 1 - Ford Sothern 358 1 - Reuben Southern
for Wm. Stephens250 1 - Capt. Moore's District Boaz Sothern 100 1 -