Prosser was probably born in Orange County, NC between 1750 and 1760. His father was James and his mother may have been Anne (see below). Some researchers claim that James died as a soldier during the Revolutionary War but there are court records that state that he died in 1781 or 1782 which if true, would place his death at the very end of the war. I have thus far been unable to find any extant record for James' military service.
There are several early Orange County records that list the family owning land along Mountain Creek. Today, Mountain Creek is near I-40 and New Hope Church Road just south of Hillsborough. Mountain Creek is a tributary of New Hope Creek. New Hope Presbyterian Church (and cemetery) is a historic site located nearby. Several Revolutionary War soldiers are buried in the old cemetery. Thomas Latta, [1] whose name can be found in several of the land records owning land adjacent to the Hortons, is buried in the church's cemetery.
Probable home site of the Horton family in Orange County, NC.(Map courtesy Mapquest; Annotation by author)
The most "telling" early documents that I found are summarized below:
From "Abstracts of the Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Orange County in the Province of North Carolina September 1752 through August 1766, compiled by Ruth Herndon Shields"
January 1754, A William Horton is appointed a petit juror.
March 1754, A William Horton is appointed to a grand jury.
1755, William Horton is noted in a court case.
1755, James Horton is shown on a tax list. (A William Combs is shown on this same list)
June 1758, A William Horton is appointed constable.
November 1760, James Horton is appointed to a grand jury.
February 1761, William Horton is appointed to a petit jury.
May 1764, William Horton is noted in a court case.
August 1764, William Horton is noted in a court case.
May 1765, Aaron Horton is appointed to a jury.
August 1765, James Horton is appointed overseer of a road "in room of William Dunnagan".
(Note: The relationship between these Horton men is not known nor speculated.)
From "The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Volume X, Number 2, May 1984":
Stephen Horton, William Horton, Charles Horton, Jeremiah Horton, William Combs and a James Prosser appear in transcribed rolls of electors/petitioners in the 1776 election that appointed officials for the 5th Provincial Government.
Note: Another interesting name on these rolls is George Clower. George's son Daniel (R.S.) was also an early settler of Jackson & Gwinnett Counties in Georgia. Another of George's sons had the middle name PENTECOST which may be a family name related to the Pentecost family that also settled Jackson County, Georgia. George's wife was said to have been a MORGAN related to General Daniel Morgan. I also have MORGAN ancestry (maternal) from Bucks County, PA but no one has proven the relationships of the various MORGAN families of Bucks County, PA, including Daniel Morgan. Daniel Boone also had Bucks County, PA MORGAN ancestry and this writer is related to Daniel Boone (maternal).
From the various volumes of records compiled by William Doub Bennett, (Orange County Records, Deeds and Surveys, Abstracts, etc.):
Feb 1759, William Combs, Mountain Creek, Churton's line noted. James Horton noted. Micajah Pickett signature.
May 1783, Thomas Horton and Elizabeth his wife to John Commens (Cummings). A tract surveyed for James Horton in 1754 both sides of Mountain Creek. William Johnstons line is noted, Watsons line noted. Tract is described as purchased of Rosser (Prosser) Horton by John Cummings. William Campbell, Stephen Wilson and William Fowler witnesses.
February 1790, James Hogg to Walter Alves. Mountain Creek of Little River. Adjoins Stephen Wilson and Ann Horton.
October 1795, John Hall to William Campbell. North Fork of Little River. Thomas Horton, Witness.
February 1796, Walter Alves to James Horton. Mountain Creek. Adjoins Ann Horton, Thomas Latta, Stephen Wilson and Moore. Widow Horton's line noted.
Note: In October 1799, an Ann Horton bought 45 acres of land in Jackson County Georgia from Prosser Horton with James Horton as a witness. In 1807, also in Jackson County, Georgia, an Ann sold an unspecified amount of land to a James McCleskey. Then in 1807, again in Jackson County, Georgia, James McCleskey sold 10 acres to Ann Horton with Sherwood Horton as a witness. [See Jackson Count, GA section]. This Ann could very likely could be the widow of James Horton, the father of Prosser, James and Sherwood and it might indicate that she spent her last years in Jackson County, Georgia.November 1796, Trustees of the University of NC to Walter Alves, 247 acres on the Little River. James Prosser and John Cain line noted.
January 1799, Thomas Horton to James Horton, both sides of Mountain Creek. Samuel Turrentine, Edward Harris, Spruce Macay and Gavin Alves noted.
February 1799, James Horton to George Laws. Both sides of Mountain Creek. Thomas Horton to James Horton adjoining same tract. Noted as "above" Thomas Lattas line. Stephen Wilson's line, Moores line. Walter Alves to James Horton in 1796.
There are official court documents filed in Orange County in the year 1795 which show that James died in 1781 or 1782 and that his oldest son was Thomas and that Prosser was the brother of Thomas. James' wife at the time of his death was Anne. [2]
These court documents pertain to a case for dower filed by his wife Anne seeking possession of some or all of the land that James owned at the time of his death. The documents are hard to decipher due to the handwriting and numerous text "strikethroughs" but it appears that Anne was already in possession of the "mansion house" and "fields adjoining" (82 acres?) since James died but she also filed this late petition (13 -14 years after his death) for dower seeking some or all of the balance of land (600 acres?) that James owned in total. Also, to complicate matters, it appears that Prosser had already sold some of the land to John Cummings. Thomas sought to deny the dower due to the length of time which had passed. The documents contain the names of all of James' children and his wife (Anne) at the time of his death. Thomas Horton is listed as the oldest son and he is handling the petition for himself and his siblings. It also appears to show that James owned almost 700 acres of land at the time of his death. The documents do not show the final decision of the matter.
1795 petition for dower by Anne Horton widow of James Horton, Orange County, NC
(Ancestry.com)
James Horton (deceased), Anne (widow), Thomas (eldest son), Prosser (brother of Thomas)
(Ancestry.com)
(Ancestry.com)
The names of James' children (living in 1795) are Thomas, Prosser, James, Sherwood, John, Jeremiah and Stephen (probably listed in order of their age).
Note also the names Walter Alves, Henry Moore, John Wright, Thomas Latta and John Cummings on the above document. Walter Alves, Henry Moore, Thomas Latta and John Cummings can all be found in the land records above.
John Cummings is probably Captain John Cummings, a noted Patriot soldier of Hillsborough (Orange County), NC State Legion. Walter Alves accumulated a lot of land in Orange County – numerous records can be found with an internet search.
There are Revolutionary War pay records for Prosser and his brothers James and Jeremiah. His brothers James, Sherwood and probably John, can be found later living in Jackson County, Georgia. There is an Ann Horton that bought land in Jackson County, Georgia in 1799 from Prosser Horton (James Horton and Sherwood Horton witnesses). It is likely that this Anne is the widow of James and it might indicate that she was either the biological mother of some of these men or she may be a later wife of James and may have helped to raise the men as boys. It is hard to imagine the boys opposing the dower request of their biological mother but family squabbles are often hard to understand from afar especially if one doesn't have all the history (which we clearly don't).
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My search of the Orange County, NC records revealed several men who are of
interest in my HOLLIS family and my COMBS family histories. Alexander
Going, Moses Hollis and Nottely Hollis can all be found in the early (as
early as 1753) Orange County records - records of transactions between all
three men. All three of these men can be found later living closely
together along the Wateree River in South Carolina with several other Hollis
families who likely were my progenitors. Based on my DNA research and
other Hollis men that I am related to, the southern Goings and Hollis
families appear to have a common paternal ancestor (indicating an adoption in
the 1700s or prior). Regarding the COMBS family ties, there is a
William Combs that can be found later living in Jackson County, Georgia near
Prosser Horton. This William Combs may be related to my Combs ancestors
that were early settlers of Wilkes County, Georgia. The name Micajah
Pickett can also be found in the early Orange County records. He also
made his way to the Wateree River in South Carolina. Several of the
Pickett family made their way from South Carolina to Georgia and one of them
owned a mill near Dallas, GA where a Civil War battle was later fought (one
of the battles around Atlanta that was a part of General Sherman's campaign through
Georgia). |
[1] Thomas Latta's name can be found throughout the Orange County land records.
[2] Available on Ancestry.com: North Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998,James Horton, Orange, Wills, 1663-1978; Estate Papers, 1754-1944. (From: Wills, 1663-1978, Estate Papers, 1754-1944 (Orange County); Author: North Carolina. Division of Archives and History (Raleigh, North Carolina); Probate Place: Orange, North Carolina)