Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia

Pre-1782 Land Holdings

Dinwiddie County was created in 1752 from lands formerly belonging to Prince George County to the east, but it is clear that numerous tracts had been claimed prior to that date.  The loss of most eighteenth-century deed books for Prince George County and, after 1752, for Dinwiddie County means that land holdings are difficult to identify.  Sources that remain are the land patent books describing grants from the colony of Virginia and the surveyors books for Prince George County from 1711 to 1724 (Weisiger 1986) and Dinwiddie County from 1755 to 1865 (Hughes 1975).

Richard Bolling maintained the Prince George County surveyor's book during the period 1711-1724.  He surveyed 185 acres for William Coleman Jr. on the east side of Mawhipponock Creek in 1712, and 350 acres on Butterwood Swamp for Francis Coleman in 1721 (Weisiger 1986:1,6).  Matthew Coleman received a patent for 200 acres in 1753 (Hughes and Standefer 1973:1).  William Thompson Jr. obtained a patent for 2000 acres in 1748 on both sides of Burnt Quarter Run adjoining Charles Thompson, James Hall, and others (Jones 1976:397).  As will be discussed shortly, John Scott Coleman, owner of the plantation ultimately known as "Burnt Quarter," purchased 225 acres from Charles Thompson in 1783.

A surveyor's book was maintained in Dinwiddie County shortly after its creation, and names and locations that later become familiar ones in connection with Five Forks begin to appear.  James Boisseau, Gentleman, owned 628 acres in 1757 on the northside of Gravelly Run near the Court House Road.  George Browder had 299 acres in 1755 between Butterwood Road and Hatcher's Run adjoining William Thompson, James Pittiloe (formerly Elias Clark), and Thomas Williams.  Moses Ingram of Brunswick County owned 774 acres on a branch of Hatcher's Run in 1772, adjoining the boundaries of Henry Thweatt Jr., Sydnor, George Thweatt, and Hudson (Hughes 1975:38).  Therefore, properties owned by the Boisseau, Thweatt, and Sydnor families have emerged in the general vicinity of Five Forks prior to the Revolutionary War.

Maps of the Five Forks area dating between 1864 and 1880 will be discussed below, but the introduction of an earlier map at this point will aid in the location of the various land tracts to be described shortly.  Isham Hargrave produced a map of Dinwiddie County c.1820 (Hargrave 1820), although the map has also been attributed to Wood or Boye.  The map indicates roadways, major drainages, and a limited number of structures (Figure 4.1).  Dinwiddie Court House was noted, as well as the residences of Colonel Scott and General Pegram, the Dinwiddie Academy, and "Stith's" on Stony Creek.  The drainage known as Chamberlain's Bed flowed southward into Stony Creek west of the court house.  The Five Forks were indicated at the junction of Butterwood and Church Roads, the latter so named because it continued northward across Hatcher's Run and passed Hatcher's Run Church.  (By the time of the Civil War, Butterwood Road was more commonly referred to as White Oak Road.)  The fifth "fork" or Scott's Road was not shown.  The headwaters of Gravelly Run flowed eastward across Church Road south of Five Forks.  No residences were indicated in the vicinity of the forks, although the discussion of land ownership that follows clearly indicates that the area was well-populated by 1820.

The Emergence of the Land Tax in 1782

The loss of information occasioned by the destruction of early deed books is to a certain extent ameliorated by the annual land tax records that were initiated in 1782.  The land tax initially recorded owners, acreage, value per acre, total value, tax, and alterations during the preceding year; entries in the Alterations column are particularly useful in tracing changes in ownership due to deeds of sale or gift.  By 1813, however, the geographical location of the acreage, the distance in miles and compass bearing from the county court house were also provided.  The addition in 1820 of a column for the value of any buildings on each tract has proven to be particularly useful in reconstructing the physical history of dwelling sites.

The summaries of ownership and occupation of various land tracts that presently lie within or near the boundaries of the National Park Service property at Five Forks were derived primarily from the land tax records.  Ownership records in the form of deed books have survived dating from 1833, and those records have also been referenced in the summaries.

The Coleman/Goodwyn/Gilliam Tract or "Burnt Quarter"

Captain John Scott Coleman owned 1000 acres when the land tax was initiated in 1782 (Table 4.1).  He purchased an additional 225 acres from Charles Thompson between May 1782 and September 1783.  His landed estate was growing; in 1787 he retained ownership of the 1000 acres in addition to three other tracts.  By 1795 six additional tracts had been added to the 1000 acres, including lands purchased from Anthony Sydnor and Martha Hardy.

John Coleman began to divest himself of lands in 1796 when he gave his daughter? Mary Goodwyn 560 acres, presumably from the 1000 acres since the values per acre (seven shillings and seven pence) were identical.  Captain Joseph Goodwyn, Mary's husband, was taxed in 1800 for the 560 acres and an additional 383 acres given by John Coleman in 1798.  This latter tract was important because, as will be discussed below, it evidently contained the dwelling house.  Joseph Goodwyn purchased an additional 25 acres from John Fraser, Sr., in 1806.  During the same year 21 acres of the 560 acres were sold to David Thacker.  His status in local society was on the ascent since his militia rank had risen from Captain to Colonel by 1810.

The data provided by the land tax were expanded in 1813 to include a location of each property and its distance in miles and compass bearing from the court house.  By 1817 the tracts previously discussed and an additional 20 acres purchased from Fraser were described as lying on Butterwood Road five miles northwest of Dinwiddie Court House.  Goodwyn also owned a mill on five acres and 166 acres, tracts which lay on Stony Creek two miles west of the court house.  (The mill tract had been purchased from Matthew Claiborne in 1806.)

Another improvement in data collection occurred in 1820 when a value for buildings on land tracts was provided.  No buildings were indicated on the 539 acres, but a collective value of $1800 was noted for the 45 acres purchased from Fraser and the 383 acres obtained from John Coleman.  Although it seems likely that the dwelling was located on the Coleman property, the Fraser acreage probably contained structures or the value would not have been a collective one (Figure 4.2).

By 1830 the three Butterwood Road tracts (539, 383, and 45 acres) were combined in a single tract of 967 acres with a buildings value of $1800.  An additional tract of 25 acres on Butterwood Road had been acquired, as well as 182 acres with buildings valued at $200 located on Hatcher's Run seven miles north of the court house.  (The description clearly suggests that the 182 acres lay north of Butterwood Road on or near Hatcher's Run.)  Two additional acquisitions were described as lying on Burnt Quarter Run between four and five miles northwest of the court house: 470 acres purchased from John Pegram in 1828 and 48 adjoining acres obtained from Allan Thweatt in 1829.  No change was indicated in 1835: the four new tracts were listed as a combined 725 acres on Burnt Quarter and Hatcher's Runs six miles north of the court house.  (It should be apparent at this point that both the described locations and distances were somewhat variable, particularly when applied to tracts composed of separate parcels.)

Joseph Goodwyn died between 1835 and 1839, for in the latter year John W. Gilliam and his wife (Joseph's daughter Mary) were credited with 1692 acres (967 and 725 acres combined) awarded to them under the terms of Joseph's will.  The tract was described as lying five miles northwest on Burnt Quarter Run with $2000 in buildings.  During 1840 the location once again became Butterwood Road, but the building value dropped to $850.  While such a change may be an indication of loss or damage, no such reason was noted in the "Alterations" column.  A more likely explanation lies in the general currency deflation resulting from the economic panic of 1839, a suggestion that is reenforced by a reduction in the per acre value from $4.10 to $2.00 in 1840.

The Dinwiddie County land records lend an element of confusion to the nature of land exchange between Goodwyn and the Gilliams.  An 1840 deed of sale indicated that William Goodwyn and his wife sold the following lands to John Gilliam for $3000 (Deed Book 2, pp. 565-566):

This deed is confusing since the first three tracts (560, 470, and 48 acres) were included in the 1692 acres that were deeded to the Gilliams in Joseph's will.

John T. Sydnor paid the tax for 35 acres from the 1692 acres on Butterwood Road in 1842, but the agreement with the Gilliams was recorded in an 1838 deed (Deed Book 3, p. 107).  The tract apparently contained no structures since the value of the Gilliam buildings remained $850.  The deed described the acreage as located on the "east side of Hatcher's Run old church road" and defined the triangular tract as follows: from the first corner north 60 degrees west 176 poles to a corner on Church Road, then south along the road to another corner, then south 78 degrees east 200 poles to the first corner.  The tract thus lay east of Church Road and probably north of Butterwood Road.

The 1850 land tax charged John Gilliam with 1657 acres and $850 in buildings, in addition to three other Butterwood Road tracts: 15.5, 461.5, and 235 acres, the last one containing buildings worth $130.  A fourth tract of 167 acres on Burnt Quarter Run was clearly mentioned in the deed from William Goodwyn.  John Gilliam had died by 1854 since the lands were owned by his estate; all land parcels were combined into a single tract of 2536 acres with $1375 worth of buildings.  Since land values remained roughly the same, the increase may indicate additional construction in the period 1850-54 or a reappraisal of the structures.

Mary Gilliam was the owner of the 2536 acres by 1857 when the value of buildings had increased to $2000.  In this instance, however, land values had increased to approximate those prior to the 1839 panic, so the increase for buildings probably reflects this same inflation.  The acreage and building values remained unchanged through 1880, although the location was variously described as Burnt Quarter and White Oak Road.

The Sydnor Tracts

Four Sydnors, probably brothers, were listed with land tracts which may have been adjoining: Anthony, John, and Joseph with 250 acres each and William with 350 acres.  The tract owned by John (later John T.) is the one of principal concern to this study.  (It will be remembered that Anthony sold his 250 acres to John Coleman in 1791.)  John had added 61 acres by 1810; the 1815 tax indicated that both tracts were located five miles north on Hatcher's Run, which indicates that the lands lay north of Butterwood Road (Table 4.2).

The combined 311 acres contained structures worth $452.63 in 1820, with the notation that $102.63 had been added to the value for a new building.  John purchased additional lands in 1819 and 1820, all lying six miles northwest on Hatcher's Run: 46 acres with $324 in buildings from William Parham; 47 acres and 23.5 acres from Thomas Thweatt and his wife; 90 acres from Lewis Parham.  The 1825 tax indicated that the combined 206.5 acres in these four parcels lay on the north side of Hatcher's Run, while an additional 256 acres with $400 in structures had been obtained on the south side of the run.

John granted 70 acres without buildings of the north side tract to John A. Sydnor in 1837.  He acquired 71 acres with buildings valued at $750 from Henry Green and his wife, who had inherited these lands from the estate of Henry Thweatt (Hughes 1975:46).  The 71 acres were described as located seven miles north near Hatcher's Run.

The 1841 tax recorded that John had acquired 410.75 acres 11 miles northwest on Whiteoak Creek, with buildings valued at $410.  (This tract was sold to Benjamin Boisseau in 1845.)  He had also purchased 193 acres without buildings from Bradford Burge and his wife, who had inherited this land from the estate of Henry Thweatt (Hughes 1975:46).  This parcel and the 71 acres previously obtained indirectly from the same estate were given to John's son John Jr. in 1841.

The estate of John T. Sydnor (Sr.) was credited with 703.5 acres (311 acres, 136.5 north side, and 256 south side parcels) six miles northwest on Hatcher's Run containing $700 in buildings and the 35 acres near the Butterwood Road purchased from the Gilliams.  The lands held by the estate were distributed "by decree of the court" as noted by the 1849 land tax in the following manner:

This distribution of 876 acres exceeds the total of 739 acres with which the estate was credited in 1848.  It is clear, however, that all the buildings lay upon the Young lands; the pre-panic value of $1177 had been reduced to $700 in 1840.  The significance of this Young tract and the above-mentioned Boisseau acreage will be discussed in a section to follow.

Our attention will now be directed to the lands of John Sydnor Jr.  He owned 265 acres seven miles north on Hatcher's Run with buildings worth $380 (reduced from $750 prior to 1840) and 175 acres with $200 in buildings at the same location.  The latter parcel had been purchased from Martha Thweatt who had inherited it from the estate of Thomas Thweatt (Hughes 1975:48).  John Jr. purchased 167 acres with $100 worth of buildings from William Jackson and his wife in 1855.  The deed (Deed Book 8, p. 329) described the tract as lying on both sides of Butterwood Road, with lands owned by John Sydnor and Manassas Andas to the north and east and by the estate of John Gilliam on the south and west.  This tract is of particular interest since, as will be discussed below, the 1851 land tax deducted $200 for "buildings being burned."  It is therefore possible that the "Chimney" indicated east of the Sydnor farm on maps dating 1865-1880 may reflect these burned structures.

The land parcels were combined into a single tract of 607 acres with $100 in buildings in 1859.  By 1863 John Sydnor had died for his estate was the owner of record.  Various owners were listed in 1865: R. L. (Robert Louis) Sydnor, William Sydnor, J. W. Harmon and his wife.  A deed of sale dated 1870 (Deed Book 13, p. 545) recorded the transfer of 206 acres from the estate of John T. Sydnor to J. H. Harmon, although the transaction was not recorded in the land tax books until 1876.  The 1871 tax was paid by J. Harmon and J. Johnson, when the value of buildings increased to $600.  Since the value per acre had declined from $4.84 to $2.51, it is possible that additional buildings had been constructed.  Harmon had buildings valued at $150 in 1876, when the balance of the estate's land (401 acres) had $300 worth of buildings.  Maps dating 1865-1880 indicate a structure labelled "Haman" or "Harmon" northeast of the Sydnor house.

The Thweatt Tracts

Henry Thweatt owned 480 acres in 1782, which were supplemented with an additional 165 acres purchased from John Lewis in 1791 and 49 acres by 1811 (Table 4.3).  The 1815 tax indicated that the combined 694 acres lay seven miles north on Hatcher's Run, in the vicinity of the Sydnor property.  Thomas Thweatt also owned 135 acres at the same location.  (It will be remembered that a June 1817 letter (Hughes 1975:5) mentioned that George and William Thweatt were attending school at the Five Forks with Mr. Eckles.)

Henry Thweatt had $750 worth of buildings on his 694 acres in 1820.  Thomas Thweatt had 135 acres with $330 in buildings, in addition to three parcels all on Hatcher's Run: 347 acres, 62 acres, and 183 acres with a modest $20 in buildings.  Jane Thweatt inherited 640 acres and all of the buildings from Henry's estate in 1823.  During the same year Thomas owned 482 acres (135 and 347 acres) and a value of $482 was added for new buildings.

The estate of Henry Thweatt had been divided among four persons by January 1837 as indicated in the surveyor's plat book for Dinwiddie County (Hughes 1975:46).  Henry Green received a tract of 71 acres with all $750 in buildings; this parcel was purchased by John Sydnor in 1838.  Bradford Burge owned 193 acres that were subsequently purchased in 1841 by Sydnor.  (As discussed above, the combined tract--recorded as 265 acres--with the buildings once belonging to Henry Thweatt were given by John Sydnor Sr. to John Sydnor Jr. in 1841.

Thomas Thweatt had died by August 1844 when his property had been divided between four heirs, again as recorded in the surveyor's plat book (Hughes 1975:48).  Martha Thweatt received 175 acres, evidently with all the structures since a buildings value of $800 was noted in the 1845 land tax.  This parcel was purchased by John Sydnor Jr. in 1850, by which time the buildings were valued at $200.  Therefore, John Sydnor's property at the time of the Civil War consisted of two separate parcels from the Thweatt family as well as land developed by John Fraser that was purchased from William Jackson in 1856.

The Fraser Tract

Alexander and John Frazier (or Fraser) owned 261 and 400 acres respectively in 1782 (Table 4.4).  Unlike the other landowners discussed, however, John Fraser reduced the size of his holdings until his death.  He transferred 160 acres to his son John Jr. in 1802 and sold 45 acres to Joseph Goodwyn between 1806 and 1817.  By 1814 the farms of both father and son were described as five miles northwest on the Butterwood Road, obviously in the vicinity of the Goodwyn estate.

John Fraser Sr. had died by 1820, when he owned 115 acres with a modest $30 worth of buildings on the Butterwood Road.  John Fraser Jr. retained 82 acres with $50 in buildings from his father's original grant.  However, John Jr. also purchased 92 acres described as seven miles north on Hatcher's Run in 1820, and by 1821 he only owned these lands, listed as 96 acres, with $150 in buildings.  (While the buildings may have been constructed during the preceding year, a notation in the Alterations column that Fraser had been improperly charged in 1820 suggested that the buildings may have been standing and not recorded.)  The location was revised to Butterwood Road in 1823 but the distance remained seven miles north of the court house.

John Fraser Jr. had died by 1827 but the tract remained in the ownership of his estate until Milton Thacker purchased the buildings and 100 acres in 1849.  Thacker sold 167 acres to Benjamin Smithey in 1850, and the Smithey family occupied the property when the 1850 Federal Census was recorded.  Smithey sold the property to William Taylor of Richmond in 1851, with the interesting notation that $200 was deducted from the overall value for "buildings being burned."  However, the value of buildings was only reduced from $150 to $100.  William Jackson purchased the property from Ann Nichols in 1854 and sold it to John Sydnor (Jr.) in 1856.  As mentioned above, the deed for this last transaction (Deed Book 8, p. 329) described the tract as lying on both sides of the Butterwood Road, with lands belonging to the estate of John Gilliam to the south and west and those of John Sydnor and Manassas Andas to the north and east.  It is possible that the burned buildings are reflected in the "Chimney" indicated northeast of the Sydnor dwelling on maps dating to the period 1865-1880.

The Boisseau and Young/Gilliam/Perkinson Tracts

Members of the Boisseau family appeared as land owners in the 1782 land tax, including Benjamin with 800 acres (Table 4.5).  By 1814 the estate of Benjamin Sr. was credited with 342 acres on Gravelly Run five miles north of the court house, Benjamin (Jr.) owned 1404 acres on Hatcher's Run between eight and ten miles northeast of the court house, and James Boisseau had 100 acres six miles northeast on Gravelly Run.  The tracts on Gravelly Run and probably all of the acreage on Hatcher's Run currently fall outside of the boundary of National Park Service lands.

Another Boisseau—Benjamin H.—purchased 410.75 acres from John Sydnor Sr. and H. R. Fraser in 1845.  The tract was described as lying 11 miles northwest on White Oak Creek with buildings valued at $410.  (Sydnor had obtained the parcel between 1838 and 1840.)  The size and ownership of this tract remained stable through the 1860s, with the buildings value reduced by a modest $10 in 1859.  Since the 1864 Campbell map indicated a farm owned by "B. Boisseau" north of White Oak.

Road and west of Church Road, it would seem on the surface that Benjamin's estate fell within the boundaries of the park.  However, his farm was consistently described as lying on White Oak Creek 11 miles northwest of the court house, which was farther away than any of the other tracts previously discussed.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that the 1865 Gillespie map noted the same property as belonging to "C. Young."  (Subsequent maps generally designate the farm as Boisseau, although by April 1880 the Maxson map labelled the property "Nunnelly.")  Following the death of John Sydnor Sr., a decree of the court awarded 200 acres with all the buildings formerly owned by Sydnor to John, Thaddius, and Charles Young.  The property was described as lying on Hatcher's Run six miles northwest of the court house.  The value of the buildings declined from $700 to $535 in 1851 and $200 in 1857.  During the year 1857, Charles W. U. Young had 488 acres and buildings 20 miles northwest of the court house, so he did not occupy the 200 acres jointly owned with John and Thaddius.

The Young family retained ownership through 1863.  No land tax was recorded in 1864 and the property did not appear on the 1865 list.  The tract was owned by Joseph P. Gilliam (Mary's son) and James M. Williams in 1867, with the notation that they had obtained the land from King and Brister and that a tax for 1865 and 1866 was added.  Gilliam and Williams sold the 200 acres in 1868 to Lawrence Perkinson of Petersburg, who immediately deeded the same land to Besmons? Harrison and his trustee A. M. Orgain (Deed Book 12, pp. 9-10).  However, the land tax recorded Perkinson as owner through 1874.