Saturday, December 14, 2013

James Horatio Williams, Sr.

James Horatio Williams, Sr. (1827-1908), at his death, bequeathed the following parcels of land to various family members and other relatives:
  • four acres of land to his wife Martha
  • four acres of land to Tilman L. Williams
  • four acres of land to  Ephraim Williams
  • fifty acres of land to Helen O'Neal
  • fifty acres of land to Ephraim Williams, Tilman Williams, & Horatio Williams
  • thirty acres of land to the heirs of James N. Williams
  • ten acres of land to the heirs of Ann Mariah Howard
That is 152 acres of land on Ocracoke Island that was owned by one individual!  One hundred and five years later, Horatio's heirs might consider themselves lucky to own a half acre of land.
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2 comments:

  1. Debbie Leonard12:18 PM

    That's amazing. That was including the entire island I suppose. Do you know how much acreage is privately held now?

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  2. Philip1:18 PM

    According to http://www.hydecountync.gov/departments/docs/2002_Recreation_Master_Plan_Vol__2.pdf,
    "The entire Ocracoke Island is 5,575 acres, most of which lies in federal ownership (i.e., National Park Service); the village of Ocracoke comprises only 775 acres."

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