1820 Fishery Rights from John Brooks

To James Brooks

NOTE: It is likely that John and James are brothers here and that they received the fishery in their father's (William Brooks I, d.1818) will. John Brooks owned the land on the Union County side of the Rocky River just opposite the fishery, which included the island. James Brooks owned the land on the Stanly County side of the river opposite the north side of the island. James Brooks died in 1829. John Brooks would sell his Union County land to Charles Drye in 1825, believed to be before a move to Henry Co, TN.

Mary Gurley was on the 1815 Anson Co, NC Tax List. She lived on the Montgomery Co, NC side of the Rocky River and was a neighbor of William Brooks I. She lost 400 acres to taxes in 1823 on the Rocky River. She seems to have been most closely associated with James Gurley who appears as William’s neighbor prior to her appearance in the records. It’s doubtful that she’s James Gurley’s daughter Mary b.1793 m. Thomas Dove Keizer in 1813. And James widow was named Lydia A. So… who is she? There was another Gurley just across the river in Anson… still a neighbor, named Isham Gurley. And he’s gone after 1800. In that year he lived four doors down from Jacob Green. (23010-00101 1800 Anson) Jacob Gurley apparently lives in the same place as Isham in 1810… same neighbors, etc. These two men should be sons of William Gurley who died in Montgomery Co, NC (Stanly) in 1804. His wife, Mary may have been around in 1820 for this deed. Another deed in 1815 mentions the disbursement of William’s land and it mentions the “Widow” who is still alive at this point. The Gurleys are discussed thoroughly in George Thomas’ website,

BENJAMIN THOMAS AND RELATED FAMILIES

OF ANSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA