BUCKLESBERRY BEGINNINGS
Joe P. Sutton, PhD
October 2024
Arguably the oldest named farm community in Lenoir County, North Carolina, Bucklesberry is
nestled along the north side of the Neuse River, five miles south of the town of La Grange.
Despite its age, and speculations by some about its beginnings, Bucklesberry's origins have not
been firmly established to date. This paper presents historical evidence from digital archives that
unequivocally proves the time period that Bucklesberry was opened for colonization. This
research is discussed in light of other publications about Bucklesberry and greater Lenoir
County.
NAME NOT UNIQUE
Bucklesberry is not a unique name, although it is admittedly unusual. A number of places in
North Carolina and across the pond (England), some established long before Bucklesberry of
Lenoir County, have variations of the same name, including "Buckleberry," "Bucklebury,"
"Bucklersbury," "Bucklesbury," and "Bucklesberie."
The earliest known mention of the name dates back to twelfth century England. The
"Bucklebury" Estate of Berkshire County [1] was granted to the Benedictine Monks in 1121 by
King Henry I. Once the Monasteries were dissolved in 1538, King Henry VIII granted the Estate
to John Winchcombe in 1540. Included in the Estate was the "Bucklebury" House, built by
Winchcombe in the mid-1500s. The estate descended through the female line and has remained
in the Hartley family to the present day.
One of the oldest estates in England, the "Bucklebury" Estate comprises the parish of
Bucklebury and about 1,600 acres of land, including woodland and farms, as well as commercial
and private-residential property. More than half of the acreage is allocated for Bucklebury
Common, from which commoners had particular grazing and wooding rights through the
centuries until the early 1900s. Today, only a select group of households living in the Common
are allowed to collect fallen dead wood for fireplace use.
In 1305, Willielmus Servat [2] was issued a license to construct a tower to fortify his palace in
the city of London. Situated on the north side of "Bucklesbury" and Walbrook Streets, Servat’s
Tower of Bucklesbury, also referred to as the Sernes Tower in "Bucklesberie," was demolished
in the sixteenth century. Interestingly, Bucklesbury Street at the time was narrow and flanked
with grocery and apothecary stores. Still recognized today in the city of London is a suburb
known as "Bucklersbury."
Presently, there is a village and civil parish located in West Berkshire, England, named
"Bucklebury" [3]. The parish has a population of a little more than 2,000, although the village is
considerably smaller. Not without fame, Buckleburry Common is where Kate Middleton,
Duchess of Cambridge and wife of British royal Prince William, was reared. Her parents, Carole
and Mike Middleton, currently own the 18-acre, seven bedroom "Bucklebury" Manor.

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On this side of the pond, "Bucklebury" Court is a residential subdivision in Dominion Trace, a
neighborhood located in Highland Creek on the outskirts of Charlotte, NC. But the most notable
and historic place in North Carolina with this name is a rural, largely wooded area currently
located in Bertie County called "Bucklesberry." Its earliest known mention is found in the will of
John Hardy (1665-1718/19) of Chowan County [4] that referenced a 1717 land patent for
hundreds of acres located in "Bucklesbury Swamp" bequeathed to his wife and daughter. One
hundred and forty-two years later, the 1862 tax listing for Bertie County [5] listed only eleven
residents holding properties in Bucklesbury.
The 1863 Gilmer map [6] confirms a geographic area in Bertie County called "Bucklesbury
Capeheart." Similarly, the same area was called "Buckleberry Pocosin" on a 1938 map [7] of
Bertie County. Virginia Crilley [8] identified the general location of the Bucklesberry
community in Bertie County as “SW Merry Hill E of Windsor, on the south side of Highway 17
just N of intersection Hwy 45 toward Edenton.”
Although Bucklesberry of Bertie County was apparently a thriving farming and residential
community during the 1700s and 1800s, it has been reduced today to a mere hunting club located
on Bucklesberry Road in Windsor, NC.
BOUNDARIES AND LANDMARKS
Predominantly unsettled swamp land in the beginning, Bucklesberry of Lenoir County is known
today for its nutrient-rich soil that yields some of the finest crops in the Southeast. In fact, early
land patents identified the area as "Bucklesberry Pocosin" (i.e., swamp or wetlands). As
colonization progressed, it was simply referred to as "Bucklesberry" in later land documents and
historical records.
Located on the west side of Lenoir County, Bucklesberry's geographic location has remained the
same over time. County affiliation, however, varied during the 1700s when North Carolina
counties were being formed and renamed. Initially, it was a settlement in old Craven County,
from which Johnston County was created in 1746. It then became part of old Dobbs County that
was carved out of eastern Johnston County in 1758. Bucklesberry eventually landed, as it were,
in Lenoir County, which was created from the southern part of old Dobbs County in 1791.
Compared with its recognized perimeter today, late nineteenth century Bucklesberry was
originally a much larger area. In an 1886 news article [9], "Bucklesberry: Some Interesting Notes
from Lenoir County," famed attorney and journalist Council Simmons Wooten, Esq. (18401930) described Bucklesberry with broad boundaries that spanned approximately ten miles, from
the west side of Bear Creek at Seven Springs (formerly, White Hall) to the east side of Bear
Creek at Falling Creek. Over the years, land obtained by Bucklesberrians extended from the
south side of the Neuse River near the Strabane community, northerly to U.S. Highway 70 and
beyond to the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad.
There is general consensus that the geographic heart of Bucklesberry is Bear Creek, which
empties into the north side of the Neuse River. Although omitting Bucklesberry by name, many
of the oldest available land patents and surveys, nonetheless, identified Bear Creek and various

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other associated geographic landmarks such as creeks, branches, pocosins, landings, and the like
that were within close proximity to Bear Creek and greater Bucklesberry, including, but not
limited to, the following:
Bogue Swamp (near Seven Springs) / Cabbin Branch / Deep Gully / Frogpoint / Groundnut
Creek (near La Grange) / Herring Branch / High Hills (near Seven Springs) / Horsepoint / Indian
Old Field (near Seven Springs) / Panther Creek (near Seven Springs) / Plow Branch / Saponney
Landing / Skrubby Island / Sloop Landing / Stirrup Creek (near Falling Creek) / Stoney Creek
(north of Seven Springs) / Walnut Creek (northwest of La Grange) / Thoroughfare Swamp
(formerly known as Falling Creek) / Uzzell Mill Branch (near Walnut Creek) / Wolf Trap
Branch.
PURPORTED COLONIZATION
The actual point in time that Bucklesberry of Lenoir County was opened to colonization has been
bandied about for generations. Although an exact year is virtually impossible to ascertain, a
November 6, 1924, news story nonetheless reported that colonization in Bucklesberry began in
1825. Reprinted here, the article appeared in the State's then-leading newspaper, The News and
Observer of Raleigh [10]:
"Bucklesberry Will Celebrate–Famous Section of Lenoir County Approaching its 100th
Birthday–Kinston, Nov. 5–The Bucklesberry section near here will celebrate the centenary of its
'creation' next year. The district, one of the richest in a farming way in Lenoir County, is all but
100 years younger than the most of the universe. Much of the land was 'made' in the first
reclamation project ever launched in this part of the country. As late as 1905, land in the
neighborhood sold for as little as $12 to $20 an acre. The average farmer there would not part
with his holdings for ten times $12 an acre now."
"Moseley Hall historians say John and Hardy Sutton of good old English stock opened
Bucklesberry to colonization in 1825. Most of the land is still in the possession of the Suttons'
descendants, however. Hundreds of Suttons are located in Moseley Hall Township. Bucklesberry
is near La Grange, originally named Moseley Hall. The colonial hall from which the name was
taken was the birthplace of William Moseley, first American governor of Florida, who moved to
the peninsula in 1819 and became the State Executive when Florida was admitted to the union in
the forties."
"Bucklesberry planters will celebrate the centenary by making crops larger than John and Hardy
Sutton ever dreamed would be produced there, they say. No plans have been made for formal
observances. Steps may be considered shortly, however. The Bucklesberry and Moseley Hall
communities lead Lenoir county in the production of cotton, tobacco, and corn. Many fine
plantations have not had their boundaries changed since their establishment 75 to 100 years ago."
This news story did not make front page headlines in the State's top news outlet, but it was a
featured, page one story in a down east newspaper, The Morning New Bernian of New Bern [11].
Although not as detailed, the brief November 8, 1924 article announced Bucklesberry's
impending centennial anniversary:

Bucklesberry Beginnings

4

"Bucklesberry Exercises–Kinston, Nov. 7–The Bucklesberry section near here will celebrate the
centenary of its 'creation' next year. The district, one of the richest in a farming way in Lenoir
County, is all but 100 years younger than most of the universe. Much of the land was made in the
vast reclamation project ever launched in this part of the country."
Coverage of this story by multiple newspapers was tacit acknowledgment of Bucklesberry's
prominence as a well regarded farm community. Unfortunately, these news pieces were written
by staff reporters who had few research tools at the time for finding supportive documentary
evidence. Other than a general reference to Moseley Hall historians (none named), The News and
Observer article, in particular, failed to provide any proof for the claim that Bucklesberry was
opened to colonization in 1825.
PRE-REVOLUTION SETTLEMENT
A 1924 article in The News and Observer claimed that colonization in Bucklesberry began in
1825. This article was followed three years later by a 1927 publication from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Authors R. C. Jurney and W. A. Davis [12] reported the results of a Lenoir
County soil sample survey, which suggested, to the contrary, that colonization ensued much
earlier.
In a likely veiled reference to Bucklesberry, Jurney and Davis indicated there was a preRevolutionary War "settlement [that] began near the present site of La Grange" (p. 3). Indeed,
recently discovered archived documents dating back to the early 1700s of the Colonial era
confirm colonization of the Bucklesberry area began many years before the Revolutionary War.
One document, a 1720 land grant to John Herring (1684-1760), was for a tract of land on "Bear
Swamp." This parcel is believed to have been within close proximity to, if not located squarely
in, present-day Bucklesberry. Largely reclaimed swampland, the Bucklesberry community has
historically been directly associated with Bear Creek, which empties into the Neuse River a few
miles south of the town of La Grange. In his 1969 genealogical narrative, descendant Dr. Robert
A. Herring, MD [13] referenced an indexed abstract of the 1720 land grant:
"Bertie County deed book D, p. 276, records the transfer of 380 acres of land by John Herring to
Abram Herring which 'is part of a patent to John Herring granted to him August, 1720, on the
south side of Bear Swamp' [for] consideration [of] 150 pounds, deed dated May 10, 1736,
witnessed by Simon Herring whose name appears as witness on many of John Herring's deeds.
Bear Swamp is the location of the original John Herring holdings in present Lenoir County,
N.C...." (p. 2).
Short of naming Bucklesberry per se, this indexed abstract stands as the earliest known evidence
that proves the pre-Revolution, Colonial era existence of Bucklesberry. Further, it represents
some of the first land obtained in the backcountry of then old Craven County.
One other significant document, a 1738 land patent issued to John Williams [14], is believed to
be the first known document that explicitly identifies Bucklesberry by name:

Bucklesberry Beginnings

5

"[King] George the Second Know ye that we have Given & Granted to John Williams One
hundred and fifty Acres of Land lying in Craven County on the North side of Neuse River and on
Bucklerberry [i.e., Bucklesberry] Branch...1 March 1738 Gab. Johnston"
These two archived documents, having now come to light, refute the legendary claim that
colonization of Bucklesberry began in the early decades of the nineteenth century. In fact, it
began fully a century earlier. Therefore, the purported 1825 settlement year, as indicated in The
News and Observer article, is effectively debunked.
Interestingly, these two land records prove that Bucklesberry was on the map long before the
nearby towns of La Grange, Goldsboro, and Kinston. Not incorporated until 1869, La Grange
[15] was an outgrowth of Moseley Hall township that was not settled until soon after the
Revolutionary War ended in 1783. Kingston, now Kinston [16], was founded in 1762, and
Goldsborough, now Goldsboro [17], grew out of Waynesborough, the first town to emerge in
Wayne County in 1787.
THE BACKCOUNTRY
An abundance of land awaited the earliest settlers who arrived in the unsettled backcountry of
Bucklesberry in the early to mid-1700s. Defined by historian and author Dr. Lindley S. Butler,
PhD [18], the backcountry was a "term used during the early settlement and colonial periods for
the vast interior of North Carolina, located away from the coastline and including both the
modern day Piedmont and Mountain regions" (para. 1).
Extensive research on the backcountry was conducted by Dr. Creston S. Long, III, PhD [19] in
his 2002 doctoral dissertation titled, Southern Routes: Family Migration and the EighteenthCentury South Backcountry. The backcountry of North Carolina was expansive and appealed to
colonists who were willing to accept the challenges and risks of settling unknown territory. "For
those who sought to improve their situations...or to join family in other backcountry areas,"
wrote Dr. Long, "heading south a hundred or so miles seemed to be a manageable risk to take..."
(p. 137).
Acquisition of land was an unquestionable motive for colonists in their exodus from the settled
counties in the northeastern part of the State into the unsettled backcountry of places like
Bucklesberry. Associated with better life, Dr. Long explained that a major draw was abundant
unclaimed and unsettled land that could be purchased at once-in-a-lifetime, discounted prices:
"The widespread belief that it was easy to acquire land in North Carolina and the growing
opportunities in the backcountry made the area attractive to many colonial settlers....[and] was
greater than virtually anywhere else in the colonies in the mid-eighteenth century. Between the
late 1740s and the early 1760s, migrants entered the western portion of the colony and purchased
large tracts for very little money." (p. 138)
Colonists had other motives for migrating inland as well. Many of the first settlers of
Bucklesberry faced limited opportunities to advance their lives in the areas where they were born

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and reared. In the backcountry, they could join other like-minded family and friends. According
to Dr. Long,
"Families often took up land near or adjacent to other relatives and associates. As they sought out
land, they did their best to secure tracts that allowed them to build secure lives and maintain their
networks of family and associates (p. 141)....When families decided to abandon their former
communities, leaving behind land of varying size or no land at all, they often moved to an area
where they could, to some extent, replicate their communities. To do this, families and
individuals had to migrate to an area that had land enough not only to accommodate their own
families, but to allow extended family and other associates to settle near them." (p. 143)
The social connection among the colonists who moved inland from the coast was also an
important factor. They were able to bond together to establish new communities in the
backcountry that were similar to their homelands. Per Dr. Long,
"Throughout the North Carolina backcountry in the mid-eighteenth century, there were dozens of
networks of families and relatives living close to each other....Various underlying factors pulled
these groups of families together across the hundreds of miles which constituted the migration
route. Chief among them were religion, culture, and ethnicity....[They] were able to replicate
many of their social networks...but they were able to do so where many of them could own more
land than they had before." (p. 144)
Colonists, then, were motivated to move inland for multiple reasons. In the backcountry, they
found land aplenty, more than they could ever hope to acquire in their homelands, a conclusion
Dr. Long reached in his research:
"When settlers left an area in which economic conditions were tightening and moved to an area
where land was abundant....The amount of land a migrant could obtain in the backcountry
dwarfed that of his former holdings. Indeed, it appears as though the question of motivation is
readily answered: migrants moved on because they perceived better opportunity to advance
themselves socially and economically." (p. 147)
FIRST INHABITANTS
Challenges and risks awaited early eighteenth century settlers who arrived in the unsettled
Bucklesberry area of then old Craven County. According to historian and author Dr. Lindley S.
Butler, PhD, "The backcountry was the last area of the State to be settled and, consequently, the
most volatile region of North Carolina society for many years" (para. 1).
Fueling the volatility was unrest among native Indians, who were indisputably the first
inhabitants [20] of the backcountry. Long before European settlers began migrating inland from
the coastal areas, native Indians occupied North America. To them, settler encroachment
represented an unwarranted land grab. Further, they viewed settlers as interlopers who threatened
their societal culture and mores.

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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"The European discovery and settlement of the Carolina region," wrote historian William G.
DiNome [21], "signaled an era of radical change for local Indians, one marked by the toppling of
the previous Indian way of life..." (para. 5). In an effort to protect their culture and the land they
believed was theirs, the Indians fought back.
The most populous and powerful Indians in eighteenth century North Carolina were the
Cherokee and the Tuscarora, both Iroquoian tribes. The Cherokee occupied the Blue Ridge
Mountain region in the western part of the State while the Tuscarora dwelled along the coast and
in the central Piedmont areas, which included the Bucklesberry area.
Tuscarora resistance against encroachment came to a head with the Tuscarora War of 1711-1713.
The culminating battle occurred a few miles north of Bucklesberry in present-day Snow Hill,
NC. "The once great and powerful Tuscarora Nation was broken into pieces when their final
stronghold, Fort Neoheroka, was burned to the ground," explained Sara Whitford [22], "a major
blow to the Tuscarora, one from which the nation would never fully recover." (para. 17)
Although approximately 950 Tuscarora Indians were killed or enslaved in the defeat, according
to Roberta Estes of the Native Heritage Project [23], "about 1,500 Tuscarora fled to NY to join
the Iroquois Confederacy [while] as many as 1,500 additional Tuscarora sought refuge in the
colony of VA, " (para. 37). Further, "perhaps as many as 3,000 by some counts, fled into the
swamps of NC...to hide out for many years to save their families, " (para. 38).
A remnant of Tuscaroras remained in their hunting territory villages along the Neuse and Cape
Fear Rivers after the war. They had a continued presence in Johnston County [24], which was
carved out of old Dobbs County in 1746, and from which Wayne, Lenoir, and Jones Counties
were eventually formed:
"From time immemorial to the eighteenth century, there were Indian villages and Indian trails in
the upper Neuse River region of North Carolina that became the land of Johnston County. Early
English explorers and settlers who penetrated this region in the middle 1700’s or earlier moved
along Indian trails even as they were guided by the course of the Neuse River in traveling west
from New Bern." (Johnston County Visitors Bureau)
Since the Bucklesberry Pocosin was located on the north side of the Neuse River, some aging
and next-generation Tuscarora Indians doubtless were living in or near there when early settlers
began trickling into the area. Not in great numbers, they resided in isolated villages. As
colonization was well underway in the backcountry by the mid-1700s, settlers remained on alert
for lingering Indian attacks, although most had ended by 1725.
EARLY SETTLERS–THE SUTTONS
A 1924 article published in The News and Observer reported that Bucklesberry was opened to
colonization in 1825. This claim has been debunked, based on two archived land documents that
have recently come to light. One dated 1738 explicitly named Bucklesberry.The other dated
1720 referenced the geographic area of Bucklesberry, proving colonization began fully a century
before 1825.

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8

The same article asserted that Bucklesberry was settled by brothers John Sutton (ca. 1779-1848)
and Hardy Sutton (1803-1861). However, historical documents available today, not readily
available when the 1924 news article was published, conclusively prove this was also an
incorrect claim. Not the Sutton brothers, but rather their grandfather John Sutton, Sr. (1720/30bef. 1773), rightly should be credited as one of the early settlers of Bucklesberry.
Included in the Clellan Sutton Collection [25] of more than 300 historical documents are two
surveys, one dated 1745 and the other dated 1757, that identify Bucklesberry land obtained by
John Sutton. He was the first of his paternal line to migrate to Bucklesberry from Bertie County,
NC.
Although he is not explicitly named, the 1745 survey for 160 acres in Bucklesberry is attributed
to John Sutton. Passed through the family line to John's descendants, the presence of this survey
in the Collection suggests it originated with John Sutton.
This survey (pictured) is smaller than a standard five-by-seven-inch greeting card. Written with
quill pen and ink on cream/tan-colored rag paper (cotton or linen paper), the beautifully flowing
and slanted penmanship is in the Copperplate or English Round Hand style. Stronger than paper
today, rag paper is incredibly durable, which explains in part why the survey is still intact after
more than a quarter of a millennium. The literal transcription of the survey [26] clearly identifies
Bucklesberry (blanks represent tears or holes in the document from deterioration along the
creases of the folds):

"September 17th 174_ Surveyed for John Giles a tract of land lying in Craven County on the
north _ Neus River on the South _ Bucklesberry pocosin Beginning at a water oak Standing on
an Island of said pocosin _ Archibald Mukelroys Island and Plums Island then Due So 30 po
then _ 70 po then N 20 E 128 _ _ Then with a direct _ First Station for one hundred and sixty
acres [torn area] Na. _"
The last digit of the year on the survey is indiscernible. The indication of Craven County, along
with the month and day of September 17, suggests the survey necessarily occurred between the
patent request date of April 6, 1745 (per State Archives of North Carolina) and June 28, 1746,

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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the founding date that Johnston County was created from Craven County. Thus, the confirmed
year of this survey is 1745.
The 1757 survey for 275 acres (pictured) names both Bucklesberry and John Sutton and is also
written with quill pen and ink on cream/tan-colored rag paper. At the top of the survey is an
elongated octagonal-shaped diagram inscribed with "275 aƆ" (i.e., 275 acres). Measuring about
the size of a standard piece of copy paper, the ink is consistently dark throughout, with only a
few faded spots.

Although sizeable sections of the document edges have deteriorated over time, the text is largely
readable. The literal transcription of the survey [27] clearly identifies "Bucklesbury," a spelling
variation of Bucklesberry (blanks represent words that could not be translated because of fading
or holes):
"North Carolina Surveyed for John Sutton a Plantation Containing two hundred and Seventy five
Acres of land lying in the County of Johnston _ Bucklesbury [i.e., Bucklesberry] Beginning at a
White Oak Tho. Uzzells corner land No. 68. W. 31. Po. to a Red Oak John Rows corner then
along his line W. 90. Po. to a Water Oak Then N. 50. W. 100 P. to a Hickory Then N. 80. W. 138
P to a Maple Then So. 45. W. 66 P. to a Pine Then So. 7. E. 120 P. to the Land said Sutton lives
on (taken up by John Giles) Then along the lines of said land to Uzzell's line & then with the
same No. 20. E. 80 P. to the begining. _ _ Surv."

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John Sutton flourished in the backcountry of North Carolina. He continued to expand his land
holdings after settling in Bucklesberry. A large landowner, even by twenty-first century
standards, John and his three known sons–Benjamin, John, Jr. and William–and their heirs
amassed significant acreage that extended north and south of the Neuse River, and from the Bear
Creek area near Seven Springs eastward to the current Pot Neck and Falling Creek communities,
and northward to U.S. Highway 70 and beyond to the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad,
stretching into the northwest area of Kinston.
The U.S. Census began recording acreage of land owned by farmers in 1850. John and his three
known sons were deceased by that year, which precluded their inclusion in that Census.
However, all of John's known male descendants, some of whom were fourth-generation greatgrandsons, were named in that Census. All but one of the Sutton heirs had obtained hundreds of
acres of land through inheritance or purchase, collectively totaling an astounding 7,249 acres.
Incredibly, after more than a quarter of a millennium, much of the land in Bucklesberry amassed
by John Sutton and his descendants has been passed down through the generations. The land
remains in the possession of present-day Sutton heirs, some of whom continue to reside in
Bucklesberry. Clearly, the Sutton farmers of Bucklesberry viewed their land as a precious
commodity. They were highly protective of it, and strived to keep it in the family line through
gifting. They also utilized the legal maneuver of life estate, whereby land was automatically
transferred to their heirs through the surviving widow, a practice that continues today.
Probably no other family contributed more to the colonization and growth of Bucklesberry and
Lenoir County over the years than the Suttons. A procreant ancestral line, one local genealogical
researcher has conservatively documented more than 3,000 descendants of John Sutton, Sr.
representing at least ten generations. According to Forebears website [28], Sutton was the most
prevalent surname in Lenoir County by 1880, followed in rank order by Davis, Jones, Williams,
and Taylor.
EARLY SETTLERS–THE HERRINGS
Based on the results of a YDNA-6 study [29] conducted in 2015, John Sutton (1720/30-bef.
1773) is the proven patriarch of generations of Lenoir County Suttons to the present day. John
was also an early settler of Bucklesberry, arriving around 1745-1750. Not the only settler,
though, nor the first, evidence suggests that ancestors of the Herring family line of Lenoir
County preceded John Sutton's arrival.
The late genealogist and historian Martha Mewborn Marble (1944-2019), herself a descendant of
the Bucklesberry Sutton line, believed the Herrings were among the first to migrate to
Bucklesberry of then old Craven County in the early to mid 1700s. Further, in a 2019 email
communication with this writer, Ms. Marble suggested that the Bucklesberry name may have
originated with the Herrings, who owned and sold land in the coastal area of Merry Hill in Bertie
County where, interestingly, there was also Bucklesberry Pocosin.
Two communities with the same name, in the same time period, and in the same geographic
region of the country, albeit one hundred miles apart, is almost certainly not happenstance.

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Marble's belief is supported in part with land records that indicate the Herrings were residents in
the Bucklesberry area of Bertie County prior to their migration to the Bucklesberry area of then
old Craven County.
In his 1969 genealogical narrative, Dr. Robert A. Herring, MD noted that his ancestor John
Herring, Sr. (1684-1760) was "one of seven brothers who lived in eastern North Carolina" in
Bertie and Chowan Counties during the early 1700s. The other six Herring brothers were Abram
(Abraham), Anthony, Edward, Samuel, Simon, and Thomas. Abstracts of ten land deeds [30]
dated 1723 to 1757 named three of the Herring brothers–Abraham, John, Sr., and Samuel–as
grantor, grantee, or adjoining landowner of land tracts in the Bucklesberry area of Bertie County.
Archived online historical documents recently unearthed indicate the Herrings were also among
the first landowners in the Bucklesberry area of then old Craven County. In his narrative, Dr.
Herring reported an indexed abstract of a 1720 land grant to his ancestor John Herring, Sr.,
believed to be the first known tract of land in greater Bucklesberry, by way of Bear Creek.
In addition, seven patents and surveys [31] of Bucklesberry area land in pre-Lenoir, old Craven
County dated 1738 to 1747, totaling 1,525 acres, were issued to Abraham, John, Sr., and Samuel
Herring. These eight land documents support the claim made by the Lenoir County Historical
Association in their mammoth 1998 book, Coastal Plain And Fancy: The Historic Architecture
of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina [32] that, "The Herring family had settled in
Lenoir County by the 1730s" (p. 273).
Following the lead of their fathers, second generation Herrings continued to amass land.
Included were John, Jr. and Joshua (proven sons of John Herring, Sr.), Benjamin and Simon
(purported sons of John Herring, Sr.), Anthony, Michael, and Stephen (proven sons of Samuel
Herring), and Jacob and Joseph (purported sons of Samuel Herring). These Herring descendants
are named in twenty-two Bucklesberry area land patents and surveys [33] dated 1738 to 1759,
totaling 6,932 acres.
Thus, by the mid-1750s, a growing number of Herrings had migrated to, and were living in the
Bucklesberry area of then-Johnston County, which had been created in 1746 from old Craven
County. The 1755 Johnston County militia roster [34] proves their presence. Among the 93 men
listed on the roster were the following seven Herring men: Anthony, Frederick, Jacob, John [Jr.],
Joseph, Joshua, and Simon Herring, who served as Captain and Commander.
Prior to the Revolutionary War, the foundational basis of the U.S. Military were militias created
in local governments, which enrolled almost all free white men who were landowners and
residents in the county. To be members of the Johnston County militia in 1755, then, the seven
Herring men necessarily were residents of Johnston County by that year, as all had been issued
one or more land patents in the Bucklesberry area before 1755, except Frederick and John, Jr.
Presumably, they were living with other Herring relatives in Johnston County.
The contribution of the Herrings in the early colonization of Bucklesberry is historically
significant. Among the first and largest landowners in the unsettled backcountry of North
Carolina, their land holdings were vast. By the late 1750s, the first and second generation

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Herrings had obtained more than 8,000 acres of land in or near Bucklesberry. Their land
acquisition outpaced that of the Suttons, whose holdings did not exceed 7,000 acres until a
century later in 1850.
Herring descendants remain landowners and residents in Bucklesberry today. Some of the
acreage inherited from their ancestors is presently located on the north side of the Neuse River,
where Bear Creek empties, between Jenny Lind Road and the aptly named Ben F. Herring Road,
south of the town of La Grange. Benjamin Franklin Herring, Sr. (1828-1907) was the twice
great-grandson of patriarch John Herring, Sr.
Whether the Herrings actually brought over the Bucklesberry name from Bertie County when
they migrated inland to Bucklesberry of old Craven County may never be proven for certain.
Doubt remains, since the 1720 land grant to John Herring, Sr. did not reference Bucklesberry per
se, although the tract of land was within close proximity to, if not located squarely in, the
Bucklesberry area. Perhaps John Williams, whose 1738 land grant explicitly named
Bucklesberry, may eventually prove to be the originator. As with the Herrings and the Suttons,
Williams also hailed from coastal Bertie County.
OTHER EARLY SETTLERS
Many settlers joined in the early colonization of eighteenth century Bucklesberry. An extensive
search of archived documents from online sources (e.g., NClandgrants.com) identified a total of
131 records [35] dated 1729 to 1759 for land in or near greater Bucklesberry, including the
Herring and Sutton land records. The referenced geographic features in these land documents
included branches, streams, and the like within close proximity to Bear Creek and the Neuse
River, which constituted greater Bucklerberry. The county affiliation varied from old Craven
County, to old Johnston County (formed from Craven in 1746), to old Dobbs County (formed
from old Johnston County in 1758-1759) from which Lenoir County was formed in 1791.
Amazingly, a total of 92 principal and adjoining landowners are named in these land patents and
surveys. Their contributions to the colonization of the Bucklesberry area have rightly earned
them an honorable place in what may be referred to as the "Settler Hall of Fame." Below is a
comprehensive listing of the 92 landowners:
Atkins, Robert / Ayers, Ambrose / Baxter, Theopholis / Belk, William / Blackman, John /
Blackman, Stephen / Boyd, Abraham / Boyet, Thomas / Boykin, Thomas / Burnet, Thomas Sr. /
Busley, [Unnamed] / Byrd, Richard / Cade, Stephen / Carruthers, Joseph / Caswell, Richard Jr. /
Cox, Thomas / Creel, John / Croason, John / Croom, Major / Daniel, James / Dawson, Joseph /
Dean, Richard / Faris, William / Fisher, Thomas / Fryer, John / Fryer, Martin / Gainer,
[Unnamed] / Giles, John / Grant, John / Ham, William / Harrison, Christopher / Harrison,
Thomas / Herring, Abram / Herring, Anthony / Herring, Benjamin / Herring, Henry / Herring,
Jacob / Herring, John Jr. / Herring, John Sr. / Herring, Joseph / Herring, Joseph / Herring, Joshua
/ Herring, Michael / Herring, Samuel / Herring, Simon / Herring, Stephen / Hines, Robert /
Hopton, Charles / Howell, Joseph / Howell, Thomas / Howell, William / Hughes, Caleb /
Hughes, Thomas / Ipock, Christian / Jones, Richard / Jones, Thomas / Jordan, William /
Mackilroy, Archibald / Mann, John / Manning, [Unnamed] / Mulkey, Jonathan / Palmer, William

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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/ Parker, James / Parks, Robert / Ratcliff, Moses / Roach, John / Roberson, John / Roberts,
George / Rouse, John / Sarsnat, Richard / Smith, Judge / Stanley, John / Stone, Philip / Sutton,
John / Thompson, Jacob / Turner, John / Turner, Lazarus / Uzzell, Elisha / Uzzell, Thomas [Jr.] /
Vining, William / Waters, John / Whitfield, Luke / Whitfield, Matthew / Whitfield, William /
Wiggins, George / Wiggins, Gersham / Wiggins, John / Wiggins, Richard / Wiggins, William /
Williams, Edward / Williams, John / Young, Lovick
The 92 landowners represented 64 surnames. Further analysis of those with the same surname,
who were likely related, allowed for a determination of the landowners who accrued the most
acreage indicated on the land records. Below is the rank-ordered, top-ten list (settler surname;
number of landowners; number of land patents and surveys issued; and total acreage):
#1. Herring; 12 landowners; 30 land records; 8,757 acres / #2. Wiggins; 5 landowners; 9 land
records; 2,192 acres / #3. Jones; 2 landowners; 4 land records; 1,871 acres / #4. Byrd; 1
landowner; 7 land records; 1,260 acres / #5. Williams; 1 landowner; 4 land records; 1,246 acres /
#6. Rouse; 1 landowner; 7 land records; 1,051 acres / #7. Boyd; 1 landowner; 1 land record;
1,000 acres / #8. Turner; 1 landowner; 2 land records; 930 acres / #9. Hughes; 2 landowners; 5
land records; 906 acres / #10. Blackman; 2 landowners; 4 land records; 830 acres
Not surprisingly, the Herring family earned the top spot with the most acreage. They also
represented the largest number of landowners with the same surname. Observably absent from
the top ten list are the Suttons, whose patriarch John Sutton arrived in Bucklesberry by 17451750. Of note, John and his descendants eventually accumulated more than 7,000 acres by the
mid-1850s.
Aside from one outlier land record for 1,000 acres, the 131 land tracts altogether averaged 238
acres. Upwards to half (44%) of the land documents were small to medium tracts of land that
ranged from 16 to fewer than 200 acres. Below are the number and percent of land records per
one hundred acre increments:
Fewer than 100 acres; 8 land records; 6.1% / 100 to 199 acres; 50 land records; 38.2% / 200 to
299 acres; 35 land records; 26.7% / 300 to 399 acres; 21 land records; 16.0% / 400 to 499 acres;
5 land records; 3.8% / 500 to 599 acres; 1 land records; 0.8% / 600 or more acres; 11 land
records; 8.4%
MIGRATION AND ARRIVAL
Understandably, the 92 settlers named in the 131 land documents did not all migrate to the
backcountry of Bucklesberry at the same time. Just as determining the exact year that
colonization began in Bucklesberry is virtually impossible, so is identifying when the earliest
settlers first arrived.
The issue years of the land records are suggestive, however, of when landowners may have
arrived in the geographic area of Bucklesberry. Dividing the thirty-year period (1729 to 1759) of
the land records into ten-year intervals, and assigning the landowners to the corresponding

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interval according to the first year they were named in a land record, a possible order of arrival
follows (alphabetically by last name):
First Ten-Year Arrival Period (1729-1739):
Atkins, Robert–1729 / Ayers, Ambrose–1736 / Herring, John Sr.–1738 / Herring, Simon–1738 /
Rouse, John–1736 / Turner, Lazarus–1736 / Wiggins, John–1736 / Williams, John–1738
Second Ten-Year Arrival Period (1740-1749):
Blackman, John–1740 / Boyd, Abraham–1748 / Burnet, Thomas Sr. –1741 / Byrd, Richard–1740
/ Cade, Stephen–1749 / Carruthers, Joseph–1747 / Creel, John–1743 / Croom, Major–1747 /
Faris, William–1746 / Fisher, Thomas–1748 / Fryer, John–1749 / Fryer, Martin–1741 / Giles,
John–1745 / Harrison, Christopher–1743 / Herring, Abram–1744 / Herring, Anthony Sr.–1749 /
Herring, Jacob–1744 / Herring, John Jr. –1745 / Herring, Joseph–1744 / Herring, Joshua–1748 /
Herring, Samuel–1739 / Herring, Stephen–1749 / Howell, Joseph–1744 / Howell, Thomas–1744
/ Hughes, Thomas–1749 / Ipock, Christian–1748 / Jones, Thomas–1741 / Mackilroy, Archibald–
1743 / Mann, John–1747 / Mulkey, Jonathan–1743 / Palmer, William–1747 / Parks, Robert–
1745 / Roberson, John–1745 / Roberts, George–1746 / Sarsnat, Richard–1745 / Thompson,
Jacob–1742 / Whitfield, Luke–1746 / Wiggins, George–1745 / Wiggins, Gersham–1746 /
Wiggins, Richard–1743 / Wiggins, William–1739 / Williams, Edwards–1746
Third Ten-Year Arrival Period (1750-1759):
Baxter, Theopholis–1751 / Belk, William–1756 / Blackman, Stephen–1751 / Boyet, Thomas–
1754 / Boykin, Thomas–1756 / Caswell, Richard Jr.–1754 / Cox, Thomas–1755 / Croason, John–
1755 / Daniel, James–1757 / Dawson, Joseph–1754 / Dean, Richard–1755 / Gainer, [Unnamed]–
1757 / Grant, John–1757 / Ham, William–1755 / Harrison, Thomas–1757 / Herring, Benjamin–
1757 / Herring, Henry–1758 / Herring, Michael–1758 / Hines, Robert–1754 / Hopton, Charles–
1754 / Howell, William–1757 / Hughes, Caleb–1756 / Jones, Richard–1755 / Jordan, William–
1757 / Manning, [Unnamed]1755 / Parker, James–1756 / Ratcliff, Moses–1755 / Roach, John–
1753 / Smith, Judge–1754 / Stanley, John–1750 / Stone, Philip–1757 / Sutton, John–1757 /
Tucker, [John] –1755 / Turner, John–1756 / Uzzell, Elisha–1757 / Uzzell, Thomas [Jr.]–1754 /
Vining, William–1755 / Waters, john–1751 / Whitfield, Matthew–1757 / Whitfield, William–
1754 / Young, Lovick–1755
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Bucklesberry was purportedly opened to colonization in the early nineteenth century, according
to a 1924 news story published in The News and Observer of Raleigh. The article also claimed
settlement commenced in 1825 by brothers John Sutton (ca. 1779-1848) and Hardy Sutton
(1803-1861).
Archived land documents, however, definitively prove a much earlier colonization. Settlers
actually began migrating to Bucklesberry fully a century earlier in the early to mid-1700s.
Further, Bucklesberry was not singularly opened by brothers John and Hardy Sutton. Rather,

Bucklesberry Beginnings

15

historical records indicate the brothers' grandfather John Sutton, Sr. (1720/30-bef. 1773) was one
of many proven early settlers of Bucklesberry.
Over time, two leading families–the Herrings and the Suttons–became the largest landowners in
the Bucklesberry area, amassing thousands of acres of land. Their descendants continue to own
much of the land in Bucklesberry today. Ancestors from both families migrated from Bertie
County, NC. But colonization of Bucklesberry did not begin with, nor rest solely on, the
Herrings and the Suttons.
Far from just a few early settlers, a study of 131 archived patents and surveys describing tracts of
land in the greater Bucklesberry area, over the thirty-year period, 1729 to 1749, identified 92
landowners representing 64 surnames. Bucklesberry was explicitly named in eleven of the land
records held by the following: John Williams–1738, John Giles–1748, Abraham Boyd–1748,
John Rouse–1754, Simon Herring–1754, John Croason–1755, Thomas Uzzell, Jr.–1756, Caleb
Hughes–1756, John Herring, Jr.–1757, William Jordan–1757, and John Sutton–1757. Although
Bucklesberry is not named per se in the remaining land records, they nonetheless describe
geographic features directly associated with Bucklesberry, including the Neuse River, Bear
Creek, Falling Creek, and other landmarks.
Probably not all 92 landowners migrated to Bucklesberry during the thirty-year period of 1729 to
1759. It stands to reason, though, that most probably did. According to Creston S. Long, III,
PhD, many colonists were simply looking for greater opportunities for themselves and their
families. With regard to the colonists' motivation to migrate inland, Dr. Long concluded in his
extensive research on the backcountry that "perceived better opportunity to advance themselves
socially and economically" (p. 147 ) was the chief incentive.
Many of the 92 early settlers were likely living in greater Bucklesberry by the mid-1750s.
Contemporary historical documents prove they were residents of then-Johnston County. For
example, 17 of the 92 (18%) landowners are named on the 1750 Johnston County Quit Rent list
[36]. Considerably more (39 of 92; 42%) were among the foot soldiers and officers listed on
1755 Johnston County Militia roster [34], proving they were residents in the area by that year.
Early settlers not named on either of these two listings were omitted possibly because they had
sold their land, moved elsewhere, or were deceased.
The 1769 Taxables (Tithables) list for Dobbs County [37] also provided confirmation of
Bucklesberry early settlers. The 92 early Bucklesberry landowners were cross-referenced with
the 947 residents named on this list. Fifty of the 92 (54%) were included. As for the remaining
42 of 92 (46%) not named, it is reasonable to surmise that some or most were deceased, may
have sold their land, or possibly could have moved elsewhere by 1769.
Had all 92 early Bucklesberry area settlers been named among the 947 Dobbs County residents,
they would have represented only about 10%, which begs the question–where were the
remaining 90% of taxed individuals residing? The explanation has to do with the geographically
expansive boundaries of Dobbs County in 1769. It encompassed all or part of four present-day
counties: Greene County (formed 1791), Lenoir County (formed 1791), Wayne County (formed

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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1779), and the southern tip of Wilson County (formed 1855). Thus, the remaining 855 of 947 of
the taxed residents were living in other sections of the four future counties of old Dobbs County.
Many of the early Bucklesberry settlers identified in this study are inexplicably omitted in other
listings as well. For example, the well regarded 1976 book, 200 Years of Progress: A Report of
the History and Achievements of the People of Lenoir County by Kohler [38], identified 158
early settlers, representing 135 surnames, all of whom arrived in the Lenoir County area of old
Dobbs County by 1757.
Strangely, only 23 of the 64 (36%) Bucklesberry area settler surnames identified in the current
study, appear on Kohler's list of 135 settler surnames. They include Atkins, Bush[ey], Byrd,
Cade, Carruthers, Dawson, Giles, Harrison, Herring, Hines, Hughes, Jones, Mackilroy, Parker,
Roach, Rouse, Stanley, Sutton, Thompson, Turner, Vining, Whitfield, and Wiggins.
Archived records nonetheless prove that the remaining 41 of 64 (64%) of the early Bucklesberry
area settler surnames in the current study that were omitted from Kohler's list, in fact, held land
patents and surveys and should have been included. The omission is mostly like attributable to
advances in technology since 1976 when Kohler's book was published. Many historical records
in private collections and elsewhere, not available nearly a half-century ago when Kohler's list
was researched, have been digitized and can be easily accessed online today. Thus, Kohler's list
of early settler surnames for Lenoir County potentially should be expanded to 176, which
includes the remaining 41 Bucklesberry settler surnames not accounted for in Kohler's list.
Factual findings in this report are also at odds with other historical accounts of early settlers in
Lenoir County. For example, in the introduction of his 2014 book, Images of America: La
Grange, local author Chris C. McCallister [39] wrote:
"La Grange began just a few miles from its current city limits as a small farming area known as
Bear Creek. The settlement later grew into what would be known as Moseley Hall, which was
begun in the early to mid-1700s by the Joshua Herring and Matthew Moseley families....
Eventually, other families began to move in and settle the area, including the Rouse, Dawson,
Fields, Mewborn, Sutton, Best and Whitfield clans." (p. 7)
The contribution of Joshua Herring and Matthew Moseley in establishing Moseley Hall,
eventually La Grange, is rightly acknowledged. However, McCallister's claim that Moseley Hall
began in the "early to mid-1700s" is incorrect. Rather, historians generally agree that Moseley
Hall township was not established until the late 1700s, after the conclusion of the Revolutionary
War.
In addition, McAlister's assertion that Moseley Hall township "began just a few miles from its
current city limits as a small farming area known as Bear Creek" is largely incorrect as well.
Located near Bear Creek, north of present-day La Grange, there was farming area settlement
called Rantersville [40]. Matthew Moseley's plantation home was the first sizeable house of its
kind built there. Although the township eventually took on the name of Moseley's plantation,
referred to as Moseley Hall, the township did not begin where Moseley's plantation home was
situated.

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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According to Patsy Boyette, "The two-story [Moseley Hall] was the only home of any
consequence in the area at that time....[and] reference to Moseley Hall includes all areas in the
township," (p. 8), not just Rantersville. Thus, the early Moseley hall township in all probability
also drew settlers who were residing in Bucklesberry, the only other known, older, and more
established settlement along Bear Creek at the time.
In actuality, an expanding Bucklesberry community that began colonization around 1720-1730
probably contributed much to the growth to the Moseley Hall township, and eventually to La
Grange. Still considered outskirts of greater La Grange today are several other nearby farm
communities that added to Moseley Hall's population, prior to the incorporation of La Grange in
1869. They include Jason, Institute, the west side of Falling Creek, and the east side of Seven
Springs (formerly White Hall).
McAlister's claim that, "Eventually, other families began to move in and settle the area, including
the Rouse, Dawson, Fields, Mewborn, Sutton, Best and Whitfield clans" is also not entirely
accurate. In fact, four of the seven named families–Dawson, Rouse, Sutton, and Whitfield–had
already migrated to the area decades before Matthew Moseley arrived and built his plantation
home in 1777. Identified in the current study, these four families are named in numerous land
documents dated in the early to mid-1700s that were geographically associated with Lenoir
County.
Findings in the current study of Bucklesberry's origins are also discrepant with information in the
1998 book, Coastal plain and fancy: The historic architecture of Lenoir County and Kinston,
North Carolina. With regard to early ownership of land that would become Lenoir County, coauthors Robbie D. Jones, Penne Smith, Scott Power, and M. Ruth Little stated:
"Much of the land that would become Lenoir County was owned in the eighteenth century under
absentee ownership, by speculators who resided in early coastal communities. Such individuals
obtained large grants, often of thousands of acres....In the vast frontier that would become Lenoir
County, a few large landowners shaped the future, often from afar....In Lenoir County, as
elsewhere in North Carolina during the eighteenth century....Its members lived on large
estates..." (pp. 12-13)
Analysis of the acreage of the 131 greater Bucklesberry area land documents dated 1729 to 1759
in the current study, representing some of the oldest owned land in Lenoir County, indicates that
virtually all of the land tracts were not large, let alone thousands of acres. With an average of 238
acres per land record, only one of the land documents for Abraham Boyd dated 1748 was for
1,000 acres. These numbers call into question the assertion by Jones et al. that Lenoir County
"members lived on large estates....[and] obtained large grants, often thousands of acres." Clearly,
most did not.
Further, the 92 proven early Bucklesberry area landowners identified in this study challenge
Jones et al.'s view that only "a few large landowners shaped the future [of Lenoir County], often
from afar." Moreover, their claim that "Much of the land...was owned...by speculators," that is,
investors who were non-resident, absentee owners who lived in coastal communities, cannot be
supported, at least for the land in the greater Bucklesberry area section of Lenoir County.

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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In conclusion, a true accounting of history demands verifiable facts and documentation, free of
unsubstantiated information incorrectly drawn from scant data or legend that rests on no
evidence at all. Until now, Bucklesberry's beginnings have not been firmly established, despite
previously published reports by various sources that have purported its origins.
Land documents recently unearthed from digital archives and reported herein unequivocally
confirm Bucklesberry was opened to colonization around 1720-1730, fully a century before
1825, its traditionally held year of origin. Short of other unknown documents or historical
records that may emerge in the future that might provide information to the contrary, the factual
evidence presented in this report definitively prove that settlement in Bucklesberry began in the
early eighteenth century.
Bucklesberry's prominence cannot be overlooked or understated. Unfortunately, renowned
historian William S. Powell (1919-2015) failed to mention Bucklesberry anywhere in his 1963
book, The Story of Lenoir County and Kinston, N.C. [41]. To Powell's credit, he identified "a
number of communities important enough to have their own names but not large enough to be
incorporated as towns," which included Dawson, Fountain Hill, Institute, Parrotts, Sandy
Bottom, and Woodington. Observably absent is Bucklesberry.
Powell's omission of Bucklesberry was a glaring, albeit unintentional, oversight. As
acknowledged previously, many historical records available online today, in addition to the land
records identified in this study, were probably inaccessible to Powell when he researched and
wrote his 1963 book. For example, a Newspapers.com search of the seventy-year period from
1855 to 1924 identified more than 800 news items and articles that reported happenings and
events in Bucklesberry and area residents.
Reiterating, information provided in this report confirms the arrival of some 92 first settlers in
Bucklesberry around 1720-1730. The 131 early eighteenth century land records identified in this
study firmly substantiate this conclusion. Moreover, coupled with the hundreds of newspaper
articles published to date, these land records support Bucklesberry's indisputable standing as the
oldest named, most recognized, and historically significant farm community in Lenoir County.
ADDITIONAL READING
The Weekly Gazette, former newspaper for the town of La Grange, NC, published more than 300
articles in a series titled, "Bucklesberry, Back in the Day," from 2016 to 2023. These articles
discuss the rich history, happenings, and people of Bucklesberry, including extended research on
local church histories and brief biographies of Bucklesberrians whose lives were remarkably
impactful. See https://www.olddobbers.net/sutton/gazette1.html. A sampling of article titles
follows:
Farming at its Best / BBQ and Chicken Pie / Strong Women / Forgotten Cemeteries / Animal
Stories / Politics and Plows / Playtime Places / Country Crimes / School's Out / Trouble in
Paradise / Early Patriarchs / Cotton Comeback / First Matriarchs / Social Frills / Expert Farmers /
Prize Porkers / Primitive Worship / River Lifeline / Loving Adoption / Homeplace Houses /
Tenth Generation / Death Diseases / Healing Business / War Heroes / Glimpse in Time / Basics

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of Life / Fight for Freedom / Small Business / Medicine Men / Twins Aplenty / Postcard
Messages / Family Squabble / Accidents Happen / Great Hurricane 1883 / What Mean These
Trees? / Buying and Selling / Crimes and Campaigns / Ninth Spring / Death and Drinking /
Social Scuffle / Fourth Time's a Beauty / Tuberculosis, Typhoid 1920 / Dog Days / Bumper Crop
1902 / Harper's Landing / Agriculture 1927 / Match Made in Heaven / Educated Farmers / Hefty
Hogs / Extreme Animals / The Sick and the Dead
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England: Author. https://www.buckleburyestate.com/bucklebury-history/
[2] Davis, Phillip. (2017, June 26). Servat's Tower, Bucklesbury. http://www.gatehousegazetteer.info/English%20sites/4170.html
[3] Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. (2024, March 27). Bucklebury.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklebury
[4] Duffy, Nola. (2011, September 11). John Hardy's will, 1719. USGenWeb Archives, North
Carolina, Chowan County. http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/chowan/wills/hardy1996gwl.txt
[5] Roanoke Chowan Academy United States History Class. (1976). Confederate tax census for
Bertie County, North Carolina 1862.
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/331631-confederate-tax-census-forbertie-county-north-carolina-1862
[6] Gilmer, J. F., Goemer, P. W. O., & Miller, H. J. (1863). Field map of Lieut. Koemer's
military survey between Neuse and Tar Rivers North Carolina [digital image]. Raleigh, NC:
State Archives of North Carolina. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ncmaps/id/1810
[7] North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission. (1938). Bertie County, North
Carolina (digital image). Raleigh, NC: State Archives of North Carolina.
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/428/rec/2
[8] Crilley, Virginia. (2018, September 10). Geographic features of Bertie County.
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ncbertie/swamp.htm
[9] Wooten, Council S. (1886). Bucklesberry: Some interesting notes from Lenoir County.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/goldsboro-messenger/3543724/
[10] The News and Observer. (1924). Bucklesberry will celebrate: Famous section of Lenoir
County approaching its 100th birthday. Raleigh, NC. https://www.newspapers.com/article/thenews-and-observer/128125602/
[11] The Morning New Bernian. (1924). Bucklesberry exercises. New Bern, NC.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-new-bernian/3579223/

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[12] Jurney, R. C. & Davis, W. A. (1927). Soil survey of Lenoir County, N.C. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Chemistry and Soils.
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=a4iSBn93puIC&pg=GBS.PP2&hl=en
[13] Herring, Robert A. (1969). The John Herring family of North Carolina and Mississippi.
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o=info&n=0&q=
[14] Williams, John. (1738). Land patent, Craven County, issued March 1, 1738.
https://www.nclandgrants.com/grant/?mars=12.14.50.725&qid=984227&rn=8
[15] Boyette, Patsy M. (n.d.). A brief history of La Grange. https://lagrangenc.com/723/History
[16] Lenoir County, North Carolina. (n.d.). Lenoir County history.
https://lenoircountync.gov/about-lenoir-county/history-of-lenoir-county/
[17] Moore, Claude. (1985). A history of Waynesborough, North Carolina.
https://www.carolana.com/NC/Towns/Waynesborough_NC.html
[18] Butler, Lindley S. (2006). Backcountry. NCpedia. https://www.ncpedia.org/backcountry.
[19] Long, Creston S. III. (2002). Southern routes: Family migration and the eighteenth-century
southern backcountry [Ph.D. dissertation]. Richmond, VA: The College of William and Mary.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3202&context=etd
[20] Denevan, William M. (Ed.). (1992). The native population of the Americas in 1492 (2nd
ed.). Seattle, WA: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN: 978-0299134341.
[21] DiNome, William G. (2006). American Indians, Part III: Indian tribes from European
contact to the era of removal. NCpedia. https://www.ncpedia.org/american-indians/europeancontact
[22] Whitford, Sara. (2014). A new look at the Tuscarora War.
https://www.coastalcarolinaindians.com/case-1-on-the-trail-of-tom-or-a-new-look-at-thetuscarora-war/
[23] Estes, Roberta. (2012, June 24). Tuscarora populations. Native Heritage Project.
https://nativeheritageproject.com/2012/06/24/tuscarora-populations/
[24] Johnston County Visitors Bureau. (2019, August 13). Early history of Johnston County.
Smithfield, NC. https://www.johnstoncountync.org/articles/post/early-history-of-johnstoncounty/
[25] Sutton, Joe P. (2024). Clellan Sutton collection. USGenWeb, North Carolina, Lenoir
County. http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/lenoir/suttonclellan/sutton_clellan.htm

Bucklesberry Beginnings

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[26] Sutton, Joe P. (2017a). John Giles survey 1745 [transcription]. USGenWeb Archives, North
Carolina, Lenoir County.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/lenoir/bios/sutton/survey/survey11748.txt
[27] Sutton, Joe P. (2017b). John Sutton survey ca. 1757 [transcription]. USGenWeb Archives,
North Carolina, Lenoir County.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/lenoir/bios/sutton/survey/survey1757.txt
[28] Forebears. (2024). Most common surnames in Lenoir County, 1880.
https://forebears.io/united-states/north-carolina/lenoir-county#surnames
[29] Sutton, Joe P. (2015). Sutton ties to Bertie County; DNA proves John's origins.
https://suttonancestry.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/DNA.Bucklesberry-study.all_-1.pdf
[30] Sutton, Joe P. (2024a). Herring land records, Bucklesberry Pocosin, Bertie County, NC,
1723-1757. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rJLcYUEpk_klbhsaHaWUvsEg8g8sp3n/view?usp=sharing
[31] Sutton, Joe P. (2024b). Herring land records, Bucklesberry Pocosin, Craven-Johnston
County, NC, 1738-1746. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17DC6GloFSbSuIX6mrmOKceo7L_y2QM9/view?usp=sharing
[32] Jones, Robbie D., Smith, Penne, Power, Scott, & Little, M. Ruth. (1998). Coastal plain and
fancy: The historic architecture of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina. Kinston, NC:
Lenoir County Historical Society, Inc. ISBN 0-9668319-0-x.
[33] Sutton, Joe P. (2024c). Herring land records, Bucklesberry Pocosin, Craven-Johnston
County, NC, 1738-1759.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17DC6GloFSbSuIX6mrmOKceo7L_-y2QM9/view?usp=sharing
[34] State Archives of North Carolina. (1755, October 7). A list of the company of
foot soldiers commanded by Captain Simon Herring and his inferior officers. Raleigh,
NC: North Carolina Digital Collections. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/johnstoncounty-soldiers-commanded-by-captain-simon-herring/5753575
[35] Sutton, Joe P. (2024c). Early colonial land records, Bucklesberry area, Craven-Johnston
County, NC, 1729-1759.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12d9OpfIxry5V_NoFKh0TkoDqFhcyjmzQ/view?usp=sharing
[36] Potts, Guy. (n.d.). Johnston County, NC: Quit rent 1750. USGenWeb, North Carolina,
Lenoir County. http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/johnston/taxlists/quitrent.txt
[37] Tew, Jerome. (n.d.). Dobbs County 1769 taxables [transcription]. Raleigh, NC: North
Carolina State Archives. USGenWeb, North Carolina, Lenoir County.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/dobbs/taxlists/dobbs2.txt

Bucklesberry Beginnings

22

[38] Kohler, Mike. (1976). 200 years of progress: A report of the history and achievements of
the people of Lenoir County. Kinston, NC: Kinston-Lenoir County Bicentennial Commission and
the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners.
[39] McCallister, Chris. C. (2014). Images of America: La Grange [NC]. Charleston, SC:
Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-2030-2.
[40] Boyette, Patsy M. (1998, September). La Grange-The garden spot continues to bloom. Olde
Kinston Gazette. https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/242695?ln=en&v=uv#?xywh=-304%2C1%2C8500%2C4931&cv=7
[41] Powell, William S. (1963). Annals of progress: The story of Lenoir County and Kinston,
North Carolina. Raleigh, NC: State Department of Archives and History.
https://www.seekingmyroots.com/members/files/H004926.pdf

_______________

File authored and contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Bucklesberry native and
resident Joe P. Sutton, PhD, jpsutton56@gmail.com.
Copyright © 2024