The maps were just the tonic for me. At every break I have pondered each and every detail, and in my mind's eye, walked each foot of the Four Mile Creek terrain. One map, to me, is worth 10,000 words. So you can more conveniently review what we have done, we are including excerpts from the following wills: Will of John Pleasants, 27 September 1690. At Curies-will to daughter Elizabeth, land , purchased of Abraham Childers, bounding upon Curies Swamp, containing 20 acres to son Joseph , land by "purchased of Abraham Childers, containing by estimated, , ^580 Acres (mentions Childers tract) lying on ye south side of four mile creek & joining upon Curies Swamp".
Deed of 1681 from Abraham Childers to John Pleasants, five-hundred and forty acre-lying and being in the forks of Four Mile Creek-land which was by my father (Abraham Childers) purchased from Wm. Harris & given to me by his last will and testaments...Dec 1st 1681. A personal comment; Abraham Childers all must have owned other lands,' because in his will of December 1693, he leaves to Anne, his wife, half of his land lying on the east side of the first branch between one (me) and four mile creek-the other half to son Henry Childers, land on west side.
Deed of 1656 from Wm. Harris to Abraham Childers of Curles in the County of Henrico....the parcel of land he now lives on-beginning at a pine tree a little above the houses of the said Childers & standing by the river, & on the lower side of Morgan's Landing , and soe running down the river to the swamp at the old garden, & thence into Morgane’s along the main side to the nutt trees, & thence along the side of the swamp & ye meadow side to an oake tree as one goes into the meadow close by the cart path, from thence on a straight line into the pasture to a parcel of oakes standing in a ridge next above a place called the 18 Lengths of boards & from thence to the former Iine in a straight line.. . .
Witness & seal, 28th February 1656 Personal Comments; Probably little, or no, cash was exchanged for any of the above land in these transactions, as the common exchange of the day was tobacco, and other farm produce We hope all the above tends to prove, in some historical way, the Plantation boundry I have outlined on the topo. map. At least I think it is correct to some degree. To the best of my ability; the platt we have outlined, seems to contain about three-hundred and twenty acres. Yet, the orignal platt could have contained the entire Curies Swamp, and the farm foundry called for at the swamp edge, could have ment a boundry with the eastern side, across Four Mile Creek. If you disagree, or have other comments, reguarding anything I have done, or said, please let me know that together; we can arrive at an accurate, historical conclusion. I am led to believe; Abraham's house,stood on that ridbe just above the James River (which I have marked), note the cemetery located on that rise. It would be interresting to know if it contains graves of antiquity. Prehaps it does, and if so, they would probably be marked with un-scribed field stones, like so many burials of ancient times predating the American Revolution.
I found a few more tid-bits of addena to add to your collection on Joseph Childers: Albemarle County Va. Deed book 26. Joseph Childers 200 acres purchased 5 April 1748. And: Joseph Childers to Alexander McCloud, 200 acres 1764. Could this be the Joseph who went from Va. to Penn. in 1764? There are other Joseph Childers men in Albemarle Co. at later dates but, they do not fit the description of this Joseph who seems to be the one who lived in Henrico County until about 1748.
Respectfully,
Garland K. & Leda Childress
4807 Ranchland Drive
Louisville, Ky. 40216
