Karmella, I can offer an educated guess on this one. I'd say he was either in Upper or Lower Conetoe township (and more likely upper) for the following reasons: 1.) Willis inherited land from his father, Peter. Here are two deeds mentioning Peter (and Jesse): "James Cocks (Cox) of Edgecombe Co. to Jesse Knight of same. 8 Sept 1795. 92 pounds, 10 shillings. 65 acres on Coneto Pocoson, joining Peter Knight, Bee Island, Bee Island Branch, Joseph Pippin, Mayo. Wit: Walker Knight, Saml. Wren. Proved Nov. Ct. 1795." "State Grant No. 673 to Jesse Knight. 20 Oct. 1798. 69 acres on the north side of Tarr River in Caneto, joining Solomon Pippen, Peter Knight, Edward Hall; warrent dated 1 Mar. 1798." (several other deeds mention Peter's land as being "on the north side of Tar River" also.) Then there's this one: "James Jones of Edgecombe Co. to Peter Knight of same. 10 May 1794. 475 Spanish milled dollars. 138 acres which was all the patent granted to Robert Hudnal except for 100 acres sold to Benjamin Pippin, joining Benjamin Pippin. Wit.: Samuel Wren, Joseph Pippin. Proved May Ct. 1794." Then if one looks up Robert Hudnall's grant, the place is still consistent: "Robert Hudnall 10 December 1760 238 acres in Edgecombe County in the Parish of St. Mary, joining Conete Pocoson and a Pocoson at or near Hogmore's line." Conetoe Pocoson (Swamp)is/was due east of Tarboro, as are the two townships named for it (Upper Conetoe more so; Lower is more southeast.) The swamp, and its placement in relation to Tarboro and the Tar River, is more evident on 1700's maps than on more modern ones (on the 1905 map you can see Conetoe Creek, which is about where the swamp is/was.) 2.) On the 1840 census, Willis Knight is living in Harrell's District, which doesn't have a clear correllation to the townships (the townships hadn't been "invented" in 1840.) A neighbor of his was Burrell/Burwell Shelton. On the 1850 census, Burrell Shelton is (according to some land figuring by David Gammon) living in the area east of Tarboro, including Speed. So, it is likely that Willis and Harrell's District were also east of Tarboro, and Conetoe Pocoson was east of Tarboro...you get the picture. Hope this helps. Traci at the Library _____________________________________________________________ From: Karmella Haynes <kh_art@yahoo.com> To: NCEDGECO-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Willis KNIGHT descendants Greetings list, I am seeking information on the family of Willis Knight (wife Mary/Polly). In his 1846 will, he sent some slaves to his daughter Nancy Knight Mayo "now living in Mississippi". This is a crucial clue that I need to follow up on. I think one of those slaves was my ancestor, but under a different name. I need help figuring out exactly where Willis Knight resided (township) relative to the Sparta Township in 1846. >From the will, I cannot figure out where his land was, exactly. ---Were there townships in 1846? Were they the same as in 1870 and 1880? ---Can I use a census to figure out where he lived? Thanks, ---Karmella _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com