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| The Post War Years |
After his service at Yorktown, James returned to Halifax County. In
1783 and 1784 James Braughill brought suits against Ambrose Hunt, which he
won. James Braughhill (two h's) purchased 200 acres of land, location
not given in the index, from Cox and his wife, which was recorded August
19, 1784.
In his Revolutionary War Pension Application,
James stated that he married Rebecca Bailey while living in Halifax
County. This is supported by a deposition made by his son James
Jr., which accompanied the application. The marriage records of Halifax
show that Rebecca Bailey, daughter of Joseph Bailey was married on
September 22, 1785, by Rev. Thomas Dobson, but her groom is named as
James Bray. In his pension request, James stated that he may have been
carried on the muster rolls of his unit under the name "Bray,"
as he was often called by that name. Surely this is the marriage of
James Broyhill. The 1810 census lists Rebecca as being between the ages
of 16 and 45, establishing she was born after 1765, thus she was at
least four years younger than James. In the 1785 marriage bond,
her father certified that she was over 21 years old, thus born before
1764.
James stated that he lived for seven to
ten years after the war in Pittsylvania County "and removed from
there to Wilkes County, N.C.," which suggests that since the war
was over in 1781, he moved to Wilkes around 1791. All available
information suggests that this is inaccurate by many years. Deeds
show that James Broughill of Halifax County purchased 200 acres from
James Doss Jr. of Pittsylvania County in July of 1792. The deed is
illegible, but appears to be for 200 acres on a creek in Halifax County.
It was recorded in Pittsylvania County. Pittsylvania County Court Orders
show that on July 16, 1792, William Wimbish, Executor, brought suit
against James Bray and, in a separate suit, Jno Pannill, Estate
executor, filed suit against James Broy. On June 19, 1797, James
Broughill of Pittsylvania County purchased from James Martin of Fairfax
County 143 acres on both sides of Beech Tree Creek in Pittsylvania
County. Later that year, a lawsuit was brought against James Broughill
by Laban Thurman, also in Pittsylvania County.
In 1802, William and James
Browhill acknowledged a deed in Halifax. On Dec. 15, 1805, James
Broyhill and his wife Rebecca sold the land on Beech Tree Creek to
Mickael Mullins for one negro girl named Rachel. This marked the first
documented account of James using the Broyhill surname and the only
record of his having ever owned a slave. On October 27, 1806, William
Brayhill transferred an unspecified number of acres on Childrey Creek to
James Brayhill, which they recorded in Halifax. Sale of this land
was probably in preparation for migrating to North Carolina.. |
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