Person Page - 865

     James Townsend was born circa 1763 at Orange, North Carolina, British Colonial America. He was the son of John Townsend and Cortney (--?--). He married Frances (--?--). He died before 1820 at McIntosh, Georgia, United States.
     Biography of James Townsend:

We have concluded in our biography of John Townsend (1740-1786) that James Townsend (1763- ) is the son of John Townsend (1740-1786).

The earliest mention of James Townsend is his name being in a Marlboro County South Carolina lease dated 6 April 1786 for land “on the NE side of great peedee river…joining on the NE land of William Allston and James Townsing”.¹ The William Allston land is possibly the 100 acres of land, Light Townsend (1745-1817) sold to William Allston in 1780 that was the original 100 acres granted Benedictus Townsend in 1764. The next mention of James is on an 8 April 1797 deed wherein Mathew Murphy sells to James Townsend for 40 pounds sterling, 200 acres on the NE side of the Pee Dee River.² Another deed dated 31 August 1798 shows that James Townsend sold 150 acres of the 200 acres he had acquired a year earlier from Mathew Murphy to Maurice Stapleton.² We estimate that James was likely born before 1765 based on his being at least 21 in order to own land in 1786. We thus place his birth year at circa 1763.

A James Townsend appears in three other deeds in Marlboro County as follows:
Deed 1: On 27 July 1814, Thomas Townsend sells James Townsend 50 acres.³
Deed 2: On 15 August 1815 John Townsend sells James Townsend 188 acres.⁴
Deed 3: On 1 January 1816, Robert Hays sell James Townsend 10 acres.⁵ We believe these are deeds involving James Townsend (1794 -1825), son of John Townsend (1760-1843) not the James Townsend of this biography. There were no further records concerning James Townsend of this biography found in Marlboro County, South Carolina and his name does not appear on any census records there.

We next find James Townsend of this biography receiving land grants in Liberty County, Georgia. He was granted 200 acres in 1803 and another 200 acres in 1806.⁶ At the same time, James brother, Light Townsend also received two 200 acre grants in Liberty County ⁶. This is Light Townsend (1770-1851) who served in the War of 1812, and is found in the 1820 Liberty County Georgia Census and who moved into Jefferson County Florida in 1828.⁷ We believe that James removed from Marlboro County with his brother Light about 1803 to take up their land grants in Georgia. As will later be shown, all of James's sons all claim to have been born in Georgia as early as 1804 and 1806, so we believe that is the time James moved to Georgia.

The next record is Mrs. Frances Townsend with 5 young males and 2 young females found enumerated in the 1820 census of McIntosh County, Georgia. (McIntosh County is adjacent to Liberty County and we believe that the James Townsend family moved into McIntosh County from Liberty County before 1820). Thomas Townsend (1765-1828) and family is also enumerated in the same census. It is likely that Thomas Townsend and family moved from Marlboro County, Georgia to McIntosh County, Georgia between 1815 and 1820⁸ and likely lived near his close relative, James.

The 1821 Georgia Land Lottery shows that Elford, Josiah, Mary, L. Ansel, and Francis Townsend, all orphans of McIntosh County, as well as Frances Townsend, widow, won land in Henry County, Georgia. They apparently did not take up that land as in 1821, Frances Townsend was granted 400 acres of land in McIntosh County, Georgia.⁶

We next find Josiah Townsend and William Townsend families in the 1830 and 1840 censuses of McIntosh County, Georgia. We also find where Elijah Townsend received three grants of land totaling 600 acres in McIntosh County in 1834, 1835 and 1836 and William R. Townsend received two grants of 150 acres in 1839 and 1840. ⁶

We then find an Elijah Townsend (1804) family, William Riley Townsend (1806) family, a Josiah Elford Townsend (1813) family in the 1850 Census of McIntosh County Florida. .

We believe these three Townsend's are the children of James Townsend of this biography. Our basis for that is:

1. These are the only Townsend’s in McIntosh County between 1820 and 1850.

2. We believe the names of these three Townsend children closely match the names of the orphan children listed as receiving land in the 1821 Georgia Land Lottery and are certain that they are the children of Frances Townsend.

3. Biographies published in 1911 about William Columbus Townsend and James Walter Townsend, sons of Elijah Townsend refer to a James Townsend as being the father of Elijah and coming into Georgia in the very early 1800's.

4. Each of these three Townsend children, without exception named their first-born son, James. Clearly suggesting that there father was named James.

5. James Townsend appears to have left Marlboro County, South Carolina about the time he appears in McIntosh or Liberty County, Georgia.

     John "Jack" Townsend was born on 24 January 1792 at Marlboro, South Carolina, United States.¹ He was the son of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter. He married Nancy Leigh at Liberty, Georgia, United States.¹ He died on 28 December 1867 at Hernando, Florida, United States, at age 75.¹ He was buried at Townsend House Cemetery, Pasco, Florida, United States.
     Biography of John "Jack" Townsend:

John (Jack) Townsend followed his father to Jefferson County, Florida about 1828. He served in the Second Seminole Indian War where he raised a company of Mounted Volunteers and was elected its Captain in Feb., 1840. After some months of service as a unit of the Florida Militia, it was mustered into the service of the United States. After the war he received a land bounty of160 acres for this service. The U.S. Census of 1850 list John Townsend as living in Benton (now Hernando) County, Fl., the name being changed in Dec. of that year. John Townsend was elected a County Commissioner there in Jan. 1852,and again in 1855, 1857 and 1863, each a two year term. When Fl. seceded from the Union, in 1861, Capt. Jack Townsend, then well into his sixties, volunteered for local service in Capt. James H. Breaker's Company of "Old Guards Mounted Rangers." After several months the company was discharged due to the advanced age of its members.
Circuit riding ministers made regular visits to his home for camp meetings. The present day Townsend House Church , successor to the log home of Captain "Jack", which he gave for the community's first meeting house, is a neat frame building set in the midst of orange groves, miles away from any paved road. In May of each year, a great reunion is held here for all of the name of Townsend, and those whose families worshiped here and attended when it was a school. In the Townsend cemetery, near by, many of this family are buried (Revised by the compiler from T. Lesley, "Light Townsend 1770-1851").¹

     Nancy Leigh was born in 1794 at Liberty, Georgia, United States. She married John "Jack" Townsend, son of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter, at Liberty, Georgia, United States.¹ She died on 21 December 1868 at Hernando, Florida, United States.¹ She was buried at Townsend House Cemetery, Pasco, Florida, United States.¹

     Hester Ann Keaton was born at Liberty, Georgia, United States.¹ She married Isaac Townsend, son of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter.¹

     Eliza Harrison was born on 26 December 1820. She married James Light Townsend, son of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter.¹ She died on 12 March 1886 at Columbia, Florida, United States, at age 65.¹

     Nancy L. Jones was born on 26 December 1820.¹ She married William C. Townsend, son of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter, circa 1839.¹ She married Giles U. Ellis circa 1856 at Columbia, Florida, United States.¹ She died on 12 March 1886 at Columbia, Florida, United States, at age 65.¹

     Jonathan Tucker married Margaret A. Townsend, daughter of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter, on 2 July 1840 at Alachua, Florida, United States.^1,2 He died circa 1841 at Alachua, Florida, United States.¹

     Dr. John P. Crichton married Margaret A. Townsend, daughter of Light Townsend and Phoebe Carter, on 29 March 1843 at Alachua, Florida, United States.¹