14 October 2005

Great Philadelphia Wagon Road

The enticement of land grants drew many families to the unsettled boundaries of the colonies. Most of these settlers traveled by way of the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road often taking one of the many adjoining trails to their destination. Urban was no different, by 1766 he took his family and settled in Mecklenburg Co., NC where he acquired a land patent, although he may have settled as early as 1762 no documentation had been found to confirm this circumstance. During this time North Carolina offered Crown Grants to the colonists. This may have involved several steps over a lengthy period of time and the payment of money for several services. A claim, application, or petition would have been made which would have involved marking the proposed boundaries and notifying the granting authority of the desired claim of which there may have been a fee paid. A period occurs when other claimants or neighbors identify and settle disputes. Improvements to the land may have been required as a condition to retain the property. There may have been additional waiting periods built-in as some patents were being processed in batches. The granting authority would then make a land warrant entitling the land to be surveyed. This order, sometimes issued directly to the surveyor would then be carried out. A survey or plat made by the surveyor would either be copied into or attached to the final grant documents. A fee was usually paid to the surveyor. The formal issuance and recording of the title would then be made by the granting authority in the form of a patent. Final fees were probably paid to close the deal.

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