Nock Family Heritage

From: History of Delaware

Adjoining ‘’Howell’s Lott’’ and ‘’Dundee’’, on the south, is located ‘’Longacre’’, containing one thousand acres, taken up by Nicholas Bartlett under warrant from court of Kent County, dated the 20^th for month, 1682. In 1742 seven hundred and forty-five acres of this tract were in the possession of Andrew Caldwell. This ancient tract is now in possession of the heirs of Rev. I. T. Cooper, L. e. Neilson, John B. Cleaver, heirs of Samuel B. Cooper, Rev. Joseph E. Waugh, Mrs. C. I. Du Pont, land late of S. J. Everett, of Harvey Soper, of W. D. McGloghlan, and of S. M. Thomas.

            Little Geneva is a tract of four hundred acres, taken up by Alexander Humphreys, and surveyed for him March 4, 1680. It adjoins ‘’Dundee’’ and ‘’Brecknock’’, on the south of them, and ‘’Great Geneva’’ on its southwest boundary, and lies on both sides of the Upper King’s Road, just outside of the town of Camden, leading toward Canterbury roads, were in the possession of Andrew Purdon. This part is now owned by William K. Evans, William P. Lindale and Matthias Jerman. The part lying east of the Canterbury road was owned in 1783 by Warner Mifflin, George Truitt and others. This part is now chiefly owned by Levi S. Proud and the assignee of Samuel J. Everett.

            Upon this tract is the colored people’s church, called the ‘’Star of the East’’, which was described in connection with ‘’Brecknock’’. There is a hamlet of colored people, who have bought small parcels and built upon them.

            On the southeast side of Tidbury Branch and southwest of the tract ‘’Tidbury’’ lies a tract of land containing four hundred and sixty-five acres, resurveyed August 15, 1733, for Ezekiel, Daniel and Thomas Nock, the sons of Thomas, deceased. This tract remained in possession of the Nocks as late as 1783. Some time about 1760 Ezekiel Nock built a grist-mill there, and left his property to his sons, of whom Thomas remained on the homestead.

            About the 1783, or a little later, the mill property passed into the possession of Daniel Mifflin, who left it to his two sons, Daniel and Samuel. The mill was known as ‘’Nock’s Mill’’ and ‘’Mifflin’s Mill’’. Some time about 1852 the property passed into the possession of James Green, now deceased. William B. Nock, druggist, of Camden, is the sole survivor bearing the name of the Nock Family.

            West of the Nock tract, on the opposite side of Tidbury, is a tract called ‘’Gainsborough’’, comprising four hundred and forty-five acres, surveyed for John Nowell December 16, 1680.

            West of ‘’Gainsborough’’ and south of ‘’Little Geneva’’ is a tract called ‘’Grigg’s Purchase’’, taken up under a warrant of December 21, 1681, containing one thousand acres. It lies on and adjoins Tidbury stream on the north, and is on both sides of the upper king’s Road. It was originally surveyed for Alexander Humphreys, but is now in possession of Henry C. Cooper, George Gibbs, John Evans, J. B. Slaymaker and others.

            South of ‘’Grigg’s Purchase’’, and on the south side of Tidbury, is the tract ‘’Tiocullever’’, taken up under a warrant dated August 17, 1682, by Robert Betts and John King, and contained twelve hundred acres. It is now chiefly owned by Samuel W. Derby, Thomas B. Coursey, heirs of Mrs. Powell, B. F. Abbot, heirs of Dr I. T. Cooper and others. The land late of James L. Dyer and of William T. Maloney was also of the tract.

            On this tract, on the Upper King’s Road from Canterbury to Camden, is situated a grist-mill. It was bequeathed by Mary Caldwell to her son, John Caldwell, for a grist-mill seat October 15, 1786, and a mill was soon after erected. The grist-mill is now owned by Thomas B. Coursey.

            South of ‘’Longacre’’ and southeast of ‘’Grigg’s Purchase’’ and ‘’Tiocullever’’ is a large tract of land called ‘’Rhodes Forest’’, containing two thousand acres. It was taken up by John Rhodes, of Wherekill County (Sussex), on warrant from that court November 23, 1679. It was inherited by his son, John Rhodes, who, May 8, 1725, sold it to Andrew Caldwell, of Kent County, and took in exchange therefore parts of tracts of ‘’Bartlett’s Lott’’ and adjacent tracts, lying towards the mouths of St. Jones’ and Murderkill Creeks. This tract, on account of the change effected, was called by Caldwell ‘’The Exchange’’, by which name in subsequent deeds it is generally known. It is described as being on the west side of Tidbury Branch, beginning at the mouth of a small run that falls into the branch a little above an Indian path(Camden and Willow Grove road at Red House Branch) that leads from Jones’ Creek to Choptank. It extended from ‘’Indian Path’’, west by south nearly three miles, and southeast by south nearly two miles, and thence in a northerly direction about three miles, to the forks of Tidbury, and up Tidbury to beginning.

I want to add another document to the story of the Sample’s and the Nock’s. This is a copy of the military service record of John Sample, the brother of my great-great Grandmother, Rachel Sample-Nock. Notice that even though he an African American from Accomack, Virginia, he fought for the North, in the Civil War. He was a ”free negro” who fought for the freedom of all African Americans who were enslaved in the Southern states of America.

John H Sample
in the U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865

-Damon Nock

This is a copy of the U.S. Census of the year 1860, for St. Georges Parrish, Accomack County, Virginia.

This document is significant on a number of levels. First, it is a listing of African American families. As we know, in 1860 most African Americans were enslaved in the southern states of America. These families being listed in the U.S. Census means that they were so-called ‘’free negroes’’. Slaves would not be listed in the census because they were property. ‘’Free negroes’’ were American citizens, therefore, they would be list in census records.

Now, if you go about halfway down this document at number 17, you see the family of Sabra Sample. She became head of household after the death of her husband, Isaac Sample. Listed below Sabra, are there four children, John, Isaac, William, and Rachel.

What is also significant about this family is that they would soon become part of my Nock family, by marriage. Rachel, not long after this census was taken, would marry my great-great Grandfather, Samuel Nock.

I’ve often been told that the Nock side of my family were descended from ‘’free negroes’’, but I never had proof of this. Though I still don’t have 100% proof on the Nock side of my family, there is clear proof on the Sample side of my family. As I’m sure many of you know, there was a large number of ‘’free negroes’’ in Accomack County during the slave period. Some historians put the percentage as high as 50%. It was however, significantly lower in Northampton County.

-Damon Nock

http://dna.ancestry.com/lp/findyourancestors?o_iid=64787&o_lid=64787&o_sch=Web+Property

This is a wonderful book chronicling the history of the Eastern Shore. It is the most detailed book that I’ve come across, so far. As we know, most Nocks in the U.S. trace their roots back to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, specifically Accomack County.

History of the Eastern Shore 1603-1964