Individual Details

Killed by Indians going down the Ohio with Sevier. He was never married and left no issue; therefore not named in Will of his father. It seems he left an estate that was divided among his siblings.

He is said to have a North Carolina grant for 5000 acres on the Mississippi River at the Chickasaw Bluff - now the city of Memphis. His brother Elisha sold the grant for $500 to John Overton.

There were other John Rices living in Caswell but the following deeds seem most likely to be this John as this was about the time he obtained vast lands in Tennessee and left North Carolina and the recipients appear to be his siblings.
John Rice sold slaves to Thomas and William H. Rice. William H. was a son of Thomas Rice, whose full name was William Higgason Rice, but he also had a brother Thomas. However, William H. & Thomas also had a brother named John. At any rate the slaves stayed in the family.
DB H, p.94 16 Nov 1788 John Rice to Thomas Rice for consideration, one negro girl Easter, age 15. Wit: William H. Rice, Geo. Oldham
p.95 11 Aug 1789 John Rice to William H. Rice for 100£, negro boy Harry age 13. Wit: Rebekah Windsor [Rebekah was William H. Rice's sister ….see later]

“In 1789 John Rice obtained 80,000 acres of land on the Big Hatchie River for a partnership composed of him self, his brothers Joel and Ellisha, and Jesse Benton. He removed from Caswell County to Nashville in 1785, engaged in trading, land speculation, and surveying, and was killed by Indians seven years later. He owned nearly 50,000 acres exclusive of his rights in these lands. After his death Judge John Overton, Gen. Andrew Jackson, and others set up claims to the Hatchie lands, which could not be finally adjudicated until the extinguishment of the Indian title in 1818. In 1805, Rice’s devisees and heirs contracted with Solomon Debow, Rice’s stepson [probably his nephew], to give him 70% of all lands which he could recover for them, and on the same day, Debow formed a partnership with his brother, Stephen, his cousin, Alexander Murphey, and Capt. Haralson, to effect this object. After the Chickasaw treaty, Solomon Debow instituted a suit for 15,000 acres of the Hatchie lands in the Supreme Court at Nashville in the name of the devisees and heirs [Hugh Gwynn and others v. John Overton and others]. In September 1821, he assigned to Judge Murphey his interest in the contract of 1805 in partial payment for Murphey’s losses by him through suretyship. Subsequently Judge Murphey acquired the interests of Stephen Debow and Capt. Haralson and also the rights of all devisees and heirs of John Rice to the lands involved in the suit.” [History of Memphis, 1873, pp. 7-25.]

"Land Grants Gave Rise to Memphis"
Commercial Appeal
March 7, 1996
"Past Times"
By Perre Magness
For many years before Tennessee became a state in 1796, North Carolina had been issuing grants in the western lands across the Appalachians. For 10 pounds for every 100 acres, the speculator-controlled government of North Carolina sold lands that no federal court would have said had clear title. The state had no legal right to sell the land before the Chickasaw Cession of 1819, because the Chickasaws were the legal claimants to the land between the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers. Nevertheless, the claims were later recognized as legal. Two of the earliest purchasers were John Rice and John Ramsey (or Ramsay), who received adjoining grants of 5,000 acres each on the Mississippi River at the Chickasaw Bluff. They paid about 5 cents an acre. Rice moved from North Carolina to Nashville, and was killed by Indians while transporting goods on the Cumberland River in 1791. His brother Elisha Rice sold the grant for $500 to John Overton and his partners in land speculation - Andrew Jackson and the Winchester brothers - in 1794.


John must have made out a will.
Here is a grant to John Rice, placing Thomas Rice & a John as neighbors. I believe this to be Thomas's son John as will be shown later after his death.
DB D, p.344 18 Aug 1787 NC Grant #952 to John Rice. 40 ½ acres on Country Line Crk adj Thos. Rice, George Foote, Waddy Tate, John Hayes, John Williams.

Here is the proof that the 40 1/2 acres was a grant to Thomas' son John. Elisha & Joel are also believed to have removed to Tennessee; they did receive only 5 shillings each in Thomas' will indicating they had already received their share. And the land is being sold for a token amount to their brother William H. Rice.
DB M, p.311 28 Jan 1802 Elisha Rice for himself as heir and exec of John Rice, dec'd late of Davidson Co TN and also atty in fact for Nathan Rice and Joel Rice, heirs of John Rice dec'd to William H. Rice of Caswell for $1, 40 ½ acres on Country Line Crk adj Thomas Rice on George Foot's line, Waddy Tate, John Hayes, John Williams. Wit: Thomas Windsor. Elisha signed for self and for Nathan Rice and Joel Rice.

Caswell WB D, p. 99
April Court 1802
Power of Attorney from John Windsor to friend Simpson Harris of Davidson Co, TN to sue and receive from the executors of John Rice, decd. 200 acres agreeable to his bond. 27 Apr 1802.

And here are claims of more of Thomas's children re the estate of their brother.
Caswell DB O, p.218-219. John Windsor (husband of sister Rebecca); Hugh Gwynn [husband of sister Sally], Wm. H. Rice and Williamson Rice of Caswell to John of same, all claims and right which John Rice'dec'd devised to them in his last will. John Reed to pay to each of the others 1/5 part. 16 May 1804. Wit: Robert Parks, William Rainey.
p.221. Power of attorney from John Windsor, Hugh Gwynn, Wm. H. Rice and Williamson Rice of CC to John Reed of same to carry on suit in behalf of lands devised them by John Rice decd. 26 May 1804. Wit: Robert Parks, William Rainey


It is said that estate was still in litigation in the 1830's.

Birth	Abt 1756	Hanover County, Virginia
Death	1792	Davidson County, Tennessee

Father	Thomas Rice [Cabin Branch] ( - 1804)
Sibling	Rebecca Rice (1745 - 1809)
Sibling	Marcey Rice (1754 - 1839)
Sibling	Elisha Rice ( - 1806)
Sibling	William Higgason Rice (1761 - 1847)
Sibling	Joel C. Rice (1762 - 1833)
Sibling	Nathaniel Rice ( - 1801)
Sibling	Sarah "Sally" Rice ( - )
Sibling	Lucy Rice ( - )
Sibling	Mary Rice ( - 1798)