Individual Details

George Brookes was taxed in 1777 (the first year that Caswell was formed) for 650 acres of land in Gloucester District, Caswell Co., NC.

Kendall's abstracts of Caswell deeds, 1777-1817:
DB A, p.144 NC grant #57 to Elisha Parks - 300 acres both sides middle fork of the south fork of Country Line Cr adj Samuel Kelly, William Gooch, George Brooks, John Anthony, ELijah Mason. 3 May 1779 [I suspect this date was transcribed wrong and should have been 3 Mar 1779 as all the surrounding grants had that date. This land probably settled long before when there was no claims office.]
DB A, p.175 NC Grant #66 to Henry Williams, Wm Brown & Geo Brooks Jun. Chain Carriers [In this time frame the Junior would likely indicate there was an older George, not necessarily his father.] 3 Mar 1779
DBA, p.296 Elisha Parks to Thomas Johnston of Culpeper Co VA - the 300 acre grant above. Mentions same neighbors.

The following did not appear in Kendall's book - it does not seem to have been recorded.
Land grant for George Brooks in 1779 for 300 acres: North Carolina Land Grant, 1779, File no. 444: 300 acres, Entry no. 622 entered 11 Jan 1779; Grant no. 605, issued 13 Oct 1783; Book 53, p. 25; Located on the Middle fork of the South Fork of Country Line Creek


TN Land Entries
#3989 25 Nov 1783 Warrant 312 Cr.William Brooks, heir of Sgt. George Brooks, 1,000 acres delivered to Henry Williams; 84 months; file #13. Grant to Christopher William Brooks. [Vol 3, p.336] [for grant see file #104 in Davidson Co; warrant not mentioned in Glasgow land fraud]
[Christopher William Brooks is believed to be the son of Christopher Brooks who died in 1781 and his wife Susannah Williams, daughter of the above Henry. We know from the records of Christopher Brooks that Henry Williams was administrator of his estate. The logical explanation is that Sgt George Brooks, his uncle, had also died during the Revolution - under the laws of Primogeniture still in effect during the War, if George had no issue, any bounty land would revert to his eldest brother, and if that brother were also deceased but had sons, the brother's eldest son would then inherit. George's older brother Christopher had died and he did have a son - Christopher W. Brooks who would have then been the sole heir of his uncle George. This has been misunderstood by many and Christopher W. has been "assumed" to be a son of George. He was instead his nephew. There is no indication George ever married or had issue.]

#10382. Warrant 312; location 253 Jul. 10. Christopher W. Brooks, heir of Go. Brooks, 1000 acres about 6 miles SW from Stoners Lick; includes a spring and white oak tree marked "D W I E" and runs as law directs; removed.

These entries - apparently all for the same 429 acres involve a Thomas Brooks - possibly father of George, yet one entry calls him the "heir of George Brooks". Henry Williams again involved as the courier. The only nephew of George that was born this early was the above mentioned Christopher W. Brooks. As the father of the deceased, was Thomas also awarded land?
TN Land Entires.
#3988 25 Nov 1783 Warrant 311. Sgt. Andrew Haddock, 429 acres delivered to Henry William; 36 months; file #3. Grant to Thomas Brooks. [see grant file #108 in Davidson Co; warrant not mentioned in Glasgow land fraud]
#10383. Warrant 311; Location 667 Jul 10 Thomas Brooks assignee of Andw Haddock, 429 acres about 7 miles E of Stoners Lick; includes Indian Camp Spring and a shugar tree marked "A T" and a poplar "M R" and runs as the law directs; removed. [Part 6, p.1037]
#10714 Warrant 311. Location 476. Thomas Brooks, heir of Geo. Brooks, 429 acres on S side of Cumberland R about a mile above Wells Cr; border; begins 200 yards above a pond and runs up the river. May 2, 1785 removed & continued by Saml. Martin; Aug 11, 1785 discontinued by Saml. Martin
#10911 Warrant 311. Location 667. Mar 4 1785. Thomas Brooks to Andw Haddock, transfer 429 ac on S side of Cumberland R; border; begins at the first bluff above mouth of Red R, runs down the river, & W; John Eliot. [Part 6, p.1075]


Reference: North Carolina State Records, Clark, Vol. XVI, 1782-1783
page 106
Brooks, Geo., Sergt.
Name and Rank: Blanchett, Thos., Sergt.
Company: Vanoy's
Dates of Enlistment and Commission: 21 June '77
Period of Service: 3 yrs.
Occurrences: Pt. June '78

Vanoy apparently was from Caswell Co
http://www.southerncampaign.org/pen/s7712.pdf
Pension application of George Thomason S7712
Transcribed by Will Graves
State of North Carolina, Davidson County: Superior Court of Law
On this third day of October A. D. 1833 personally appeared in open Court before
the Judges of the Superior Court for the County of Davidson now sitting George
Thomason a resident of the County of Davidson and State aforesaid aged about seventy years who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7, 1832. He states that in the first place during the war Revolutionary war he entered the service for the first term in the County of Caswell then perhaps Orange [County] as a volunteer, and very young – it being during the revolutionary war, under the militia in a company commanded by Captain Vannoy [?] attached to a Regiment commanded by Colonel Sheppard as well as this Affiant can recollect – and it being in the winter of the year 1776
or 1777 that they marched to South Carolina.........

Col. Abraham Sheppard was of the 10th North Carolina Regiment. An online roster of his unit:
http://www.ncgenweb.us/ncrevwar/10thregimentar.htm
This is a roster of known soldiers from the 10th Regiment-Col. Abraham Shepard
The 10th North Carolina Regiment was authorized on April 17, 1777 as an unit of the North Carolina State Troops named Sheppard's Regiment. The regiment was organized from 19 April to 1 July 1777 at Kingston, North Carolina from men from the northeastern region of the state of North Carolina and was adopted and assigned to the main Continental Army on 17 June 1777 as Sheppard's Additional Continental Regiment. The regiment did not see any action. The regiment was disbanded on June 1, 1778 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Brooks, Geo., Sergt.
Vanoy’s
2 June 1777
3 yrs.
Pt. June 1778, Corpl. Oct.1778, Sergt. Feb. 1779



There was also a George Brookes who remained in Gloucester Co whose wife was Barsheba. He also served in the Revolution. He is not the same man but perhaps kin.

1784 - First Census; Heads of Families in VA; Gloucester Co, Kingston Parish:
George Brookes: 6 white souls, 1 dwelling, 4 other buildings.
A Thomas Brooks was also listed - he cannot be the same as the Thomas Brookes who was already in Caswell Co NC at this time. This Thomas could have been the son of Joseph Brookes, and would have been a first cousin to the Thomas in Caswell.

Isaac Smith, William Morgan, George Callis all testified to the Revolutionary Service of George Brookes. Entered service as a private under the command of Capt. Isaiah Foster in 1776 (at the time Dunsmore came to Grogans' Island). In 1776 in served at New Point for one month. In 1777 he served two tours of duty at the same place, serving under Capt. Foster. In 1778 he was called out under the command of Capt. Richard Billups and again served two tours at New Point. In 1779 he again served two tours at New Point under Billups. In 1780 he went out under command of Capt. Peter Barnett and served two tours at New Point. In 1781 he was again in service under Barnett when all the Militia of Gloucester Co was marched to Gloucester Court House and other points serving about three months. Mr. Callis served with him several times.

Testimonies refer to "children" of George Brookes, but only Mary Hudgins, born 19 Aug 1781, is named. Barsheba testified that George had died in 1791. By the time of the Pension Application, Gloucester County had become Mathews County. Barsheba stated she was seventy-four years of age, or born about 1762. She had married George Brooks in 1779; Bailey Diggs testified he was her brother and was present at the marriage. Parish records indicate he may have had a previous wife.

Birth	8 May 1757	Gloucester County, Virginia
Christen	12 Jun 1757	Gloucester County, Virginia
Military	1776	Vannoy's Co, 10th Regt, NC, Revolutionary War
Death	Bef 1782

Father	THOMAS BROOKES (1730 - 1819)
Mother	MARY BLACKNALL ( - )
Sibling	Christopher Brookes (1755 - 1781)
Sibling	SARAH B. "SALLIE" BROOKES ( - )
Sibling	Jonathan Brookes (1762 - 1834)
Sibling	CHARLES B. BROOKS (1764 - 1816)
Sibling	Mary Brookes (1766 - 1840)
Sibling	Thomas Brookes Jr. (1768 - 1793)