Marmaduke Norfleet

Marmaduke Norfleet
General Assembly of North Carolina
In office
1731–1742
Justice of the Peace for Perquimans County, North Carolina
In office
March 23, 1734 – March 23, 1735
Personal details
Born1700
Nansemond County, Virginia, US
DiedJune 28, 1774
Northampton County, North Carolina, US

Marmaduke Norfleet (1700 – June 28, 1774) was a plantation owner, justice of the peace, and state legislator in North Carolina.[1] He served in the General Assembly of North Carolina during the colonial period.[2]

Early life

Marmaduke Norfleet was born in 1700 in Nansemond County, Virginia, now Perquimons County, North Carolina. He was the son of Mary (née Marmaduke) and Thomas Norfleet Jr., a landowner in Nansemond County, Virginia.[3][4]

Career

Norfleet acquired large estates in Perquimons County and Northampton County. He was a well-known planter and slave owner in eastern North Carolina.[5][6]

He represented Perquimans County in North Carolina's General Assembly from 1731 to 1742.[7][2] Governor Gabriel Johnston appointed him to the position of justice of the peace for Perquimans County from March 23, 1734 to March 23, 1735.[3]

In May 1766, Norfleet sold 1,093.5 acres near the Great Dismal Swamp to George Washington who was a co-partner in the Dismal Swamp Company.[8][7] This included four tracts that Norfleet had inherited from his father.[8]

Personal life

Norfleet married Elizabeth "Eliza" Gordon in 1720.[7] She was the daughter of John Gordan of Chowan County, North Carolina.[7] Their two sons were Marmaduke Norfleet Jr. and Reuben Norfleet.[7] After his first wife died in 1753, Norfleet married Judith Rhodes.[7][6] Their two daughters were Sarah Norfleet and Judith Norfleet.[7] They lived in Perquimons County until 1766 when Norfleet purchased and moved to the Rich Square Tract in Northampton County, North Carolina.[7]

Norfleet died at his home on the Rich Square Tract on June 28, 1774.[7] He left a will that was probated in Northampton County in March 1775.[7] There was a dispute over his estate and the division of its slaves that became a court case heard by North Carolina Supreme Court.[9][10] His estate was worth more than $109,400 ($3,057,450 in 2022 money).[6]

References

  1. ^ "Founders Online: Deed from Marmaduke Norfleet, 26 April 1766". founders.archives.gov.
  2. ^ a b Carolina, North (October 21, 1886). "The State Records of North Carolina". Nash brothers, printers, [etc., et. p. 285 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Norfleet, Phil. "The Norfleets of Colonial Virginia and North Carolina (1666-1775)". Norfleet Family Genealogy. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  4. ^ Brooks, Aubrey Lee (July 11, 2018). Walter Clark: Fighting Judge. UNC Press Books. ISBN 978-1-4696-4823-1 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Cyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas of the Nineteenth Century". Brant & Fuller. October 21, 1892. p. 73 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b c Court, North Carolina Supreme (October 21, 1840). "North Carolina Reports: Devereux & Battle's Equity". Bynum Printing Company. pp. 103–114 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Boddie, John Bennett (October 21, 1966). Southside Virginia Families. Genealogical Publishing Com. pp. 336–337. ISBN 978-0-8063-0040-5 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b "Norfleet Clan Sold Property to Washington". Newspapers.com. Winston-Salem Journal. 1943-10-18. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  9. ^ Court, North Carolina Supreme; Devereux, Thomas Pollock; Battle, William Horn (October 21, 1840). "Reports of Cases in Equity, Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of North Carolina: From December Term, 1834, to December Term [1839], Both Inclusive". Turner & Hughes – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Norfleet, Marmaduke (Halifax County) - North Carolina Digital Collections". digital.ncdcr.gov.