Proposed Parents of Isaac Sullivant

M y current theory is that Isaac Sullivant's parents were Charles and Rachel Sullivant. Charles and Rachel left deed records in Brunswick County, VA, as late as 1779 (Brunswick County Deed Books 9, 11, 12 and 13). Charles and Rachel are definitely proven as husband and wife in a deed in Brunswick Co. Deed Book 13. He is listed in the Brunswick Co. Deeds, as Charles Sullivant of Meherrin Parish, which was south of the Meherrin River in Virginia. After the 1770's, Charles' name next shows up in the 1780s in the tax records of Warren County ( Tax Lists Warren County, North Carolina 1779-1790 Volume 1 by David B. Gammon). A Charles Sullivant is in court records of Warren County for an estate sale in 1802 and Rachel Sullivant is in the court records of Warren County in 1801 for an estate sale ( Warren County NC Records Volume 2 by Kerr).

From Gardner High's Revolutionary War Pension Papers, Isaac Sullivant left an afadavit where he says he was in Brunswick County, VA, at the start of the Revolutionary War, and witnessed a wedding between Gardner High and Rachel Gibbs.

One other interesting connection is that a subpoena was issued to Isaac Sullivant in 1800 from Warren County Court to Halifax County to prove a deed from Benjamin Elllis and John Ballard to David Towns (The "Lost" Warren Co. N. C. Deeds, 1800-1803 by Hariette Harris Riggs from the NCGSJ in May, 1980). In the estate sales mentioned previously, Charles Sullivant is at the estate sale of David Towns and Rachel Sullivant is at the estate sale of Benjamin Ellis. From the descriptions left in the Ellis and Towns deeds and wills, it seems likely that these Sullivants lived together in North Central Warren County in the Hawtree Creek area.

Another record is the , Will of Rachal Sullivant probated in 1806 in Caswell County, N. C. I can't prove that this Rachel is the same Rachel in Warren & Brunswick County but I've never found any other Rachel Sullivants in this area in this time period. In that will she names Isaac as a beneficiary along with Drury, Russell, Jesse, Jordan, Patsey and Nancy.

Looking at the North Carolina Marriage Bonds issued for Warren & Caswell Counties, Jesse Sullivant and Russell Sullivant are both married in Warren Counties in 1791 and 1792 respectively. Susannah Sullivant and Jordan Sullivant are married in Caswell in 1799 and 1805 respectively. Again, this would indicate that the Sullivants moved from Warren to Caswell in around 1799. (The dates from the estate sales mentioned earlier are when they were recorded in the court house not the actual dates they occurred.)

To summarize, it seems probable that Charles and Rachel Sullivant settled in Brunswick Co in the Quarrel Swamp (Quarrel Creek?) area. and had the following children: Drury, Isaac, Jesse, Patsy, Russell, Jordan and Nancy. They moved to Warren Co., NC around 1781 and in 1791 and 1792 Jesse and Russell got married. Around 1799, Charles Sullivant may have died, and at least part of the family, Rachel, Jordan and Nancy, moved to Caswell where Rachel Sullivant died and left a will.

I am still looking for more proof to support this theory. Other circumstantial evidence is that Merritts (Isaac Sullivant married a Merritt), Highs and Gibbs were also present in Warren County which are all names associated with the Sullivan family. There is also an Isaac Hunter in Warren County and Isaac named his first son Isaac Hunter Sulllivant. I am currently collecting all the information on pre-1800 Sullivans in NC and Virginia that I can find in order to find more proof and understand the relationships between the various Sullivan families.

Thanks goes to Thomas Nathan Clark author of Adam's Ancestors with helping me with the information shown above. His book helped my family get started on our Sullivant research.

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