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SOUTHERNS IN SURRY AND STOKES COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
TAX LISTS, 1775-1801

Tax lists are a fruitful source that provide annual "snapshots" of heads of households which supplement census records and in some cases capture families that enter and leave an area between census years. Stokes County tax lists are particularly rich in this regard. The following show the first appearance of the Southern family in North Carolina with William Southern in Surry County in 1775, and the apparent emergence of younger men out of his household in years thereafter. Stokes County was formed from Surry in 1789.

1775

Camplins District

William Suthern. 350 acres; 150 pounds
0 slaves
10 cattle, 3 horses; 220 pounds

Taken from the transcription by William Perry Johnson. This is the first record of William Southern's presence in North Carolina. Since he and Reuben appear in the 1774 titheables list of Buckingham Co., Virginia, the family apparently moved to N.C. between the time the two lists were taken.

Name	Acres	Value	Horses	Value	Cattle	Value	Slaves	Money	Total
Reubin Southern	0	-	1	42	1	10	-	12	64
William Southern	515	280	3	126	9	90	-	64	492

William's son Reubin appears here as a separate householder, but without land of his own as yet.

______District

Name	Acres	Horses	Cattle	Value
William Surthern	315	2	12	99

Capt. Bostick's District

Name	Acres deeded	Acres entered	Negroes 1-7 50-60	Negroes 7-16 40-50	Negroes 16-40	Horses & Mules	Cattle	Pounds
Wm Southern Jr.	0	100	1	-	-	2	1	51
Wm Southern Sr.	315	-	-	-	-	2	13	83
Reubin Sothern	0	300	-	-	-	2	4	39

William "Jr." appears, perhaps William's son, but their relationship is not documented. The younger William was a veteran of the Revolution (link to Revolutionary War Service of William Southern II). He is shown owning a slave at this early date -- he was the only N.C. Southern ever to own a slave -- and consistently appears with a slave in subsequent records until his death in the mid-1830s. If the slave seen here was seven or younger in this record, it may be the same person who is the slave woman in her 50s in William's 1830 census.

Gibson appears here and in the 1787 list. By 1790 he was in Greenville Co., S.C. He was also a veteran of the Revolution. He may have been William's oldest son, but their relationship is not documented.

____ District

Name	Acres	Polls
Gibson Sothern	200	1
William Sothern	315	1
Reubin Sothern	300	1

Capt. Beaseley's District

Name	Acres	Polls
William Southern	100	1

This is the younger William on Snow Creek..

Name	Acres	Polls
Capt. Beasley's District
William Southern	100	1
Capt. Bostick's District
William Sothern	215	1
Reubin Sothern	300	1
Boaz Sothern	100	1
Ford Sothern	-	1

The first appearance of Boaz and Ford in the record, younger men coming out of William and Magdalen's household. From this point onward, the family structure remains stable and consistent for over a decade.

STOKES COUNTY (formed from Surry in 1789)

Name	Acres	Polls
Capt. Beasley's District
William Southern	100	1
Capt. Bostick's District
William Sothern	215	1
Reubin Sothern	457	1
Boaz Sothern	-	1
Ford Sothern	-	1

Name	Acres	Polls
Capt. Beasley's District
William Southern	100	1
Capt. Morgin's District
William Sothern	160	-*
Reubin Sothern	522	1
Boas Sothern	50	1
Ford Sothern	155	1

(*exempt because of his advanced age)

Name	Acres	Polls
Capt. Beasley's District
William Southern	300	1
Capt. Morgin's District
William Sothern	160	-
Reubin Sothern	525	1

Name	Acres	Polls
Capt. Beasley's District
William Southern	200	1
Capt. Morgan's District
William Southern	150	-
Reubin Sothern	457	1
Boze Sothern	50	1
Ford Sothern	155	1

Name	Acres	Polls
Capt. Beasley's District
William Southern	200	1
Capt. Morgin's District
William Southern Sen	160	-
Reubin Southern	457	1
Boaze Southern	50	1
Ford Southern	155	1

The older William's last appearance in the record. He died this year. Link to Will of William Southern).

Name	Acres	Polls	Black Polls
Beasley's District
William Southern	200	1	1
Morgan's District
John Southern	150	1	-
Reubin Southern	457	1	-
Ford Southern	155	1	-
Campbell's District
Boaz Suthern	50	1	-

Young John replaces his father William this year. There is no substantial change for the next several years.

Name	Acres	Polls
Beasley's District
William Southern	200	1
Morgan's District
John Southern	150	1
Reubin Southern	457 1/2	1
Ford Southern	155	1
Campbell's District
Boaz Southern	50	1

Name	Acres	Polls
Beasley's District
William Southern	200	1
Morgan's District
John Southern	157 1/2	1
Rheubin Southern	834 1/2	1
Ford Southern	155	1
Campbell's District
Boaz Southern	50	1

Name	Acres	White Polls	Black Polls
Capt. Beazley's District
William Southern	200	1	1
Capt. Maygers District
Rubin Southern	584	1	-
John Southern	157	1	-
Ford Southern	155	1	-
Capt. Campbell's District
Bouaz Southern	50	1	-

Name	Acres	White Polls	Black Polls
Capt. Beazley's District
William Southern	200	1	1
Capt. Bosticks District
Rubin Southern	584	1	-
John Southern	157	1	-
Ford Southern	155	1	-
Capt. Campbell's District
Boaz Southern	100	1	-

1799 Stokes County Property Valuations: Houses, Lands, Slaves

Name	Dwelling Houses &Out Houses Not Exceeding $100 Value: Number	Houses Value	Acres	Acreage Value	Slaves Under Age of 50 Subject to Taxation
Cloud's District
William Southern	1	$50	200	$300	1
Hairston's District
John Southarn	3	$10	153	$153	-
Ford Southern	3	$15	155	$200	-
Rubin Southern	7	$25	584 1/2	$400	-
Brinkley's District
Boaz Southern	2	$10	100	$75	-

Name	Acres	White Polls	Black Polls
Capt. Childress's District
William Southern	200	1	1
Capt. Bosticks District
Reuben Southern	584	1	-
John Southern	156	1	-
Ford Southern	355	1	-
Boze Southern	100	1	-

Name	Acres	White Polls	Black Polls
Capt. Childress's District
William Suthern	200	1	1
Capt. Bosticks District
Reuben Southern	584	1	-
John Sothern	157	1	-
Ford Sothern	358	1	-
Reuben Southern for Wm. Stephens	250	1	-
Capt. Moore's District
Boaz Sothern	100	1	-