Commentary on the Land Research on John Cato.
It appears that John Cato acquired land initially on the South side
of Fountains Creek in the early years of the decade of 1740 which he
divested himself of in 1752. Immediately he bought land on both sides
of Fountain Creek and after that seemed to be principally invested in
land on the North side of Fountains Creek. There was a branch of the
Creek on the North side that was called Stuke or Sulke's branch that
his land seemed to be situated on. The land that was given by John
Cato to Henry Cato by deed of gift and the land that went to John
Cato and George Cato by John's will of 1788 seemed to continuous land
and was probably owned by the same man. I noted that in the deeds of
sale that John Cato signed the deeds with a mark. This suggests to me
that the minister John Cato in Lancaster Co., S.C. is not the John
Cato making the deeds in Brunswick Co., Va. because I doubt that a
minister would be illiterate. This puts up in the air the descent of
Mrs. Fair. Who was the John Cato, the minister, whose land was sold
by her ancestor William Cato in 1813? I think that Mrs. Fair was
correct in thinking that William was a son of Henry Cato. In fact I
suspect that Henry and William were living in the same household in
1790 under the name of William. John had 1 female and 1 slave in the
1790 census and was missed in the 1800 census. However he was alive
until at least 1804 when he was the pastor of the Lane Creek Baptist
Church. On 10/16/1801 he and Anne Brewer acted as executors of
William Brewer dec'd. MIGHT HE BE A SON OF HENRY CATO AND A BROTHER
OF WILLIAM CATO, Mrs. Fair's ancestor? Since he had no children in
1790, perhaps he died without issue and he left his estate to his
brother William. The instrument of transfer of this land to William
Cato has not been found. John, Henry and Sterling Cato all acquired
land in Lancaster Co., S.C. within a few months of each other in 1784-
5. So I am coming around to agreeing with Bonnie on John Cato.
Deeds in Pittsylania Co., Va. involving Cato
Land Grant: Starling Cato, 5/3/1780, for 20 shillings 164 acres on
branch of Mountain Creek adjoining Thomas Smith, Charles Burton and
said Cato's former line.
Deed: 3/18/1783 Starling Cato of Pittsylvania Co., Va. to John Jeter
of Greensville Co., Va. for 275 lbs. several tracts of land-- 1 tract
containing 252 acres by grant dated 6/8/1780, 1 tract containing 164
acres granted 9/1/1780 and 1 tract containing 325 acres, a part of an
old survey bearing the date of the land and plantation where of the
said Starling Cato removed from last fall, being part thereof of the
said three tracts of land adjoining each other in the County of
Pittsylvania and being on the branches of Sandy River and Mountain
Creek adjoining the lines of John Smith, Thomas Smith, Moses Vincent,
Charles Burton, Nathan Asher, Alias Mayfield and several other new
lines and a new mark line from said Burton to the said Asher line.
Commentary on Sterling Cato
I was not convinced initially that the fact that Sterling Cato
witnessed the deed of gift in 1769 of the land transfer from John
Cato to Henry Cato meant that Sterling was 21 years old at that time.
I asked personnel in the Virginia State Library if this was so. Their
response was that usually only people of 21 yrs. of age witnessed
documents, but it was their opinion that it was not always so, if the
youth was large and mature. Thinking that Sterlings' signature was
important since he was a brother and heir, I have considered that he
may have been asked to witness the deed even though he was under age.
However the reporting of his witnessing another deed 1/21/1770
convinces me that he is in truth of age in 1770 and was surely born
before 1749. The Sterling Cato in Lancaster Co., S.C. and Christian
Co., Ky. is probably a younger man as Bonnie has suggested. The
Sterling Cato in Pittsylania Co., Va. between 1780 and 1783 could be
any of the Sterlings that we have to consider, that is; Sterling son
of John, Sterling son of Lewis and grandson of Burwell, and Sterling
of Lancaster Co., S.C. who is probably a son of Henry. Sterling and
Henry obtained land on the same day adjoining each other in 1785 in
Lancaster Co. If he had been in Pittsylvania Co., Va., we have
evidence that he had sold out in 1783 and this date for obtaining
land in Lancaster Co. seems to match. However it would appear that he
was born in the late 1750's and surely would have accompanied his
father to N.C. in the late 1760's, being probably only about 10 years
at the time of moving. This seems to exclude this Sterling from being
the Sterling in Pittsylvania Co., Va. If the Sterling in Pittsylvania
Co. is the Sterling that went to Georgia and Ala., then there is a
possibility that Sterling son of John never married or never had
children.
Commentary on William Cato of Fairfield Co., S.C.
Questions have been asked about who was the father of William Cato of
Fairfield Co., S.C. who married Susan Eccles. Mrs. Fair placed him as
a son of John Cato. It is possible that he was a son of John and Jane
Cato. However the known names of his children are so strange and
different from the other grandchildren of John and Jane Cato to make
me want to look for some other origin. At the moment I have no clue.
Henry B. Brackin
Jr.