Early 18th Century Farnifold Green Homestead

Clear Springs Plantation
Part of Green's 1707 Land Grant NORTH of the NEUSE
 

1676 Map noted "Green's Land"

Brief History of Farnifold Green's Family

 In July of 1653, Farnifold's grandfather, Roger Green (1620-1671) was granted land on “Roanoke river and the land lying upon the south side of Choan river and the ranches thereof…”

Farnifold Green (1674-1714) came to North Carolina in 1697 and married Hannah K. Consolvo Smithwick. He and Hannah appeared frequently in early land records of then Bath County. Their children are noted in the order mentioned in Green's will: Thomas, John, Farnifold, James, Elizabeth and Jane.

Clear Springs Plantation

In 1707, the Lord's Proprietors granted 1700 acres to Farnifold Green on the north side of the Neuse River. Green built and lived at Clear Springs Plantation but was active in various enterprising pursuits, including raising cattle on the Outer Banks near Ocracoke Inlet. He also held the patent on land that would become Beaufort.

A few years later, obviously aware of the dangers of the Indian uprising, Farnifold Green made out his will on October 26, 1711. On July 18, 1713 he also sold his “Newport Town” holdings to Robert Turner for seven pounds, fifteen shillings. Turner proceeded to have Richard Graves lay out the town of Beaufort. After Green was massacred by Indians in 1714, Graves married his widow Hannah.

In 1714, Indians attacked his Green’s Creek plantation, killing 40-year old Farnifold Green, one of his sons, a white servant and two African Americans. The plantation, house, stock of cattle and hogs, were plundered and entirely destroyed by the Indians.

As noted in the nomination of this property to the National Register, of Green’s three surviving sons, James may have built “Clear Springs” on the same footprint of their father’s house—the house where they spent their early years. MORE...