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Memucan Hunt

Memucan Hunt

Male 1729 - 1808  (79 years)

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  • Name Memucan Hunt 
    Born 23 Aug 1729  Halifax Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Census 1786  County Line Dist., Granville, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Residence 1786  County Line Dist., Granville, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    With two white males under age 21 or over age 60, five white females, nine "blacks" age 12 to 50 and eighteen blacks under age 12 or over age 50 
    Occupation 1784 - 1787  North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Treasurer 
    Census 1800  Hillsboro Dist., Granville, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Residence 1800  Hillsboro Dist., Granville, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    With a girl under age 10, two men age 16 to 25, a woman age 26 to 44, a woman over age 44 and twenty-nine slaves 
    Will 23 Feb 1808  Granville Co., North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    To "beloved wife" Mary Hunt, "lend" during her widowhood (i.e., the bequests revert to the estate should she die or remarry) 920 acres of land and 18 slaves; to daughter Elizabeth Falconer, nine slaves for the use of her husband Thomas Falconer, if Elizabeth dies the same to grandchildren James Hunt Howard and Polly Butler; to son Edward Hunt, 1 slave; to son Thomas Hunt, 8 slaves; to daughter Sally Smith and her daughter Elizabeth Hunt Taylor (wife of William Taylor) and to John Taylor for the benefit of his three children Sally, William, and Polly, 15,375 acres of land in Tennessee; to sons William Hunt, Edward Hunt, daughters Sally Smith, Elizabeth Falconer, Polly Butler, Jane Howard, Nancy Graves, granddaughter Polly Anderson Hunt, children of son John Hunt dec'd, proceeds of sales of other lands totaling 17,375 acres; an allowance for care of any aged or infirm slaves who survive wife Mary; sons William Hunt, Edward Hunt, Thomas Hunt executors 
    Died 24 Feb 1808 - Oct 1808  Granville Co., North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Probate Nov 1808  Granville Co., North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4
    Will proved 
    Probate Feb 1809  Granville Co., North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Estate inventory (partial) 
    Notes 
    • Memucan Hunt (1729-1808) was an early American statesman and the first person to hold the position of North Carolina State Treasurer in its current form.

      A native of Virginia, Memucan Hunt settled in Granville County (now Vance) on a plantation. At the age of 41, in 1770, Hunt was chosen Sergeant-at-Arms of the colonial North Carolina General Assembly and in 1773 was elected as Representative to the Assembly from Granville County. When the spirit of independence began to rise in the colony, Hunt represented Granville County in the five Provincial Congresses. In 1777, with the War for Independence underway, the fiscal needs of the colony were among its greatest concerns. Hunt was appointed Treasurer of the Hillsborough district, one of six district treasurers in the State at that time. He continued to hold office in the General Assembly and in 1779 was elected to the State Senate, serving as a member of the Committee of Accounts.

      In November 1783, the General Assembly, in session at New Bern, abolished the district treasurer offices and established the singular fiscal position of State Treasurer and elected Hunt to fill the post. He took office on January 1, 1784, at a salary of 500 pounds per year.

      During his term in office, Hunt unwittingly honored fraudulent claims for military service stemming from the Revolutionary War (paying too generously soldiers who had fought in the Revolutionary War, and in some cases, paying soldiers who had not fought at all), which resulted in both litigation and hearings by the General Assembly. While he was not charged with malfeasance, he was defeated for re-election in 1787 by John Haywood. Hunt retired from politics to Granville County, where he became a wealthy planter and served as justice of the peace until 1792.

      At the time of his death in 1808, at age 79, Hunt owned nearly 16,000 acres (65 kmĀ²) of land, 22 slaves, two horses, four mares, 14 head of cattle and 33 hogs.

      His grandson, Memucan Hunt, Jr., was the namesake for Hunt County, Texas.
    Person ID I439  Wm L Gann Ancestors
    Last Modified 25 Nov 2015 

    Father Ralph Hunt,   b. 18 Sep 1693, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Jan 1780, Hanover Co, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 86 years) 
    Mother Dina Anderson,   b. 1697 - 1699, Pennsylvania? Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1769  (Age 70 years) 
    Married Abt 1720  Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F215  Group Sheet

    Family Mary Wade,   b. 3 Sep 1736, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1825  (Age 88 years) 
    Married 9 Mar 1754  Halifax Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 16 Nov 2015 
    Family ID F218  Group Sheet

  • Photos
    Hunt, Memucan (1729 - 1808) - Portrait c1770
    Hunt, Memucan (1729 - 1808) - Portrait c1770

  • Sources 
    1. [S12592] State census of North Carolina, 1784-1787, Ancestry.com, (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004), 44 (Reliability: 2), 22 Sep 2010.

    2. [S40183] 1800 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010), p. 542, Hillsboro Dist., Granville, North Carolina (Reliability: 2), 13 Sep 2010.

    3. [S83] North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998, Ancestry.com, (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015), Granville Co.; Wills, Vol 7, 1808-1816; pp. 1-3 (Reliability: 3), 16 Nov 2015.

    4. [S40254] North Carolina, Probate Records, 1735-1970, FamilySearch, (FamilySearch), Granville > Wills Cross Index, 1762-1914, Vol. 01 > image 77 of 222 (Reliability: 3), 9 Dec 2013.

    5. [S83] North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998, Ancestry.com, (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015), Granville Co., Estate Records, Huckabee, Fuller - Husketh, William; img 1144 (Reliability: 3), 25 Nov 2015.