Menu Items

 

193/223. Isaac Sharp Jr. (Married Maria Philopena (Philipena) Graves (#194/224) about 1765; around 1761-1766, possibly in or near Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania or Orange Co., North Carolina. [Source for the gray information is research done by Michael Cavenaugh (Glass family genealogist denoted on the Guilford County Genealogy Association Website)Source of information in fucia is p. 21 Marlatt, William P. and Kimberley C., “Tracing the Ancestry of William Henry Adair Bynun (1828-1866) – Unveiling the paternal Lineage (Self-published by the authors,Moorpark, California, 28 August 2024), Copy available from bmarlatt@aol.com.

Born: 1740 in Germany, 1740 probably in Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. of Isaac Sharpe Sr. (#385/445) & Margarette A, Webber (#386/446). [Note: Isaac Jr. must not have been born in Germany because his father (Isaac Sharp Sr. #385/445) arrived in Philadelphia in 1738 aboard the Queen Elizabeth from Germany. There is no record that Isaac Sr. ever returned to Germany prior to Isaac Jr.'s birth in 1740.] Source of information in fucia is p. 21 Marlatt, William P. and Kimberley C., “Tracing the Ancestry of William Henry Adair Bynun (1828-1866) – Unveiling the paternal Lineage (Self-published by the authors,Moorpark, California, 28 August 2024), Copy available from bmarlatt@aol.com.

Died: 1781 (after 27 June 1781) 1782 in or near Orange Co., North Carolina.(The source of this blue information is his tombstone as shown below). He is buried in Orange County (now Alamance), North Carolina at Old Stoners Church Cemetery. [Note: Isaac Sharp Jr. was only 41 years old when he died. His cause of death is unknown.] Source of information in fucia is p. 21 Marlatt, William P. and Kimberley C., “Tracing the Ancestry of William Henry Adair Bynun (1828-1866) – Unveiling the paternal Lineage (Self-published by the authors,
Moorpark, California, 28 August 2024), Copy available from bmarlatt@aol.com.

[His siblings included:

a) Henry (Honus) (Heinrich) Sharp, Sr: (Married: Barbara (Barbary Graves) Born: 4 May 1735 in Germany. Died: 1814 in Harrison Twp, Preble County, Ohio;

b) John Aaron Sharp: Born: about 1736 of Palatinate, German , Died:?;

c) Margaret Sharp: (Married: George Pritz) Born:~1736. Died: before 1820 Miscellaneous: She died before her husband in 1820 and is not mentioned in his will.

d) Veronica Sharp: (Married: Jacob Setter) ; Born: 1738 Died: ?

e) Barbara Sharp (Married: Valentine Kintzer) Born: ? Died: ?;

f) Rebecca Sharp: Born:1744 Died:1816 in Kentucky;

g) John Joseph Sharp: (Married: Phyllis (Philopeni?) Efland) Born: 1753 in Orange County (Now Alamance), North Carolina. Died: 20 January 1830 in Anderson County, Tennessee

h) George Sharp: (Married:); Born: Died: ?] ( Source of green: Know Your Relatives The Sharps by Genevieve E. Peters 1972) (Source in Purple: Find a Grave) (Source of orange WikiTree)

Miscellaneous: Isaac was the first Sharp in Alamance County, North Carolina. The Sharp family was of German stock from the region of the Rhine. The German spelling was Scharf .[Note: Alamance County formed in 1849 from western Orange County.]

As quoted from Genevieve Peter's book: "The writer has been told that the Sharps who settled in and around Sharps Chapel were in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, before going to North Carolina, but she has been unable to find records that would prove this theory. However, it is very likely that they were in Pennsylvania, since many of the families that settled in St. Asaph's District, Orange County, N. C. with the Sharps, namely - the Graves (Graffs) Loys, A1brights, Fousts, Snotherlys, and Nlcholas Gibbs are known to have come from Berks and Lancaster Counties, as well as other counties in the State.

From about 1725 to 1775 there was a great migration of Germans from the Palatinate into the State of Pennsylvania through the Port of Philadelphia. These immigrants soon became noted for their thrift, shrewdness, and industry, and were referred to as "Pennsy1vania Dutch." Being land-conscious, and attracted by the bright pictures painted by agents representing the interests of large landholders in North Carolina, many of these German immigrants made the hazardous trip from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and bought land in the western part of the state in that section known as the "Piedmont."

The Pennsylvania "Dutch" who settled in the Alamance" stopped on the fertile banks of the Great Alamance, Haw River, and Stinking Quarter Creek. Because they spoke only German, these people seldom. held public office, but they made good soldiers when the Indians rose up against them, and were staunch defenders of their settlements against these attacks.

The early settlements were far removed from the seaports on the eastern coast, and because of this and the lack of transportation facilities, the settlers were obliged to become self-sufficing. Most of them were expert carpenters, coopers, and ironworkers, which accomplishments stood them in good stead in the making of their house furnishings and the building of their homes of logs cut from trees which had to be felled by their own efforts.

The scarcity of food (and no stores) made it imperative that every man become a hunter and fisherman, which probably explains why so many of our ancestors settled on the banks of a stream in what was very often a veritable wilderness.

The lives of the women must have been drab and colorless; their days filled with toil and hardships, due to the lack of conveniences, frequent child-bearing, and the ever-present fear of Indian attacks. Most of the materials that went into their clothes had·to be grown and then spun and woven into cloth, and this was done with the most primitive of implements. The women and girls wore long, full skirts made of linsey woolsey, with tops that resembled dressing sacks, or dresses and bonnets made of calico, and they often went barefooted during the summer months.

There were few schools, churches, ministers or doctors in these isolated settlements during the early days. In some of the communities, school masters taught those children whose parents could afford to pay for this privilege and they often received room and board in the homes of their pupils in lieu of money.

The settlers were burdened with heavy taxes under the British rule, which allowed corrupt officers - clerks, tax gatherers and lawyers - to levy huge taxes and demand large fees from the settlers, with no hope of redress. The charge for a marriage license was so tremendous that many of the inhabitants, unable to pay the fee demanded took each other "for better or for worse" and considered themselves married. It was because of these corrupt practices that in 1764, a band of settlers, who had previously organized, calling themselves Regulators, attempted to correct these outrages.

As quoted from Genevieve Peter's book from "History of the Alamance" by Sally Stockard in 1900: "All historians are violently partisan to one side or the other. Some regard the Regulators as bandits. Others are equally positive that the Regulators were engaged in a great social and political crusade. The Regulators had many and real grievances beyond a doubt".

"It was in 1764 that these people first began to make themselves heard. The up-country section, beyond the unsettled pine barrens, where the struggle took place, was more democratic than any other part of the American colonies, excepting possibly Vermont. Their grievances became intolerable in 1760. Repeated petitions to the government for redress proved futile, so they formed what would be called today a union. They met in an assembly to regulate their grievances and thus won for themselves the name Regulator. In the beginning they did not wish to use force or violence. They wished only to have a public meeting with their officials to discuss the matter of exploitation and extortion, that is, the habit of the county officials of levying higher taxes and collecting greater fees than the laws actually specified."

"At that time in North Carolina taxes on land were the same everywhere in the province. The tax levy was 75 cents on every 100 acres of land. There was no regard for improvements, location, or value. In the interior, because of the insurmountable difficulties of bad roads, and lack of transportation, the people could use their surplus crops only in barter trades with their neighbors and nearest stores. These trades brought in no cash because there was no money minted in the American colonies. There was no way to secure any large amount of cash except through export trade. Thus when taxes, payable in cash, were levied, the people had property but no money, and were unable to get it. They could not pay their taxes. Their property was sold and they were ruined."

"These were the grievances of the Regulators: 1. County officers were charging higher fees and levying higher taxes than the law specified. 2. A
tax to pay the debts of the province was still being levied although more than enough to pay it had already been collected. 3. The government taxed the people but provided no specie to pay taxes."

"Four counties were engaged in the War of the Regulation. They were Anson, Granville, Orange and Rowan. War broke out in 1768 in Rowan, which comprised a great part of the western section of the province." [Note: at that time Isaac was likely living in western Orange County.]

Isaac and his wife had seven children: Sebastian (Boston) (Bostian) (#97) , Philipena (Philopena), John, Peter, Christian, Elizabeth "Betsy" (#112), and Isaac III. (The source of the purple is information from John Sharpe via e-mails and a phone conversation. [Susan Snyder, webmaster of this genealogical study is the direct descendant of two of their children, Sebastian and Elizabeth].

Below: The" Will of Archives" is dated June 27, 1781 and was probated 6 February 1782 . At the time the will was written, Isaac Jr. has 2 older sons, two minor sons, two minor daughters, and his wife is expecting another child. That child will be Isaac III, born after Isaac II's death.

Below is a copy of Isaac's will. [Note: Isaac did not actually write his will. He left his mark with an "X".

Below is a transcription of the above will. [Note: the original 1781 Will was very difficult to read and the transcriber apologizes for errors]

 

On April 18, 2006 Norman Sharpe (Great Great Great Great Grandson), Helen Leach (#4) (Great Great Great Great Granddaughter) and Sandra Henson, Mary Lue Finch, and Susan Snyder (#2)... all Great Great Great Great Great Granddaughters.... visited Stoners Church Cemetery located in a pasture, at that time on Rufus J. Dale's farm, in Alamance County on Bellemont-Kimesville Rd. near the village of Belmont (near Graham) just off highway 49. After probing the ground where the red flag is located in the picture below, Isaacs tombstone was located. For orientation to its location, the large stone at the top of the hill is that of John Noe.

The stone reads:

"Isaac

Sharp Died

1781"

Below is a stone that was located next to Isaac's stone in 2021 by James Andrews and John Sharp. It reads "SHARPS INPHANT 1741". This could not be one of Isaac Jr's children if the date is correct. Isaac was not born until 1740. Could this have been one of Isaac Jr's siblings? This is yet another puzzle for those of us studying the Sharp family.

Lifetime Events Summary for Isaac Sharp Jr.:

Event	Date	Isaac's Age
Birth	1740	0
Marriage	~1765	~25
Revolutionary War	1775 - 1783	35- dead
Birth of his children	1765-1782	~25-dead
Birth of Bostian Sharp #97	1768	28
Birth of Elizabeth Sharp (#112)	1770	30
Death	1781	41

 

Contact person for this website is Susan Snyder: susanleachsnyder@gmail.com