Longbottoms with an S in Nash Co NC, 1774-1805
The Longbottom surname in the 1700s in VA and NC was sometimes recorded as “Long Bottom” and eventually it was shortened to “L. Bottoms” and “Bottoms” but it was unusual for it to have been recorded as “Longbottoms” with an S at the end, 1774-1805, especially so as it seemed to concern only one piece of land in Nash Co NC: in other words, the land was bought by a “Longbottoms” individual and subsequent records regarding the land apparently had to stay consistent with that form of the name.
Nash Co NC was formed from part of Edgecombe Co NC on 22-24 Nov 1777.(1)(2) Nash Co court minutes began on 1 Apr 1778 and county land records were first recorded on 2 Apr 1778(3); some Nash Co land deeds had sale dates previous to Apr 1778 but they were all recorded after 1 Apr 1778.
On 5 Oct 1774 Samuel “Longbottoms” of Edgecombe Co NC bought 120 acres (land now in Nash Co NC) from Thomas Kersey(4)and to stay consistent with that form of the surname Samuel sold that land on 26 Jan 1782 as “Samuel Long Bottoms,”(5)he bought it back on 8 May 1783 as “Samuel Longbottoms,”(6) and he sold it again on 12 May 1803 as “Samuel Longbottoms,” selling it to John L. Bottoms (witnessed by Olive L. Bottoms, in my opinion).(7)(8)
All the records above after 5 Oct 1774 were in what became Nash Co NC which was formed from part of Edgecombe Co NC on 22-24 Nov 1777.(9)(10)
When Samuel’s son-in-law, William Baker, Jr., bought adjoining land, that record carried the “Long Bottoms” name, the deed dated 11 Sep 1792: “James Kirsey of Roberson Co to William Baker . . . adjoining Samuel Long Bottoms.”(11)
Samuel L. Bottoms, Sr., as “Samuel L. Bottoms” on 13 Feb 1801, sold 73 acres to “John Long Bottoms,”(12)and Samuel had bought that land on 6 Mar 1799 as “Samuel Long Bottoms.”(13)Both of these deeds were acknowledged in Court on 13 Feb 1801with the “Longbottoms” surname: “A Deed of sale from Jacob Joiner to Saml Longbottoms Senr ackd . . . A Deed of sale from Saml Longbottoms to John Bottoms ackd.”(14)
Those land purchases became a problem for John L. Bottoms who was later identified in the will of his sister, Sarah Longbottoms, as John Pitman when her will was proved in Nash Co NC Court on 14 Feb 1805.(15) He had been born illegitimate to Samuel L. Bottoms, Sr., and Cela/Celia Pitman (his second wife) before Samuel married her on 25 May 1780 and to protect his previous land purchases John soon went to court and had his name legally changed to “John Longbottoms,” per this Nash County Court record, 14 May 1805: “Ordered in future that John Pitman be Call & known by the Name of John Longbottoms (sic) & to be plead & be impleaded by that Name agreeable to act of assembly in Such case made & provided.”(16)
The name “Longbottoms” with an “s” at the end seems to have originated with the 5 Oct 1774 land deed above and seems to have been confined to this set of land records until John Pitman L. Bottoms had his name legally changed to John Longbottoms in May 1805. After May 1805 there were other court documents and records showing him as John Longbottoms,(17)but before that the name “Longbottoms” was apparently confined only to the set of land deeds described above, beginning on 5 Oct 1774.
The will of Sarah Longbottoms, the unmarried daughter of Samuel L. Bottoms, Sr., and Cela/Celia Pitman, written on 19 Jan 1805, identified her adult brothers and sisters by their legal names at the time, showing that some were born illegitimate and that she was not. She also identified William Lindsey as a bother, which is interpreted here as “brother-in-law.”(18)
The Longbottom surname
Longbottom is a name for someone who lived in a long valley, from Middle English long + botme; bothem = ‘valley bottom.’ Given the surname’s present-day distribution, Longbottom in Luddendenfoot, West Yorkshire, may be the origin, but there are also two places called Long Bottom in Hampshire, two in Wiltshire, and Longbottom Farm in Somerset and in Wiltshire.(19) West Yorkshire consists of 53 former local government districts within six county boroughs which are: City of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, City of Leeds and City of Wakefield. Luddendenfoot is in Calderdale which borders Lancashire, which holds the city of Lancaster.
Notes:
(1)17 Nov 1777, “Rec’d from the House of Commons a bill for dividing Edgecombe county.” 22 Nov 1777, “Rec'd from the Commons the Bill for dividing Edgecombe County. Endorsed in the House of Commons 22 Nov. Read the third time and passed” (pp. 116, 137). Documenting the American South, Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, Minutes of the north Carolina Senate, North Carolina General Assembly, November 15, 1777 – December 24, 1777, Volume 12 . . . http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr12-0002http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr12-0002
(2)Before 25 Nov 1777, page 139, “Chapter XXX, An Act for dividing Edgecombe County . . . be erected into a new and distinct County, by the Name of Nash County . . .” Documenting the American South, Colonial and State Records of North Carolina General Assembly, 1777, North Carolina General Assembly, November 15, 1777 – December 24, 1777, Volume 2, pp. 139-141 . . .. http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr24-0002http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr24-0002
(3) This information was kindly provided by Timothy W. Rackley. When were the first marriages recorded in Nash Co NC?
(4) (9)Edgecombe County North CarolinaReal Estate Conveyances, 1772-1775, Volume 2, c.037.40004, pages 182-183, 5 Oct 1774, “between Samuel Longbottoms of Edgecombe Co NC and Thomas Kersey of Bladen Co NC,” Jan Court 1775.
(5)Nash County North Carolina Deeds, Volume 1, 1778-1804 Deed Book B, p. 183, “Samuel Long Bottoms ofNash County . . . to David Pridgen of same 26 Jan 1782,” April Term 1783.
(6)Nash County North Carolina Deeds, Volume 1, 1778-1804 Deed Book B, p. 286, “David Pridgen ofNash County . . . to Samuel Longbottoms of same 8 May 1783,” no court term.
(7)Nash County North Carolina Deeds, Deed Book 5, p. 212, “Samuel Longbottoms of Nash Co. to John L. Bottoms of same, May 12, 1803.” This deed was probably proved on 12 Nov 1810, note 8.
(8)Timothy W. Rackley, abstr., Nash County North Carolina Court Minutes, Volume VI, 1808-1811, p. 105, 12 Nov 1810, “A Deed of Sale from Saml Bottoms to John Bottoms proven by the Oath of Jesse Joiner.”
(9)17 Nov 1777, “Rec’d from the House of Commons a bill for dividing Edgecombe county.” 22 Nov 1777, “Rec'd from the Commons the Bill for dividing Edgecombe County. Endorsed in the House of Commons 22 Nov. Read the third time and passed” (pp. 116, 137). Documenting the American South, Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, Minutes of the north Carolina Senate, North Carolina General Assembly, November 15, 1777 – December 24, 1777, Volume 12 . . .http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr12-0002http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr12-0002
(10)Before 25 Nov 1777, page 139, “Chapter XXX, An Act for dividing Edgecombe County . . . be erected into a new and distinct County, by the Name of Nash County . . .” Documenting the American South, Colonial and State Records of North Carolina General Assembly, 1777, North Carolina General Assembly, November 15, 1777 – December 24, 1777, Volume 2, pp. 139-141 . . .http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr24-0002http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr24-0002
(11)Nash County North Carolina Deeds, Deed Book 6, p. 118, dated 11 Sep 1792, “James Kirsey of Roberson Co to William Baker of Nash Co . . . adjoining Samuel Long Bottoms.”
(12)Nash Count North Carolina Deed Book 6, p. 545, “Samuel L. Bottoms of Nash Co. to John Long Bottoms of same, Feb. 13, 1801.”
(13)Nash County North Carolina Deed Book 6, p. 555, “Jacob Joiner of Nash Co. to Samuel Long Bottoms of same, March 6, 1799.”
(14) Timothy W. Rackley, abstr., Nash County North Carolina Court Minutes, Volume IV, 1804-1807, pp. 9-10, 13 Feb 1801: “A Deed of sale from Jacob Joiner to Saml Longbottoms Senr ackd . . . A Deed of sale from Saml Longbottoms to John Bottoms ackd.”
(15)Timothy W. Rackley, abstr., Nash County North Carolina Court Minutes, Volume IV, 1804-1807, p. 30, 14 May 1805, “The last Will and Testament of Sarah Longbottoms, deced, exhibited in open Court on Oath by the Excr therein named & proven by the Oath of Jesse Joiner and at the same time the Excr Therein Named according to Law.” Also, Aug 1805, estate of “Sarah Longbottoms”( two times), Ibid., p. 48.
(16)Timothy W. Rackley, abstr., Nash County North Carolina Court Minutes, Volume IV, 1804-1807, p. 40.
(17)Ibid.
(18) (23)Dr. Stephen E. Bradley, Jr., The Wills of Nash County North Carolina, Volume I, 1777-1848,-- Sarah Long Bottom, 19 Jan 1805 - Feb Ct 1805. See note 15 for Sarah Longbottoms.
(19)Patrick Hanks, ed., “Dictionary of American Family Names,” Oxford University Press, 2003, Great Clarendon Street Oxford OX2 6DP, United Kingdom (as cited in a secondary source).