The history of Nobles Mountain begins in Anson County, because our current Stanly and Montgomery Counties were part of Mother Anson when William Nobles settled on a piece of land along Mountain Creek near the west bank of the Yadkin- Pee Dee River. William claimed several land grants, expanding his property that connected to his first, and eventually the modest hill that still bears his name all belonged to him.
George Davidson, a 'Stanly' County resident well known for his Revolutionary War service, was the surveyor of the above grant, one of many. It's for 100 acres on the west side of Mountain Creek, near a large rock, and in "Anson , now Montgomery" County. I don't propose to do a Nobles family tree, but before long, the deeds were separated by William Nobles "Sr." and Willam Nobles "Jr.", so a younger generation was now claiming land along Mountain Creek.
State of N Carolina
Benj (short for Benjamin) Bairds (asa Beard) Entry office and claims for land
In Montgomery County to the survey of sd (short for 'said') County Greeting.
You are hereby required as soon as may be to lay of (ie 'off') and survey
for William Nobles a tract of land or parcel of land in the County aforesaid
Containing 200 acres begin (sic) on James Cottons line Where Jo n (abbreviation of John) Fry s2n lives and mines across Uhare (Uwharrie) River and (?) ing (may crossing) both sides and Recd for compliment.
Wherefor the Directions of an act of assembly in Such Cases made and,
Provided, Two Just fair Grland (unknown meaning) of such Survey with Proper Certificate a mazed to each you are to Transmit with this warrant to the
Secretary's office without Delay seven under my hand and office this
12 Day of December 1780 Benj Baird
'This plat represents fifty acres land in Anson County now Montgomery on the South side of the Pee Dee River lying on both sides of Mountain Creek.' Dated April 29, 1779. This property joined William Nobles own line and Thomas Biles' line. It was signed by George Davidson, surveryor.
The above interestingly shaped plat is dated May 28th, 1805, and pictures the grant of Jacob Carter for land between Mountain Creek and Clover Fork Creek. It bordered the property of William Nobles in a few places. Cloverfork Creek flows north of Albemarle, into Albemarle and is a branch off Mountain Creek resulting from drainoff of the many hills. It was witnessed by Watson Ross and Bartlett Carter.
Dated 1838, this grant is for Thomas Biles Jr. and adjoined the property of Arthur Freeman Atkins, another person of interest in my mileu or metier. It was located on the waters of Mountain Creek and Nobles Mountain. An odd looking streach of land, it also met the property of Michael Fesperman, and Isaac Biles line, formerly Jarrett Russels line. So the property of the Nobles and those who came later was close to that of Isaac Biles, of Biles Mountain. The document was signed by W.H. Randle, surveryor and witnesses by Robert M. Biles and Henry Pence.
I could explore old deeds, grants and plat maps all day that mentions Nobles Mountain or William Nobles land, but I will spare the reader. Indulge me this one last oddly shaped plat. This oddly pointed starburst belonged again to Thomas Biles and was a mere 20 acres. It was on both sides of Mountain Creek and mentions 'the meanders', Daniel Freemans line, the intersecton of Daniel Freeman and Alexander Kirks property, on to Robert Smiths corner. I must mention here that it is appearing to me that Daniel Freeman married Robert Smiths sister, in my ongoing research of the Smith and Atkins families. Most interestingly, it was witnessed by James Cox and Gilbert Nobles.
Enter a Will, and not a land document. James Cox, a single man, apparently with no issue of his own, left his property to his niece, Frances Nobles and the two children of his nephew, Gilbert Nobles. The two children, both girls, were named as Frances Gilbert Nobles and Eliza Ann Nobles. The Will was witnessed, interestingly enough, by Isaac Biles of Biles Mountain, and Joseph Milton, an unusual man I've posted about before in the Melton and Solomon sagas, who would eventually settle across the Pee Dee River from Norwood, in the vicinity of the Ghost Town of Edinboro or Edinburgh.
Frances G. Nobles, born in 1839, who grew up to marry Wilson Davis, would prove to be a useful clue concerning the fate of Nobles Mountain. She and her husband, along with Thomas Nobles, the last of the Nobles to live on the mountain, and judging from future land transactions, her first cousin, would sell the property around the late 1860's and 1870's.
To get a better idea of where Nobles Mountain is located, however, I wanted to find the deed of someone who was living there during the late 1890's, early 1900's, the general timeline of the infamous C. B. Miller map. Millerwho so graciously marked the locations of schools, churches, points of interest, included the names of certain of the larger land holders in an area.
Enter Samuel Mosell "Mose" Stoker.
Born June 26, 1858, Mose Stoker also seems to have grown up in the area of the Morrow Mountain cluster. He was the son of Robert Stoker and wife, Lucy Jane. He married twice, first to Mary Elizabeth "Mittie" Blalock and second to Laura J. Bell and was the father of six children. He was appointed the Postmaster of the community of Dowd in the 1880's, a village that was northwest of Old Tindallsville, where the Kron's lived, along the old Swift Ferry Road from Ebenezer (Badin area) to the Swift Island Ferry, where the bridge still crosses today. Mose Stoker died on June 22, 1918, at the age of 59, and was buried at the old Stony Hill United Methodist Church, a congregation that has served that riverside community for countless generations.
X marks the spot on the C. B. Miller map, where Lowder's Ferry Road, what ran in the general direction of Morrow Mountain Road today, crosses the Swift Island Road, the direction of Valley Drive, but a very different trajectory. Stony Hill Church can be seen center map and up above, the name S. M. Stoker in three different, but near, places. On up the road, is the name J. S. Misenheimer, on both sides of the road, near a store, and a Mill and a lot of Millers, hence Millertown, a road still marking the cluster of family homes of one family, the Millers, that became their own community.
Above is a deed marking 25 acres, which may have began with William Nobles 25 acres deed in 1779. J. S. Misenheimer and A. F. Biles are mentioned in the deed. J. S. Misenheimer being Jonas Simeon Misenheimer (1856-1928) who was married to Susan Miller.
Using the C. B. Miller map, the old deeds and the location of Nobles Mountain in reference to Biles Mountain, I've figured out that Nobles Mountain is the hill to the south of Morrow Mountain Road, with Biles Mountain being the hill to the north.
One more Mountain is anonymous no more. Nobles Mountain, named in honor of the family of one William Nobles Sr., where my Smith, Atkins and Solomon/Russell relatives lived near at a murky time in the distant past .
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