elanya

That would be Edward Moseley. he was an important man in the colony's early days. He was on the colonial assembly several times, and served as speaker of the house once as well. He was surveyor general at least twice, and I think three times. He may have even been the one who wrote to Alexander Spotswood to rat out Blackbeard: God forbid there be a bigger rogue than him around, especially a belligerant and violent one! Some of you might remember the little dramatizaion that I wrote up for a paper first term, in which Moseley starred. Well, I realize that some things therein are a little more fictionalized than I intended, but whatever. He really did dislike Eden, and he really did say all that crap, though. I found a record today, though where he was all contrite about it. "I'm sorry I said those terrible things. I said them in heat, but I know I should never have said them at all. Not being able to make money hold office for the next year is terribly dull. I promise I'll be on my very best behaviour if you remit my sentence. Yours with *puppy dog eyes*, Ed. Moseley."

Moseley was quite a guy. He was, seriously, the head of a group of important people and such called.... "The Family." Totally the mob! The Land Mob. When he was surveyor general, he got his deputies to basically make up fake lots. they would mark a few trees as boundaries in the front, and just make the rest up. He divided almost all of the Cape Fear region between himself, Maurice Moore, and John Porter. These guys were all related, mostly by marriage. This meant that any settlers coming into the area had to buy their land from one of these three, and of course it was the area into which most new settlers were directed. Cha-ching!

The Lords proprietors appointed Mosely Surveyor general again (I think) in 1723. This was right around the time when the colony was switching to royal rule. Moseley and his cronies (an excellent and apt word) issued a whole slew of land patent that were completely blank. No boundaries, no dated, no prices, just "This is for some land. Fill in the blanks!" This cause all kinds of crap when the switchover came, and strangely enough, Mosely lost his position. Not that it mattered to him. He was rolling in it... "It" being money and power. One book I was reading today (The Records of the Executive Council of North Carolina) called him the most adroit politician of his time (in NC, presumably). he was shifty enough for it! he was hauled in to court a few times, and arrested, but his reputaion was generally pretty good. he was the kind of person that you either loved or hated, apparently.

Anyway, I am lookin into him because he briefly owned one of my lots in bath. he had so much land he couldn't keep track of it all! In fact, it is actually fellow 'family' member that sells the lot, although there was never any record of it being transferred to him from Moseley. Right after the deed where Porter sells the lot to Simon Alderson is a quick note from Moseley saying that "Oh, yeah, uhhh... I gave that to john, my good buddy and kinsmen. It's cool he sold it. simon can have it." (paraphrased ;)

I can just imagine the conversation....

[Porter] Oh, hey Ned. I finally sold that last lot in Bath.
[Moseley] Bath? Man, that place is such a joke. C4P3 PH34R 4 3V4H!
[Porter] We totally own this place, dude. But, are you sure that was *my* lot?
[Moseley] I *think* so. When you own half the colony like I do, it is hard to keep track of the piddly crap. Who did you sell it to?
[Porter] Simon Alderson.
[Moseley] Simon? Do we like him?
[Porter] He's small potatoes, man. I think he has a hundred acre plantation on the Pamlico.
[Moseley] *snickers*
[Porter]...
[Moseley] Well, tell you what. Just in case, I'll write a note saying I gave you the land. Then they can't harass him about it. Or us.
[Porter] Sounds good.
[Moseley] I like land. <3

(I saved it, I saved it! Go me!)