James Gwinn, the pioneer and Revolutionary War Patriot received four land grants:
- 400 acres on Little Wolf Creek in 1781
- 96 acres on the waters of the Greenbrier in 1787
- 60 acres on Kelley's Creek in 1789
- 104 acres on the waters of the Greenbrier in 1800
He conveyed this land as follows:
- 291 acres on Little Wolf Creek to his son, James, in 1801
- 200 acres on Little Wolf Creek to his son, Samuel, in 1809
- 169 acres on Kelley's Creek to his son, Joseph, in 1811
(There is a survey recorded in the Monroe County Courthouse showing that James gave his son, Robert, 140 acres "from his survey," but this land does not show in the tally of James's or Robert's land and it appears it was not actually conveyed.)
A Botetourt County petition (a copy of which is on file in the Greenbrier Historical Society, Lewisburg, West Virginia) sent to the Virginia General Assembly in 1770 requested legislation establishing a system for proving land ownership. James Gwinn is mentioned in that petition as one with land on the "Sinks of Greenbrier" (near present day Union, West Virginia) who would benefit from such legislation. Court records show the petition was "referred to the Committee of the Whole House" on May 21, 1777, which means James could have remained at this location on the Sinks for several years pending action on the petition.
Land grant records show James's first land grant was in 1781 for 400 acres on LIttle Wolf Creek. (The Virginia Land Law of 1779 provided that family heads who had "really and bona fide settled . . . upon any waste or un-appropriated lands on the western waters, to which no other person hath legal right or claim, shall be allowed . . . four hundred acres . . . ." (Rice, 1986, p. 84). James probably remained at the Sinks for eleven years (1770-1781) then moved to his 400 acre grant of land on Little Wolf Creek.
Robert Addison Gwinn, a great grandson of James, wrote in 1907 that James Gwinn relocated to Kelley's Creek (near Lowell, West Virginia) in 1772 or 1773. This information was picked up by Jesse Blaine Gwin and included in his "History of the Gwinn Family" published by the author in 1961, and has been repeated by many family historians. Based on records mentioned above, it seems reasonable to conclude that, contrary to Addison's report, James did not move to Kelley's Creek until 1789, when he located a 60 acre grant on that location. He also located his 1800 grant of 104 acres on Kelley's Creek and most likely lived on Kelley's Creek from 1789 until his death sometime after 1811.
James conveyed 169 acres of land on Kelley's Creek to his son, Joseph in 1811 and probably lived with Joseph until his death. James is most likely buried on his 169 acre tract of land. It is clear, from subsequent deed records, that James Gwinn, the pioneer, never owned the land where the Riverview Farm is located.
References
- Rice, Otis K. (1986). A History of Greenbrier County. Lewisburg, West Virginia: Greenbrier Historical Society.