Atlantic Beach, NC

Harker’s Island

On December 20, 1707, Farnifold Green obtained the first patent for

land in the Core Sound area from the Lords Proprietors of the Carolina

colony, which had been established by the English monarch Charles II in

1633. This patent included Harkers Island, which was then known as Craney

Island.

Through a number of hands the island went, until on September 15,

1730 the island was sold to Ebenezer Harker for £400 and one boat twenty

foot long with oars & mast..

Harker had immigrated to Massachusetts from England on a ship that

set sail from Wales. Living in Boston, Harker had been involved in the

whaling trade, and became familiar with the North Carolina coast during this

time. Harker had moved to Beaufort, North Carolina by 1728, where he was

appointed a tax collector for the whale oil revenue generated in the area.

After purchasing the island, Harker took up residence there with his family

and began building a small plantation and boat yard. Harker sold half of the
island to his nephew John Stevens of Onslow County, North Carolina on

March 8, 1733 for £300, with many restrictions on its agricultural use.

Prohibited from farming or ranching the land for profit, Stevens eventually

sold his half of the island back to his uncle on June 9, 1737 for just £180.

The Harker plantation and boat building facility were located at the

western end of the island, near Harker Point, and grew to support an

extended family with three sons, two daughters, and at least nine African

slaves. Ebenezer would be the last sole landowner of the island. In 1752, he

deeded approximately 10 acres (40,500 m²) of the island to his daughter

Hepsobeth and her husband Nathan Yeomans as a wedding gift. On his

death in 1762, his son Zachariah inherited the western third of the island, an

adult slave woman named Vilet, and a young female slave named Daisie.

Another son, James, inherited the eastern third of the island, an adult slave

woman named Hague and a young male slave named Peter. Ebenezer, jr.

inherited the central third of the island, an adult male slave named Jeffrey,

and a young male slave named Sutton. Hepsobeth inherited "one barrel of

corn", and Ebenezer's other married daughter, Sarah Freshwater, was given a
female slave named Hope. The fate of an elderly female slave named Badge

and a young male slave named Ben was left to the heirs to decide.[4] The

will referred to Craney Island; the name Harkers Island was only adopted

after Ebenezer's death.

To be continued.

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