Persons are “of Wayne County” unless otherwise noted

1769
Tax List, Dobbs County:
Jesse Hays – 1 white poll
Reuben Hays – 1 white poll
Abraham Hays – 1 white poll
[Secretary of State Records, 1702-1779, Court Records, Box 312.]

These three are unrelated as far as I know.

27 Dec 1770
Bond:  Reuben Hay of the parish of St Patrick in the County of Dobbs, Cooper, and William Speight of the same parish and county, planter, for appearance at court at New Bern next 11 May to give evidence against John Barfield for “felonious taking sundry goods the
property of the sd. Reuben Hay to the value of £8”.  [NC Secretary of State Records, 1702-1779, Court Records, Box 312, reproduced at Dobbs County genealogical site at usgwarchives.net.]

2 March 1778
Land Grant: #310, Entered 2 March 1775. State of North Carolina to Jesse Hay (sic) 187 acres in Dobbs County on Dennis branch beginning at a hickory in Page’s line and runs N60E 160p to a pine thence N30W 200p to a pine then S60W 140p to a stake thence to the beginning… [NC Grant Book 25, page 18]

This was reissued with the same grant number, #310, described as entered 20 October 1775 and issued on 28 February 1778 to Jesse Hay with the same description. [NC Grant Book 27, page 62

The second grant reads: 28 February 1775, evidently a “typo” in the copying into the grant book.  This grant would have been recorded in the lost deed books of Dobbs County.  He sells this land in 1800 when it was in Wayne County (see below.)

10/11 March 1779
Jesse Hayes a voter in Dobbs County election of two members of the House of Commons. [Kinston Daily Free Press, issue of 12 November 1962, page 10.]

1779 — Wayne County formed from Dobbs County

1780 Dobbs County Tax List, Capt. Speight’s District:
Reuben Hay £283 property value
George Hay £203 property value

Jesse Hayes is in Wayne County.  Speight’s district was in what is now Greene County.

25 Oct 1782
Land Grant: #162 Entered . State of North Carolina to Reuben Hayes, 300 acres on south side Black Creek beginning at Matthew Turner’s corner a pine of said Black (sic) and runs his line S 40p to th ecorner a large white oak then along his other line E 30p to a pine in said line then with his own old line S 240p to a pine then W 190p to a black oak in Francis Hilliard’s line… Recorded in Wayne County September Ct. 1783. [Wayne County Deed Book 1, page 187.]

Oct 1784
Petition for Name Change: Samuel Speight of Dobbs County sheweth that Jesse son of
Rachal Hay is the natural son of your Petitioner he therefore prays your
Honb’le Body will be pleased to pass an act for altering the name of Hay to
Speight to the end the said Jesse may be capable of inheriting &c… Whereas Samuel Speight the natural father of Jesse Hay son of Rachal Hay hath petitioned the Assembly that the name of the said Hay be altered by law to that of Speight. Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same that from and after the passing of this act the name of Jesse Hay shall be altered in the name of
Jesse Speight… [North Carolina General Assembly Oct-Nov 1784 Box 2 as reported at http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/dobbs/court/jessespe1294wl.txt]

The Act changing the name was passed in 1787,  Obviously this Jesse Hay is a child, not the same Jesse Hay(s) who appeared in prior Dobbs County records.

30 Sep 1785
Land Grant: Entered 11 March 1782.  State of North Carolina to Samuel Hayes, for 50 shillings per 100 acres, 538 acres south side of Jernigan’s Mill Branch beginning at a pine near a path in Lewis Jernigan’s and Joseph Jernigan’s line then with the same S42E 174p to the corner a pine in the ready branch Lewis Jernigan’s line thence down the said branch with his line N40E 140p to the corner a pine in the said branch with his other line S55E 210p to the corner a pine in Branks(?) line then with his line N44E 205p to the corner a red oak thence N 83p to a pine in Lewis Jernigan’s line thence with the same N80W 216p to a spanish oak in the said line on the said Mill branch thence up the rounds and various courses of the said swamp to the beginning.  Recorded Wayne County April 1787. [NC Grant Book 58, page 13 and recorded in Wayne County Deed Book 3, page 325.]

14 March 1786
Deed: Samuel Hayes of Northampton County, North Carolina to Phillip Rayford, for £2,500 NC money, 100 acres on the south side of Little River beginning at a red oak below the path corner tree of Richard Bass’s line and runs S10E 160p to a pine thence S80W to a pine on the (blank) thence down the rive to the first station.  Signed: Samuel (x) Hayes.  Witness: Arthur Jernigan, Arthur Pearce, Maurice Rayford.  Proved April Ct. 1786.  [Wayne County Deed Book 1, page 7.]

This is evidently the brother of Jesse Hayes — as the sale of the land postdated his father’s death.  The same year Samuel Hayes Sr. of Northampton County gifted two slaves to his grandson “John Hays of Johnston County” in a deed witnessed by Jesse Hays, and In his 1793 will he left 5 shillings to his son Jesse Hays.  Note that this deed is to “William” Rayford but the name “Phillip” Rayford is written everywhere else in the body of the deed.

How did he acquire this land?  Is there some connection to the Jernigans other than that his son Jesse Hays married Isbell  Jernigan?

1786 Tax list, Wayne County:
John Hayes (estate) — 500 acres, no free polls, 4 black polls

17 March 1789
Deed: Samuel Hayes of Bertie County, planter, to Richard Wolf, planter, for £50, 400 acres, part of 538 acres patented by the said Hayes 30 September 1785 on the south side of Jernigan’s Mill Branch… beginning at a pine in Ready branch a corner of Lewis Jernigan’s an(sic) runs S55E 210p to the corner pine on Bratcher’s line then with his line N44E… containing 400 acres more or less…  Signed: Samuel (x) Hayes. WItness: Charles Wolf, John Charles Wolf.  Proved October Ct. 1790. [Wayne County Deed Book 5, page 13.]

19 Sep 1792
Deed: Daniel Dickinson to Reuben Hays, for £175 specie, 100 acres south side of Black Creek beginning at a black gum in Black Ceek and running down the various courses of said creek to Reuben Hayes corner thence with his line south to Nans Branch thence up to branch to a white oak…  Signed: Daniel Dickinson.  Witness: Matthew Turner, Saray (x) Turner.  Proved October Ct. 1792.  [Wayne County Deed Book 5, page 338.]

9 Jan 1793
WIll: Isbel Jernigan of Wayne County.  …to my beloved son and daughter John Wiggs & his wife Alse Wiggs, one shilling specie; …to my beloved son and daughter Jesse Hase & his wife Isbel Hase, one shilling specie; …to my beloved son and daughter Ethelred Boyet & his wife Priscilla Boyet my mare by the name of Pigeon and my side saddle and bridle; …to my beloved son and daughter Jesse Watkins & his wife Patience Watkins…  my old wench Dafiny her to live with any of my children shich she will and none of them shall not force her to live with them without she is willing to it and that she shall not be sold or divided; residual estate to be equally divided between all my sons and daughters [the five named above].  Jesse Hase and Ethelred Boyet to be executors.  Signed: Isbel (x) Jernigan.  Witness: John (x) Pinder, Mary Blackman, Jacob Page. [Wayne County Estate Files, folder marked “Jernigan, Isbel 1793”]

1794
Deed: (blank) day of (blank) 1794, Jesse Hayes and Jesse Watkins to Ethelred Boyet, for £200, “sundry tracts and parcels of land containing 420 acres more or less”.  One tract a patent to John [Fitzgerald] 7 July 1750 south side Little River beginning at a spanish oak Thomas Page’s corner…; another tract of 150 acres a patent to Thomas Jernigan dec’d 6 April 1758 on south side Little River and both sides Smith’s branch; one other tract 100 acres south side Little River granted to Thomas Jernigan 20 May 1762 beginning at a pine in the piney woods… “it being all the land that we or either of us our heirs or assigns are or ever shall be entitled to as the heirs of Thomas Jernigan deceased…”  Signed: Jesse Hayes, Jesse Watkins.  Witness: Henry Wiggs, Jesse Boyet, Needham Whitley. Proved January Ct. 1796.  [Wayne County Deed Book 5E, page 307.]

12 Nov 1798
Deed: Samuel Hayes of Bertie County to David Byrum, for £24 Virginia money, 138 acres beginning at a pine near a path in Lewis Jernigan’s and Joseph Jernigan’s line then with the same S42E 174p to the corner a pine in the Ready branch Lewis Jernigan’s line thence down the said branch with his line N40E 140p to the corner a pine in said branch to Jernigans Mill Branch… Signed: Samuel (x) Hayes. Witness: Joseph Jernigan, Benjamin Jernigan. Recorded May Court 1807 (!!)  [Wayne County Deed Book 8, page 512.]

Samuel Hayes Sr. was dead by 1796, so this must be his son Samuel Hayes Jr. That implies the original grant was made to the son rather than to the father.

21 March 1800
Deed: Jesse Hays of Wake County to Moses Brewer, for £28 specie, 137 acres beginning at a hickory in Page’s line & runs N60E 150p to a pine then N30W 200p to a pine then S60W 140p to a stake thence to the beginning… by patent granted to Jesse Hays bearing date 1773(sic).  Signed: Jesse Hayes. Witness: John (x) Green, Arthur Crawford.  Proved July Ct. 1800.  [Wayne County Deed Book 7, page 83.]

27 March 1801
Deed: Jesse Hays and Isbell Hays of Wake County to Ethelred Boyet, for £500, their interest in sundry tracts of land… a 150-acre tract patent to John Fits Jarrild (sic) on the south side LIttle River; also 150 acres granted to Thomas Jernigan dec’d 6 April 1768 south side Little River both sides Smith’s branch; also 100 acres granted to Thomas Jernigan dec’d 15 November 1762; also another 100 acres granted to Thomas Jernigan 15 November 1762 in the pine woods on the south side Little River; also 49 acres granted to Thomas Jernigan dec’d 4 May 1769; also 140 acres granted to Thomas Jernigan dec’d 17 March 1756; also another tract adjoining thereto of 150 acres… it being all the land that we or either of us or our heirs or assigns shall be entitled to as heirs of Thomas Jernigan dec’d…  Signed: Jesse Hays, Isbell Hays.  Witness: J. C. Pinder (?), L. (?) Lasser.  [Wayne County Deed Book 7, page 474.]

See 30 March 1807 below for the second recording of this deed.

9 Feb 1804
Deed: Reuben Hays to Matthew Turner, for 150 Spanish milled dollars, 30 acres on the south side of Black Creek beginning at a large pine on the bank of Black Creek my own and Matthew Turner’s corner then up the said creek to the mouth of the first large branch…  Signed: Reuben Hay (sic) Witness: Benjamin Dickinson, Reuben Hays Junr., Jonathan Lamb. [Wayne County Deed Book 7, page 474.]

30 March 1807
Deed Proved:  The deed above at 27 March 1807 was proved by Jesse Hays and Isbel Hays.  “The execution of this deed by by Jesse Hays and Isbel Hays was by them this day acknowledged before me, at the same time the said Isbel the wife of the said Jesse being separate and apart from her husband” was privately examined and declared this to be of her own free will…  [Wayne County Deed Book 9, page 2.]

15 Nov 1816
Deed: James Lawhon to Matthew Hays, for $250, 50 acres south side the Mill Pocoson, between the said pocason and the great pond… Signed: James Lawhon. Witness: Samuel Lawhon, N? Washington. {Wayne County Deed Book 10, page 501.]

22 Dec 1817
Deed: Matthew Hays to Nicholason Washington, for $200, 50 acres northeast side of Walnut Creek… being the land I bought of James Lawhon.  Signed: Matthew Hays. [Wayne County Deed Book 11, page 42.]