Jacob Cathey of Frederick Co., Virginia

Marty and Karla Grant

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[Cathey Home] - [Table of Contents] - [Shenandoah River Catheys] - Jacob

Before reading the rest of this page let me present a spoiler alert. This man isn’t a Cathey at all. His surname is actually Cockley. However, as I researched him I didn’t know that until certain records were discovered.

We only have one record for Jacob Cathey. Kyle Wear found the reference in the abstracted and published Frederick Co., VA deeds. It was clearly typed as Cathey. Since I’d never even heard of this Jacob Cathey I had to verify this against the original deed and see if the author misread it. Upon examining it, I see that Jacob is mentioned a few times in the deed, but not once could I be sure it actually says Cathey. It can be read that way, but I can also read it as Catley, which might actually be Calfey, i.e. Calfee. Turns out it’s none of those, but more on that later.

The details are that on 22 Aug 1771, John Howard and wife Elizabeth Howard, of Frederick Co., VA, deeded 202 acres “on the drains of Hog & Cedar Creek” in Frederick to Jacob Sibert of Winchester in Frederick County. The land was described:

Beginning at a chestnut near the top of a ridge in Jacob Cathey’s line then So. 40 W. twenty seven poles to a black oak in Michael White’s line near the top of the aforesaid ridge. Thence along the said line So 58 E one hundred and sixty five poles to a white oak corner to the said White thence along his line S 32 W one hundred and twenty poles to a corner pine thence So 58 E crossing a branch of Cedar Creek one hundred and two poles to white oak on a hillside thence N 53 E one hundred and ninety four poles to a black oak & two pines thence N 58 W ninety five poles to a white oak in Jacob Cathey’s line thence with the same south west thirty five poles to a white oak corner to the said Cathey thence along another of his lines, north west, two hundred and twenty eight poles to the beginning.

S: John Howard (Release also signed by his wife Elizabeth (X) Howard)

W: Philip Bush, Joshua Parry, Alex. White

Frederick Co., VA Deed Book 15, pp. 146-147, includes this deed (lease) and release dated next dy.

In the end I was 99% certain this didn’t actually say Cathey. I could see where the “TH” should be in Cathey is different in this surname from where those same two letters are used in other parts of the deed as in the, doth, authority and other words like that. Thus, I had to conclude that Jacob was not a Cathey at all, but I couldn’t say with any certainty what the surname actually was.

First, I read the all the Frederick Co., VA deed indexes for several years before 1771 in hopes of finding when Jacob Cathey, or any Jacob C acquired the land. I struck out completely. I went the other way as well to see when he might have sold it but found nothing. I also checked Shenandoah County deeds since it was formed from Frederick not long after this. I found no Jacob Cathey (or similar) there either.

Striking out that way, I tried to research the other parties to the deed. John & Elizabeth Howard were on numerous deeds, so they bought and sold land all the time. Jacob Sibert was the same story, though more of his records are in the name Jacob Sever also of Winchester, or at least I think it’s the same man. I didn’t look into it too deeply.

I believe I finally solved it via a 1768 deed from Henry Secrist to Isaac Zane that mentioned land adjoining Michael White and Jacob Cockley. Since Michael White is also listed in the 1771 deed, this has to be the same Jacob. But Cockley and Cathey are not really similar names.

I searched and found other records for Jacob Cockley, sometimes spelled Cackley. Thus, I have to conclude that Jacob Cathey of the 1771 deed probably actually says Cakley, a badly spelled Cockley.

Revised: September 5, 2023

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