General Notes

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The 1755 - 1779 Tax List for Orange County, North Carolina, lists both Fra
ncis De Sern and James De Sern.
The Orange County, North Carolina Wills Vol. Two, 1775 - 1787 contains t
he following:
Will Book A, page 350, Deed of Gift from John May to James Desern: I, Jo
hn May of Orange County and state of North Carolina, for the love and ki
nd affection that I have and do bear towards James
Desern, my son-in-law, have granted to him the plantation and part of t
he tracts of land where I now live, beginning at the north of my spring br
anch on Elibee's Creek, running up the various
courses of the spring branch to the road, thence running a north cour
se to John Raker's corner, thence a west course to John Vicker's line, the
nce along Vicker's line a south course to Grisham's
line, thence along Grisham's ling to the first station, containing one hu
ndred and sixty-five acres. Witness my hand this 14 day of February 178
5. Test: Henry Bunch and George Grisham. Signed by
John May.
The 1790 Orange County, North Carolina census lists James and his brothe
r, Nathaniel, as heads of household  in the St. Marks District of Hillsbor
ough, page 96. This census was based on county taxes
lists. They were records as: Nathaniel DESERNE and James DEZERN.
On the Land Grant Index and map showing "First Settlers in Old Orange Coun
ty, North Carolina (now Durham County) and Part for the period 1740 - 181
6, James Dezern is listed as #59 on the map and
Charles Abercromby is #54, which is the property where Francis Desern w
as supposed to have lived.
The 1810 Orange County, North Carolina census lists a "James Desert
". I do not know at this time if this is our James. The same census also l
ists consecutively "James Dison" and "Nathaniel Dison".
According to research by Thomas J. DeZern, James Desern was shown as Tho
s. Dezern in the 1810 Orange County, North Carolina census. In additio
n, a bastardy warrant was issued on 5 April 1817 charging
James Dezern with begetting a child on the body of Elizabeth "Betsy" Sha
rk (or Sharp). On 3 January 1818, James Dezern acquired land on New Hope C
reek, which is near Chatham County, North Carolina.
He had earlier acquired 200 acres on that creek but later sold it. Some b
elieve that the Desern family that emerged in Chatham County, North Caroli
na descend from James. However, there is no
absolute proof that this is true.