The Barbee Legacy

The Legend of “Old Kit”

Christopher “Old Kit” Barbee was born in Essex County, Virginia between 1738/43. He was the son of William and Rachel Barbee. Christopher and his siblings (Francis and John), moved to Orange County, North Carolina, in the early 1750s. In 1753, William Barbee obtained a grant for 585 acres of land and continued to add to his land holdings until his death (in 1758)

After his death, his sons (Christopher, Francis & John) continued to buy land. Christopher returned to Essex County sometime between 1766 and 1777 to wed his wife, Mary. Together they had five children: Francis, William, Elizabeth, Nancy, and Susanna.

“Old-Kit” and his family were one of the largest landowners in Orange County, living on the “The Mountain,” three miles east of the village of Chapel Hill. In 1792, when he was asked to donate a portion of land for the university (of Chapel Hill), Christopher purchased 225 acres from Hardey Morgan and donated the 221 race “Old Chapel Tract” to the trustees. This tract included present-day Polk Place, McCorkle Place, and the north to Cobb village lot, and original lot No.2, a four-acre lot now the site of the Carolina Inn.

Christoper was a well-known farmer, who owned and operated a blacksmith shop on Franklin Street. His work as a blacksmith helped several projects for the university in the early 1820s. He died in 1832 approximately at the age of ninety.

One of “Old-Kit’s” birthed great-granddaughters married William R. Kenan Sr.

1. William Barbee

   1. Married Rachel & birthed:

      1. Francis

      2. Christopher (Born 1738/43 - Died 1832)

      3. John

2. Christopher “Old-Kit” Barbee, Married Mary Billie McKenzie & Birthed:

   1. Francis (Bron 1772 - Died 1838, Essex County, Virginia )

      1. William (Born in Orange County, NC)

         1. Willis Barbee - Harriet (Slave)

   2. Elizabeth

   3. Nancy

   4. Susanna

Branching Off; First Generation Mulatto

Willis Barbee (Great-Grandson to “Old Kit”) was born in 1801 in North Carolina. He died on April 18, 1869, in Orange County, NC. He was a planter and physician. He owned 14 slaves in 1850 and 28 in 1860. Of those slaves that he owned, he met (never married) Harriett (Mulatto, born in 1823) and they birth three children together.

1. Haywood Barbee (Black)

   1. Lily & Lucy

2. David Barbee ([Mulatto] Born April 1850 - Died March 29) Married Rachel Atkins and birthed:

   1. Fred Barbee (Born June 1, 1881 - Died January 09, 1921) He Married Sallie Naomi Strayhorn (daughter to Toney & Nellie Strayhorn)

   2. Norman Barbee

3. Sylvia Barbee (Mulatto) Married (Gattis, Williams)