During our searching for answers we have come across the Henkel family on many occasions. Rev. Gerhard Henkel was one of the firsts Lutheran ministers in this country. His grandson Rev. Paul Henkel was born in the Forks of the Yadkin in Rowan County, North Carolina in December 1754. As a youth the family moved to Western Virginia due to Indian trouble. We feel the Henkels influenced many of the early families who moved to North Carolina including the Fritz family.
Shortly after 1763 the Fritz family moved and settled near what is now known as Lexington, Davidson County, North Carolina. Davidson County was made from Rowan County in 1822. Records show that Rev. Paul Henkel was a great influence at the Pilgrim Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) in Lexington, North Carolina. He also worked with the members of the Bethany and Becks Churches of Davidson County. He was an active preacher in Lincoln County, North Carolina, where Henry Fritts (1770) moved; as well as in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Rev. Paul Henkel was in Rockingham County, Virginia when he married John Fritz (1762) and his wife Mary "Anna Maria" Beaver on January 9, 1791.15
Nothing is known of the every day life of the Fritz family during their first years in North Carolina. We do know that Wooldrich and his wife, Janet had at least three more children, a daughter Susanna, born in the late 1760's, a son Henry according to court records on February 4, 1783, in Rowan County listing Henry Fritz as age thirteen years old.16',b. c1770, however, according to census records up to 1840, he was born in 1771. The last known child of Wooldrich and Janet was a daughter, Jean was born c1774.” this would put her about seven or so when her father died.
Wooldrich settled on land near Valentine Leonhardt (Leonard), Sr. who had settled on a large tract of land before Wooldrich came to North Carolina. The land of Valentine Lconhardt's was located on the waters of Abbotts Creek and one of its tributaries, since called Leonard’s Creek. As of this time, we have not been able to find a deed to Wooldrich's land-but the land George Fritts received as State Grant #615 on October 10, 1783 was NOT his father Wooldrich’s land, as stated in Volume I.
John's father Wooldrich Frits’ land, according to Henry Reeves and others, that is the land that Wooldrich Fritz lived and died on was the land that his son John (1763) obtained in 1789. [See map of original land deeds done by Henry Reeves.] John purchased two tracts of land in North Carolina. The first on 18 May 1789, a land grant (#1794) from North Carolina for 260 acres located on Abbotts Creek next to Michael Zink (Sinks), Frederick Smith, Valentine Beard, and John Avery.
On 14 Mar 1791, just two months after his marriage, John sells his 260 acres-North Carolina land grant (#1794): 125 acres to Paul Dumer (DBK 12, p. 544) and 135 acres to John Avery (DBK 12, p. 542). Then on 28 Jan 1792 (DBK 14, p. 469 or 569) John purchased his second tract of land in North Carolina—1771/2 acres from Peter Workman. This land was located on Hamby‘s Creek.
Records in North Carolina indicate that John sold his 1771/2 acres on Hamby‘s Creek to Jacob Bowers on 29 Sep 1796 (DBK 16, p. 145) and as far as we know, he did not live in North Carolina again. John and Mary's third child, Barbara, listed her place of birth as Virginia, and since she was born 15 Jun 1796, it is possible that John had left the State of North Carolina before the selling of the 1771/2 acres.
The first settlers in the North Carolina area obtained their land from the Earl of Granville and/or Henry McCulloh. In 1744, upon the death of his mother, Heiress of the Earl of Granville, John Carteret became Earl of Granville and set out to develop his lands in Carolina.
