Submitter lfairb@@aol.com

1727 received land grant in Brunswick co., Va on South side of Meherrin River
1745-- Northampton NC-sold land to Richard Cross.

Will written 22 apr 1760 "of Northampton Co., NC son, John the land back of my plantation; sons, William, Joseph, John, Thomas; dau Gilly Avent, Sarah wife of William Ragland; Rebecca Avent; brother Peter Avent; sister-in-law Ursula"

Left land on Otterdam Swamp by father.
Had received land from in his father in old Bertie Co, NC by 1733.

In 1727 received land grant in Surry Co., Va

Had land on the island in the Roanoke River.

src:Colonial records in NC say he was an ensign in the seventh North Carolina
Regiment in 1740.

1758--Newtop Fapley to William Avent and his heirs, rights of the plantation of Thomas Avent , Jr, deceased, on the north side of Roanoke River, not including Beaver Pond

Reference: From correspondence of Dr. Thompson, Salt Lake City, UT to Hikaru Kitabayashi (with his permission)
"Proof that Sarah, wife of William Avent, was a daughter of Joseph Massie of nearby Brunswick county, appears from the will of Joseph Massie dated August 19, 1760 and proved May 26, 1761 [Brunswick Co., Wills 3:368], which leaves her a Negro boy named Ned. Sarah (Massie) Avent and Amey (Massie) Avent, wife of Peter Avent, were sisters, but while Peter and not Amey Avent is named in the estate accounting returned June 24, 1765 [id.3:431], Sarah and not William Avent is named because Peter was alive while William was already dead. Much remains to be done on the Massey/Massie family; it is my opinion that Joseph was a son of the emigrant Richard Massey whose ancestry my possibly be traced to the well known family of that name of Dunham Massey, co. Chester and to the conquest. The name of Joseph's wife was Elizabeth and it is said, and remains to be shown, that she was by birth of the Rives family."