Here Robert Rainwater was the first of this surname to be recorded when his name appeared on a headright application submitted by one John Hurt . Little is known of their early life although some believe Robert to be their father. John was born circa 1705 and William a little later. Unlike the single record of Robert, sufficient evidence exists to document the life of John snd to some extent that of William. From them all who bear the Rainwater name in America are believed to descend and to hem all roots are traced.
Colonial records document their lives.
In June 1734, John married Mary Fussell of Carteret Precinct North Carolina. She was born around 1708 in New Kent County, Virginia near the place where Robert Rainwater first appeared. This patent was located on the Roanoke River near the Virginia line in Halifax County, North Carolina. During the 1750s Rainwater men served in the North Carolina militia. Both appear to have prospered as farmers and were respected citizens as judged by the several legal proceedings in which John participated.