Epsey was relieved to learn that there were few slaves in the area. For instance, as late as 1763 in Orange County, fewer than one family in ten owned any slaves and most of those had only two or three, who worked in the woods and fields side by side with the landowner. Sophie knew from Mr. Knox that in the older settlements of the coastal region, half of the households had slaves, an average of about twenty each. Also, money was scarce in the backcountry and possessions were minimal. Henry relayed information from Richard Pyle that probated wills at the Hillsborough courthouse showed an average wealth of families to be less than £200, including land, implements, livestock, crops in storage, and all personal belongings. This was a relief to Ethan and helped him plan for his financial needs before leaving Philadelphia.

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It was inevitable that the situation around Hillsborough would continue to change. The western land was productive, and with tobacco prices skyrocketing and little new land available, property values increased rapidly. Many of the original settlers, especially within ten miles or so of the county seat, found that their small land holdings would sell at a price higher than they had ever expected. Their more affluent and ambitious neighbors were eager to buy land whenever a small farmer was in financial trouble or ready to move farther west. There was a surge of transactions that required action by officials at the courthouse, including land titles, bills of sale, crop mortgages, deeds to secure debts, tax assessments, and liens.

The number of lawyers proliferated to handle these legal affairs and to interpret the stream of laws and directives that were coming from the royal governor and his council. New agreements were now being legalized among the more influential Carolinians to take advantage of opportunities opened to them, and punitive laws had to be enforced against both actual criminals and those who failed through ignorance or design to comply with the complex regulations.

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Henry Pratt became increasingly knowledgeable about North Carolina political affairs as he and his friends shared ideas and information with one another. Governor William Tryon was loyal to the crown and, although unsuccessful in his efforts, used every means short of violence to suppress protesters of the British Stamp Act. A shrewd political tactician, he consolidated his hold on the colonial government, carefully maintained a subservient council, and spread a net of other loyalists throughout the colony, bound together by mutual advantage. Tryon consolidated his control over the remote areas of the colony by appointing all the sheriffs, judges, tax assessors, and clerks, and secured their loyalty through bribery, intimidation, or by tacit permission for them to enrich themselves at the expense of the general public.