It's time for some myth-busting. There are a couple of persistent ones that surround this family. "Thomas Laughinghouse came to America about 1750..." The first comes down to us via Henry T. King's Sketches of Pitt County: There are several problems with this statement: "…Thomas Laughinghouse came to America about 1750 he left his brothers engaged in the wholesale … [Read more...] about Laughinghouse Mythology
Beaufort County Genealogy
The Beaufort County Genealogy category contains records, including deeds, wills, land records, census records, tax lists, bastardy bonds, Bible records, apprenticeship bonds, estate records, and more.
For even more information on Beaufort County Genealogy, check out the East Carolina Roots Forum, where you'll find surname-specific forums, as well as a General Discussion forum.
Family Tree Fact Check: Miranda Ross Gaskins
While Ancestry is notorious for spreading false information, you should also be wary of Find-a-Grave (link to her page). Remember, both sites depend on users, who are human, to create family trees/bios. Always, always, always check the facts against contemporary documents. Take, for example, my 4th great-grandmother, Miranda Ross Gaskins. Her Personal Profile Let's begin … [Read more...] about Family Tree Fact Check: Miranda Ross Gaskins
Is Harriet Morris a relative of Laban Morris?
(This article was originally published July 25, 2018. It was most recently updated June 6, 2019.) It's now worth investigating the possibility that Harriet Morris is a daughter of Thomas Morris of Beaufort County and granddaughter of Elisha Morris. While Laban descendants undoubtedly share some kind of DNA with Harriet Morris descendants, I'm doubtful it's enough to suggest … [Read more...] about Is Harriet Morris a relative of Laban Morris?
The Family of Elisha Morris of Beaufort County, NC
The following post is an attempt to reconcile information that I've gathered so far, as well as an invitation for anyone who has more details to add in their comments. I have had a special interest in Elisha Morris for several years now. My cousin Mike Morris and I had both noticed that on the 1860 census, our shared ancestor Laban Morris had moved from Craven County over … [Read more...] about The Family of Elisha Morris of Beaufort County, NC
Holmes Family Migrations from NC to Smyth County, Virginia & Lee County, Alabama
The family of John Holmes, Sr. went in different directions after the death of their family's patriarch. Thanks to deeds, census records, and DNA, we may finally be able to track their migration paths. These deeds involving children of John Holmes, Sr. mention him as their father: John Holmes, Sr. married Esther (LNU). Researchers so far have been unable to determine … [Read more...] about Holmes Family Migrations from NC to Smyth County, Virginia & Lee County, Alabama
The Brother-in-Law Conundrum
The word "brother-in-law" is becoming the bane of my research. In earlier times, the term "in-law" had a broader scope than is now the case. Pretty much anyone related to you by marriage was an in-law. Therefore, a brother-in-law could be one in the modern sense, a stepbrother, or even the brother of your brother's wife/sister's husband! Unfortunately for me, this word has … [Read more...] about The Brother-in-Law Conundrum
Family Tree Fact Check: The wife of Thomas Respess Crawford
I don't descend from Thomas Respess Crawford, at least not that I'm aware of, however some of our AncestryDNA matches do and I was scratching my head at the woman who was recorded as his wife. A Mary Tuton of Beaufort County, SOUTH Carolina. I didn't even know any members of the Tuton / Tuten family had gone to South Carolina, but lo and behold, there definitely were … [Read more...] about Family Tree Fact Check: The wife of Thomas Respess Crawford
Will of Garrett Nelson (Beaufort County), 1856
The following is a transcription of the will of Garrett Nelson of Beaufort County, dated 15 May 1856. I don't descend from Garrett (that I know of), but I have seen far more children attributed to him on Ancestry, although I suspect some of that is in error. Garrett Nelson named the following children in his will: Garret Jr. Abner George Berry Alethea (m. John … [Read more...] about Will of Garrett Nelson (Beaufort County), 1856
The John Gray Blount Mysteries, Part 2: The Legacy and the Assumed Name
For this installment, we turn to the third volume of the collection. In this book, there are several letters relating to our Henry Williamson. The Legacy Mr. Blount writes to a William Murdock 18 Mar 1796 (pg. 35-36) "Some time since last winter I caused to be forwarded a Power of attorney [see page 567 for the PoA] from a Henry Williamson of this State formerly of London to … [Read more...] about The John Gray Blount Mysteries, Part 2: The Legacy and the Assumed Name
Joyner Family Bible Records & related material
I'm sure many of you Joyner researchers have already sorted this out, but I'm still trying to make sense of who's who. I'm going to start posting information about the Joyner family of Pitt County, primarily focusing on items spanning the colonial era to the mid-to-late-1800s. All of the following items come from the Pitt County Genealogical Quarterly, which is available … [Read more...] about Joyner Family Bible Records & related material
The John Gray Blount Mysteries, Part 1: The Twist of the Wife
One day a couple of years ago, I googled the name of my elusive 4th great-grandfather, Wilson Daniels, whose parentage I still don't know. One of the results was from the Internet Archive, the fourth volume of a collection of documents known as The John Gray Blount Papers. John Gray Blount and his brothers were merchants residing in Washington, Beaufort County. John, … [Read more...] about The John Gray Blount Mysteries, Part 1: The Twist of the Wife
Spear, Speir, Spire, Spyers, Spears Deeds (Craven and Beaufort Counties)
The following are Craven County Spear deeds(and all related spellings). This is not a comprehensive list. The following are Beaufort County JOHN SPEIR deeds. … [Read more...] about Spear, Speir, Spire, Spyers, Spears Deeds (Craven and Beaufort Counties)
