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 […]
Select items from the estate records of Amon Joyner of Pitt County
There were at least two Amon Joyner living contemporaneously in Craven and Pitt Counties. How they are related is a complete mystery to me. I do know they are not the same man nor is one the father of the other, or at least if he is, not legitimately so. The Amon Joyner in Craven County is […]
Is this the mother of Laban Morris?
Is Rachel Ann Spear really the daughter of James Spear?
I really am enjoying the new and improved Ancestor Hints on AncestryDNA — especially now that they have the ability to color code matches into surname and other custom groups. One issue that keeps coming up, though, is suggested matches who may not have their data exactly right. One such case is Rachel Ann Spear […]
The John Holmes – George Fisher Connection
Was John HOLMES of Beaufort County the son of George FISHER of Craven County? If not, what was their relationship? I’m not sure, but I’m collecting evidence and I welcome any ideas or suggestions you might have! John and Esther HOLMES are my fifth-great grandparents, and since I descend from them twice, I certainly am […]
Is Harriet Morris a relative of Laban Morris?
More interesting things turning up in some of our family’s DNA matches over at Ancestry… a few matches to descendants of Harriet MORRIS (specifically through her daughter, Alvana MORRIS). There aren’t enough for me to say that Harriet is a daughter of Laban, although based on her age, she certainly could be. She might be […]
Anyone know about “Durgantown” as original name of Swift Creek / Vanceboro area?
There is a story that’s been told over the years, though I’m unsure of where it started, that what is today known as Vanceboro was originally founded as Durgantown and it was known by that name from the 1750s until it became known as Swift Creek in 1850. This is an excerpt from the Town […]
Family Tree Fact Check: Richard Furney Gaskins & Saphronia “Fanny” Venters
This new series will attempt to correct records, one family branch at a time, that have mushroomed across the online genealogical communities. Ok… I’m not going to claim that I don’t have any mistakes in my enormous tree on Ancestry. I’ve been working on it for many years now and I have a number of “working theory” […]
There were TWO Rocksolanah Carruthers. Here are the records to prove it. (For both of them!)
Yes, there were, indeed, two Rocksolanah CARRUTHERS. I used to think there were two Rocksolanahs, but then because of some dates that were discussed in the old W’ton List (probably close to 15 years ago!), I began to think that there was only one. It was generally accepted that it was the same woman who […]
If your people come from the Craven County, Pitt County, or Beaufort County area, please read this!
Surnames mentioned: KING, FORNES, BOYD, HODGES, WILLIAMS, MORRIS, WITHERINGTON, RIGGS, LEE, KEMP, MCCAFFERTY, SMITH, DRAKE, BARTLETT, SUMMERELL, ROBERTSON, HOLLAND & MORE Have you tested yet at either AncestryDNA or FamilyTreeDNA? If so, please comment below with your name (or the name associated with your kit), or if you prefer, you can send a private message […]
Craven County Bastardy Bonds & related items in County Court Minutes (1764-1791)
I have the complete set of Craven County Court Minutes books by the late Weynette Parks Haun, and while I LOVE them— and I recognize them as an amazing resource — there are some index items that I wish she would have included, for instance, Craven County Bastardy Bonds. There are plenty of them in […]
Mystery: Who is Mary Fornes?
Alright, we have yet another mystery on our hands. I’m hoping some of you might actually have some pieces of information that can fill in the blanks for me. Below are two deeds from Pitt County. The first item below is a deed in which Mary FORNES gives land to her son, John FORNES. The […]
Dove family of Craven County
The following query is from Margaret Llorens. Who are the parents of Nancy Dove, born in Craven County, 1806. Married William Valentine in Craven County on May 22, 1820. If you have information about Nancy Dove or the Dove family, please comment below. Thank you.
Griffin family of Craven County and Pitt County (Elisha Griffin)
The following query is from Anne Wilson. I am researching Elisha Griffin (b. about 1780) who appears to be related to the Griffin families of Pitt Co but is not named on any trees. He appears on a tax list for Capt. Pope’s District in 1816, sells 150 acres on East Black Swamp in 1818, […]
Hazelton, Morris families of Craven County
The following query is from Justin Hazelton. I’m trying to find out more about my family the Hazeltons .my father was James Hazelton 1935-2013 his grandparents were Fleda and Herman Hazelton of 120 Goldsboro St. His mother was Henrietta Hazelton. I’m not sure who his father was and he never met his father, but census records […]
Jones, Carter, Savage, Whitfield from counties near Wilmington, NC
The following query is from Wanda Geller. I am working on the maternal side of our family. My great grandmother Alice Elizabeth “Libby” Carter and great-grandfather Charles Alan Jones, Sr. had 15 children 11 in Wilmington NC and the last four in Macon Ga. My great grandparents live at the Cool Waters Plantation. Solomon and […]
Harvey family of Perquimans County
The following query was submitted by John O’Donnell. Seeking information about the Last Will & Testament of (Col) Miles Harvey, 1777 (?), Testator b/o Thomas, John & Benj Harvey & H of Eliz Baker. Please contact John O’Donnell via the form below if you have information or would like to communicate about this family. Also, […]
Who was Nancy MORRIS?
(This article was originally published January 22, 2014. It was updated May 3, 2017.) Nancy MORRIS shows up in the household of Laban MORRIS in 1850 and 1860, and best I can tell from ages on census records, she was living with the family as early as 1830. Many years ago, before I realized how census records […]
John Chapman vs. Joel Wall (1810) – Civil action papers (C.R.028.325.6)
The following is a collection of civil action papers from a suit involving John Chapman and Joel Wall, both of Craven County. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find anything else about this case so I’m not sure exactly what it was about other than that Chapman was suing Wall. Witnesses summoned to appear as […]
The Mystery of Jemima Mills
Who knew Jemima was such a popular name in Craven and Pitt Counties in the 18th century? Turns out it apparently was! While trying to figure out who Jemima Mills Pettit is, and who her children were, I kept coming across entries that claim she died in Craven County in 1816 because a Jemima Mills left […]
