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 […]
Will of John Wiggins of Craven County (1803)
I’m trying to figure out who’s who for all of these Craven County Wiggins. I don’t descend from them (that I know of), but I have them in many collateral lines. Specifically, I’d love to figure out how John, Edmund, George, and Samuel Wiggins fit together. (I know there were multiple generations of these…. I’m […]
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” […]
Select Craven County Griffin Items (Court minutes, deeds, wills, etc.)
I do descend from the GRIFFIN family of Pitt County, though I’ll admit I haven’t spent much time researching them beyond my direct line (If you’re curious: James GRIFFIN > Josiah GRIFFIN + Patsey WHITEHEAD > James GRIFFIN + Rebecca Ann SMITH > Harriet A.E. GRIFFIN + Allen MILLS > James Allen MILLS + Ann […]
Research Hodge Podge – Part 1
I’ve been researching a bunch of different things lately and I’m trying to compartmentalize them into a handful of posts that might be helpful (and easily accessible) in the future. This will be the first in a series of random items for random families I’ve spent time researching. Items below include abstracts from Dr. A.B. […]
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 […]
Buyer Beware: Make sure you know THIS about AncestryDNA before you buy a kit!
I have been recommending AncestryDNA here on this site for the past several months now because I’ll be the first to admit it’s much easier to use than FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) in terms of seeing possible shared ancestor hints and locations of the ancestors of your matches. In addition, they’ll generate matches further back in your genealogical history […]
Estate of Joseph Morris (1791) – Craven County
The following is a transcription of the estate papers for Joseph MORRIS (1791) of Craven County. It is believed by many researchers that Joseph MORRIS was the father of Katie Anna MORRIS (or Katie Ann MORRIS) who married Benjamin LANCASTER of Craven County. State of North-Carolina } County. } Know all men by these presents, […]
Using AncestryDNA? For goodness’ sake! Please post a tree!
Some amazing things are happening right now in our family thanks to several of us taking the AncestryDNA test. We’re on the verge of solving the puzzle of our Whitford family origins (In other words, did we come from Scotland, as was long suggested, or perhaps somewhere else?) — a subject that has mystified many […]