(Get $10 off the AncestryDNA test! Link is below.) Thanks to many modern advances, such as the internet and genetic testing, we can now break through genealogy barriers that have stumped our forebears for generations. In the past, East Carolina Roots has recommended using FamilyTreeDNA for autosomal DNA testing, but now, based on my own […]
Colonial Coroners’ Inquests for Beaufort, Craven, and Pitt Counties
Next to genealogy and history research, my second favorite obsession is watching MeTV. I love those old shows, from Andy Griffith to Macgyver, and I especially love courtroom and mystery shows, like Perry Mason and Matlock, Diagnosis Murder and Columbo. Perhaps that’s why I like poring over old court records — whether it’s apprentice bonds, or depositions given during […]
Letter from Turner Nelson to James Roach – 1825
The following is a transcription of a letter from Turner Nelson to James Roach dated July 19, 1825. This is of particular interest to me because there is a section at the bottom that mentions my ancestor, Laban Morris. Turner Nelson is mentioned elsewhere on this site because he served as a school teacher in […]
Just because it’s on a sign, doesn’t mean it’s true
If you’re ever in the Old Burying Ground in Beaufort, NC and see this sign, just know it’s wrong. The “Tuscarora War,” which was actually an Indian War that included militants from multiple tribes, wasn’t fought anywhere near the town of Beaufort. On September 22, 1711, a group of more than 500 men, comprised of Tuscarora, […]
Create a historical calendar, with moon phases
Have you ever wondered what day of the week a historical event happened? Or what about what kind of moon was in the sky during that blustery February in eastern North Carolina when the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge was fought? Well, now you can have your answers. I got the idea to actually plot […]
Gen-101: 10 Advanced Search Engine Tricks
When you go to Google to search for your ancestors, how do you do it? You may think you know how to search for things on the Internet, but there are some advanced tricks and tips you can employ to take your searches even further. The following are Advanced Search techniques which I have modified […]
Genealogy 101: How to research your family tree
You’ve finally decided to start researching your family tree. Congratulations! You are about to embark on a wonderful, exciting, sometimes frustrating, sometimes tearful, but mostly joy-filled journey back into the past to find your ancestors and get to know them. Whatever your reasons for beginning your search, the basics of how to get started are […]
Top Ten Genealogy Research Sites
Depending on where you live in the world, or more accurately, where your ancestors lived in the world, you might find there are other sites of greater use to you, but here in eastern North Carolina, where my family has lived for about 300 years, I find these sites have been most helpful to me. […]
Many early North Carolina families are named on the Moseley Map (1733). Is one of them yours?
How early were your ancestors in North Carolina? If they were here prior to the War of Independence, then it might be worthwhile to check the Moseley Map for their names, or at least their surnames. The Moseley Map was created in 1733 by Edward Moseley (1682-1749), who was Surveyor General of North Carolina from […]
Did your ancestors, or their siblings or children leave North Carolina? If so, read this…
I had never even heard of Goodspeed’s Histories until Roger Kammerer of Pitt County Family Researchers told me about them. He said they were like the Pitt County Chronicles books for the 1800s. The publications can be a great resource for finding little biographies on ancestors who were living in the late 1800s, when the […]