Researching the Family Trees of Eastern North Carolina.
Nearly five years ago I published a post for a will I had stumbled upon for a William S. MORRIS of New Bern in which he declares his wishes that his “negro woman Patty” and her “mulatto” children be freed and well-maintained after his death. The will was dated 1831 and as far as I […]
FamilySearch has been steadily putting a ton of North Carolina records on their site that aren’t yet easy to access through the normal browsing methods. (Another thanks to Becky for tipping me off about some of the great new things that have gone up over the last few months!) Anyhow, I decided to compile a […]
Below I have transcribed a deed from my 4th great-grandfather John HOLMES to Church CHAPMAN of Craven County. In the deed, John HOLMES is selling his wife’s (and by extension, his) interest in four slaves who were originally the property of David AVERITT, but who were lent to David’s wife Sally during her widowhood in […]
The following is from Beaufort Orphans — 1808-1828. Willoughby Moore and this particular Moore family were listed as “Other Free” in the Beaufort County census. In 1810 Willoughby’s household also lists one slave. North Carolina ) Beaufort County) In the name of God Amen. I Willoughby MOORE of the County and State aforesaid being some […]
When researching one’s genealogy, an often neglected resource is a county’s apprenticeship bonds. At times, children apprenticed out were poor orphans. Many other times, the children being bound out simply had the misfortune of being born to non-white parents, or of having a father who died without specifying in a will that the children’s mother […]
Before offering the transcription of this will, first it seems appropriate to provide some context. In 1808 the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves became effective. Even before that, however, North Carolina never played as big a role in slave importation as Virginia and South Carolina, largely due to the lack of suitable ports. The exception […]
If you are researching your ancestry, and know that one of your forebears was one of North Carolina’s earliest citizens, you should visit CoastalCarolinaIndians.com for the vast number of research resources available. The following item appeared on that site and has been reposted here with permission. (I’ve worked with Coastal Carolina Indian Center since it […]
