I was recently asked by Wake County Public Libraries to give a virtual Zoom presentation on fascinating but little known facts about colonial North Carolina history. In this presentation, I talked about the Lost Colony, the Tuscarora War and how it led directly to the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Between 1936 and 1937, the Works Progress Administration conducted a series of interviews with men and women who were born in slavery. The unique collection of narratives recorded give us an unpolished look into the lives of former slaves, as well as their masters....
I originally compiled and published this list at CoastalCarolinaIndians.com for the purpose of helping people with their Indian ancestry research. The entries below have been taken from transcriptions of the 1790 Federal Census for several eastern North Carolina...
I originally published this list at CoastalCarolinaIndians.com due to the fact that Indians were often listed in census records as "Other Free." Anyone listed as "other free" or "free person of color" could be black, Indian, or any combination of other-than-white...