Speight Family in Craven County
Am interested in any information on the Speight family in Craven County, NC. Especially the descendants of William and Elizabeth Whitford Speight and their nine children; i.e. William, John, Thomas, Mary, Elizabeth, Chloe, Sidney, Susanna and Ann. Wondering if any of John and Thomas Speights still living in Craven County have had DNA testing. Related families in Craven are Whitford, Brinson, Barnard, Roe or Rowe, Cuthriel. Thanks and have a pleasant day.
I have a Craven County Militia List (Cason Brinson Sr's district) dated 15 October of 1753. Listed is a William Spight Sr, Thomas Spight and John Spight. So the spelling is Spight and not Speight. Also listed is a Thomas Chutril.
In addition, I have a document with a signature of a William Speight. This document is dated 9 Sept of 1768. It is a petition to the court concerning a road from Beard's Creek to Goose Creek and Broad Creek in Pamlico County, formerly Craven County.
Ms. Stout:
Thank you for your post today concerning the Speight/Spight family. I had began to despair that anyone had even seen my initial post regarding this family.
I have a copy of the 1753 Craven County Militia List as well naming the same individuals you cited. However, the 1768 petition is new to me. Would you please tell me where you got this document? Was it from records in Craven County or the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh, NC? I would like to get a copy for myself.
Likewise, Ann Speight/Spight, the granddaughter of William and Elizabeth Whitford Speight and daughter of John Speight and Eunice Brinson Speight married an Asa Purifoy. Was Asa Purifoy any relation to you, perhaps.
Thank you and have a pleasant day.
John Speight
My 5th GGF was Rev. Nicholas Purifoy Sr then my 4th GGF is Nicholas Purifoy Jr. I think that my 3rd GGF John Purifoy (1787-1839) had a brother or maybe a half-brother Thomas Purifoy Sr (1766-1802). Asa Purifoy is the son of Thomas Purifoy Sr and the nephew of John Purifoy. Many people think that Thomas Sr was the father of my John but I think that is incorrect, just my opinion. I continue to hunt and dig for more documentation trying to prove that Nicholas Jr was indeed John's father.
You can see the signatures of Nicholas Purifoy Sr, (father) Nicholas Purifoy Jr (son) and David Purifoy (son) on the left side of the document. Your ancestor William Speight's signature is the right side of the document. Oh and Cason Brinson has also signed the document- remember him from the NC Militia list !
Uploaded files:Thank you, thank you, thank you. Many of these people listed on this petition are either collateral family members or neighbors to my Speight family.
I enlarged the signature for David Purifoy to 150 % and I still could not determine whether the suffix was Senior or Junior. Either way, if it was Junior, would that not presuppose that there would have been a David Purifoy Senior still living? Could David Purifoy, Junior then be that man's son and not Nicholas Purifoy's son or is there some other proof that you have that names David Purifoy, Junior as son to Nicholas Purifoy? Not questioning your research, just curious.
What happened to the Thomas Purifoy? Did he die in Craven County or elsewhere? The reason I ask is that I found headright and bounty land grants for Purifoys in Georgia when I was searching in that state some time ago. However, can't remember the exact name at this moment. Will have to recheck.
Does anyone know where Elizabeth Moore found this petition in the Craven County Clerk of Court's office - in a bound volume or in some loose papers perhaps? You have made my day with this petition! I am truly a genealogy addict.
