Below are documents relating to the estate of my fifth-great-grandfather Martin Whitford of Craven County.

Martin was born in 1734 and lived through both the French and Indian War, as well as the American Revolution. He married Mary Purifoy and they had the following children:

• David (b. 1764, m. Nancy Stilley)
• Sally (b. 1765, m. Thomas Smyth)
• John (b. 1770, m. Holland Reel)
• Elizabeth (b. 1778, m. Elijah Calloway)
• Mary “Polly” (b. abt 1782)
• Nancy (b. 1786, m. Shadrick Whitehurst)

I am a descendant of his son, David Whitford and his wife, Nancy Stilley, through two of their children, Narcissa “Dossie” Whitford (m. Henry Anderson) and John Martin Whitford (m. Mary A. Outlaw).

An inventory of his estate was taken by his son, David Whitford, naming the following assets (see the sixth image below):

An account for money due from Thomas Bowen £24.0.0
164 Acres of land the Manner Plantation
3 Mares
32 Heads of Cattle
3 Head of Sheep
18 Head of Hoggs
3 Feather beds with two bed steds and some furniture
1 Shoe bench and tools
1 Hand saw
2 Pair of ?races [illegible]
2 Sides of Leather
Some cut pieces of Leather
2 Raw hides
1 Trunk
6 Straw bottom Chears
1 Churn
1 Sugar box
1 Stone Strop
2 Ro?ers [illegible]
4 books
1 Table
2 Meet Stands
1 Whoolen Wheel
3 Puter dishes
4 Plates & some spoons
3 Puter basons
1 Loom barr & boxes, Slays & Geere?
3 Iron pots
1 Pair of pot hooks
1 Skillet
1 Pan
1 Pair of Iron Wedges
1 Chest
1 Case & some bottles
1 Hand mill
2 Saddles
1 Club Ax
2 Ploughs
1 flax brake
1 Coopers adds
1 Bowsatt?
Some Wool flax and Cotten
Some Wheat
Some Corn
Some Fother
Some Wheat Growing
4 Hoggs fattned out of the 18 above mentioned Wt 330 lb [illegible]
Sundry barrels & Stands & other articles & a

On more than one document, David Whitford’s signature can be seen, and the fact that he was able to write out the inventory so well indicates that he was literate.

Clicking on any of the images below will bring them up in a full screen view.

Martin Whitford’s Estate Records were found at FamilySearch.org.