Featured Articles
How far back can autosomal DNA actually reach?
A reader wrote this week to ask a question I hear in one form or another all the time: his…
Will of Mary Holmes (Craven County) – 1824 and Apprentice Bond for Richard Holmes (UPDATED)
UPDATE 09/01/2026 – This article was originally published May 9, 2018, but I have found a great deal more information…
The Origins of Laban Morris – A compendium of data points and information spanning nearly a century
UPDATE [31 Aug 2026]: X-DNA comparisons on GEDmatch (strict SNP thresholds) between a lady who is an X-DNA descendant of…1942 case deals with 18th century Beaufort County land deeds
I was searching for some familiar names on FamilySearch Full Text Search, just in case I stumbled on anything I…
African American Ancestry
Did you know all of these new records were at FamilySearch? I’ve got all of the links right here!
FamilySearch has been steadily putting a ton of North Carolina records on their site that aren't yet easy to access…
John Holmes sells wife’s interest in slaves to Church Chapman (1833)
Below I have transcribed a deed from my 4th great-grandfather John HOLMES to Church CHAPMAN of Craven County. In the…
Will of Willoughby MOORE – Beaufort County (Feb 1824)
The following is from Beaufort Orphans — 1808-1828. Willoughby Moore and this particular Moore family were listed as "Other Free"…
Researching Apprentice Records
When researching one’s genealogy, an often neglected resource is a county’s apprenticeship bonds. At times, children apprenticed out were poor…
More Genealogy Content
1786 Swift Creek Tax List
In April 2014, I ran a copy of the 1786 Swift Creek Tax List as it appeared in the Pitt…1844 Lenoir County, NC Tax List
I was so happy to find this on the NCDCR site. First time I've ever seen my ancestor Eli Cox's…NC Tax Lists at NC Digital Collections
North Carolina Digital Collections has scanned North Carolina Tax Lists and organized them for researchers. Check them out via the…1779 Craven County Tax List
Below is a transcription of names found on the 1779 Tax List. These original scans can be found here at…1775 Pitt County Tax List (Index with original images)
I've been meaning to get around to making an index and posting the images from the 1775 Pitt County Tax…Have you checked the 1840 Pensioners Census for your Revolutionary War ancestors?
I got an email from a fellow researcher of a common family from eastern North Carolina in which this person…
Author Butler is my 4th or 5th great grandfather. I'm from the wiggins side of the family. I love that…