On October 26, 1857, William Galloway and his wife Elizabeth Jane Galloway of Pitt County sold James Roach of Craven County for thirty dollars all their interest in an undivided tract patented by the late John Gray Blount. The land was then owned by the heirs of Abner Hartley, Garret Nelson and Saml. Roach, all deceased, and others, and the Galloways held their share as heirs at law of Samuel Roach. The deed gives no acreage, county or courses.
The witness was Jas. [?] Greene. The next day the Galloways acknowledged the deed before John W. Ellis, judge of the Superior Court, who examined Elizabeth apart from her husband. It was registered in Beaufort County in Book 30, page 299 (J. W. Reading [?], register). The writer’s own words are kept as written below.
Deed from William A. Galloway and his wife Elizabeth Jane of Pitt County to James Roach, their undivided interest as heirs of Samuel J. Roach in land patented by John Gray Blount – 1857
Transcription notes: spelling, capitalization and punctuation follow the original. Words in [square brackets] are editorial notes; [?] marks an uncertain reading and [illegible] marks words that could not be read.
This Indenture Made and Executed on
this Twenty Six day of October ——— AD
One Thousand Eight Hundred and fifty
seven by and between James Roach of
the County of Craven and State of North
Carolina on the one part and William
Galloway and Elizabeth Jane Galloway his
wife of the County of Pitt and State aforesaid
on the other part. Witnesseth that the said
William Galloway and Elizabeth Jane his
wife for and in Consideration of the Sum
of Thirty Dollars to them in hand paid
by the said James Roach the recept whereof
is hereby fully acknowledged have granted
baraned and sold and by these presents do
grant bargain and sell unto the said James
Roach all their right title and interest
in and to a Certain tract or parcel of
undivided Land which was patented by
The late John Gray Blount and now owned
by the heirs of Abner Hartley Decd Garret
Nelson Decd. Saml Roach Decd and others —
which interest in said land they do now
hold as the [struck through: Legatees] [heirs at law written above the line] of the said Samuel
Roach. Decd. to have and to hold the said
land and premises with all the improvements
thereunto belonging unto the said James
Roach his heirs Administrators and assigns
forever — and the said William Galloway
and Elizabeth Jane his wife for —
themselves their heirs and assigns do warrant
and forever defend the right and title to
the lands hereby Conveyed against the
Lawfull Claim or Claims of all persons —
whatsoever — In Testimony whereof we have
hereunto set our hands & Seals the date and
year above written —
Signed Sealed & delivered }
in presence of the }
words heirs at law in- }
terlined before signing }
Jas [?] Greene
W. A. Galloway (Seal)
Elizabeth Galloway (Seal)
North Carolina;
Oct. 27th 1857 Then came W.
A. Galloway & wife Elizabeth, the bargain-
ors in the annexed deed to James Roach, who
duly acknowledged the execution thereof;
Whereupon, the said feme covert
Elizabeth was by me privily exam-
ined touching the same apart from
her said husband, when she
declared that she made said deed
voluntarily, free from the coer-
cion of her said husband and she
did then again voluntarily assent
thereto. Let it be registered.
John W. Ellis
Judge S. C.
[On the back:]
Deed from
Elizabeth Galloway
& William Galloway
To
James Roach
Registered in the
Registers office of
Beaufort County In
Book No 30 page
299 J. W. Reading [?]
Reg
June 65 [?]
About the original
The deed is written on lined paper on the first page and the top of the second page of a folded sheet. The judge’s certificate is in a different hand below. The docket and registration are on the outside, with a faint pencil note at the bottom read as “June 65” with a question mark. The edges are torn and mended.
The word “Legatees” is struck through and “heirs at law” written above it, and the note beside the witness says these words were added before signing. The witness’s given name is hard to read. William Galloway signed as “W. A. Galloway.” John W. Ellis, who took the acknowledgment and examined Elizabeth Galloway apart from her husband, was a judge of the Superior Court; he became governor of North Carolina in 1859. The register’s name on the back is also hard to read; it may be the same name as on John R. Roach’s 1860 deed in this folder.
The deed does not describe the land or give its acreage. It says the land was patented by the late John Gray Blount and was owned in common by the heirs of Abner Hartley, Garret Nelson and Samuel Roach, all deceased, and others. Elizabeth Jane Galloway’s share came to her as an heir at law of Samuel Roach. This is one of two deeds in this folder in which James Roach bought up the shares of Samuel J. Roach’s heirs in this land; the other is John R. Roach’s deed of 1860. Both were registered in Beaufort County.
Source: Deed, William A. and Elizabeth Jane Galloway to James Roach, 26 October 1857. Roach Family Papers (#346), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Box 1, Folder c (Land Records, 1728–1886). Collection guide. Digitized folder: ECU Digital Collections, 0346-b1-fc.
Images courtesy of East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. View this item in ECU Digital Collections.
Part of the Roach Family Papers collection on East Carolina Roots.
