If you’re not already a member of Beaufort County Genealogical Society, you might want to be. When you’re a member, you receive their genealogy journal, Pamteco Tracings. There have been some real gems in that publication over the years.
This post features just one of the kinds of treasures you can find in its pages. These bastardy bond abstracts were published in the December 2012 and June 2013 editions.
Please keep in mind, this is not an exhaustive list of all Beaufort County Bastardy Bonds, but rather it is just a limited selection.
Beaufort County Bastardy Bonds
During the period covered by these records, North Carolina required that single women who were expecting or recently had a child had to appear before two justices of the peace and declare the name of the father. If she refused, she had to pay a fine and post a bond the the child would be cared for and not become a burden to the county. If the father was named, and he admitted the child was his, he also had to post a bond stating he would support the child (usually until the child was old enough to be apprenticed). If the accused father denied being the father, he could request a trial by jury and the case was presented to the County Court. The following abstracts are taken from the Beaufort County Bastardy Bonds and Records (Box C.R.X 97) on file at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. In the list below, the father is the first name listed, or if the father is not named, “Not Named” is given. These are given in the order they were found in the file.
| Name of Mother | Name of Accused Father and Bondsmen (if given) | Date |
| Susan Hodge | Samuel H. Daniels | 20 Dec 1849 |
| Lucretia Johnson | Ebenezer W. Gaylord, William J. Smith, Samuel T. Gaylord | 1 Jun 1840 |
| Mary Messick | John Beasley | 1 Apr 1826 |
| Salley C. Nelson | Not Named; Edmond Edwards, Thomas Arnold | 22 Mar 1825 |
| Caroline M. Woodard | Wm. W. Lary, Benjamin Campen, James Potter, Amos Ireland | 5 Sep 1845? |
| Decey Ann Hudnell | John Mayo, James B. Marsh, Owen O’Neal | 16 Mar 1842 |
| Nancy Wilcox | Not named; Joseph W. Godley, Hilen Godley | 6 Aug 1831 |
| Sally Cherry | Jacob Richard Doon, Christopher N. Lucy, D. Woolf [Child born 23 March] | 27 May 1842 |
| Marina Jollys | Benjamin Gurganus, Blount Leggett, W.W. Latham | 2 Jun 1842 |
| Mary Ann Godley | (now M.A. Downs, married woman) James B. Dunn, Shadrack Downs | 3 Apr 1841 |
| Catharine Roe | John Ross, Jr., Josiah Ross | 16 Sep 1840 |
| Charlotte Jefferson | Asa Hardison, James Ozbon, William Pate | 18 Feb 1830 |
| Barbara Dixon | Noah Dixon, Alfred Dixon | 4 Dec 1839 |
| Nancy Jackson | Wilson Ball | no date |
| Mahala Moore | Josiah Mason, Thomas B. Winfield, Ansel M. Beacham | 4 Sep 1839 |
| Nancy Jackson | Wilson Ball, Thomas Bowen, Eldred W. Clark, Dotus Gurganus | 5 Jun 1839 |
| Elinor Lary | Benjamin Lewis, Willson Daniels, Elijah W. Lewis, Will: C. Eborne | 7 Mar 1839 |
| Nancy Campen | Wm. Fulford, Josephus Fulford, John Pate | 7 Dec 1836 |
| Nelly Lary | Elijah W. Lewis, Isaac Swindle, Jas. Simpson | 6 Sep 1836 |
| Elizabeth Waters | Thomas Latham, John Latham, Samuel Latham [apparently a female child] | 22 May 1834 |
| Sophia M.E. Floyd | Valentine Jordan, Alexander Brinkley, J.G.R.G. Blount | 22 Aug 1832 |
| Polly Carrow | John Cousins, Richard Cousins, John Partree | 236 Feb 1831 |
| Winifred Cherry | Refused to name; John Cherry, Jarrad Cherry | 6 Jun 1828 |
| Anna Hill | Not named; William Mackleny, John Holmes | 19 Sep 1840 |
| Nancy Long | Not named (2 children); William Knox, Wiley Blount | 16 Apr 1825 |
| Rachel Arnold | (“is Big With Child”) Not named; Thomas Arnold, John D. Barr | 16 Apr 1825 |
| Wealthea Johnson | Not named; David Edwards, Allen Edwards | 16 Apr 1825 |
| Nicey Mobley | Refused to name; Jacob Pollard, Sr. Richard B. Richards | 6 Sep 1828 |
| Mary Mixon | William Janus, Abner Adams, John O. Boyd | 4 Dec 1816 |
| Elizabeth Woolard | Arnet Latham, Thos. Ellison, John Waters | 4 Mar 1817 |
| Macy Braddy | (child named Seth) Wm. Sexton, Alderson E. Harvey, James Hodges | 9 Mar 1814 |
| Sarah Hodge | (child “named Bazzel Hodge, now of the age of Nine months”) Thompson Vines Wollard, Jasper Wollard, James Kelder | 9 Mar 1814 |
| Anne Lennett | (child named Dowing Larry, now Eighteen months old) Daniel S. Woollard, Riley Woolard, Noah Woolard | 9 Mar 1814 |
| Malisa Woodard | Silus Lupton, Stephen J. Mason, Robinson Lupton, Gerome Spain | 8 Sep 1840 |
| Haley Styron | Price Long Tom, John Chance, Isaiah Hodge | 22 Feb 1827 |
| Margaret L. Gerrard | James G. Gaskins of Craven County | 17 Jun 1848 |
| Jane Richards | George Hyatt, Lockwood Hyatt [George wants trial, evidently denies bein the father] | 9 Nov 1849 |
| Prudence Ross | Thomas Tuten, Thomas Bowen, Thomas Ellison | 9 Jun 1829 |
| Mary Booty | (male child) Allen Edwards, William Edwards, Richard Nobles | 22 May 1828 |
| Edna Davis | (evidently a male child) Oliver S. Brock, Simeon Cruthers, Stephen Owen | 22 Feb 1826 |
| Louisa Brown | (female child) Jesse Swanner, Martin Woolard | 23 May 1827 |
| Sarah Jones | Joseph Tripp, Robert Tripp, Jos. B. Hinton | 22 Feb 1825 |
| Nancy Long | Not named, Wiley Blount, William Knox | 16 Apr 1825 |
| Sophia Willis | John Cruthus, William O. Cain, Jacob Cole | 23 Mar 1825 |
| Zilphy Mory | (male child) Wilson Bawl, Jacob O. Morey | 26 Aug 1825 |
| Salley Nelson | Not named; Edmond Edwards, Thomas Arnold | 16 Apr 1825 |
| Charlotte Lee | Henry Peck, Lodowick Redditt, Alexr. Redditt | 23 Nov 1825 |
| Welthea Johnson | Not named; David Edwards, Allen Edwards | 16 Apr 1825 |
| Mary Hodge | Daniel Rawls, Hans/Hancel Hardison, John Whitacre | 20 Aug 1823 |
| Nancy David | John M. Harris, Richard Hollowell, Zach. Satterthite | 28 Feb 1824 |
| Frances Whitaker | Guion Williams, [no bondsmen] (female child) | 24 May 1830 |
| Nancey Jolly | John Whitacer, Jesse Deen, John Cherry | 17 Feb 1830 |
| Bathsa Waters | Eleazer Moore, James Moore, Isaac Heirs | 25 Aug 1830 |
| Elizabeth Alderson | Wilson Corprew, Richard Respess Jr., Joseph D. Satchwell | 16 Feb 1830 |
| Lewdy Braner | Jesse Swanner, Hs. Henderson, John Cherry | 22 Nov 1830 |
| Sally Potter | William Clark, David Watson, Elijah Mixon | 7 Mar 1821 |
| Ann Cox | Joseph Pearce, Michael Hill | 23 May 1821 |
| Fanny Windly | Wililam Harvey, George Corprew, Thomas Ormond | 12 Aug 1820 |
| Sophia Alderson | Timothy Kelly, Josiah C. Fowle, Welcome Hoell, Benjn. Selby, [a male child] | 23 Nov 1821 |
| Alice Humbles | Francis Gotier, Jno. S. Smallwood, Aron Gurganous | 6 Sep 1820 |
| Fanny Windly | William Harvey, Wm. Perkins, Saml. Smallwood [probably same accusation of 12 Aug 1820] | 6 Sep 1820 |
| Elizabeth Long | Saml. Ward, Wallace Nelson, Wm. Pilley | 9 Jun 1819 |
| Sally Edwards | John D. Barr, Thomas Worsley, Saml. Hawkins | 4 Mar 1818 |
| Louisa Edwards | Edmond Edwards, John D. Barr, Tho. Worsley | 4 Mar 1818 |
| Betsey Woolard | Thomas Woolard, James O.K. Williams, Alex Latham | 3 Sep 1817 |
| Deborah Jackson | Martin Stubbs, Thomas Wallis, Alderson E. Harvey | 4 Jun 1817 |
| Sally Latham | John Bryan, Samuel Chauncy Senr., Samuel Taylor | 3 Sep 1817 |
| Polly Messic | John Beasley, Robert Stuart, Ald. E. Harvey | 23 Aug 1826 |
| Patsey Messick | Robert Clark, Daniel Lewis, John W. Ireland [two children] | 20 May 1829 |
| Charity Rollins | Christopher R. Flinn, Henry W. Gaylord, Thos. B. Winfield [Evidently a male child] | 25 Aug 1829 |
| Winnifred Cherry | Not named; John Cherry Senr., Jarrad Cherry | 6 Jun 1828 |
| Sally Cherry | Jacob Richard Donn, denied being father, lost in county court and appealed to superior court [Child born 23 March last] | 27 May 1842 |
| Margaret Kipps | G. Whitehurst Hawkins, Alfred Lanier, James Eborn | 20 Feb 1823 |
| Jemima Corprew | Richard Gaylor, Jeremiah Gaylor, Richard Rispass | 20 Aug 1828 |
| Mary Susan Hodge | Samuel H. Daniels, [Female child] | 20 Dec 1849 |
| R. Eliza Beacham | J.R. Cherry [She may have refused to name the father as only she and Cherry signed the bond.] | 17 Dec 1849 |
| Lois Jackson | William S. Latham, John Latham, B.J. Parmerle, and E.P. Patterson | 17 Nov 1846 |
| Lousinda Jenkins | Henderson Harrison, Elvin Woolard, Dempsey H. Latham | 21 Dec 1847 |
| Penny Robinson | Wm. D. Singleton, J.R. Cherry, Hardy Stallings [Possibly female child] | 18 Nov 1845 |
| Margaret Gerrard | James G. Gaskins, Allen Ipock, John Harris [of Craven Co.] | 27 July 1848 |
| Sophia Moore | [warrant for Moore to appear to name the father] | 2 Oct 1856 |
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