Deeds, Grants and Patents
Pitt County to Tennessee: Hidden Gem of a Rare Revolutionary War Land Bond in Loose Court Papers
I have thoroughly enjoyed poring over the pages in the the only surviving folder from the colonial and early statehood…
Zeroing in on the right David Averitt (d. 1828)
Over the years, I've published several posts about items as I found them in the search for more information about…
Abraham Kornegay (Jones County) to James Cremer (Beaufort County), 1787
This is another item I found using the Full Text Search at FamilySearch. I normally wouldn't be searching deeds for…
Elisha Morris to Levi Nelson, 1798 (Beaufort County, NC) then transferred to John Williams
I found this deed using FamilySearch's new AI Full-Text Search tool. I was searching for "Elisha Morris" and I set…
Mapping Craven County with Edwin Averette – How to map your ancestors deeds and grants, and why you should!
Have you ever wondered where your ancestors lived? Delving into historical land deeds can unlock a wealth of information about…
John Vendrick, his wife, and his mother
About a week ago, I was poking around in Currituck County land records. I don't even remember why. While skimming…
An Odd Turn of Phrase
Samuel Lawson received a deed of gift from his stepfather, John James, 25 May 1770. In the deed, Mr. James…
The Family of Boaz Squires
Boaz Squires is a rather enigmatic figure. Appropriate, wouldn't you say, for a man legend says was a wizard? Local…
William Bright of Craven: There Were Two
There were, demonstrably, two William Brights living within, what was then, Craven County during the mid 1700s. Look at the…
Family Tree Fact Check: Miranda Ross Gaskins
While Ancestry is notorious for spreading false information, you should also be wary of Find-a-Grave (link to her page). Remember,…
The Brother-in-Law Conundrum
The word "brother-in-law" is becoming the bane of my research. In earlier times, the term "in-law" had a broader scope…
Duplin County Register of Deeds Land Grant Maps
A really cool feature of the Duplin County Register of Deeds site, duplinrod.com, is the land grant map. How many…