Wills & Estate Records

The Muddle that is John Vendrick, Sr.
The Reverend Joshua Kocherthal baptized John Vendrick in New York on 25 Aug 1710 (The Book of Names: Especially Relating…
Who is Harriet Morris of Beaufort County, NC?
(This article was originally published July 25, 2018. It was most recently updated January 27, 2025.) It's now worth investigating the…
Brick Walls: Jesse P. Vendrick, Sr.
My 5th great-grandfather, Jesse P. Vendrick, was probably born in Craven County circa 1760. The identities of his parents and…
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…
Joseph Gaskins and Mary Coleman?
I was reading through some court records yesterday, when I came across this entry dated 9 Dec 1799: Ordered that…
Which Gatlin married Mary Johnson, sister of Richard, Elizabeth & Esther?
On 26 Apr 1796, Richard Johnson of Craven County, wrote his will (Will Book B, pg. 13), making bequests to,…
Will of Garrett Nelson (Beaufort County), 1856
The following is a transcription of the will of Garrett Nelson of Beaufort County, dated 15 May 1856. I don't…
Deed naming the children of James Lewis of Beaufort County, 1824
The following is a transcription of a deed conveying the land that was inherited by the children of James LEWIS…
Secretary of State Wills – Craven County (Quick index with direct links to NCDCR)
For your convenience, here's a quick index in both order by surname and regular order (for SEO) with links to…
Update on the William S. Morris family of New Bern
Nearly five years ago I published a post for a will I had stumbled upon for a William S. MORRIS…
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…
The John Holmes – George Fisher Connection
Was John HOLMES of Beaufort County the son of George FISHER of Craven County? If not, what was their relationship?…