The Reverend Joshua Kocherthal baptized John Vendrick in New York on 25 Aug 1710 (The Book of Names: Especially Relating to the Early Palatines and the First Settlers in the Mohawk Valley by Lou D. MacWethy, p. 23). He may have been born there or on the voyage. His...
(This article was originally published July 25, 2018. It was most recently updated January 27, 2025.) It's now worth investigating the possibility that Harriet Morris is a daughter of Thomas Morris of Beaufort County and granddaughter of Elisha Morris. While Laban...
My 5th great-grandfather, Jesse P. Vendrick, was probably born in Craven County circa 1760. The identities of his parents and the mother of his children are mysteries. Why? Because there were two Jesse Vendricks in this generation. I think. Thought? I don't...
The word "brother-in-law" is becoming the bane of my research. In earlier times, the term "in-law" had a broader scope than is now the case. Pretty much anyone related to you by marriage was an in-law. Therefore, a brother-in-law could be one in the modern...
I was reading through some court records yesterday, when I came across this entry dated 9 Dec 1799: Ordered that notice issue to Mary Gaskins to appear at the Next Term and show cause to why the nuncupative will of Joseph Gaskins decd. should not be Established....
On 26 Apr 1796, Richard Johnson of Craven County, wrote his will (Will Book B, pg. 13), making bequests to, among others, his three sisters. The Will In the Name of God Amen I Richard Johnson of Craven County in the State of North Carolina, being sick and weak in...
The following is a transcription of the will of Garrett Nelson of Beaufort County, dated 15 May 1856. I don't descend from Garrett (that I know of), but I have seen far more children attributed to him on Ancestry, although I suspect some of that is in error. ...
The following is a transcription of a deed conveying the land that was inherited by the children of James LEWIS to his widow, Nancy LEWIS. (Found in Beaufort County Deed Book 13, p. 303) The children are named as follows: Elisha LEWIS (married Alice BUCK; moved to...
For your convenience, here's a quick index in both order by surname and regular order (for SEO) with links to all of the Secretary of State Wills for Craven County that have been published by North Carolina Digital Collections. PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a complete...
Nearly five years ago I published a post for a will I had stumbled upon for a William S. MORRIS of New Bern in which he declares his wishes that his "negro woman Patty" and her "mulatto" children be freed and well-maintained after his death. The will was dated 1831...