In Black and White: Cross-Cultural Genealogy

"North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images,  FamilySearch  (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKJM-XLD : accessed 29 Aug 2013), William Carter, 1867; 32 Images. 1/32: Folder: Carter, William  1867 2/32: June 5, 1917: S.R. Street, Commissioned Notary Public, Craven County, NC 3/32: June 11, 1917: Oath of Notary Public/S.R. Street 4/32: S.R. Street Qualified June 11/1917 5/32: Application of Guardian, Guardian's Oath and Letters of Guardianship: Effie Carter Dove: June 1, 1917 6/32: Application Cover 7/32: 11 March 1867: On petition of Rachel G. Carter, widow of Wm Carter, One Year Provisions 8/32: Writ to lay off year's provisions: $265 9/32: Petition "to have her year's support out of the estate of her said husband [William Carter]...to set apart to her so much of the crop, stock, and provisions, belonging thereto, as may be adequate to support herself and her family for one year". March Term, 1867. 10/32: Petition Cov...

When browsing documents in an estate file, you would think that all the records contained in that file would belong to the estate of the person recorded on the file's name. While looking at documents for the estate of my husband's 2nd great grand uncle, William Carter, I was surprised to find that the first five documents actually had nothing to do with his estate. Or was there some connection less obvious? "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979,"  index and images,  FamilySearch   (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKJM-XLD :  accessed 29 Aug 2013),  William Carter, 1867; Image 5/32. To the right is the main document in question. It is an application of Guardianship made by Effie Carter Dove on behalf of James Harrington Carter, Lena Stanley Carter and Willie Benjamin Carter, dated 1 June 1917. How does a document drawn up fifty years after the deceased's file is closed end up within that file? Let's start by taking a look at the relations...

A Carter by any other name... This morning I pulled a manila envelope from the cubby in my desk, remembering that I had copies of the will of George Carter which I had received more than a year ago. I pulled out several documents which I had sorted and stored in sheet protectors. There they were: George Carter (1820), George Godett (1803), and copies of photos of the Old Newbern Courthouse at the intersection of Broad and Middle Streets, following the fire of January 15, 1861. The enclosed letter from Victor T. Jones, Jr., Special Collections Librarian at the Kellenberger Room , New Bern-Craven County Public Library, stated that the original packet had also included the will of Isaac Perkins and a number of apprenticeship indentures, which were filed previously in their respective binders. Will the correct George please stand out... I was excited to see George Carter's will (1755-1820) as he is the next person I am working on for my BCG narrative genealogy. 1820. As I began t...

If you're currently working toward your Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) portfolio as I am, or on any large project, you probably realize how quickly time escapes us! I started "on the clock" on May 30th, and already, the first quarter nears its end! Time to make a plan... So far, I seem to have gotten stuck on working with an estate file which proved the relationship of a group of ancestors. Working with land divisions is interesting... but there's so much more to accomplish! No time to let details and tangents hold me back! I think I need to go back to the requirements page (there are seven parts to a completed portfolio), and make an outline with some established goals for completion. First things first... While there is an excellent section of FAQs provided by BCG for the research portfolio requirement, and also a very helpful Six-Month Cycle Timeline provided on the website, I have decided that for myself, I need to work on the kinship...

"North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images,  FamilySearch  (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKJM-FYZ : accessed 13 Aug 2013), Isaac Dove, 1826. Sometimes when studying land divisions, the numbers just don't add up.... Image 3/45: Detail The initial petition requesting division of the lands belonging to Isaac Dove's heirs considered two lots, consisting of a total of 234 acres . The verdict was that the lands on the east would go to Isaac Dove heirs, and the lands on the west would go to Anthony Brown or William and Jacob Dove. Lot No. 1 (117 acres) belonged to Isaac Dove's heirs, and Lot No. 2 (117 acres) belonged to Anthony Brown or William and Jacob Dove. Below is the plat of the further division of the lands. At this point, there are 5 Lots, totaling 250 acres: No. 1 (67 acres), No. 2 (67 acres), No. 3 (67 acres), No. 4 (68 acres), No. 5 (67 acres); and, an adjacent lot consisting of 150 acres belonging to Jacob & William...

My first job after college was that of an office manager temp. at a molded plastics plant in Erie, Pennsylvania. In addition to my regular duties of recording bills of lading, accounts payable and receivable, and calculating payroll, I was given a project that was supposed to take me the whole of three months to complete. My task was that of organizing their paper filing system. Three months? I had it completed within a week and a half! After all, one of my college summer jobs had been to devise a cross-referenced filing system for our neighbor, then a professor (now a Dean) at the prestigious Smith College Graduate School for Social Work. Compared to that, this assignment had been a piece of cake. So...how does that translate to working with estate files some thirty years later? It starts with the transcription of the following cover sheet, Image 6/45: Image 6/45 "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images,  FamilySearch   (https://familysea...

Summons: ....14 November 1825 "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images,  FamilySearch   (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKJM-FYZ :  accessed 08 Aug 2013), Isaac Dove, 1826. Image 5/45 [As you can see here, the Summons referred to in the transcription of Image 3/45 was attached to the description and plat.] STATE OF NORTH-CAROLINA. To the Sheriff of Craven County, GREETING: YOU are hereby commanded to summon Hardy L. Jones, James T. Jones Esquire, Gideon Jones, Joseph Davis & Benjamin Borden ------------- to me at such place and at some time before the next Court, to be held for your County, on the second Monday of February next, as to [scratched out] you shall seem fit, then and there to make partition of that part of the lands (which were formerly held in common between Isaac Dove and Anthony Brown) which belongs to the heirs of Isaac Dove and are situated in Craven County on the east side of Spring Branch. ---------------- ---...

Image 2/45 Partition of the Land of Dove & Brown Plat and Description 4 February 1826 Image 3/45 "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images,  FamilySearch   (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKJM-FYZ : accessed 08 Aug 2013), Isaac Dove, 1826. [NOTE: Scale: 100 poles to the inch] [plat] Image 4/45 In obedience to the Annexed order we the undersigned commissioners have made partition of the Lands heretofore held in common between Isaac Dove & Anthony Brown we find two Hundred and thirty four acres which we divide Equally No. 1 drawn by Isaac Dove's heirs Borders at the patent corner pine and runing (sic)  So 9 E213 poles to a Stake thence No 73 We 218 pole and thence to the Beginning Counting one Hundred and seventeen acres No 2 by Anthony Brown or William and Jacob Dove Begins at a poplar the corner of the patent and runing (sic) thence No 54 E 90 poles to the corner of No. 1 thence along the line So 73 E 218 pol...

Last time we looked at this particular file, we were looking for relationship connections .  Petition made by "George Carter & others" provided us with the names of Isaac Dove's (FPOC) children and their spouses: George Carter and his wife, Susannah/Susan/Sukey (Dove), Gambo Fenner and his wife, Deborah/Debby (Dove), Stephen Gaudett/Godette and his wife, Mary (Dove), William Dove and his wife Rebecca (Godette), Jacob Dove. On this occasion, we'll be looking at the land division for two tracts of land: the first being on Cahooque Creek, the second along Clubfoot Creek. To complicate matters, the petitions and court records do not appear to be assembled within the file in chronological order. So, the first task will be to put the images into order by date. "North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979," index and images,  FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKJM-FYZ : accessed 05 Aug 2013), Isaac Dove, 1826. Index of documents ...

In all, there are forty-five images in the Estate File of Isaac Dove (1826). Each page contains clues to various aspects of his life and his relationships... one hundred eighty-seven years ago . This particular series of images is a petition of William Dove and the Heirs of Isaac Dove to the Craven County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Without printing the images, I find it easier to keep the image available in another window, enlarged enough to see the detailed elements of penmanship, in a tab directly next to your work station tab. There are a few portions of the document which I have been unable to decipher. Those portions are contained within brackets. Image 24/45 STATE OF NORTH-CAROLINA. TO William Dove             Greeting: For certain causes offered before the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, for the County of  Craven ; We Command and enjoin you, the said William Dove that laying all other matters aside, and notwithstandi...

FamilySearch The other day I had a Facebook exchange with a fellow genealogist regarding the valuable resource of FamilySearch.org. This researcher was looking for estate records for South Carolina, and since my husband's maternal line descends from Horry County, I continued to tell her about the records on FamilySearch.org, until I rediscovered why I had chosen to work on my husband's paternal line from North Carolina: not all states' records are represented equally on the site, by far!  Browsing records by location In case you've never searched using the "browse the records" method, here is the process: After signing in and clicking on the "Search" option, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the country file you would like to explore. For this purpose, I'll be clicking on "United States." On the left side of the screen you will find a listing of states to select from. I'll be clicking on "South Ca...