The Estate File of Isaac Dove (1826), Craven County, North Carolina

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 notwithstanding any excuse, you personally appear before the Worshipful, the Justices of our said Court, at the Court to be held for the County of Craven, at the Court-house at Newbern, on the second Monday of November next, to answer concerning those things which shall be then and there objected to you, in and by the petition of George Carter & others (a copy of which said petition is hereto annexed) and further to do and receive what our said Court shall consider in this behalf, and this you shall no wise omit, as in case of your failing to appear, the said petition will be taken pro confesso and heard accordingly.
Witness, JAMES G. STANLY, Clerk of our said Court, at Newbern, the second Monday of August in the 49th Year of our Independence, A.D. 1824.
J.S. Stanly [signature]

[NOTE: The top page is stapled to the petition, thereby hiding the words in the top left corner of the document.]

Image 25/45

[To the] Worshipful the Justices of Craven County
[hidden] The Petition of George Carter & Sukey his wife,
[Steph]en Gaudet and Mary his wife, Gambo Fenno (sic) &
[De]borah his wife humbly sheweth that I [save]
[   ]ave late of Craven County, and one Anthony
Brown also of said County were seized in fee as tenants in common, in equal interest, of two tracts of land in Craven County which were conveyed to them by deed from Benners Vail on the 6th day of January 1803, one piece situate on the east side of Cahooky Creek, begins at a large Poplar & runs N. 59 E. 127 poles to a small pine, No. 36 Wt. 128 poles to Handcock's line callest the Cooper land, then So. 59 West 127 poles to the Creek, then with the same to the beginning containing 100 acres. The other piece begins at a pine in Handcock's line & runs So. 70 E. 240 poles to a pine, then No. 85 1/2 Wt. 278 poles [  ] a white oak on Cahooky Creek, then down the [  ]un of the branch, then to the first station estimated [ ]o contain 200 acres. The said Isaac Dove died
[ ]n the year             intestate, and his undivided half [ ]f said two tracts descended to his children theirs [ ]t law vis your petitioners Sukey, Mary & Deborah. & to Jacob Dove & William Dove [ ]hence became seized in fee, as tenants in common [ ]ach of one fifth part of the one undivided half part of said lands. Your petitioners further shew, that Anthony Brown has as they are informed conveyed some part of said lands, to the said Jacob Dove & William Dove, but no division having ever been made, the said Jacob & William hold on the said Brown [lets(?)] the same undivided & in common your Petitioners desire that Partition of said lands should be made & their respective shares thereof be assigned them in severalty. We pray that commissioners may be [a]ppointed for that purpose and that the said [A]nthony Brown, and the said Jacob Dove & William Dove may be summoned to shew cause, if any they have, wherefor the prayer of

Image 26/45

your Petitioners should not be granted. And they will ever pray. JS Stanly [      ]
for Petitioners

Made known by
[              ] the [            ] to
Wm  Dove ----------
J C. [           ]
by ---- A.W. Seabrook [   ]






The next step...Benners Vail
It might prove helpful to inquire a the Craven County Register of Deeds for a copy of the deed mentioned within these pages. I had never heard of a man named Benners Vail before, so I decided to look him up on Ancestry.com. He appears in to 1800 U.S. Federal Census as a white man, between the ages of 16 and 26, living in Craven County, the owner of 38 slaves.

It appears that he was married to Frances Mary Nash in 1802, and then to Elizabeth Lente in 1804.

Contributed to FindAGrave
by Blount Researcher
(inactive since Nov. 2011)

The daughter of Benners and Elizabeth Vail was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern, North Carolina. It would be wonderful to get a full transcription of this amazing burial stone. The only portion the contributor gave was Sarah Benners Vail: Born December 5, 1812; Died September 17, 1826. In the 14th year of her age, daughter of Benners and Elizabeth Vail.

Estate File of Benners Vail (1816): Land Holdings
The online holdings of the Craven County Public Library provide no records for Benners Vail. However, I was able to locate his estate file at FamilySearch.org. The file dated (1816) contains 123 images. According to these records, his heir was his daughter, Sarah B. Vail. It is interesting to see that he had purchased 50 acres from George Perkins, 400 acres from William George, 100 acres from Peter Physioc, 100 acres from Samuel Cook, 193 acres from Chris Neal, 200 acres from Stephen Mahaws (?), 120 acres from Jas. Reed, two tracts containing 196 acres from John Benners, 80 acres from Jas. Bell, "together with five hundred acres lying on a creek known by the name of Cahooky, also the mills and other improvements lying on Long Creek--containing in all--one thousand one hundred and thirty-nine acres be the same more or less. We also allot to Sarah B. Vail the following property lying in the town of Newbern viz: Lott No. four hundred at the corner of East Front St. and Change St. (80 by100).

Image 10/123 outlines his complete holdings:
1393 acres on Long Creek = Saw & Grist Mill & other buildings
1832 acres on Clubfoot Creek = dwelling houses
720 acres on Cahooky Creek
500 acres on Handcocks' Creek
360 acres on Bogue Banks in Carteret County
3 acres in Dry Borough in Craven County
Also, 4 lots in Newbern: Part of Lot 410, Part of Lot 414, Part of Lot No. One on Front Street, and part of Lot No. 2 on Broad Street.

It appears that his widow, Eliza (Lente) Vail and Michael Lente, petitioned the court against the inheritance of Sarah Frances Benners Vail in March 1816. The sale of Vail's personal property spanned a six-page inventory, amounting to a total of $3220.50.

Slaves of Benners Vail

Image 23/123

I am including the following with the hope that it might assist any researchers of the slaves descending from the Benners Vail Estate. Image 23/123 is entitled, "Valuation of Negroes, belonging to the Estate of Benners Vail Esquire died made thy 31st day of December 1817,"  records the name, age and trade of each slave, a total valuation of $17300. A number of the slaves were granted to his widow, Mrs. Eliza Vail, and valued at $5750. The remaining slaves were to be "divided" by the rest of the Heirs, and payment made to her for them.

Image 24/123

Benner's daughter,Sarah, was only four years old when she came into her inheritance; and, ten years later, she too died.

Contributed to FindAGrave by Bernd Doss, May 12, 2008,
Memorial #26777013

The 1850 Census, the last time her mother, Eliza Vail, was enumerated (at age 66), records that she had been born in New York. Also living in her household is Dr. Jas. B. Emery and family. Apparently, she never remarried. On August 28, 1850, twenty-nine slaves of the original thirty-seven remained on her estate.

Eliza Vail died at the age of 71 on November 12, 1853.

The Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter: Documents #20 & #21

Before we get started today, I just want to let you know that I have updated the Civil War Pension File page on the blog. Here I have each post listed by three criteria: the document number, the type of document (claim, affidavit, correspondence, or analysis), and the person responding.

I hope you'll take a look and follow the links to previous posts related to the Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter.

The next document I'm sharing is abstracted below, based on salient information that can be used for writing a character description in the family history memoir. It is interesting to see how Isaac's disability was broken down into fractions.

Take a look...

Document #20 in the Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter is a medical report and Surgeon's Certificate for a physical examination performed on March 23, 1892 in Beaufort, Carteret, North Carolina, by J. B. Davis, U.S. Ex'g Surg.

From this document we find that Isaac, at the age of 51, stood five feet eleven inches and weighed 162 pounds. There are other details relating to his specific claims of disability; specifically, the surgeon concluded that

He is, in my opinion, entitled to a 6/18 rating for the disability caused by Dyspepsia, 4/18 for that caused by Disease of lung, and 8/18 for that caused by --Rheumatism. 

So, in all, the physician rated Isaac Carter as 18/18, or 100% disabled.

Document #21: An Affidavit sworn by Theophilus George.

A question concerning dates of birth: Isaac's brother-in-law had already given testimony in an affidavit sworn on 3 June 1890. This document is dated 10 May 1892. He was aged 40 years in the first document, and reported as 41 years here. According to his death certificate, it had been reported that his date of birth was 10 July 1850. The informant was his brother-in-law, Oscar Frazier. The evidence resulting from comparing sworn testimony in these affidavits, however, makes it appear that perhaps Theophilus George was born between May 10th - June 3rd. Otherwise, he would have given testimony of his age being 42 years. 

Affidavit #2 of Theophilus George
NOTE: The following is an exact transcription. All spellings and marks of punctuation are as they appear on the original document.

State of North Carolina )
County of Craven          )
In the matter of Original Invalid
Pension Claim No 662812 of Isaac
Carter Late a Sergeant of Co G 14 Regt
USCH Arty
On this 10th day of May A.D. 1892
Personally appeared before me a
Notary Public for and within the County
& state afore said Mr. Theophilus George age
41 years Resident of Harlow N.C. well
known to be reputable and entitl to
credit who being duly sworn
according to Law declares as follows
I have been acquainted with Isaac 
Carter all my life and he always was a
well & a harty man & when he enlisted
in the U.S. Army he was a well man
I Never heard him complain of any
thing, not until he was Discharge &
com home, which was on or about
December 1865 I Saw him Very soon
after he com home to Harlow Creek
N.C. & he was complaining, not well
& he was complaining of Rheumatism
& Diarrhea & Piles of which he has
continued to grow worse & worse
each year


I have known him to be down
about 2/3 of his time and he is not
able to Do any Manual Labor
and at times he is helpless I also
Remember that on or about fall of
1891 Isaac Carter while off 
Trying to work one of those attack
com on him & he fell & was Brought
home & We all in the Neghborhood
Was expecting his death and he has
continued to grow worse with the 
Diarrhea & Piles & Rheumatism
and has Severe attacks often I
see him at time weekly & som
times Evry other week and he is
Now more then 2/3 Two Thirds disable
and he suffers for Necessaries of &
for medical and By reason he is
not able to Do any thing in the way
of any Manual Labor he is in
a destitute condition and needs 
some assistance

I am no Relation to the claimant
& I have no interest in the claim
My PO is Harlowe N.C.
Witness           )    Theophilus George
EWCarpenter ) 
JP. Godett      )

sworn & subscribed to before
me this 10th day of May/92
& I certify that the foregoing
was read to affiant before
he signed same & that he
is the identical person he 
claims to be & in credible &
worthy of belief
                            EWCarpenter
                            Notary Public



Analysis
One thing that stood out to me was that his brother-in-law stated that "Very soon after [December 1865] after he com home to Harlow Creek, N.C...."

Craven County Recreation & Parks, Paddle Trip #24--Harlowe Canal
SR 1391 Bridge to Siddie Fields Recreation Area

Inland water-way between Beaufort and New Bern, N.C. (1891)
Repository: Outer Banks History Center

As you can see from the map above, Harlowe is across the county line, situated in Carteret County. Also, Harlowe Creek is located at the end of the Clubfoot Creek and Harlowe Creek Canal, as depicted in the map to the right.

This will take some additional work with plotting the locations of property found in the family land deeds, and requires enlisting the assistance of family members who live in that area who have knowledge of the family history.

In Search of Frances M. Bell: second wife of the Presiding Elder, the Rev. Jacob S. Bell

In search of Jacob S. Bell's second wife, I decided to take what information I had and try to work around it.

"Frances M." was born abt. 1877 in North Carolina. She had been married previously at the age of 30, abt. 1900. So I searched the 1900 Census for Carteret County for a woman named Frances, b. abt. 1877. There were eighteen results.

The closest match was a 22-year-old, single, black woman named Frances Wilson, born April 1878, and residing in Beaufort, Carteret, NC on June 21st. She was the mother of four children, ranging in ages from 8 to 3/12. There was no male head of house recorded. I then decided to search for a Frances Wilson in 1910. On April 20, 1910, Frances Wilson, age 37 and still single, resided with her nine children in Beaufort. In 1920, she is still recorded as single, and living in Beaufort with five children. In 1930, I was unable to find a Frances Wilson who fit our description; so, I began searching for her children: Levi, William and Alexander, the oldest living in her household in 1920. However, a search for Alex Wilson in 1930 led me to an enumeration for Francis Wilson, his mother, and his brother Steve and sister Minzette.

Although this search proved unfruitful in that it led me to yet another brick wall, at least I have been able to discern that this was NOT Jacob S. Bell's second wife, and that there must be a "Frances M." out there, somewhere. . . .

My next guess would be that perhaps she did not come from Carteret County. . . .

The Parentage of Presiding Elder, the Rev. Jacob S. Bell

Rev. Jacob S. Bell's death certificate had recorded his parents' names as Ander Bell* and Orlas Fisher*. The informant had been his second wife, Frances M. Bell. Unable to locate any records for an Ander Bell nor Orlas Fisher, I tried other avenues. . . .

In order to prove the parentage of Jacob S. Bell, I searched the 1880 Census for Jacob Bell. I located him (20) in the household of C. F. James (35), a farmer in Morehead, Carteret, NC. Also living in household was Frank Pigott (25), a servant. They were all single black men.

In 1870 I found him (10) in the household of Violet Bell (40). His siblings were George W. (17), Hubard (14), Charles (8), and James (4). I could find no record of marriage for Violet; however, when looking for information on Jacob's siblings, I located the Freedman's Bank Records for his brother, George Washington Bell.

Ancestry.com.
Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871.

The record list George Washington's family as:
Father: Charles Bell
Mother: Violet Bell
Brothers and Sisters: Hubbard, Jacob and Charles
According to the record, George Washington Bell was born in Hull Swamp, Carteret County, NC, and was employed as a laborer for the railroad.

Since I could find no record of a household for Charles Bell in 1860, I believe that his family were enslaved at that time; so, I began looking for clues for white Bell families in Carteret County who owned slaves.

There were 190 Bells in Carteret County in 1860. . . so I decided to go directly to the 1860 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules. There were 178 slaves held by Bell families in Carteret County that year. Slaves were indexed first by descending ages. Five were recorded as one year old. The enumeration took place in June 1, 1860 and Jacob was born on April 2nd. He would be 2 months old.

Jaby W. Bell owned two slaves age one, but they were both females.
Josiah F. Bell owned one slave age one. . . also a female.
M. R. Bell also owned one female slave age one.

That leaves only one, a slave owned by W. B. Bell, a male age 1. The household was enumerated on the 26th day of June, 1860. He owned a total of 15 slaves. If Jacob's mother, Violet, were living in this household, she would be 30 years old. The female slaves in this household were ages 41 (2), 22 and 14.

Supposing that Jacob was not enumerated because he was less than one year old, I decided to look for his mother in another household as a female slave, age 30. Only three existed in the county, found in the following households: Rufus Bell, W. F. Bell, and Polly Bell Minn. Since I could not find the marriage bond for Charles Bell and Violet, and because death certificates were not issued prior to 1914, I am unable to locate a record for Charles based on age, since he is presumed dead before 1870.

In the 1870 Census the household of Jane Bell (w) was enumerated immediately following Violet's.
In the 1900 Census there were two white Bell households next to Jacob & Annie's:

William S. Bell, Sr. (71): Harriet (sister, 69), Charlotte (sister, 67), and

Thomas C. Bell (41): Lena (wife).

Perhaps an enumeration for these Bells existed in 1860. It turned out that W.S. Bell was a farm inspector in the household of Hannah Oglesby, and lived there with his wife Louisa and son Thomas, and owned real estate valued at $200 and personal property valued at $200.

In 1850, William Bell was found in his father's household along with his sisters, Harriet and Charlotte. Amariah Bell (34) lived with his wife, Ann (41), and their seven children: Nelson (23), William (21), Eliza (20), Harriette (17), Charlotte (15), Naomi (5), and Mary H. (0); and presumably his mother, Ann Bell (57).
However, Amariah Bell did NOT own slaves.

Perhaps I may never discover who the white masters of Charles and Violet Bell and their children were. . . .

Ministers & Preachers of Township 5: 1930: Presiding Elder Jacob S. Bell

Photos by: Mojo Warren

Courtesy of Find A Grave
Bayview Cemetery,
Morehead City, NC

It has taken some time to gather the supporting evidence for Jacob Shepard Bell, whom I first discovered through the 1920 U.S. Federal Census for Township 5, Craven, North Carolina. I was aware of the BELL connection to our CARTER and GEORGE family lines, and had heard the name before, but never realized that he had attained the influence he must have carried. I am certain that more relevant information regarding this man of God is out there, yet untapped. I will continue with my search, but feel it is time to present that which I have gathered to date.

1910: Township 5, Craven, NC;
Roll: T624_1104; Pages 5B, 6A;
Enumeration District: 0018; Images 786, 787;
FHL Number: 1375117.

 On April 21, 1910, Jacob S. Bell was enumerated as the head of a household of eleven residing on Mitchell's Creek. He was recorded as a black man, age 51, married for 28 years to Annie. Together they had 14 children, but in 1910, only 13 survived. Their marriage was recorded in the Carteret County Register of Deeds in Book 1882: Page 4: Jacob S. Bell (22) md. Ann Wallace (19) on 11 May 1882 in Morehead, NC. His occupation in 1910 was Clergyman/Teacher.

Progressing to the 1920 Census, I had anticipated finding Jacob S. Bell as a minister in the same location, perhaps a minister at Piney Grove AME Zion, the family church of the Carters and Georges, located on Temple's Point Road. By 1920, however, his family had relocated to Beaufort, Carteret, NC, which would possibly place him as a minister at Purvis Chapel, where the descendants of Peter James Hyman attend services.

On January 21, 1920 Jacob S. Bell was enumerated as a mulatto male, age 60, who owned a mortgaged house on Broad Street, Beaufort, NC. . . a preacher. His household consisted of himself, his wife Annie, and ten children: 3 daughters and 7 sons.

Ann (Wallace) Bell

Born: 1868 in Wildwood, NC

Father: Hasty Wallace.

Mother: Hanah Ward.

Informant: J.H. Bell (sic)

Died: February 25, 1923 at 2:55 a.m. in Morehead City, Carteret, NC of a cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertension at age 55.

In 1930 Jacob S. Bell was found in Morehead City, which is located 18.6 miles south of Township 5 (North Harlowe) along Highway 101, 3.89 miles west of Beaufort. By this time, his first wife Ann had died, and he was remarried to Frances M., a 53-year-old negro woman, residing on North 12th Street. His age at first marriage was recorded as 21 (to Ann Wallace), and hers as 30 (md. 1900 to ?). I was unable to locate any marriage record for them in Carteret County, nor was I able to find her death certificate nor burial record at Find A Grave.

There, in 1930, the then 71-year-old owned a home worth $2000, and his occupation was enumerated as Presiding Elder, Methodist Church. None of his children were present in the household at that time.

The following is a composite of his household from 1900-1930:
Jacob S. and Ann (Wallace) Bell: CH:

1. Crisous "CAC", (son) b.  Feb. 1883 in Wildwood, NC; d. Nov 24, 1915 in Morehead City, NC of Tuburculosis.
2. Daisy V[iolet?], (dau.) b. Aug. 1884;
3. Philip, (son) b. May 1889;
4. Jesse H., (son) b. June 1890;
5. Ervin H., (son) b. abt. 1890;
6. James F., (son) b. Sept 22, 1891 in Wildwood, NC; d. Nov 8, 1948 in New Bern, NC of cerebral hemorrhage. 
7. Sarah H., (dau.) b. Jan 1893;
8. Fannie A., (dau.) b. Oct. 1894;
9. Iredell H., (son/dau.) b. July 1896;
10. Carl, (son) b. May 1899 in Wildwood, NC; d. April 13, 1921 in Morehead City, NC of Tuberculosis.
11. Theodore R., (son) b. Sept 20, 1900 in Wildwood, NC;
12. Charley Malachy, (son) b. abt. 1904;
13. Jacob H., (son) b. abt. 1906;
14. John S., (son) b. abt. Nov. 1909.

In 1900, 9 children had been born to Jacob & Annie, with 9 children surviving. 

In 1910 it was recorded that they had 14 children, but only 13 surviving. So, between 1900 and 1910, one child died; and, since additional vital records have not been located, it narrows down to either Daisy, Philip, Jesse or Fannie.

Rev. Jacob Shepard Bell
Born: April 2, 1860
Father: Ander Bell*, b. Wildwood, NC
Mother: Orlas Fisher*, b. Wildwood, NC
Informant: F. M. Bell
Died: August 3, 1932 in Morehead City, Carteret, NC

A Follow-up on Sylvester Brown Gaskill: Bastardy Bonds

Following my last post, Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1900, a cousin asked about the disclaimer at the bottom of the page concerning a message board post RE: black Gaskills and Amanda Gaskill's bastardy bond for the birth of Sylvester (July 1829).

Desiring to know how a person could conclude paternity from a bastardy bond, without the full transcription of the case (which this descendant claimed to possess), I searched for additional information on North Carolina bastardy bonds. In the book of transcriptions written by Betty & Edwin Camin they explain:

The "Bastardy Bonds" of North Carolina contains bonds posted because of the birth or impending birth of a bastard child. These bonds were intended to protect the county or parish from the expense of raising the child. When the pregnancy of a woman or birth of a child was brought to the attention of the court, a warrant was issued and the woman brought into Court. She was examined under oath and asked to declare the name of the child's father. The 'reputed' father was then served a warrant and required to post bond. If the woman refused to name, the father, she, her father or some other interested party would post the bond. In some cases, the mother and reputed father together posted the bond. If the woman refused to post bond or declare the father, she was often sent to jail. The records are indexed by county and complimented by a full-name index at the back of book for easy references. 

In light of the above information, Amanda Gaskill's specifics were transcribed as:

Carteret County:
Amanda Gaskill     July 1829   Bondsman: John N. Hamilton, Bondsman: John H. Styron, Bondsman: James Nelson.

It is possible that she named one of these men . . . the first bondsman listed, as the father of her child; but, it is also possible that these men got together to pay her bond because they had some other interest in the case. Without the full transcription of the case, it is impossible to know for sure.
For more about Betty Camin, see her home page.

My curiosity has led me to request a copy of the bastardy bond and a transcript of the case, if available, from the North Carolina State Archives. I'll keep you posted . . . .

Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1870 - 1880: Sylvester Brown Gaskill

In 1870 there were still no black ministers in the post-Emancipation churches of Township 5, Craven County, NC. That is not to say that there were no sermons delivered by black exhorters or preachers, but the occupations of the majority of men in the township were related to an agrarian society.

In 1870, James Walker Hood was living with his wife and three children in Raleigh, NC.

By 1880, however, one black preacher 

emerges in Township 5: 

Sylvester Brown Gaskill. 

1880: Township 5, Craven, NC:
Roll: 959; FHF: 1254959; Page 190B;
Enumeration District 37; Image: 0548.

In 1900 he was enumerated as a Minister in Township 5. By 1910 he was deceased, his family had moved to Beaufort (Carteret County), and his name sake -- the son of David E. and Lessie (Davis) Gaskill -- was born (about January 1910).

One interesting note: after the 1860 Census, no more white Methodist Episcopal Ministers nor Free Baptist Ministers were enumerated in Township 5.

Follow Friday--Several new blogs I'll be keeping an eye on

What is it that catches your eye, or sparks your interest when looking for new blogs to follow? For me there are several elements I search for:

• an interesting and clearly readable layout,
• a common interest connection,
• creative storytelling,
• shared documents and photos,
• and regularity in posting.

This week I took a look at sites posted on the GeneaBlogger Blog List and found four new or new-to-me blogs that caught my attention.

On the listing for new blogs in June, I found How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey. Immediately, I found a Craven and Carteret County, NC connection. The author's posting series, Dave Sampson A True Riverdale Character, made good use of newspaper clippings from the New Bernian, and had received help from my good research friend, Victor T. Jones Jr. at the Kellenberger Room, of the New Bern-Craven County Public Library.

Another blog on that listing for June was Southern Tier Cemeteries. This blogger connects me to my paternal roots in Southern Tier New York State...where the NEWTON family settled on their western migration from central Massachusetts.

GeneaBlogger also lists blogs by category. I found Beaufort, NC--The Town and Why It's Unique on the North Carolina list. Her post on the Garbacon Plantation grabbed my attention as author David Cecelski had told me about this plantation when I was researching the origins of the BECTON family in Craven, Carteret, Jones and Lenoir Counties, NC. We still have cousins living in Beaufort, and I look forward to reading more about the area's history.

Conversations With My Ancestors, written by the author of Georgia Black Crackers, was also found in the North Carolina listings at GeneaBlogger. I enjoy Mavis' style of uncovering and disclosing information, using documents and lists to illustrate her discoveries.

I hope you'll stop by for a visit to these blogs. I think you'll find them interesting as well.