Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Book Report: The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663 - 1943; A NGS Conference Purchase

During the recent NGS conference in Raleigh I purchased several books to further my genealogical research. Most of those books were recommended by the speakers during the sessions I attended. The speakers mentioned the books in their talks or listed them in their syllabus or both. I uncovered others during my Exhibit Hall visits. I plan to closely analyze these books over time but here is a general idea of the contents of one of those books [more to come.]

Both David M. McCorkle and Jeffrey L.Haines listed this as an important book in their syllabus for their sessions at the NGS conference. If you have done any NC research you know that those county boundaries were fluid rather than stable.


The Formation of the North Carolina Counties
1663 - 1943
Raleigh: North Carolina Division of archives & History (1987)

North Carolina has had one hundred and sixteen precincts or counties. Seven were ceded to the Federal government in 1790 and this territory later became the state of Tennessee, and eight were divided, abolished, or their names were changed. This work gives the dates of the formation of these precincts or counties, the precincts or counties from which they were formed, descriptions taken from acts creating them or changing their boundary lines, and surveyors’ descriptions of boundary lines when they were available.        
                                                                                                         David Leroy Corbitt




As soon as I heard about this book I knew I had to find a copy in the Exhibit Hall. When I browsed through it I saw the list of counties, the details for each and the maps and I decided I wanted a copy.

Once home again I began using my new knowledge of land transactions and the new books I bought at the conference to expand my knowledge of Lodwick Alford, c 1707 – cc 1800, my 5th great grand uncle. He made multiple land transactions in North Carolina. The earliest transaction I have for him is Nov 1740 in Edgecombe Co., NC. When Granville was formed from Edgecombe the land entries, warrants, etc. began there. In 1764 Bute County was formed from Granville. Naturally, I uncovered Lodwick Alford purchasing land in that county. Every few years Lodwick was buying or selling his acres.

The last transaction I could find was 1778 in Bute, although Lodwick lived for several years beyond that date. It did not seem to be in character for him to stop these deals. So I took out Mr. Corbitt’s book and discovered that Bute County was named after the Earl of Bute who was very unpopular with Americans and so the county was abolished. It became the counties of Warren and Franklin. I turned to Franklin County and found Lodwick Alford there! I would not have thought to look there without this wonderful reference book.


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Saturday, May 27, 2017

Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


Write the stories of your family's soldiers so they will be remembered.
Research & share your findings.
Let them live again.







Wednesday, May 24, 2017

A. B. Pruitt Books; NGS Conference Purchase

During the recent NGS conference in Raleigh I purchased several books to further my genealogical research. Most of those books were recommended by the speakers during the sessions I attended. The speakers mentioned the books in their talks or listed them in their syllabus or both. I uncovered others during my Exhibit Hall visits. I plan to closely analyze these books over time but here is a general idea of the contents of one of those books [more to come.]



On Day #2 I attended the session, Land Grants in North Carolina, presented by A. B. Pruitt. As I wrote in my post that day: He is a delightful, intelligent gentleman with a dry sense of humor. His talk was organized, even paced and brimming with information. He explained how the land grant process changed over the years; details of the process and where to find the records of that process. I made a couple visits to Mr. Pruitt’s booth in the Exhibit Hall and purchased these books:

Abstracts of Land Entries:
Bute Co., NC 1778 – 1779
Franklin Co., NC 1779 – 1781
Warren Co., NC 1779 – 17991
By Dr. A. B. Pruitt

The material in this book is from the NC Archives but isn’t on microfilm. Mr. Pruitt includes a map of these three adjoining counties and the major waterways. I was happy to quickly locate my Alford family in the index.

North Carolina County Maps
(1800)
By Dr. A. B. Pruitt

If you are researching NC you know that the county borders changed more than once. Would you like to have a clear picture in your mind of how those borders looked in 1800? This soft cover book may be for you. It includes an index of creeks, forks, inlets, lakes, rivers, runs and swamps. This should be useful to help pinpoint my NC ancestors.

Creeks and Rivers in South Carolina
By Dr. A. B. Pruitt

This book of SC maps includes each district of the state and many, many creeks & rivers! The index includes bays, branches, creeks, forks, inlets, islands, necks, rivers, swamps & more. Find the creek your family lived on.


These three books are only a small portion of the books written by Mr. Pruitt. Go to his website and see if there is something that will help your research.

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Sunday, May 21, 2017

Book Report: North Carolina Research; A NGS Conference Purchase

During the recent NGS conference in Raleigh I purchased several books to further my genealogical research. Most of those books were recommended by the speakers during the sessions I attended. The speakers mentioned the books in their talks or listed them in their syllabus or both. I uncovered others during my Exhibit Hall visits. I plan to closely analyze these books over time but here is a general idea of the contents of one of those books [more to come.]

This book was first suggested by Diane L. Richard in her talk, ‘Tarheels in Your Family Tree?’ It was also suggested reading by David M. McCorkle in his talk, ‘Interpreting NC Land Records’. Jeffrey L. Haines listed this book on his syllabus for ‘North Carolina Research’. The list continues but I think you get the idea that this is a highly recommended book.


North Carolina Research
Genealogy and Local History
Second Edition


Research is the diligent, systematic use of available sources and reliable methods to investigate a chosen subject. The subject of historical research is a past event or a series of past events: family historians study events that affected a group of people related to each other by blood or marriage; local historians study events that affected a specific locality and its residents. In both cases, the research goal is a chronicle of the past that is as close to the truth as possible. Although the chronicles written by family and local historians will differ in format and content, the essential, underlying ingredient is always the same – accurate information. 
                                                                                     Helen F. M. Leary



Table of Contents
Part I
            Evaluating Research Data
            Designing Research Strategies
            Using Research Facilities
            Taking Notes
            Reading Handwritten Records
            Abstracting
            Mapping
            Writing Research Letters
            Using Computers
Part II
            County Records
Part III
            State Records
Part IV
            Federal Records
Part V
            Private Records
Part VI
            Oral History
            Photographs
            Artifacts
Part VII
            Appendixes
Index


Sections of this book are useful for genealogists who are researching any area of the country or world. For example, what is the difference between primary & secondary sources? What type of notes should you take for the type of research you are doing? The majority of the book focuses on North Carolina resources on the county, state & federal levels. I look forward to digging into those details. If you want to learn more about North Carolina’s resources browse through this book.

MY LIBRARY

At the top of this blog, click on My Library for many more books that I have found useful for genealogical & historical research.




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