My newly discovered 6th great-grandfather, James Hall, made his will in Orange County, North Carolina in 1796. James was most likely the son of a Samuel Hall from Chester County, Pennsylvania. Many online sources and genealogy publications seem quite confident of this connection. I'm still not 100 percent sure because there was more than one … Continue reading Will of James Hall, 22 May 1796, Orange County, North Carolina
Category: Wills & Obituaries
Will of Robert Lowry, 4 July 1768, Edgecombe County, North Carolina
I recently completed an epic, year-long "do-ver" of my family tree, and am now back to researching and transcribing. Robert Lowry is my newly discovered 7th great-grandfather. He named my 6th great-grandmother, Ann Lowry Dicken, wife of Benjamin Dicken, in his will, below. Lowry and Dicken were likely neighbors, as Dicken witnessed the one deed … Continue reading Will of Robert Lowry, 4 July 1768, Edgecombe County, North Carolina
Will of Thomas Taylor, 7 August 1815, Davidson County, Tennessee
Earlier this year, while researching William Shaw, I discovered that Thomas Taylor was my 5th great grandfather. That whole line was kind of giving me a headache after having to lop off an entire line of the wrong Shaws, so I set it aside for a while. Recently I've been researching Thomas's family, and found … Continue reading Will of Thomas Taylor, 7 August 1815, Davidson County, Tennessee
The Two Wills of William Jones, 1722, Chowan County, North Carolina
William Jones was my 9th great-grandfather. His daughter, Jane (or Joane) Jones married Henry Liles, who is also named in these wills. They were Kinchen Liles' grandparents. William was illiterate, as evidenced by his signing with his initials. He dictated two wills, one in January of 1722, and another in May of that year. He … Continue reading The Two Wills of William Jones, 1722, Chowan County, North Carolina
Kinchen Liles and a man named Joe
Kinchen Liles was my 5th great-grandfather. He died in 1813 in Wake County, North Carolina. The paper trail on his probate shows one way in which enslaved people were used as an income stream for slaveholders. Kinchen was around 47 when he died, apparently unexpectedly, as he left no will. Kinchen left behind a wife, … Continue reading Kinchen Liles and a man named Joe
Nancy Cate Glosson’s Dowry
When it came to identifying the wife of John Glosson, I got lucky! A combination of land and probate records quickly fell into place. In 1828, my 4th great-grandparents, John Glosson "and Nancy his wife" of Chatham County, North Carolina, sold two tracts of land in neighboring Orange County to Elizabeth Brewer. Both deeds mention … Continue reading Nancy Cate Glosson’s Dowry
Anthony Collings, 1678-1754, Cornwall to Maryland
Anthony Collings was either my 7th or 8th great-grandfather, depending on whether William Collings was Lydia Colling's father or grandfather. But he was definitely my ancestor. Anthony Collings was born in 1678 in Antony Parish, Cornwall, England. Map showing Antony parish from UK Web Archive. Anthony emigrated to Westmoreland County, Virginia before 1706. By 1716, … Continue reading Anthony Collings, 1678-1754, Cornwall to Maryland
Will of John Denison, 26 April 1698, Stonington, Connecticut
John Denison was my 9th great grandfather, the son of George Denison and "Lady" Ann Borodell, both English Puritans who arrived in Massachusetts during the Great Migration. (John's middle name is often listed as Borodell, but I have not seen a primary source for that.) George and Ann Denison and their children were among the … Continue reading Will of John Denison, 26 April 1698, Stonington, Connecticut
Will of Elizabeth Deming Foote Welles, Wethersfield, Connecticut, 28 March 1678
True story: I just don't find my colonial New England lines to be all that interesting. Most of them are well-documented already, and tracing those lines back becomes more an exercise in careful mouse-clicking than actual research. They were mostly somewhat boring respectable people with no scoundrels or scandals to research. And, since I don't … Continue reading Will of Elizabeth Deming Foote Welles, Wethersfield, Connecticut, 28 March 1678
John Johnston’s Counterfeit Will, 29 May 1857
While searching for John Johnston Senior's will in Davidson County probate records I ran across a slip of paper, filed out of order, from John Junior's probate. The file "shuck," or envelope, states that it was "not admitted as part of will." And it's pretty clear why. The document, dated several months after John's death … Continue reading John Johnston’s Counterfeit Will, 29 May 1857
A Long Way to Tennessee 