Tag: Slave Names

Slaves Held by William McGuffey Rives of Warren County, North Carolina

~ Kelly ~ Leave a comment

William McGuffey Rives was my 5th great-grandfather. Born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, he was raised on his grandfather's plantation near Petersburg, according to an 1839 letter written by his widow, Mary Catherine Turner Rives. William inherited his first slaves on 19 Dec 1786, at about age 19, from the estate of his grandfather, David Neal. … Continue reading Slaves Held by William McGuffey Rives of Warren County, North Carolina

Will of Thomas Rives of Chatham County, North Carolina, 10 June 1807

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I am still digging around in Rives records. Unlike most other lines in my family, the Rives (sometimes spelled Reeves) had a fair amount of property. They could be called minor Virginia gentry. As such, a good bit of research has also been done on them already, including a 1929 book, "Reliques of the Ryves." … Continue reading Will of Thomas Rives of Chatham County, North Carolina, 10 June 1807

Will of William McGuffey Rives of Warren County, North Carolina, 24 Nov 1836

~ Kelly ~ 1 Comment

I am currently researching my 5th great-grandfather, William McGuffey Rives, father of "Captain" William Rives. I have quite a bit of information on him, and so am posting this lengthy will separately. It is somewhat interesting in that it reveals that he produced cloth on his plantation. I also wonder if the 1200 hundred pounds … Continue reading Will of William McGuffey Rives of Warren County, North Carolina, 24 Nov 1836

Will of Elias Bryan of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 25 July 1821

~ Kelly ~ 1 Comment

Elias Bryan was the brother of my 6th great-grandfather, Needham Bryan. I found a transcription of his lengthy will online a while ago. Recently, I dug up the original will at Family Search and polished up the transcription. The will is interesting in that Elias provided unusually generously to his daughters. He also stipulates that … Continue reading Will of Elias Bryan of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 25 July 1821

Will of Benjamin Dicken of Halifax County, North Carolina, 24 Nov 1790

~ Kelly ~ 6 Comments

Benjamin Dicken was my 6th great grandfather. His granddaughter, Martha "Patsey" Dicken married Thomas Bembry. I have had a dickens of a time researching this family for the past couple of weeks! The first problem was that the Dicken family (they were apparently literate, and consistently spelled it with no "s") properties straddled Fishing Creek, … Continue reading Will of Benjamin Dicken of Halifax County, North Carolina, 24 Nov 1790

Will of Catharine Walton Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 23 April 1810

~ Kelly ~ Leave a comment

Catharine Walton Harris was the wife of Nathan Harris I, and my 7th great-grandmother. She outlived her husband by nearly 20 years, to about age 90. Like him, she took a very personal interest in her estate, and like him, she had no compunction about selling her "negroes," including several children. But, interestingly, she made … Continue reading Will of Catharine Walton Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 23 April 1810

Will of Nathan Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 13 April 1793

~ Kelly ~ Leave a comment

Nathan Harris I was my 7th great-grandfather. He was born about 1712 and died about 1793 in Greensville County, Virginia. Like his son, Nathan II, he was very specific in his wishes. The will does not list all of his children: he had three additional children that have been documented in various sources, for a … Continue reading Will of Nathan Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 13 April 1793

Will of Nathan Harris of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 30 November 1809

~ Kelly ~ Leave a comment

I've recently uncovered several wills relating to the Harris family, Thomas Bembry's in-laws. They seem to have been a pretty hard-nosed lot, being very specific about property in their wills and selling enslaved people without thinking twice about it. I had known for some time that the second Nathan Harris' will had resulted in a … Continue reading Will of Nathan Harris of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 30 November 1809