Friday, August 28, 2009

Godwin-Boykin DNA puzzle

Last week I got an email from someone who matched my grandfather's DNA on Ancestry.com. Her husband's surname is Boykin and my grandfather's surname is Godwin. My grandfather's Godwin DNA matches at least 8 other Godwin test participants, so I'm fairly certain he's really a Godwin. However, we are not so sure that this Boykin match is, genetically speaking, really a Boykin. His great-great grandmother, Barbara Boykin, appears to have been a true Boykin, however, as we know, the y-chromosome DNA test only applies to the direct male lines.

Barbara Boykin was found on the 1850 census in Johnston Co., NC as an 18 year old girl living in the household of Jesse and Elizabeth Boykin. There is nothing unusual about this census report, therefore I would assign a preliminary relationship of Jesse being Barbara Boykin's father. Also, I would assume that Boykin was Barbara's maiden name.

So what of her son, Perry Boykin, born about 1856 in North Carolina? There is no mention of a father. Barbara and her young son were living with the Barry Johnson family on the 1860 Neuse River, Johnston Co., NC census report. In 1870, Perry Boykin was living with another Johnson Family, this time in Old Fields, Wilson Co., NC. His mother Barbara was not living with them. By 1880, Perry Boykin had married and was enumerated with his wife, Wealthy Jane and daughter Sarah in Old Fields, Wilson Co., NC. His mother Barbara Boykin, a single woman, was also living in the house.

The Johnston County Court minutes should be reviewed for any "bastard bonds" that might have been issued to Barbara Boykin for the maintenance of her son (who did not have a father). Wynette Parks Haun has written several abstract books for the court minutes of Johnston County, but I'm not sure if any of them go up to the year 1856 when Barbara Boykin's son Robert Perry Boykin was born. If not, then the microfilm will have to be reviewed. I hope it has an index!

With regards to the DNA....

My grandfather tested with ftDNA's 37 marker test. This Boykin match tested through Ancestry.com with their 46 marker test. Of those 46, 32 markers intersected, however we were not a perfect match. We were a 31/32 marker match. Ancestry.com gave us a 95% probability that our common ancestor was about 600 years back, not really genealogically significant. However, there is a 50% probability that our common ancestor was only 200 years back.

So did his Boykin great great grandmother have a child with one of my Godwin ancestors? My cousin Lori did find one record between Thomas Godwin and Thomas Boykin in 1828 in Johnston County, NC, however it is unclear if this Thomas Boykin had any ties to Barbara Boykin or her supposed father, Jesse Boykin. She also found another older record dating back to Isle of Wight County, VA, where both of our families are from: A Frances Godwin married General Frances Marshall Boykin in 1805. This Godwin family is not believed to be related to my own however.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Genetic Distances between Markers and the Affect it has on MRCA

Family Tree DNA has a great article published on its website about deciding how many markers to test in order to determine the time to the most recent common ancestor.

This is a screenshot of the MRCA statistics table on their website below:



I was trying to determine by how much the number of generations to the common ancestor increased as the number of genetic distances (differences between markers) increased. Based on the number posted above, I predicted the following:
It looks as if you have only 1 marker difference, the number of generations to your most common ancestor increases by 1/2 of the number of generations you started with.

For example, if you have a 37 marker test, and you are a 100% match, then there is a 95% probability that you shared a common ancestor within the last 7 generations. If you match 36/37 (1 marker difference), then the number of generations increases by 1/2 of the original number: so you started with 7 generations, take 1/2 of that which is 3.5 and add it to the original number = 10.5. So the number of generations to your common ancestor just increased from 7 to 10.5! If there is a 2 marker difference you would add another 3.5 to the 10.5 = 14!! These numbers are reflected in the table above and the calculations seem to apply to all tests.

I believe the standard for number of years per generation is about 45 years. So 14 generations would be about 630 years. Surnames only started about 600 years ago (~ 1400's), so anything beyond 600 years probably has little genealogical value.
I referenced Genealem's Genetic Genealogy Blog post article, "Why test 67 markers?" to come up with the standard of about 46 years / generation.
Genealem wrote: "25 marker match gives you a 95% probability of having a common ancestor within the last 600 yrs"
Combining the probability for a 25 marker match of 600 years and that of 13 generations as listed in the table above, the calcuated value is about 46 years / generation.
I originally wrote this article for family members who were trying to understand the genealogical value of DNA results. I am in no way an expert on DNA testing, but have developed a few tips and tricks along the way to better understand the results myself. This article reflects my findings.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

My Great-Grandparents

I have 4 sets of great-grandparents with 8 total individuals.

Set # 1 were my mom's mom's parents: Thelma Louise Lasiter (1912-1996) and James Putman Lasiter (1908-1974)
Set # 2 were my mom's dad's parents: Nova Lee Peters (1908-2000) and Orville Godwin (1905-1956)
Set # 3 were my dad's mom's parents: Kathryne Blanche Hill (1912-1992) and John Brooks Binns (1910-1989)
Set # 4 were my dad's dad's parents: Reba Fox (1920-2003) and Claude Rual Smith, Jr (1919-1996)

I knew and interacted with 6 of my 8 great-grandparents throughout most of my childhood - Louise "Mamaw" Lasiter, Novi Martin, Blanche Binns, Johnnie Binns, Reba Smith and "Big Daddy" Smith. James Lasiter and Orville Godwin both died before I was born. Orville Godwin and Novi Peters were my only set of divorced great-grandparents. Orville Godwin was murdered in his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the young age of 51.

The 6 great-grandparents I knew all lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with the exception of the Smiths who lived out in the country in Kibler, Arkansas (near Clear Creek State Park).

Obituaries and Death Certificates
I have the obituaries of 7 of the 8 of my great-grandparents that I obtained either from family members or from the Fort Smith Library's microfilm collection of newspapers, including the Southwest Times Record, and associated online archives. I do not have a copy of the obituary of my Mother's Father's Father, Orville Godwin, who died in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I do, however, have a copy of the news article that was published about his murder.

I have four death certificates - Blanche Hill Binns, for Nova Martin, Louise Lasiter, and James F Lasiter Sr.

I created a checklist to see if I had obtained copies of all of the obituaries of my great-grandparents, and also to see if I had scanned and transcribed them, and saved them to the notes section of my Family Tree Maker software and created source entries for them. Here are my results:



Obituary Resources
NameFTF Notes?FTF Source?Scanned?Transcribed?
Nova Petersyesyesyesyes
Orville Godwinnononono
James Lasiteryesyesyesyes
Louise Bensonyesyesyesyes
John Binnsyesyesyesyes
Blanche Hillyesyesyesyes
Reba Foxyesyesyesyes
Claude Smith Jryesyesyesyes




Death Certificates
NameFTF Notes?FTF Source?Scanned?Transcribed?
Nova Petersyesyesyesyes
Orville Godwinnononono
James Lasiteryesyesyesyes
Louise Bensonyesyesyesyes
John Binnsnononono
Blanche Hillyesyesyesyes
Reba Foxyesyes yes yes
Claude Smith Jryes yes yes yes


Results:
I have copies of 7 of the 8 great grandparents' obituaries which were scanned and saved to my harddrive. I have transcribed them, pasted them into the notes section of my genealogy software, and entered them as sources in my database and attached them to the basic facts (birth, death, marriage) of my great-grandparents and added them as sources to any relatives' names that are mentioned.

I only have copies of 4 death certificates - one of them is the original copy of my great-grandmother, Nova Martin's death that my grandfather gave to me. I scanned the copy and saved to my hard drive. I then transcribed it and added it to the notes in my genealogy software and added as a source. I obtained a copy of my great grandmother Blanche Binns' death certificate from my grandmother who had a copy of it in her scrapbook. I scanned it right from the scrapbook and saved it to my hard drive. I transcribed it, added it to the notes section of my genealogy software and added it as a new source.

Since I originally published this post, I ordered two additional death certificates - those of my great grandparents on my Mother's side - Louise (Benson) Lasiter and her husband James P Lasiter. I had put them off because I already have all of the vital information that is provided on the death certificate from the obituary and from my grandparents' tales. However, these certificates are available and should be included in my great-grandparents' files. They cost $10.00 each and took 4 weeks to arrive. I ordered them from the Arkansas Department of Health via an online form that I printed and mailed in to them, along with a check for $20. Update 7/27/09 & 2011: Copies of these two death certificates were received and scanned, transcribed, added to the notes section and source section of my family tree file.

Goal: To obtain copies of the rest of my 4 great-grandparents' death certificates!!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

In Post 4 of this series, we were able to identify 4 of the 7 "heirs" of Dred Godwin by following the transfers of two tracts of land he originally patented in Putnam County, Indiana in 1839. In 1852, Sion, Jonathan, Nathan, and Joshua sold off 1/7th shares of land originally patented to Netheldred "Dred" Godwin in 1839. Joshua and Sion Godwin had been enumerated with Dred Godwin on the 1850 Putnam County, Indiana census report right before Dred Godwin died. A third person was also enumerated with them - Margaret Godwin. Could she have been one of the 3 remaining heirs to sell off Dred's land?

In order to trace the legacies of the female heirs of deceased persons, the deeds of the females' husbands must be analyzed. Almost all court documents are recorded and indexed by the male's name, even if his wife was included in the deed instrument.

From the 1850 census report, we know of at least one daughter - Margaret Godwin who married George Sabin in January of 1853 in Putnam County, Indiana. Two other possible daughters of Dred Godwin have been identified through descendants - Cassie and Elizabeth Godwin. Cassie Godwin married John H McAlister and Elizabeth Godwin married William Thomas. Elizabeth Godwin was mentioned in an article entitled "The History of Adair and Guthrie Counties, Iowa" which was published in 1884. It is unclear how Cassie Godwin McAlister was originally tied to Dred Godwin's family, as correspondence with her descendants has been minimal.

Margaret, Cassie, and Elizabeth had only been suggested as possible children of Dred Godwin for several years now. A review of all the deeds executed by their husbands might provide additional evidence supporting this hypothesis that these 3 women were in fact "heirs" of Dred Godwin.

The Putnam County Deed book Grantor's Index microfilms were ordered from my local Family History Library. The first film no. 1315537 covered surnames beginning with A-S (1824-1863). The Godwin, Sabin, and McAlister deeds would be listed in this index. The second film no. 1315538 covered surnames beginning with T-Z (1824-1863). The Thomas surname would be found on this index. The index entries are summarized below:

Land Description: "1/7th part of the NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 17, Township 12, Range 5, for 40 acres and 1/7th part of the SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 8, Township 12, Range 5, for 40 acres."

- John H McAlister to James Roberts, 12 Apr 1852, Deed book Q, p. 606-607
- George W Saber to L M Knight, 16 Sept 1853, Deed book S, p. 224
- William Thomas to Lenox M Knight, 1 Mar 1853, Deed book U, p. 526

The Putnam County, Indiana Deed Record books microfilms were then ordered from my Family History Library - Film nos. 1315562 and 1315560 contained the deed books referenced above. When the films arrived, I reviewed them on the scanning microfilm reader. I have included the scanned images of the actual deeds below.

Here are a couple of snippet texts from the deeds:

...which said undivided one seventh part descended to the said Margaret Sabin as one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Etheldred Godwin, late of Putnam County, Indiana, deceased...


...which said undivided seventh part descended to said Elizabeth Thomas (late Elizabeth Goodwin) wife of Said William Thomas as of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Natheldred Goodwin...

...which Seventh undivided part, descended to said Cassey Goodwin, As one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Nathaniel GoodwinDeceased...

Here are the scanned copies of the actual deeds:




This 5-part series illustrated how deeds can be of significant genealogical value to the average researcher. The 7 deeds presented in this series not only painted a picture of the family of Netheldred Godwin of North Carolina and Indiana, but also served to support the hypothesis of several Godwin researchers who believed their ancestors were descended from this Godwin patriarch. With these deeds, Elizabeth Godwin Thomas, Cassie Godwin McAlister, and Margaret Godwin Sabin were placed with high confidence into this familial unit under Netheldred Godwin, along with Nathan, Sion, Joshua and Sarah Godwin*
*It is still unclear what relation Sarah Godwin was to Netheldred Godwin, deceased, and the other 6 "heirs" of his that received land as a legacy.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Saturday Night Fun - google yourself

Following Randy Seaver's Saturday night fun posted here. Randy tasked his readers with the following:

1) Google yourself at www.google.com. Put your first name, middle initial and last name, plus the name of your city or town in the Search box to see what other persons may have mentioned you online, or to see which blog aggregators are "collecting" you.

I put ["Ginger R Smith" "Raleigh"] into the Search box and received:


* Web: 71 matches (but only 18 when I scroll through them)

With ["Ginger Smith" "Raleigh"]:

* Web: 455 matches (but only 205 when you scroll through them)

2) Then go to the "Images," "Videos" and "News" links and see what they show.

I put ["Ginger R Smith" "Raleigh"] into the Search box and received:


Images:  Only one image of the profile picture I have posted to my twitter account
Videos: 0 matches
News: 0 matches

With ["Ginger Smith" "Raleigh"]:

Images: 70 results (mostly from my profile picture found in other people's facebook friends page)
Videos: 0 matches
News: 0 matches

3) Tell us about any surprises you found, either in your blog or in Comments to this post.

Most of the entries in google were for messages I posted to rootsweb message boards, mailing lists or USGenWeb pages.

One reference linked to a paper I co-authored that was presented at a tradeshow.
No references were made to either of my two blogs because evidently I do not use my middle initial on my blog profiles. Hmm...I might consider changing that.
 
Thanks Randy!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Durham-Orange Genealogical Society Meeting

Last night I attended my first Durham-Orange Genealogical Society Meeting (DOGS). Their meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month at the Duke Homestead Visitor's Center in Durham off of Duke Homestead Road. The building was easy to find. There were about 20 people in attendance, about 5 of whom were visiting guests like myself. Meeting attendees started showing up about 6:45 for the 7 pm meeting. The meeting ran for 2 hours - about 1.5 hours for the speaker and about 30 minutes for "business."

I'm really glad I attended this meeting because the speaker was Mr. Jim Jones, a gentleman I had bumped into a few weeks ago at the NC State Archives. He had assisted me in finding a miscellaneous Granville Grant. I had no idea that he had a huge personal collection of all of the North Carolina State Land Grants that were issued in present day Wake County (includes all counties Wake was formed from) - about 2200 land grants in all.

Mr. Jones gave a presentation on his research project which entailed mapping all of the Wake County, North Carolina State Land Grants, as well as the Granville Grants, into a proprietary software program called "DeedMapper(tm)." Mr. Jones' presentation was clear and concise, easy to read and easy to follow. It was created and presented in pdf format. He also demonstrated the functionality of the DeedMapper(tm) software by directly opening it from his laptop. I have posted more information on his presentation of DeedMapper(tm) here.

After Mr. Jones' presentation, the meeting moderator directed the conversation to "Business matters." The first order of business was the National Genealogical Conference which was held in Raleigh, NC May 11-16, 2009. The Durham-Orange Genealogical Society had a booth in the exhibit hall and many of its members attended the four day conference presentations, about 19 in all. Standing room only was noticed in front of the booth in the exhibit hall. A query sheet was created for visitors to submit a request for information about a particular family or surname, as well as a sign up sheet for new members. Queries received will be published to the DOGS newsletter that is distributed to its members by both snail mail and email.

The DOGS board is currently operating without a President or a Vice President. The society plans to hold a special elections as soon as possible to fill these two vacant positions. Obtaining a position on a local genealogical society board is one of my long term goals. I wonder what would be required of the candidates to run for one of these two vacant positions?

I signed up to become a member in the DOGS society. I downloaded an application form, filled it out, and put it and my $20 check in the mail. Membership includes access to the periodic journal, Trading Path, that encompasses genealogical and historical information on the old Orange County (NC) and queries of members and non-members, member information, and information on general genealogy happenings. A monthly newsletter with local events, including a calendar, and short articles of general genealogy interest is also made available via the internet.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4

In post #3, we learned of 4 Goodwin men listed in the Putnam Co., IN Deed Grantor's Index who were selling off their 1/7th shares of land in Putnam Co., IN. The descriptions of the land provided in the index matched the lands that were patented by Dred Godwin in 1838. Could they have been selling off land they received as legacies from the estate of Dred Godwin? To find out, the actual deeds were ordered from my local family history library and reviewed.

Deeds can provide valuable genealogical information like familial relationships, including names of the wives of deed holders, current or prior residence information, and transfer of land between deed holders. They oftentimes also contain information about who the holder of the original land patent was as all land parcels were originally distributed via patent (or grant).

According to the Putnam Co., IN Grantors Deed index, the deeds of Joshua, Scion, Nathan, and Jonathan were recorded in Putnam County IN deed book R on pages 116, 120, and 310. I ordered the film from my local Family History Library. Deed books Q and R are contained on Film no. 1315560 (covers the years 1852-1853). The film arrived within a couple of weeks.

Our local Family History Library has a new digital microfilm reader that lets you scan images from the microfilm. I scanned copies of these 4 deeds. I have included snippets of them below.

Here are some interesting facts about these original deeds:


1) In the index, these men were listed as "Goodwins" however in the actual deeds, their names were listed as "Godwin."








Joshua Godwin Deed

2) The land being sold is listed as the "undivided 1/7th part descended to said _____ Godwin as one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Natheldred Godwin deceased..."



Sion Godwin Deed

3) Sarah Godwin, and not Jonathan, is listed as the actual "heir" of Natheldred Godwin: "eighty acres which said seventh undivided part descended to said Sarah Godwin as one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Natheldread Godwin, deceased, ..." Although Jonathan Godwin was the actual grantor selling the land, with his wife, Sarah Godwin, agreeing to the sale. The deed also mentioned that Jonathan and Sarah Godwin were living in Vigo County, IN at the time the deed was executed.




Jonathan and Sarah Godwin Deed

4) Nathan Godwin and his wife, Elizabeth Godwin sold his 1/7th share off in 1852. This mention of his wife separates him from the many other Nathan Godwins in the area at this time. This Nathan Godwin married to Elizabeth was born about 1807 in NC. He was the Nathan Godwin who had purchased a land grant that I mentioned in post no. 3 - Nathan and his wife Elizabeth sold this land off to George Lucas in 1839. They were last seen in Parke Co., Indiana in the 1860 census report with son Natheldred Godwin.






Nathan and Elizabeth Godwin Deed


Through the review of these deed records 4 of the 7 "heirs" of Natheldred "Dred" Godwin were identified. These deed records provided valuable information about the grantors, including their wives' names, where they lived, and where they obtained the land from, ie, it was land descended to them from Natheldred Godwin, deceased. They also were very clear about exactly which grantor inherited the land which was important in the case of Jonathan and Sarah Godwin/Godden who were 1st cousins!

But what about the other 3/7th shares?

The 1850 census report mentioned in post 2 listed one of Dred Godwin's daughters - Margaret Godwin. Is it possible she received a 1/7th share as well? Find out in the upcoming Part 5 of the "Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin" blog series.




Related Posts:

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Finding the heirs of Ethedred Godwin - Part 3

In the first post of this series we were introduced to Etheldred Godwin, one of two or three brothers who moved from Randolph Co., NC to Clay and Putnam Counties, IN between 1828 and 1830. They might have wanted to move to Indiana for a couple of reasons: (1) the land was better for farming (2) they were Quakers and there was a movement of Quakers into this area of Indiana.

At least two Godwin brothers made the journey together - Nathan and Etheldred Godwin - both of whom were born in the late 1770s. Etheldred Godwin and his family remained in Putnam Co., IN until his death in 1852. Nathan Godwin removed to Perry Co., IL, where he died in 1833. In the second post of this series, we were introduced to a possible third brother - Enoch Godwin - who was connected to the family of Jonathan and Sarah Godden. We met Jonathan and Sarah Godden, who were married in Putnam Co., Indiana in 1844, while evaluating the sources used in tracking the life of Sion Godwin, who has been identified as a possible son of Etheldred Godwin.

Sion Godwin was listed on the 1880 Larimer Co., CO census report as "brother" to Margaret Sabin. Margaret Godwin had married George Sabin in Putnam Co., IN in January of 1853. Both Margaret and Sion Godwin had been enumerated previously in the household of Etheldred Godwin in 1850, along with Joshua Godwin.

So far, 3 possible children of Etheldred Godwin have been identified - Margaret, Joshua, and Cyon/Sion/Scion Godwin. However, Godwin cousins were popping up all over the map in IN, IL, and IA census reports! After all, it was possible there were 3 brothers who came to Indiana and with them came several children each - many of whom were given the same names. Sorting through which Godwin children belonged to which Godwin brother became a more and more daunting task.

In order to piece together the Godwins of Putnam Co., IN, the first thing I did was collect all of the land grant records for each Godwin. I went to the Bureau of Land Management's website and did a search for "Godwin" in Putnam Co., IN. Three records came up - two for "Netheldre(a)d" Godwin and one for "Nathan" Godwin. The latter Nathan Godwin was not the same Nathan who was Dred's brother, as he had died in 1833 in Perry Co., IL. Dred Godwin had applied for two separate patents of 40 acres each for land in Putnam Co., IN. The first was issued on Sept 1st, 1838, the second was issued 4 days later on Sept 5th, 1838.
Here are the land descriptions for the two tracts of land Dred Godwin patented:

(1) The north east quarter of the north west quarter of section 17, township 12 north, range 5 west

(2) The south west quarter of the north west quarter of section 8, township 12 north, range 5 west

Land in Indiana was divided according to the Public Land Survey System, sometimes known as the "Rectangular Survey System." According to a basic Section Township map, sections 8 and 17 are in close proximity to each other. Below is a schematic of how a Section township map should look like:

Dred Godwin purchased a total of 80 acres from the State of Indiana. My next step is to then see if this land was sold to anyone. The subsequent transfer of land was recorded in "deeds." I ordered the Putnam Co., IN Deed Index for Grantors (sellers) from my local Family History Library (Film no. 1315537) to see if and when Dred Godwin sold this land. I looked through all the Godwin deed entries. Although I did not find an entry for Dred Godwin selling off these two parcels of land, I did find several "Goodwin" entries all lumped together. Each Goodwin entry had two tracts of land being sold in 1852 and a couple of them mentioned a "1/7th part" which caught my attention.

Goodwins mentioned in Putnam Co., IN Deed Index (Grantors) in 1852:

Sion Goodwin
Jonathan Goodwin
Nathan Goodwin
Joshua Goodwin

Each entry in the index for these 4 men was for a 1/7th share (each) of the same two tracts of land:
(1) The north east quarter of the north west quarter of section 17, township 12 north, range 5 west
(2) The south west quarter of the north west quarter of section 8, township 12 north, range 5 west

Sound familiar? They should! These two tracts of land were the exact tracts of land that Etheldred Godwin originally patented from the Viciennes, Indiana Land Office in 1838!

And what about the grantor names? At least two of those names are somewhat familiar - two males by the name of Joshua and Sion Godwin had been enumerated with Dred Godwin on the 1850 Putnam Co., IN census report.

Being "1/7th shares" of these two tracts of land indicates that this land was heired to "7" descendants of Dred Godwin. An indepth review of the actual deeds might indicate a relationship between Dred Godwin and these heirs. This will be discussed in the next post of this series.

Related Posts:
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Thursday, June 4, 2009

DeedMapper(tm) Software

Last night I attended my first Durham-Orange Genealogical Society Meeting (DOGS).  The guest speaker was Mr. Jim Jones who gave a presentation on his research project - Mapping the North Carolina Land Grants of Wake County at the time of its formation in 1771 (also to include the Granville Grants) - using the DeedMapper(tm) software distributed by the Direct Line Software company.

When Mr. Jones started his research project, he requested copies of all of the North Carolina Land Grants issued in Wake County, although not present day Wake County, but how it was laid out at the time of its formation in 1771.  He also requested copies of the Granville Grants which were issued from the Lord Proprietor, John Carteret, Earl of Granville between 1746-1763, also for this area of Land. The copies totalled to about 1700.

He then entered all of the information gleaned from each and every land entry, warrant, and survey into a database which was then uploaded into the proprietary DeedMapper(tm) software, organized into a table format, and later merged into the Wake County locality map. 

DeedMapper(tm) can be purchased for about $100. The software is worth the money based on what Mr. Jones was able to show us. It can be purchased through Direct Line Software. According to their website, DeedMapper(tm) is "the premier software program for analyzing old grants, deeds, surveys, and claims, particularly those described by metes and bounds. DeedMapper's being used by local historians, genealogists, and archaeologists to make land ownership maps of days gone by." Many users of the DeedMapper software have already contributed thousands of maps of land grants issued throughout several old North Carolina counties including Anson, Burke, Buncombe, Beaufort, Craven, Pitt, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, and Moore.

Mr. Jones hopes to have his Wake County Map completed within a couple of years. He plans to post it online to a website for the public to access and use in their own research. He also uses DeedMapper(tm) to track the land transfers via Deeds through individuals.  Clicking on an original land grant would show the user the original land plat, and how it was later divided and sold off to individuals throughout the last 200 years or so.


I would love to start a project like this for Edgecombe and Sampson Counties in order to track the migration of my Godwin families.  I believe the Godwin families from Johnston County are already represented in Mr. Jones' Wake County map because they lived in a part of Johnston County that was later divided and given to Wake County.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

International Society of Genetic Genealogy

I saw a message posted by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak on Facebook about how people are using Twitter to find DNA participants. She said she heard about it on the ISOGG mailing list. I googled "ISOGG" and found the  International Society of Genetic Genealogy website.  It is free to join, so I filled out the online form and submitted it. I also requested to join their yahoo group for DNA-newbies.
Update 7/15/09: I still have not received confirmation that I have been approved to join the yahoo group. I sent another request today and I hope they will approve me soon.

I assume that when she said "mailing list" she was referring to the yahoo group because I don't see any other mailing list on the ISOGG website. I am very interested to know how twitter is being used to recruit DNA participants!

I have been very active with our own Godwin/Goodwin/Goodin Surname project at Worldfamilies.net. You can read about my Godwin and Smith DNA activities here.

Monday, May 25, 2009

North Carolina Family Records Online

This announcement came over the North Carolina State Archives and Library websites and was unveiled during the National Genealogical Society Conference that was held in Raleigh last week.

These family bible records have been scanned and transcribed and placed online for use by the general public. The new records also include marriage notices from the local newspapers. These records have been valuable in placing children with their parents and learning about the families of North Carolina. They are fully searchable and the images can be saved to your harddrive simply by right clicking > save.

North Carolina Family Records Online collection
URL: http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/dimp/digital/ncfamilyrecords/
The State Library of North Carolina and the North Carolina State Archive sare proud to present their newest digital collection, North Carolina Family Records Online. The joint digital collection currently contains nearly 220 family Bible records (lists of birth, marriage, and death information typically written inside of North Carolina family Bibles) from the State Archives, and the six-volume Marriage and Death Notices from Raleigh Register and North Carolina State Gazette: 1799-1893, an 1,100-page compendium ofmarriage announcements and obituaries compiled by then State Librarian Carrie L. Braughton.

This exciting online collection was unveiled at the National GenealogicalSociety Conference, held at the Raleigh Convention Center from May 13-16.

North Carolina Family Records Online has a narrow scope at present, containing only a tenth of the over 2,000 Bible records owned by theNorth Carolina State Archives, but it is hoped that the online collection will continue to grow. All of the Bible records selected for digitization contain family history information dating from the 1700s or earlier and span over 150 years, with the majority of the materials dating to between roughly 1750 and 1900. Each record has been scanned, transcribed by Archives and Library staff, and is available for free on the web. And, because the mostly handwritten materials have been transcribed, the entire collection is full-text searchable, enabling users to search by name, location, or other subject words and phrases.

Due to the content and period of time covered in the North Carolina Family Records Online collection, it reflects only a small segment of NorthCarolina's diverse population - namely literate, Protestant Caucasians of the 18th and 19th Centuries. However, 25 Bible records contain documentation about the birth of slaves, and many other records contain information about governors, legislators, and other political and military leaders who helped shape this country. The State Archives continues to collect Family Bible Records that begin before 1913 from all of North Carolina's citizens,with the hopes providing a broader understanding of North Carolina's past.

Questions to Amy Rudersdorf (amy.rudersdorf@ncdcr.gov)and Druscie Simpson (druscie.simpson@ncdcr.gov) / ____________________________________________________________

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2

This is part 2 in a series of posts about our journey of finding out who the children of Etheldred Godwin were. In post 1, we learned that Dred Godwin moved from North Carolina to Clay Co., Indiana about 1830 and he was enumerated on the 1830 Clay County Indiana census report and the 1840 and 1850 census reports for Putnam County, Indiana. In 1830 Dred Godwin had 8 children living in the household - 4 boys and 4 girls; In 1840, he had 6 children - 3 boys and 3 girls - the oldest boy and girl had probably moved out by this time. In 1850, there were 3 "children" living in the household. Dred's wife was not listed, so she had probably died between 1840 and 1850.


Here is the entry for Etheldred Godwin on the 1850 Washington Township, Putnam County, IN census report:






Dwelling no. 250/Family no. 250
Line no. 32 - Etheldred Godwin, 76 years,
old, male, Farmer, Value of Real Estate owned - $400, born in North Carolina,
cannot read or write
Line no. 33 - Margaret Godwin, 21 years old,female,
born in North Carolina, cannot read or write
Line no. 34 - Scion Godwin, 19
years old, male, born in Indiana
Line no. 35 - Joshua Godwin, 26 years old,
male, born in North Carolina, Cannot read or write
This census report was important because it gave us three additional Godwins to research in Indiana - Joshua, Scion, and Margaret.


Additional Facts about Joshua Godwin:

Could not be found on any census reports. According to the 1850 census report, he was born about 1824 in North Carolina. There are no marriage records for him in Indiana.

Additional Facts about Margaret Godwin:

On Jan 18th, 1853, Margaret Godin married George W Scavins in Putnam Co., IN

They were enumerated on the 1860 Parke Co., IN census report with children Michael, Joshua, James, and Sarah (Sylvia). [Ancestry.com has them indexed under George "Sarings"].

Margaret Sabin was enumerated on the 1880 census report in Larimer County, Colorado in Livermore township with her children (she was widowed), "nephew" Solomon Thomas, and "brother" Cyon Gadwin. Margaret's marital status was "widow," however, her husband, George Sabins evidently left Margaret and her children for another woman.

--This census report indicates that Cyon Godwin and Margaret (Godwin) Sabin were siblings

--It also provides clues about a nephew, Solomon Thomas - could he be the son of one of Margaret's sisters?

Additional Facts about Scion/Cyon Godwin:
Things we already know about him:

Listed on the 1850 Putnam Co., IN census report at home with sister Margaret Godwin

Listed on the 1880 Larimer Co., CO census report in household of his sister, Margaret Godwin

Sion/Cyon Godwin was also found living with another family - that of Jonathan and Sarah Godden - in Boone County, Iowa:

In 1854, Sion "Godden" was listed on the Boone Co., Iowa State census report next door to Jonathan Godden.

In 1856, Scion "Godden" was listed on the Boone Co., Iowa State Census report in the household of Jonathan and Sarah Godden. An older gentleman, Enoch Godden, aged 83, born in North Carolina, was also living in the household.

An interesting tidbit of information about Jonathan and Sarah - On August 27th, 1844, Jonathan Godwin married Sarah Godwin in Putnam County, Indiana. Perhaps they were cousins?

The Enoch Godwin mentioned above who was living in Jonathan and Sarah Godden's household, was enumerated on the 1840 Clay County (Jackson township), Indiana census report - he was the male between 60 and 70 years old (born between 1770 and 1780) - with 3 male children, and 1 female child, and 1 female between 60 and 70 years of age (Enoch's wife) - living in the household.

--could this Enoch Godwin have been a brother to our Etheldred and Nathan Godwin?

Related Posts:
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Finding the heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1

This post is part 1 in a series of posts written about finding the heirs of Etheldred Godwin. Unfortunately, Etheldred - from now on I will refer to him as "Dred" for short - did not leave a will or probate record in Indiana that I, or many other researchers of this line, have been able to locate. We were, however, able to piece together a family profile illustrating the children and grandchildren of Dred Godwin by using a more creative approach to records analysis. By putting bits and pieces together from information gleaned from census reports, deed records, land records, and family histories, we were able to reconstruct this family. This blog series outlines our quest for the truth..

Background

Etheldred Godwin was born about 1774 in North Carolina. He lived in Sampson Co., NC until about 1800 when he removed to Randolph Co., NC with his mother Rachel and his brother Nathan. He married Peggy Ball in Randolph Co., NC in 1806. Between 1828 and 1830, he and Nathan removed with their families to Clay/Putnam Co., Indiana. In North Carolina, he was known as "Dred" Godwin in most records. In Indiana, however, he was known as "Netheldred" Godwin. Often his last name was misprinted as "Goddin/Godden" as there were families by this name already in the area when Dred and his family arrived.

Resources Checked

No probate or wills could be found on file for Dred Godwin in Putnam Co., IN.

The only clues we had on his children were taken from the following census reports:

In 1830, Dred Godwin was enumerated on the Clay County, Indiana census report. "Ntheldrige Godwin" was head of house with 4 males - 1 male under 5 (born between 1825-1830), 2 males between 10 and 15 years old (born between 1815-1820), and 1 male between 50 and 60 years old (Dred Godwin, born between 1770-1780); and 4 females - 1 female under 5 (born between 1825-1830), 1 female between 5 and 10 (born between 1820-1825), 1 female between 10 and 15 (born between 1815-1820), and 1 female between 40 and 50 years old (Dred's wife, born between 1780-1790). Dred's brother Nathan Godwin was also on this page.

In 1840, "Netheldred Goddin" was enumerated on the Putnam County, Indiana census report (Warren Township, southern half of Putnam Co., IN). There were 3 males and 3 females in the household. 1 male between 5 and 10 (born between 1830-1835), 1 male between 20 and 30 (born between 1810-1820), and 1 male between 60 and 70 years old (Dred Godwin, born between 1770-1780); There was 1 female between 10 and 15 (born between 1825-1830), 1 female between 15 and 20 (born between 1820-1825), and 1 female between 50 and 60 years old (Dred's wife, born between 1780-1790).

In 1850, "Etheldred Godwin" was enumerated on the Putnam County, Indiana (Washington Township) census report. He was 76 years old, born abt 1774 in North Carolina and he was a farmer. Three other people were also living in the household with him. His wife must have died between 1840 and 1850 because she is not listed on this 1850 census report. In the house was Margaret Godwin, 21 years old, born abt 1829, in North Carolina; Scion Godwin,19 years old, born abt 1831 in Indiana, and Joshua Godwin, 26 years old, born abt 1824 in NC.

So far we have 8 children in the household in 1830, 6 children in 1840, and 3 children in 1850 (assuming every member of the household is a child of Dred and Peggy Godwin).

In part 2 of this series, we will explore the information gleaned from the 1850 census report mentioned above.

Related Posts:

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Genealogy Journal 5/23/09

Today I went to my local Family History Library to review the two deeds I had ordered last month. The library was pretty busy today because of some classes they were giving. The first film I reviewed was a deed index, (grantor) film from Putnam Co., IN, for surnames starting with letters "T" through "Z."  I was looking for a deed by William Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth that was recorded around 1852 for two tracts of land - each a 1/7th share of 40 acres each - one in section 17 and one in section 8 of township 12 north of range 5. I was successful in finding this entry in the index. It referenced Deed book U on page 526.  I will need to order this film to see the actual deed that was recorded. I will order the film the next time I visit the library as I have had my hands full with the index film and the other film I ordered - Putnam County IN deed book R, S, and T.

In deed book S on page 224, I found the deed from George W Sabin and wife Margaret to Lenox M. Knight that was recorded 16 September 1853.  George Sabin sold off two tracts of land each of 1/7th shares of 40 A in sections 8 and 17 in township 12, north of range 5.  These shares were the same tracts of land that William Thomas, mentioned above, was selling in 1853.

The land that William Thomas and George W Sabin were selling were tracts of land that had been given as legacy to the 7 heirs of Etheldred Godwin upon his death in 1852. These tracts of land were traced via the husbands' names of Dred Godwin's daughters. More information about these deeds and Etheldred Godwin's family is to come....

I was able to use the digital microfilm viewer while at the library.  With this system I was able to find the deeds of interest and scan them, edit them on the fly, then save to my jump drive. It only costs $0.50 per 15 minutes, or $2.00/hr. Not bad. And it was fast. I had a list of all the deeds I wanted to scan and the corresponding pages from these films. I scanned almost all of the Godwin/Goodwin and Sabin deeds I could find. When I got home, I transcribed all 13 pages I had scanned copies of!

At the beginning of this deed book S was an index that listed alphabetically all of the grantors and grantees in the book. This was a great help!

I am allowed to keep the films at the library for 30 days. (I did pay $5.50 to order the films). I need to go back to the library and scan two more deeds from this deed book S. I also want to go back to the deed index and copy down all of the entries for William Thomas, and also for all the other Thomas men who recorded deeds. Although this is not my direct line, it might be able to help some of the Thomas descendants to place William Thomas into a familial line in Indiana.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Saving genealogy photos



This is the word table that I create to index and organize the photos I get from other people. This table illustrates a collection of photos I received from David Campbell. I can open this Word doc and look at the description of a particular photo I am interested in.

Notice the column under "file name" is blank - I have not figured out how to name my photos yet. And I have not decided if I am going to continue to use this Word Doc table as an indexing system for my photo files.

Another cousin of mine sent me some photos so I named them all with a simple convention using the initials of their name because I didn't really know right away who the people in the photos were or what their relationship was to my family. Nor did I know the dates or places where the photos were taken. I just wanted to make sure I knew who sent me the pictures. I also use this convention because sometimes I want to share the photo with another cousin, post online to an online family tree site, or use in a blog - I always ask permission from the owner of the photo before I do this. So I called them simply "BPU_001" - The BPU are the initials of the person who sent me the photos.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A Visit to the Randolph County NC Library

Last weekend I made the 1.5 hour trip from Raleigh to Asheboro (Randolph Co), NC to visit the Randolph Room (genealogy library) of the Asheboro Public Library in search of information on my Godwin ancestors. Their online website has a list of all the family files that can be found in their genealogy collection, one of which is the GODWIN file. My main goal was to peruse the contents of this folder and see if I can find anything interesting.

The directions I had to the library were not accurate, so I had to drive around a bit before I found it. Luckily I had my phone on me which has internet. I was able to type in the address of the house that I turned around at as the starting point and the library's address as the final destination. I got to the library in no time. The Randolph room was a small room situated on the bottom floor of the library. There were three 4-6 person tables scrunched in the room. The family files were situated in tall file cabinets that ran the length of the walls. It did not take long for me to find the Godwin file.

The first thing I noticed about the folder was that "See Lucas file" was written across the front of the folder. Inside, the Godwin folder contained printouts of Charles Lucas' WorldOne Connect file posted on rootsweb.com. Charles Lucas maintains the Lucas Family website and is highly active in using DNA to connect the Lucases of the Carolinas. His printouts contained information on William Godwin, whom he stated was the father of David, Samuel, and Thomas Godwin of Edgecombe Co., NC.

The folder also contained printouts of a court case that Nathan Godwin was involved in against William Burney. Nathan Godwin, the complaintant, testified that he was running a mill on his property and that when William Burney moved to the area, he also started a mill running that prevented Nathan's mill from running properly. The neighbors who testified on William Burney's behalf claimed that Nathan's mill was run down and had not been working for quite some time. The court was in favor of William Burney. This court case was significant in that it indicated that Nathan Godwin owned and operated a mill on his property. However, this information was not new to me as I already had copies of this court suit in my files.

Lastly, the folder contained printouts of another court case that Nathan Godwin was involved in pertaining to his wife's Latham family and the estate of John Latham, Nathan's wife Sarah Latham's father. I also have copies of these court precedings already in my files.

Since I did not find anything new or interesting in the Godwin family folder, I moved on to the Lucas family folder. I found a lot of valuable information on the family of John Lucas who married Elizabeth Milberry Godwin. I believe Elizabeth Godwin was the sister of my supposed ancestor, Nathan Godwin. I printed out almost everything I found in the Lucas folder for further review, however upon first glance, I don't believe that I did ever find any documents that revealed what Elizabeth Lucas' maiden name really was. I think that family lore has had her as a Godwin for many years now. I need to follow up on this lead. Some interesting things I found in this folder were pictures of a log cabin that John Lucas built prior to the Revolutionary War and some articles about its current state of repair and restoration. Also I found many pedigree sheets compiled and submitted by several of Lucas' descendants, many of whom also removed to Indiana in the early 1830s. A local gentleman by the name of Paul Lucas has been slated as the authority on the Lucas family of North Carolina. I might send a note to some of these researchers to see what documentation supports the Godwin name being tied into the Lucas family line. This folder was a wealth of information and had copies of several deeds, wills, and estate files. Surprisingly, however, the folder did NOT contain a copy of John and Milberry's estate files which are housed at the Archives and copies of which are in my own personal collection. They did not leave a will.

Two other folders I briefly examined were the Steed and Lewis family folders. These folders were too thick to photocopy and I had already spent my $20 photocopying the Lucas family folder contents (they charge $0.20 a page). I need to come back to these folders when I have more time, and when these lines are fresher in my mind.

I feel good about my trip, however, I kind of feel like I spent too much time, energy and money on the Lucas family. However it has always been my mantra and secret of success to learn all that I can about not just my own family of interest, but those who lived around them during their lifetimes. It will also be beneficial to have information on the descendants of this Lucas line, as they do share maternal Godwin DNA and they moved around the country as my Godwins did.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sampson County NC Deed Index - GODWINS

In an earlier post, "Sampson County, North Carolina, Deed Index, Grantors - GODWIN," I described the Sampson County, North Carolina Deed Index for grantors microfilm that I reviewed at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. I included scans of the xeroxed pages pertaining to the Godwin family. Below is a transcription of the two pages I copied from the index.

I have copies of some of the abstracts pertaining to these deeds, as well as copies of some of the original deeds. (I have copies of the original deeds in the entries marked with an "*" below)

**Updated 4/27/2011** - Sampson County Register of Deeds now has all of its deeds digitized and available online to view and save. Click here to access the site. Refer to my blog post "Sampson County North Carolina Deeds are now Online" for details on how to use the site. 


James Godwin to Timothy Williams, deed, book 4, p. 282
Jonas Godwin to Joseph Godwin, book 5, p. 40
Wm Godwin to Geo Smith, book 5, p. 184
Joseph Godwin to Benjamin Daughtry, bk 5, p. 300
Wm Godwin to Arthur Herring, bk 5, p. 363
Wm Godwin to Arthur Herring, bk 5, p. 412
Wm Godwin to Jno Croom, bk 6, p. 185
Richard Godwin to James Hendley/Handley, book 7, p. 121; 1779
Nathan Godwin to James Hendley, book 7, p. 122 1779
Jonathan Godwin to Abagail Lee, book 8, p. 168; 1787 *
Joseph Godwin to Benjamin Daughtry, Book 9, p. 4
Richard Godwin to Ozias Beaman, book 9, p. 93 1791
Richard Godwin to Ozias Beaman, book 9, p. 95, 1791*
Richard Godwin to James Beaman, book 9, p. 97; 1791
William Godwin of Sampson co. to Nathan Godwin of sampson co, book 9. p. 172
Richard Godwin to Ozias Beaman, book 9, p. 400; 1793*
Jacob Godwin, Jr to James Anderson, bk 10, p. 189
Nathan Godwin to Samuel Strickland, book 10, p. 196
William Godwin to Stephen King, bk 10, p. 224
Nathan Godwin Jr, Dred Godwin, and Rachel Godwin to John Dormond, book 10, p. 243
Solomon Godwin to William Felows, bk 10, p. 358
Saml Godwin to Stephen King, bk 10, p. 492
Jacob Godwin to Stephen King, bk 10, p. 492
William Godwin to Stephen King bk 10, p 492
Aaron Godwin to Nathan Godwin, book 11, p. 64 (1798-1804)
Richard Godwin to Ephraim Page, book 11, p. 75; 1798 *
Saml Godwin to Wm Hobbs, bk 11, p. 152
Nathan Godwin Jr to Elizabeth Bagley, book 11, p. 326 1801
Rachael Godwin to Oziaus Beaman, book 11, p. 333 23 Aug 1797
Nathan Godwin to Lewis Adams, book 12, p. 43 (1798-1804)
Aaron Godwin to Kitchen Adams, bk 12, p. 197
Nathan Godwin to John Godwin, book 12, p. 313 (1798-1804)
Nathan Godwin to Jonathan Godwin, book 12, p. 314 (1798-1804)
William Godwin to Jonathan Godwin, book 12, p. 314 & 318 (1798-1804)
Wm Godwin to Jonathan Godwin, bk 12, p. 318
Saml Godwin to Jno Holland, bk 13, pp. 117
Nathan Godwin to Joel Godwin, book 13, p. 139
Wm Godwin to Joab Blackman, bk 13, p. 160
Nathan Godwin to Micajah Williford, book 13, p. 251
Silas Godwin to Henry Godwin, bk 14, p. 289
Elizabeth Godwin to Henry Godwin, bk 14, p. 289
Thos Godwin to Jno Godwin,bk 14, p. 363
Nathan Godwin to David Godwin, book 14, p. 431
Wm Godwin to Micajah Williford, bk 14, p. 461
Wm Godwin to Henry Godwin, bk 14, p. 476
Aaron Godwin to David Lee Jr bk 15, p. 8
Wm Godwin to Joseph Dawson, k 15, p. 95
Allen Godwin to Surrel Mobley, bk 15, p. 97
Jas Godwin to Surrel Mobley, bk 15, p. 99
Wm Godwin to Jno R Moore, lease? Bk 15, p.181
Grandberry Godwin to Thos Williford, bk 15, p. 265
Wm Godwin Sr to Wm Godwin Jr., bk 15, p. 312
Wm Godwin Sr to Jno Godwin, bk 15, p. 313
Henry Godwin to Surrel Mobley, bk 16, p. 403
Jno Godwin to Siho Barefoot, bk 16, p. 429
Willie Godwin to Dan'l Tew, bk 18, p. 137
Aaron Godwin to Nathan Tark, bk 18, p. 143
Nathan Godwin to Handy Godwin, bk 18, p. 273
Nathan Godwin to Royal Godwin, book 18, p. 274
Nathan Godwin to Dempsey Layton, bk 18, p. 351
Richard Godwin to Hardy Draughon, bk 18, p. 365
Solomon Godwin to Sam'l Peters, bk 19, p. 238
Wm Godwin to Henry Godwin, bk 19, p. 368
Joseph Godwin to Jas Garland, bk 20, p. 138
Richd Godwin to Jas Handley, bk 20, p. 229
Nathan Godwin to James Handley, book 20, p. 229
Nathan Godwin to Isaac McCamerbone, book 20, p. 255
Nathan Godwin to William Royal, book 21, p. 17
Nathan Godwin to Grandbury Godwin, book 21, p. 18
Nathan Godwin heirs to Robert Godwin, book 21, p. 285
Richd Godwin to Hardy Draughon, bk 21, p. 227
Jonathan Godwin to Hardy Draughon, bk 21, p. 229
Solomon Godwin to Wm New, bk 21, p. 253
Solomon Godwin to Joel Herring, bk 21, p. 309
Sarah Godwin to Joel Herring, bk 21, p. 309
Royal Godwn to Jno Godwin, bk 21, p. 343
Edmond Godwin to Wm Williford, bk 21, p. 523
Robert Godwin to Henry Godwin, k 21, p. 570
Robert Godwin to Cullen Register, bk 22, p. 124
Nathan Godwin heirs to David Godwin, bk 22, p. 386
David Godwin to Saml Phillips, bk 22, p. 398
Henry Godwin to Cyril Mobley, bk 23, p. 485
Jerusha Godwin to Jas C Draughon, bk 24, p. 430
Mary Godwin to Handy Godwin, bk 25, p. 69
Royal Godwin to Handy Godwin, bk 25, p. 69
Edmond Godwin to Jno Royal, bk 25, p. 408
Handy Godwin to Wm Godwin, bk 25, p. 451
Jno Godwin to Martin Jermigan, bk 26, p. 137
Royal Godwin to John Holly, bk 26, p. 150
Jonathan Godwin to Lewis Tew Sr., bk 26, p. 193
Wm Godwin to Lewis Tew Jr., bk 28, p. 81
Ransom Godwin to Jno Godwin, Atty, book 29, p. 61
Sally Godwin to Willie Keen, deed, book 29, p. 267
Edmond Godwin to Hezekiah Godwin, book 29, p. 347

Friday, April 10, 2009

Richard GODWIN deed to Ozius Beaman, Sampson Co., NC, 1791

Transcription of the following deed copied from the Sampson County, NC Deed Records, 1791-1798, Volumes 9 & 10, (microfilm) -- Book 9, p. 95-96, 31 Dec 1791 – located at the North Carolina State Archives, 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh, NC. Transcribed by Ginger Smith, 10 April 2009.
Note 4/10/09 GS: The first land grant patented to Richard Godwin mentioned below was probably the 100 acres granted to Richard Godwin on 10 Nov 1784, grant no. 801, entry no. 1342, entered 26 Dec 1782 for Duplin County; This record can be found in the Duplin County Land Warrant book no. 56, p. 279 or in Land Warrant file no. 2600 at the NC State Archives.

Richard Godwin to Ozius Beaman.
This indenture made this 31st day of December one thousand seven hundred and ninety one in the 15th year of our independence Between Richard Godwin of North Carolina and County of Sampson of the one part & Ozius Beaman of the County of Wayne and state aforesaid of the other part Witnesseth that for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and seventy five silver dollars to me in hand paid by the said Ozius Beaman the Receipt whereof I do herby acknowledge that I am therewith herewith fully satisfied Contented & paid Have bargained sold and by these presents do fully freely and absolutely give grant Bargain sell alien? convey and confirm assigned forever one certain tract or parcel of land situate in Sampson County formerly Duplin County and state aforesaid it being part of a tract of land granted to Richard Godwin by pattent bearing date the 10th day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty four, 1784 it being by estimation one hundred and sixty acres of land more or less and bounded at Fallawith lying on both sides of Starling swamp. Beginning at a pine on the west side of the said Swamp below The mouth of Jumping Run and Runs south crossing Starlings 180 poles to a pine By the head of a Branch thence West 180 poles to a white oak by a pond Thnce North to a stake by the Run of Starling swamp thence up said Swamp To a pine near the Cowford thence a North Course to the old line and thence to the beginning also one certain tract or parcel of land lying in the county aforesaid and on the north side of Starling swamp it being part of a tract of land Granted to John Starling as by patant doth appear bearing date the 11th Day of July Annadomino 1789 containing forty Acres of land more or less of the said Pattent beginning at Richard Godwin upper corner tree and runs North to Thomas Bullard’s corner to a stake thence West along a line of marked trees to a pine thence South along a line of Marked trees to Richard Godwin’s line thence East along the said line to the Beginning to have and to hold the said bargained lands and premises with All and singular the Improvements profits privileges conveniences advantaged And benefits and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging unto the said Ozieus Beaman his heirs executors administrators and assigns forever to his and his only Proper use and behalf and I the said Richard Godwin for myself his heirs Executors and administrators doth command and agree to and such the said Ozius Beaman his heirs and assigns Do warrant and defend the said land and premises and every part and Parcel thereof free and clear from all encumberances of What sa___ mature or kinds Sa___ on as ample manner to all extents and purchased as of the most learned? In the law can devise hereby covenanting to warrant and forever defend The said lands and premises against the lawful claim or claims of any person Or person whatsoever In witness whereof I the said Richard Godwin have hereunto set my hand and seal affixed the day And the date and year first above written as mentioned as above said Signed Sealed and Delivered in the presence of Sherwood Holly, James Godwin, Lewis Jackson
(signed) Richard Godwin (seal)

The deed between Richard Godwin and Ozius Beaman, 1791


Related Posts:
Index to Sampson County Deeds - Godwins

Richard GODWIN deed to Ozius Beaman, Sampson Co., NC, 1793

Transcription of the following deed copied from the Sampson County, NC Deed Records, 1791-1798, Volumes 9 & 10, (microfilm) -- Book 9, p. 400 -- by Ginger Smith, 10 April 2009.

Note: I could not find the land entry/grant of Richard Godwin for 40 acres in Sampson County, NC that was referenced in this deed - probably because it was filed under Duplin County, the parent county of Sampson?

Richard Godwin to Ozius Beaman. This indenture made this 7th day of November one thousand seven hundred And Ninety three and for the 17th year of our independence Between Richard Godwin of North Carolina and County of Cumberland of the one part & Ozius Beaman of Sampson County and state aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth for and in consideration of the sum of Ten Pounds to me in hand paid by the said Ozius Beaman the Receipt hereof I do herby acknowledge and myself heremuch? fully satisfied Contented & paid Have bargained and sold and by these presents do fully freely and absolutely give grant Bargain sell alien? convey and confirm assigned and let? over unto him the said Ozius Beaman his heirs and assigns forever one certain tract or parcell of land situate in Sampson County and state aforesaid it being partof a tract of land granted to Richard Godwin by pattent bearing date the 4th day of November 1782 being bounded at Fallars? beginning at a pine and agreed corner in Beaman's line thence a direct line to the swamp at the Camford/Cowford thence down the Various courses of said swamp to a stake in said swamp thence North along a line to the corner thence & to the beginning be the same forty acres more or less. To have and to hold the said bargained land and premises with all and singular the improvements proffits proverbally? conveyances? advantaged benefits and all the appert______ hereunto belonging unto him the said Ozius Beaman his heirs Executors administrators and assigns forever to his and their? only proper use and behold and I the said Richard Godwin doth for myself my heirs Executors and administrators covenant grant and agree to and with the said Ozius Beaman his heirs and assigns to warrant and forever defend the said land and premises against the lawful claimor claims of any person or persons whatsoever. In witness whereof I the said Richard Godwin have hereunto set my hand and applied my seal the day and date above written


Signed Sealed and Delivered
in the presence of
James Beaman
and
Jesse (his mark) Strickland

(signed) Richard Godwin




Related Posts:

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Sampson County, North Carolina, Deed Index, Grantors - GODWIN

Last year I reviewed some deed indexes from the North Carolina State Archives. Most deed indexes are recorded on microfilm at the archives. Microfilm call no. 087.48352 contained the collection, "Sampson County, North Carolina Index to Real Estate Conveyances - Grantors and Grantees, 1754-1940, Volumes E, F, G." I photocopied the entries under the Godwin surname from deed books 4 to 29. I then scanned the two photocopied pages and included below:






This index has the grantor and grantee names, book number and page numbers listed.
Unfortunately this index does not have dates listed.

I transcribed this index in a later post "Sampson Co., NC Deed Index - Godwins" and entered the information into my North Carolina Godwin database.

Most of these deeds were abstracted by Max Peterson in the following books:
Abstracts Sampson-Duplin Deeds, Books 1-3: 1750-1774
Abstracts Sampson-Duplin Deeds, Books 4-6: 1762-1779
Abstracts Sampson-Duplin Deeds, Books 7-9: 1780-1794
Abstracts Sampson-Duplin Deeds, Books 10-12: 1794-1804

The original deeds can be found on the following microfilms:
Sampson County Record of Deeds, 1774-1792, Volumes 5-8, Call No. 087.40002
Sampson County Record of Deeds, 1791-1798, Volumes 9-10, Call No. 087.40003
Sampson County Record of Deeds, 1798-1804, Volumes 11-12, Call No. 087.40004

**Updated 4/27/2011** - Sampson County Register of Deeds now has all of its deeds digitized and available online to view and save. Click here to access the site. Refer to my blog post  "Sampson County North Carolina Deeds are now Online" for details on how to use the site. 

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Possibly Related? - Anthony Smith of Johnson County, Arkansas

In a previous post I mentioned Mrs. R. W. Mickel's book Johnson County, Arkansas Probate court records: wills, estate settlements, deeds, 1835 tax list - 1840 census; over 10,000 names. I reviewed the index and contents of the book, but I did not find any entries for my ancestor, David Smith.

I did, however, find a couple of other families who could possibly be related to my David Smith family.

Anthony Smith was born about 1780 in North Carolina according to census reports. He married Winnefred "Winney" Unknown who was born about 1790 also in North Carolina. They had at least 3 children: George Washington Smith, Daniel Smith, and Joseph Smith born between 1816-1820 in Tennessee. Anthony and Winney were married in either Tennessee or North Carolina. If they were married in Tennessee, then both of their families probably migrated from North Carolina to Tennessee at about the same time together.

Anthony and Winnifred Smith were enumerated in Clarksville, Johnson County, Arkansas in 1850. Anthony Smith was 70 years old - born about 1780 in North Carolina - and was a grocery keeper; Winnefred Smith was 60 years old - born about 1790 in North Carolina. They did not have any children living in the house with them.

In 1854, Anthony Smith's will was presented to the Johnson County, Arkansas court. The will listed his wife, Winnafred Smith, and 3 sons - Washington, Joseph, and Daniel Smith.

2nd generation....

George Washington Smith was born about 1816 in Tennessee, the son of Anthony and Winnafred Smith. He married Ester Lee, the daughter of David Lee. Ester's sister Harriett Lee married Washington's brother Daniel Smith. George Washington Smith died between 1862 and 1870. George and Ester had the following children living with them during the census report years: David Smith (1842), Millie (Delyan?) Smith (1845), Mary Smith (1848), Winney Caroline Smith (1850) & Nancy C Smith (1862).

Daniel Smith was born about 1818 in Tennessee, the son of Anthony and Winnafred Smith. He married Anquila Unknown who was born about 1824 according to the 1850 Johnson County, Arkansas census report. Daniel's wife Anquila died between 1853 and 1860. I am not sure exactly how many children they had together. According to the 1850 Johnson County, Arkansas census report, they had Elizabeth (1844), William A (1846), and John W (1850) Smith living with them. William, John, and Joseph (1853) were enumerated with Daniel on the 1860 Johnson County, Arkansas census report. Daniel Smith left a will that was presented to the Johnson County court in 1864. His "heirs" were Joseph A. and Walter Smith, and Dicey Corley, now Hamelton. Joseph was the youngest son. Walter was probably the "John W. Smith" mentioned in the 1850 and 1860 census reports above. Dicey Smith was probably the oldest daughter Elizabeth Smith. Dicey Smith married first to Leroy Cauley in 1859. She then remarried to a Hamilton prior to her father's will in 1864. Daniel's oldest son William was not mentioned in his will, therefore he either passed away prior to 1864 (could have perished in the Civil War) or he removed to another state.

Joseph Smith was born about 1820 in Tennessee. He married Harriett Lee, the daughter of David Lee. Her sister Ester Lee married Joseph's brother Daniel Smith. Harriett Lee Smith was born about 1825 in North Carolina. They had at least 9 children: Elizabeth Smith (1840), Winney Caroline Smith (1842), Richard Smith (1848), Martha Smith (1850), Mary Smith (1852), William Smith (1854), Virginia Smith (1856), Fanny Smith (1858), and Thomas Smith (1862). Joseph Smith died between 1862 and 1870. His oldest daughter Elizabeth Smith was born about 1840 in Tennessee. This information allows us to estimate a timeline that includes Joseph Smith and his family moving from Tennessee to Arkansas between 1840 and 1843 when 2nd daughter Caroline was born in Arkansas.

I need to do more research on this family in order to build a more accurate timeline which would include the family's migration through North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. I did find an Anthony G Smith on the 1820 Rutherford County Tennessee Census report along with an older Joseph Smith. It is possible that Anthony was the son of this Joseph Smith due to the proliferation of the name "Joseph" down the lines of descendants. A search for Joseph Smith's will, possibly in Rutherford County, Tennessee, would verify or disprove this hypothesis.

The only connection I have been able to find between Anthony Smith and my David Smith line is the proximity of the two families in Johnson County, Arkansas in 1850. Anthony Smith's family moved to Johnson County, Arkansas by way of Tennessee shortly after 1840. Anthony's children had been born in Tennessee between 1816-1820 prior to their removal to Arkansas. David Smith's family, however, was in Jackson County, Alabama about 1838. His daughter Sarah Smith Grider had been born about 1825 in Alabama as well. I could not find David Smith's family in either Arkansas or Alabama on the 1840 census report, so I am not sure exactly when his family moved from Alabama to Arkansas - it had to be sometime between 1838 and 1850. There was a David Smith on the 1840 Jackson County, Alabama census report, however he was born between 1810 and 1820 and had only two daughters living in the household at the time.

According to the 1850 Johnson County Arkansas census report, David Smith was born about 1789 in Tennessee. This is the only documentation I have that says anything about David Smith. Anthony and his wife Winnefred were born in North Carolina about 1780-1890. It is possible that the birth year on the 1850 census report was incorrect and David was actually younger - he might have been the David Smith on the 1840 Jackson County, Alabama census report - which would put him as a possible son born to Anthony Smith between 1810-1820 in Tennessee. I don't believe this was a strong possibility, however, because neither David or his family was mentioned in Anthony's will of 1854. David Smith purchased a land grant in 1855, so he was still living at the time of Anthony's will.

Another interesting tidbit is that there is yet another correlation between the Smith and LEE families. In an earlier post, I wrote about a Lee descendant who's DNA matched 100 % to my grandfather's Smith DNA. The match was so close it indicated that these Smith and Lee men had a 50% chance of sharing a common ancestor in the last **2** generations!

I think that we need to look closely at our two families and try to find a paper trail that might indicate the Lee - Smith relation. So far there are two Lee-Smith family connection possibilities: (1) Assuming we find some connection between this Anthony Smith and my David Smith families, there is the connection between Anthony's Smith's two sons, Joseph and George Washington who married two of David Lee's daughters, Ester and Harriett Lee. (2) According to David Smith's daughter, Sarah Ann Smith Grider's Cherokee Citizenship application file, her grandmother was Jinnie Gallymore, nee Lee. Gallymore was the name of David's wife, Sarah.

Please feel free to comment on this post!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

DNA Results - are we really SMITHS?

I uploaded my grandfather's DNA results to the Ancestry.com database last weekend. I had to create a new log in account in ancestry.com. This log in is a free account and does not have access to my family tree or to the paid subscription databases. I tried to invite this new log in to edit my tree under the original log in, however, I cannot get my new log in to recognize my tree that is saved under the original log in. Looks like I need to email the Ancestry.com folks again.

I got a few hundred matches again, like I did for my Godwin DNA test, with multiple surnames. There were even a few Smith matches in there too! My top match was to 3 Lee family men. They were 100% matches with a MRCA of 2. Translation: There is a 50% probability that we share a common ancestor in the last 2 generations! That probably goes up to 95% within only 13 generations. One of these LEE family DNA participants emailed me. So I emailed him back explaining my predicament....

On Mar 24, 2009 I wrote the following:
Actually I DO have a "Lee" family connection! See below under the 6th generation.

(1) Darrel Smith
(2) Claude Smith
(3) Claude Smith SR
(4) Preston Smith
(5) Richard Smith md. Martha Dunlap
(6) David Smith md. Sarah Gallymore

Here is where the confusion comes in. We have a Cherokee application affadavit that says "David Smith married a young Cherokee woman named Sarah Gallymore who was the daughter of Jinnie Gallymore, nee Lee, and her husband - the said James Smith." (I believe they were claiming Cherokee Indian from James Smith - not necessarily Sarah Gallymore).

This paragraph confused me because at first we assumed James Smith was the father of David Smith and that Jinnie Lee Gallymore was the mother of Sarah Gallymore. However, the statement that James Smith was Jinnie Lee Gallymore's husband contradicted that assumption.

Either way, it seems that there was much more of a paternal Lee influence on our family than we had originally thought. I asked my Lee DNA match participant to check if he had any documented Smiths in his tree. I'm kind of afraid of his answer. It seems to me that the error is possibly on our side and that we might not have been SMITHS afterall!

I can only imagine the impact this news might have on my family. We are not a big family, nor were we really very close knit. In fact, I only correspond with only 2 or 3 other "cousins" who are doing genealogy research. And why does it have to be a Lee family? That's just as common as Smith. Why couldn't the mistake have been made with a less common surname? And how did this happen anyways? Lee was supposed to have been Jennie Gallymore's maiden name. Did she marry another Lee cousin? Or was she married to a Lee before marrying a Gallymore? If this is true, was she married 3 times? First to Lee, then Gallymore, then to a Smith? So many questions. I can't even begin to imagine all the possibilities!

If anyone has any suggestions, please comment below.

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Will of Nathan Godwin, 1821, Sampson County, North Carolina

Will of Nathan Godwin, 1821, Sampson County, North Carolina

In 1821, Nathan Godwin recorded a will in Sampson County, North Carolina. The following children were listed in his will:

Jerusha Godwin
Jonathan Godwin
Teresa/Tressie + her two sons, Handy and Royal Godwin
John Godwin
Joel Godwin's heirs
Rachel Godwin
Fama Starling
Edna Layton
David Godwin

I've estimated these children were born between 1774 and 1800, so most of them would have been adults by the time this will was recorded.

Copies of this will was obtained from the North Carolina State Archives, 109 Jones Street, Raleigh, NC. The name of this collection is "Sampson County, NC, Series of Original Wills, 1778-1953." The will was found in box no. 7 in series of fibredex boxes. Information on how to obtain wills from the NC State Archives can be found in my post entitled "Looking For Wills at the NC State Archives."