Amanuensis Monday: Estate Records of Jonathan Godwin of Sampson Co NC

Transylvanian Dutch blog author John Newmark started the Monday blog theme called Amanuensis Monday. According to John, “amanuensis” means:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another." 

This week I have chosen to focus on the probate record of Jonathan Godwin of Sampson County, North Carolina who died intestate about 1791. He left behind a widow, Rachel Bullard, sister of Thomas Bullard and daughter of Jeremiah Bullard. 

Estate records are housed at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh, North Carolina. They can be requested by call number in the form of a two digit county code (Sampson County's code is 87) - "508" for estate records followed by the number of the box in which the folder is housed that contains the surname of interest. The box number is not  know when you request the file, but should be noted for future reference.

The estate file of Jonathan Godwin contained only a single page. It was an inventory of his estate taken by Richard Godwin. Here are the scans of the front and back copies of the single page. The transcript follows below:

Estate Records of Jonathan Godwin, 1791

North Carolina State Archives, Sampson County, NC, Series of Original Loose Documents of Estate Records, 1784-1923; Call No. 087.508.23; Copied 20 January 2007;

Back side:

"Inventory of the Estate of John Godwin dec’d, May Term 1791"

Front side:

"Sampson County the 15^th of Feb 1792

An inventory of the Estate of Jonathan Godwin Deceased

50 Acres of Land

3 Head of Horses

1 Heifer

12 Head of Sheep

48 Head of Hog

3 Beds and Furniture

4 Dishes, 5 Basons

6 Spoons and 4 Plates

3 Knives and 7 Forks

2 Pots and 1 Kettle

2 Spinning Wheels

2 Pairs of Cards

1 Chest 12 Bottles

2 Jugs 1 Hackle

2 Chairs 2 Ploughs

2 Axes 1 Iron wedge

3 Weeding Hoes 1 Grubbing Hoe

2 Augers 1 chissel and Gouge

1 Griddle and fire Tongs

1 Box Iron and Heater

1 Mares Saddle

By Richard Godwin" (signed)

There was actually another document included in this file at one time that got lost when it was sent off for microfilming - 

In an estate record of 15 February 1791, Rachel Godwin, the “widow of Jonathan Godwin, deceased,” was allowed to keep the estate in her hands, she entering into bond with good security for 250 pounds. Tenders Richard Godwin and Philip Tew were approved as sureties (Sampson County Court Minute Abstracts, 1784-1800, p. 117). [This information was included in Bizzell’s Abstracts, however, the Raleigh archives does not have the actual documents from 1784 to 1794. The microfilmed court records start at 1794. Jerome Tew said these records were removed from Clinton for publishing, however, they were never returned, thus lost. Bizzell copied this abstracted information from an earlier typed abstract of the court minutes.] 

Jonathan actually owned two tracts of land, both 50 acres a piece, however only one of these tracts of land was included in his inventory. He may have given the other tract of land to one of his sons prior to his death.  Nathan Godwin, presumed to be a son of Jonathan and Rachel Godwin, sold a 50 acre tract of land to Elizabeth Bagley in 1801, it being a tract of land "granted to Jonathan Godwin by patent bearing the 10th day of July 1788." So this could be the other 50 acre tract of land. 

The 50 acres tract of land that WAS included in his inventory above was sold by his widow Rachel Godwin, along with Nathan and Dred Godwin, presumed to be both sons of Jonathan and Rachel Godwin by this author, in 1795 to John Dormond. This land was a "parcel...granted to Jonathan Godwin by patent bearing date July 1788." Jonathan Godwin was only granted a total of two tracts of land and then descriptions match up, so I believe these two tracts of land to be those originally belonging to Jonathan, one of which was given to his son Nathan prior to his death and the other passed down to his widow Rachel and sold between Rachel and her sons Dred and Nathan to John Dormond after Jonathan's death. 

I had to use a combination of several original records and some abstract books in order to start piecing together this family. The family of Jonathan and Rachel Bullard Godwin is a very controversial one and my construction of their family is actually very different than what has been previously portrayed and accepted as fact by other researchers. However, I am confident that I have sufficient evidence and I have already written up several proof statements backing up my claims. Living in North Carolina where my Godwin family originated from has been very helpful as well and the North Carolina State Archives has been a tremendous resource.