Dear List, I recently returned from a trip to NC where I visited Mr. Herring's library. Mr. Herring is a true gem of the south and I would urge anyone making a trip to the area to visit Mr. Herring and his hospitality. Mr. Herring embodies the old south graciousness that my grandmother tried to instill in me. I meant to thank everyone who sent me info about Mr. Herring, Duplin Co., Sampson Co., New Hanover Co., and Mr. Herring himself after I got back from vacation. However, I came down with a nasty flu and was out of work for two weeks. I have spent time since then trying to get my energy back and catching up on work, and not doing a very good job with correspondence. Everyone, in the Duplin Co., Sampson Co., New Hanover Co., and Wake Co. area, was extremely helpful and gracious. To everyone who lives there, thank you for reminding me of what the quality of life really means. And, better late than never, I want to say a personal thank you to everyone on this list who replied to my query a couple of months ago as to where to go and what to do. Thank you list members, Karen Roberts

I am searching for information on Stephen M. HINES born about 1826-27 in Duplin County, married Rebbeca Cannady (Kennedy) and I think his parents are William HINES and Elizabeth GRADY. I am also searching for information on Henry Clay MAYNOR/MAINER born about 1895. He moved around NC a lot.

It seems like someone from one of these list had ask me about my Thacker line, my Thackers went to Ky and someone today was looking for some Thacker's that went to Mo.Looking for ancestors of William and Ransom Thacker this is who he is looking for , if those names connect to your's let me know and i will send him your address. Thank you Christine Grimes Thacker

Hi Rachael, my line of Hines is with Joel, do you have very much on him?? I have put his Will on the Lenoir Co site. Christine Grimes Thacker

Charlie: Thanks for the Mathis/Mathews information. I have been told by a countless Number of people that My Grand Father JONAH MATHIS/EWS B 1834-36, does descend from the Edmond Mathis Family at Taylors Bridge. I do not have all the lines from that Family. I am trying to research each line now. It was a LARGE Family. So far I have not been able to find JONAH (Brothers David and Isaac) anywhere. Great Grandmother (Rich Family) was Charlotte Matthews Rich, from Taylors Bridge. I believe I have 2 connections to the Edmond Mathis Family. Please anyone doing this line....check for my JONAH. Would love for anyone researching either Family to contact me. Aleine Mathis Hill

Delorme shows Pin Hook as being about three miles north of the Duplin, Pender line on NC 50. Now for a bit of trivia. What is: 1. A pinhook...the implement 2. A pinhooker...the occupation Clay

Sonny Sikes give the following information about Pin Hook in his "DUPLIN COUNTY PLACES: past and present." __PIN HOOK: A small community located in the SE corner of the county. It is centered around the intersection of NC 50 and SR 1827 on the east side of Angola Bay. The origin of the name is not known, but it is said that it comes from the old method of making inexpensive fishing hooks from ordinary pins. This was a common practice in the early part of the 1900s when money was not available to buy such items.__ Another cemetery is located at Little Pin Hook. Sikes describes the community as follows: __The local name given to an area around the intersection of NC 11, SR 1936 and SR 1945 in the southern part of the county about 3.5 miles NE of Teachey.__ Hope this will help. Horace miskit@webtv.net wrote: > Hello. I saw an earlier post that mentioned Pin Hook. My husband has > ancestors buried in Old Pin Hook Cemetery. Is there now or was there a > community called Pin Hook? Can anyone give me a location for it? > Thanks!

Aleine: I have a copy of an 1809 deed whereby a Jacob MATHIS sold a tract to James BUTLER on the waters of Clear Run, which heads up around the s.w. corner of Duplin Co/s.e. corner of Sampson and runs west into the Black River. A witness to this deed was Edmund MATHIS. Maybe this will give you some names to work on. Yes, Miskit, there's a Pin Hook. No doubt a couple of other List members will guide you to the cemetery. Charlie Weaver, Winston-Salem, NC

Someone mentioned Dr. Dallas Herring's home library. Although the library in this home is MAGNIFICENT, Dr. Herring himself is the gem of the library. Dr. Herring has transformed a Carolina Cottage into a small English Tudor style castle. When you enter the home, you are no longer in 1999, you have been transported back hundreds of years to a front hallway which boasts of portraits of well known men in North Carolina's early years and (I think) some from England.The salutes to today's world lies in the presence of the computer and the zerox machine. Dr. Herring was a driving force in the beginning history of the Community College System in North Carolina. He is a veritable font of information and loves to share with serious researchers. Dr. Herring is a gentleman from the old days. He wears a suit and white shirt and bowtie while receiving guests in his home. He is most gracious and those of us in eastern North Carolina owe him so much because of his fine collection. Do contact him and go for a day of research and meet this very fine man! Carol Pridgen Martoccia

If I've mailed this to the wrong address just let me know but I would like to unsubscribe.

Hello. I saw an earlier post that mentioned Pin Hook. My husband has ancestors buried in Old Pin Hook Cemetery. Is there now or was there a community called Pin Hook? Can anyone give me a location for it? Thanks!

LEWISNH@aol.com wrote: > I plan to be in the Duplin County area next month and would like information > on locations to look at records of early settlers. Some of my early family > lived in the area and I would like to locate records concerning them. Anyone > with information as to hours and days opened will be appreciated. > Lewis N. Houston I apologize for the delay in answering. I hope it isn't too late to do you some good. My husband and I recently made a trip to Sampson and Duplin Counties. I was researching primarily Alexander Carrell (Carroll) who was married to Lucy Ryal (Royal) in Duplin County in 1783, but lived in Sampson County after the marriage. We were only there for two days, so we did not have time for all the research we needed. We did get some information that may be of help to us and to you. ---At the Library in Kenansville (County Seat of Duplin County) the librarian gave us the name of of Dr. Dallas Herring who has a private geneological library in his home at 314 E. Main Street in Rose Hill, NC. Telephone number 910-289-2430. We did not have time to contact him while we were there, as we had to leave that afternoon. The next night after we arrived at home we called and talked with Dr. Herring for about an hour on the phone. We understood that he has a large historical library and is most interested in having it used. He is still working, so the library is open in the evenings from 7pm until midnight weekdays and 2pm until midnight on Saturday. He is elderly, lives alone, and is very interested in perserving history. You may know about him already, but if not, you may want to contact him. Here is Dr. Dallas's e-mail address: history@duplinnet.com Although he is legally blind, he can see at little. Nevertheless, a telephone call may be better than a letter. ---The Clinton Library in Sampson County has a fairly good NC Room that may be helpful also. Below is the URL for that library. There you can find their address and schedule: http://www.sampson.cc.nc.us/publiclibrary/holliday.htm Lura "A MERRY HEART DOETH GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE." Prov.17:22

I found at the State Archives in Raleigh, NC, A Hand written note filed with the marriage lic of my Grandparents MR. JONAH MATHEWS and MISS MARY MATILDA RICH. Dated April 1st 1866. It is headed... ....COTTAGE HILL, The paper is asking for a marriage lic to be sent to him for the above couple to be married. It is signed OWEN FENNELL. (who I am told was a Sheriff of New Hanover County). The couple was from what is NOW Duplin and Sampson Co, THEN New Hanover Co... I believe. My Question is, Where is COTTAGE HILL? Also seeking Parents of JONAH MATHEWS/MATHIS and Mother of MATILDA RICH. I would like to find someone researching either Family.........Aleine M. Hill

Hi List: Looking for information on Rev Lemuel C. (Clyde??) TAYLOR who was married to Elizabeth GRADY. He was from Goldsboro but was said to be a circuit preacher in the Mt Olive - Faison area in the early 1900s. Two of his sons I James TAYLOR and Norman Clyde TAYLOR were farmers and lived on what is now Taylortown Road just South of Faison in the 1920s and early 1930s Norman Clyde TAYLOR was married to Zylpha Ann HILL was the daughter of Buckner Lanier HILL. Any information on these families would be appreciated. Paul TAYLOR

Horace: I saw your great reply on the Duplin places and would like to include you in on a mystery which is baffling a few people. Perhaps Mr Sykes' book you quote will help. My BUTLER ancestors owned land at the confluence of Roundabout Branch and Wateringhole Branch which then flows into Cypress Creek. This is evidently near the old Humphrey PO and the branches are visible from Deep Bottom Rd just east of where James Rd deadends into Deep Bottom. The land stretched back to what is now Cypress Creek Rd which runs down into Pender Co to NC 50. Now the mystery part: In the current Delorme Company NC atlas book, Cypress Creek Rd is shown as "Blacksmith Shop Rd". I have talked to most everybody down there I can think of - Dallas Herring, Kellon Maready, a 95-year old whose daughter runs the convenience store in Pin Hook, state hiway dept, and even had the Duplin RoD/Tax Office looking the last time I was in Kenansvile in April. No one can come up with any info about that road ever being called Blacksmith Shop Rd. Delorme says they got the info from the state or county. I'm sure they didn't just pull it out of thin air. I have a 1930 map of Duplin roads but it has no road names. The reason I'm nitpicking at this is that my Elijah BUTLER, the last BUTLER to own that property, was a blacksmith, as was one of his sons. Horace, if you, or anyone on the list, have any info on this road name, I would certainly like to hear about it. There is a possibility that another road, some feet/yards removed from the current road, was Blacksmith Shop Rd, but there would have to be a map or record somewhere for Delorme to use that name in their atlas. Charlie Weaver, Winston-Salem

Sorry about a major typo at the end of the first paragraph. It should read "Rockfish Creek just north of NC 41" -- not NC 11. Horace Horace Fussell, Jr. wrote: > > Hi Fran, > > I live less than ten miles from the waterways you asked about. I'm > quite familiar with Buck Hall, Stewart's Creek and Rockfish Creek. The > Big Ditch could be any one of quite a few that have been called that > here in Duplin. One Big Ditch (also known as Perry's Branch) that I am > familiar with lies in southern Duplin, flows west into Fussell's Creek, > which joins Taylor's Creek about one mile to the south. Taylor's Creek > and Fussell's Creek join to make up Duff's Creek, which flows into > Rockfish Creek just north of NC 11. >

Hi Fran, I live less than ten miles from the waterways you asked about. I'm quite familiar with Buck Hall, Stewart's Creek and Rockfish Creek. The Big Ditch could be any one of quite a few that have been called that here in Duplin. One Big Ditch (also known as Perry's Branch) that I am familiar with lies in southern Duplin, flows west into Fussell's Creek, which joins Taylor's Creek about one mile to the south. Taylor's Creek and Fussell's Creek join to make up Duff's Creek, which flows into Rockfish Creek just north of NC 11. The other three still go by the names you listed. Rather than try to tell you in my own words, I will copy the description of each stream from Leon H. Sikes' book "DUPLIN COUNTY PLACES: past and present -- A Guide to Duplin County, NC." __Buck Hall Branch: A branch located in the extreme western part of the county. It rises about 2 miles west of Warsaw at the junction of SR 1111 and NC 24, flows SW for about 1 mile, then turns SSE crossing SR 1110 and SR 1112 and runs into Stewart's Creek. Stewart's Creek: A creek located in the western part of the county. It rises in the city limits of Warsaw, flows crossing US 117 about 3 miles south of Warsaw. It then turns SW crossing SR 1106, SR 1105 and SR 1104 and exits the county at the bridge crossing SR 1104 on the Duplin/Sampson county line. It eventually runs into Black River via Six Runs Creek. Named for Patrick Stewart, in all probability, who was an early landowner in the upper part of New Hanover County, now Duplin and Sampson Counties. Rockfish Creek: A creek located in the SW section of the county and a major tributary of the Northeast Cape Fear River. It rises at the confluence of Murphy's Creek and Beaverdam Creek about .9 mile west of the intersection of SR 1102 & SR 1101 (Brice's Crossroads), flows south crossing SR 1102. It runs south for about 2 miles then turns SE and crosses SR 1135. It runs parallel with NC 41 crossing SR 1170 and then turns south and crosses NC 41 about 3 miles west of Wallace. It then crosses SR 1154 and Doctor's Creek joins with it on the Duplin/Pender county line. It continues and then turns east and runs into the Northeast Cape Fear River about 4 miles SE of Wallace. The 1770 map of the area by John Collet shows the creek as Rockfish River. Rockfish Creek is one of the earliest mentioned names in Duplin Counth. It is given in a 1737 land grant to John Peacock and appears on Moseley's 1733 map.__ I hope this will help. Maybe you have access to a map with the state road numbers. Let me know if you still need assistance with these. Horace fred powell, sr wrote: > > Hi Listmembers! > > Can anyone provide me location of Big Ditch, Bucks Hall, Steward's/Stewart's > Creek and Rockfish Creek in Duplin Co.? Do these watercourses still exist? > Are they still known by those names? (Have had no luck in locating a map > image showing these watercourses.) > > Thank you. > > Fran powell@cvn.net until 26 July 1999

Hi Listmembers! Can anyone provide me location of Big Ditch, Bucks Hall, Steward's/Stewart's Creek and Rockfish Creek in Duplin Co.? Do these watercourses still exist? Are they still known by those names? (Have had no luck in locating a map image showing these watercourses.) Thank you. Fran powell@cvn.net until 26 July 1999

Hi Listmembers! Thanks to the help of a fellow list-member, I can now document part of an early Duplin Co. WEST family. If anyone is interested in Daniel WEST, Sr. and his descendants please contact me. Fran powell@cvn.net until 26 July 1999

Fran wrote: "Hi Listmembers! Can anyone provide me location of Big Ditch, Bucks Hall, Steward's/Stewart's Creek and Rockfish Creek in Duplin Co.? Do these watercourses still exist? Are they still known by those names? (Have had no luck in locating a map image showing these watercourses.)" ******************* There is a book, "Duplin Co. Places: past and present" A Guide to Duplin Co., NC by Leon H. Sikes. It lists and gives a short description and location of Water Courses, Communities,River Sites, Ponds & Lakes,Bridges & Fords, Bays and Marshes, and Miscellaneous. It also has maps showing each item listed in the book according to a code in the description. I found all you listed above, but Big Ditch. There were several "Big" this and that, but not a Ditch. As an example: Stewarts Branch: 35b A small branch located in the NW part of the county about .8 mile north of Beautancus. It rises on the east side of SR 1368, flows west crossing SR 1368 and runs into Bear Marsh Branch-Goshen Swamp. Stewarts Branch: 35/b A branch located in the NW section of the county about 6.5 miles ENE of Warsaw. It rises about 1.5 miles ENE of the junction of SR 1304 & SR 1307 on the south side of SR 1307. It flows ESE and runs into Nahunga Creek-Goshen Swamp. The author gives the name the place is know by today and any other names it was known by in the past. SR=Secondary road Barbara S.