Traci, Thank so much for this information. I have seen some of this before. I am trying to determine, if my Stephen Stephens, who was born in 1773 was the son of the George Stephens, son of Shadrack and Lucy. My Stephen Stephens, named his first born child, a son, George! Everyone I have been in contact with, seems to think this is a match. Do you have any information on the children of George Stephens? Thanks again, I appreciate it very much. Becky Carden ----- Original Message ----- From: "Traci Thompson" <tracithompson@hotmail.com> To: <NCEDGECO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 9:21 PM Subject: [NCEDGECO] Shadrack/Shadrach Stephens > Becky, > > Here are a few tidbits. > > He first shows up in my deed books in the following deed: > "Francis (x) Griffis Sr. of Edgecombe County to Shadrach Stephens of same. > 12 Oct. 1772. 5 pounds proclamation. 250 acres on Tyancoca Swamp, joining > Demsey Griffis, sd. Francis Griffis, Robert Killebrew. Witness: Jas. Hill, > Demsey (x) Griffis. Nov. Ct. 1772." > > >From Kinfolks of Edgecombe County, N.C. 1788-1855: > "Deed Book 10, p. 237: Lucy Peele, wife of John Peele, was formerly the > widow of Shadrach Stephens. They sold their dower right in the land to > George Stevens, March 29, 1800." > > The abstract of his estate record: > "Stephens, Shadrach, inventory taken by J. Killebrew, exr., Feb. 19, 1790, > Feb. Ct. 1792. Accounts of sales by the exr., March 6, 1790 and March 5, > 1791. Lucy Stephens was a buyer, Feb. Ct. 1792. Account current with > Joshua Killebrew, exr. Legacy was paid to John Peal in right of his wife, > Lucy, and another account for keeping, boarding, and schooling the orphans > of the dec'd., May Ct. 1792. Division of money arising from the estate > agreeable to the will among George Stephens, Tabitha Stephens, Elizabeth > Stephens, and James Stephens, Nov. 28, 1792., Nov. Ct. 1792." > > Traci the Librarian > ______________________________________________________ > > >From : "Becky Carden" <rec@hiwaay.net> > > Hello, > I'm new to the group, and was wondering if anyone had any information on a > Shadrack or Shadrach Stephens. > I don't have any birth date for him, but I have that he died, in 1790 in > Edgecombe Co. N.C. Also, I have that his will was probated in Feb. 1790 in > Edgecombe Co. N.C. > > I have that his children were: > > George. b in 1750 in N.C. d. 1824 in Ga. > James > Tabitha > Betsy > > Any info would be greatly appreciated. > > Thank you, Becky Carden, rec@hiwaay.net > > "Local history is not just local history but human history, world history. > The information that you write down, the letters and maps you keep, these > are the drippings of the human spirit and distillings of a man doing his > job." --Paul Green > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > >

194. 194/194 Lot Addams 32 M Farmer NC; Charity 21 F NC I; W.H. 2 M NC; Sally 6/12 F NC. 176. 176/176 Wm. Addams 39 M Overseer NC 4-attending school; Aracad 34 F NC I; E. 15 F NC; A. 12 F. NC; J.H. 8 M NC; Nancy 10 F NC; Elbert 7 M NC; George 5 M NC; W.J. 2 M NC. 1630. 87 Wm. Addams Sr. 63 M Farmer NC; Mary 47 F NC; Lucintha 11 F NC S. There are also Jesse H., Henry, Elizabeth, and James Adams listed. If you would like them I will send them. Betty Reason ECGS

Hi Tracy and Listers I am looking for information on Charles McDANIEL. Will especially. Jacob COKER was admr. Jan 1805, Feb Court 1807 were invwntory dates 1790 and 1800 indices do not show a Charles McDaniel in Edgecombe County, NC 1800 index shows two Charles McDANIELS in SC and one in Washington, Dist of C if anyone has a family sheet or will on this gent, I would appreciate copy. Please and Thank you, Pete Coker Oviedo, FL 32765-8929 Please direct all correspondence to <petecokr@bellsouth.net>

Don't have the 1850, but found him in 1860 as follows: Lott ADAMS 43 M Farmer, $500 personal property; born NC; Charity, 41; William 8; Sally 6; Richard 5; Lott 3; Amy2; James 1: Lived next door to: William ADAMS 72, Farmer, $500 real estate, $3,000 personal property; born Virginia; Mary 56 born NC. Good luck - Jim Chandler

At 04:32 PM 9/3/01 -0400, you wrote: >Don't have the 1850, but found him in 1860 as follows: >Lott ADAMS 43 M Farmer, $500 personal property; born NC; Charity, 41; William >8; Sally 6; Richard 5; Lott 3; Amy2; James 1: Lived next door to: >William ADAMS 72, Farmer, $500 real estate, $3,000 personal property; born >Virginia; Mary 56 born NC. Good luck - Jim Chandler Jim Thanks so very much. Yes, those are my guys. William Adams was my gg grandfather. Lott was a brother to my g grandfather. Kind regards to you and yours. Bill

Hi y'all I would appreciate a look-up from some one who has easy access to a census index of Edgecombe County for 1850. The name is Lot Adams (Lott Addams, or any combination thereof). Thank you in advance. Bill in Texas (where we have had some very welcome rain)

Hi Tommy, Probably not a son, the sons that we know about were born in Tennessee and moved to Arkansas and Missouri about 1850. My G Grandfather, James Hartin Fleming, served in the Civil War while in Missouri, then moved to Arkansas where he is buried. As to cousin, just do not know enough to say. A researcher on a Lincoln Co., TN site recommended that I try Edgecombe Co. list, as some Flemings and others left Virginia for NC in mid-1700's due to poor farming economy at that time. Thanks for your reply, Grace -----Original Message----- From: Clycolbert@aol.com <Clycolbert@aol.com> To: NCEDGECO-L@rootsweb.com <NCEDGECO-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Saturday, September 01, 2001 2:19 PM Subject: Re: [NCEDGECO] FLEMINGS MID TO LATE 1700'S EDGECOMBE CO. >Grace, I have a couple of deeds that mention a James Fleming in Edgecombe, >but they are for mid 1850s. Maybe a son or cousin? >Tommy Colbert > >

Grace, I have a couple of deeds that mention a James Fleming in Edgecombe, but they are for mid 1850s. Maybe a son or cousin? Tommy Colbert

Interested in tracing background of GG Grandfather, James Fleming, who is believed to have lived in Edgecombe County, late 1700's. First known residence was Lincoln Co., TN, later moved to Phillips Co., AR where he died in 1844. Anyone researching Flem(m)ings in this area? Best regards, Grace Baxter Constantine gconstan@worldpath.net

Hi y'all, We don't have the 1850 for Edgecombe County online yet but the 1850 federal census for Nash County is online at the USGenWeb Archives: <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/nc/nash/census/1850> Please note that these are image files, or "virtual microfilm". Victoria Victoria Proctor Edgecombe County NCGenWeb http://www.geocities.com/ncedgecombe/

Hello, I'm new to the group, and was wondering if anyone had any information on a Shadrack or Shadrach Stephens. I don't have any birth date for him, but I have that he died, in 1790 in Edgecombe Co. N.C. Also, I have that his will was probated in Feb. 1790 in Edgecombe Co. N.C. I have that his children were: George. b in 1750 in N.C. d. 1824 in Ga. James Tabitha Betsy Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Becky Carden, rec@hiwaay.net

John, You know, you could be right! From what I've seen, he did mainly specific family genealogies, but I wouldn't put it past someone like that to do a county history as well. Intriguing idea, thank you. Traci >From :"John R. Clarke" <johnrclarke_ga@msn.com> Traci, I will tell you what this sounds like -- one of Gustaf ANJOU's cooked up genealogies. The time frame is just right. If so, it was probably published in NY. He did these for profit and some of his garbage is still in the LDS library in SLC. John R. Clarke For some of the best from the outdoors visit www.outdoorwriter.com or www.online-outdoors.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Greetings to all from TX (A good day after receiving rain yesterday) I am descended from John ADAMS, the fourth child of William ADAMS as listed below. Birth order of the children of William not proven. John ADAMS removed to Mississippi about 1840 and died in Leake County, MS in 1872. Seeking others researching this line. Gladly share available info and weak spots in data. Bill Adams badams@tca.net Descendants of William ADAMS ==================================================== 1. William ADAMS- (b.Abt 1785 d.Abt 1862) sp: Winnefred Davis EIDSON- (b.13 Oct 1783 m.Abt 1808 d.Abt 1838) -2. William ADAMS Jr.- (b.Abt 1811 d.Bef 2 Jun 1880) sp: Arcada WINSTEAD- (b.Abt 1816 m.9 Oct 1833 d.Aft 2 Jun 1880) -2. Nancy ADAMS- (b.Abt 1812 d.Aft 1860) sp: Ephriam DAWS- (m.21 Mar 1837 d.Bef 1860) -2. James ADAMS- (b.Abt 1813 d.Bef 2 Jun 1880) sp: Nancy WILLIAMS- (b.Abt 1820 m.16 May 1835 d.Aft 2 Jun 1880) -2. John ADAMS- (b.Abt 1815 d.1872) sp: Pernetta Elizabeth ANDLETON- (b.Feb 1830 m.30 Dec 1846 d.Abt 1921) -2. Lott ADAMS- (b.Abt 1817 d.Aft 1880) sp: Charity MOODY- (b.Abt 1827 m.3 Feb 1848 d.Bef Oct 1878) sp: Rilda PATTERSON-1075 (b.Abt 1830 m.8 Oct 1878) -2. Amos ADAMS- (b.Abt 1820 d.Aft 1879) sp: Lydia HOLLY- (b.Abt 1828 m.Abt 1869) -2. Wiley ADAMS- (b.Abt 1822 d.Aft 1879) sp: Louisa BRASWELL- (b.Abt 1823 m.19 Aug 1842) sp: Mary ROBBINS- (b.Abt 1803 m.12 Jan 1839 d.Aft 1870) +-2. Lucretia ADAMS- (b.Dec 1839 d.22 Apr 1900) sp: Jordan R. JOINER III- (b.Abt 1828 m.23 Dec 1856 d.8 Jul 1862) sp: Jethro David CULPEPPER- (b.Abt 1842 m.28 Dec 1865) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------

Traci, I will tell you what this sounds like -- one of Gustaf ANJOU's cooked up genealogies. The time frame is just right. If so, it was probably published in NY. He did these for profit and some of his garbage is still in the LDS library in SLC. John R. Clarke For some of the best from the outdoors visit www.outdoorwriter.com or www.online-outdoors.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Traci Thompson" <tracithompson@hotmail.com> To: <NCEDGECO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 27, 2001 3:17 PM Subject: [NCEDGECO] Re: Edgecombe book > Karmella, > > You are certainly right that oral history is important. The very best > history is found in people's minds! However, as far as I can tell, this book > is not based on oral history. I analyzed the seven pages Ancestry.com sent > me from the book and wrote an article on it for June's issue of the > Edgecombe County Genealogical Society newsletter. Here is the article: > > June 2001 Lines & Pathways of Edgecombe County Volume 5, No.6 > > The Mysterious Edgecombe Book (and why we are wary of it) > by Traci Thompson > > Researchers who use Ancestry .com may have noticed a new Edgecombe County > database that recently appeared on this website. The database title is > Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Vital Records, 1720-1880 and was compiled > by Cynthia Herrin of Rochester, Michigan from a book entitled Early Families > of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Its Past and Present. The title page of > this book claims it was published in 1881 and "Compiled by the Ladies' > Tarboro, N.C. Genealogy and Library Association for the Preservation, > Dissemination and Exultation of the History of Edgecombe County, N.C." On > the surface, this would appear to be a wonderful resource for genealogists. > ..until one digs deeper and uncovers the problems. This book and the > database created from it is a concern to Edgecombe County historians for the > following reasons: > > 1.) No copy of this book seems to exist. Traci Thompson, Local History > Librarian at Edgecombe County Memorial Library, and others have tried to > locate a copy to no avail. None can be found in Eastern N.C. public > libraries, N.C. university libraries, the State Library of North Carolina, > the State Archives of North Carolina, nor the Library of Congress. Also, the > LDS library database has all known Edgecombe County books on microfilm, and > this one is not listed.One lady has been located who remembers seeing the > book in the 1940s, but does not know where to obtain a copy now. Cynthia > Herrin apparently owned the only copy in existence, but when contacted, said > she threw away the book after compiling the database. So. ..If anyone out > there knows where this book is, we'd love to hear from you! > > 2.) Clubs and organizations that existed in Tarboro in the 1880s are well > documented, and this ladies' association isn't one of them. While there were > several known civic groups in this time period, all that have left records > were male groups such as the Masons, the International Order of Odd Fellows, > and military reunion groups. The earliest known group of ladies > organizations in this area began in the mid-1890s after Sally Cotton > popularized them by helping create the North Carolina Federation of Women's > Clubs. Also, although the "library" part of the organizations' title could > simply be describing the group as literary, it is worth pointing out that > Tarboro did not have a library until the 1920's. > > 3.) ECGS President and native Edgecombite Betty Reason tested the database > against known facts gleaned from original sources, and says, "Most of the > prominent families are not present. A few are represented, but well-known > families instrumental in founding the county do not appear. The research > I've done on my own family doesn't match what is in this database; what is > in there on my family is simply wrong!" > > In order to have the database added to Ancestry.com's website, Ms. Herrin > had to photocopy a few pages from the book and send them to Ancestry .Copies > of those pages have been donated to the Edgecombe County Memorial Library , > and although there are only seven pages, those seven show a wealth of > misinformation. For example: > > 1.) "One of the proprietors [of Tarboro] was from the Potomac, and impressed > by the wealth of natural resources found in Edgecombe's pine forests, > suggested that the new laid-out town should bea! the name of its most > prominent industry, tar and turpentine manufacture." > > This opening description of Tarboro does not mention the most > commonly accepted reason for the name Tar, that it is a corruption of the > word Tau. Tarboro takes its name from the Tar River, which was originally > the Tau River. Accepted explanations for the word Tau are that it was a > Tuscarora Indian word meaning "health" (thus, "the river of health"). > According to Turner and Bridger's History of Edgecombe > County, "About 1855 an old inhabitant of Tarboro believed Tauboro to be the > original name of the town." > > 2.) "Captain Walker's (of Revolutionary fame) house was the first one within > the town plat. ..[Benjamin Butler] established and kept tavern until he > built his log cabin on the corner, which for many years continued the > principal tavern of Tarboro. Butler moved into it in the fall of 17[?]5 and > lived in it until [unreadable] when he built a beautiful brick and stone > house, the first in what would become Edgecombe County. The original tavern > was used as a war office in the recent Rebellion, and under previous > administrations." > > Edgecombe officially became a county in 1741. Tarboro was laid off in 1760. > The Commissioner's Book of 1760 lists the purchasers of the town lots, and > there is not a Butler nor Walker among them. > > 3.) "...he moved to Granite Township, Edgecombe County...located in > Springfield Township...also of Ferrell Township...White Oak > Township...Liberty." > > Townships with these names do not exist, and never have, in Edgecombe > County. Some of the names, such as Springfield and Liberty, are names of > townships in neighboring Nash County, suggesting that someone got the > counties confused, further suggesting the author was not familiar with the > area. The examples that follow are further indication of this. No townships > or districts known to be or that have been in Edgecombe are mentioned in the > seven pages. > > 4.) "Another prominent family, that of Archibald Arrington. .." > > Further text puts Archibald Arrington in Edgecombe County around 1820. > Census records show that the only Arrington here in 1820 was a Lewis > Arrington. There were none in 1830. The Arrington name is also rarely found > in Edgecombe records. However, the name is common in Nash County, and an > Archibald is found there in 1840. > > 5.) ". ..Ezekiel and Rebecca Manning in the tragic loss of their son Stephen > Manning. Son Stephen enlisted. ..in Co. H, 32"d Infantry Regiment N.C." > > A Stephen Manning cannot be found in the series N.C. Troops, 1861-1865: A > Roster, in the 32"d Regiment nor any other. According to the Roster of > Confederate Soldiers CD (by Broadfoot Publishing Co.), the only Stephen > Manning enlisted in Virginia. Also, a search in census indexes does not turn > up an Ezekiel Manning, and although this > Stephen is said in the text to have married an Isabelle Wilder, the marriage > does not show up in Edgecombe marriage books nor in a search of an N.C. > marriage bond database. A newspaper article covering the marriage is given, > but the name of the paper is not, and it did not appear in The Daily > Southerner. > > 6.) "Buchanan Manning, son of Van Buren Manning and his wife, died July 3, > 1863...Private B. Manning was a recruit in Company A, 47th Infantry > Regiment." > > The only Manning in the 47th Regiment, according to N.C. Troops, is a Joseph > Manning from Nash County who survived the war. The closest evidence to a Van > Buren Manning is an 1860 census record, again from Nash County, listing a > Moses V.B. Manning. > However, Moses V.B. Manning was only in his 20's and according to N.C. > Troops served in the war himself, in Co. I, 30th Regiment, dying from wounds > Sept. 28, 1862. > > 7.) "Also of Ferrell Township, was Oscar K. Massey. A brave son of Matthew > Massey and Millie Ferrell. ..Mr. Massey was a member of Company H, 32"d > Infantry Regiment. .." > > This is the soldier entry with the most truth. An O.K. Massey does appear in > the N.C. Troops book, although he was in the 47th Infantry, Co. D. There are > no Masseys at all on the Edgecombe 1860 census, but there is one Massey > family on the Nash 1860 census, which was headed by a Kemp Massey who > appears to be Oscar Kemp. Details from the > book (wife's name, father's name, death date) match the census and troop > information; however, again this deals with a Nash County family, not > Edgecombe. > > 8.) "James Collins...removed from Maryland to Edgecombe Co. N.C. in 1822 and > settled in Springfield Township on a plantation purchased from Figures > Phillips, called Fort Hill." > > Figures Phillips is very easy to find; he appears in many Edgecombe County > records, is listed in the Edgecombe 1830 census, and his death on April 26, > 1833 at the age of "about 45 years" was recorded in the Daily Southerner. > However, there is no James Collins on the 1830 nor 1840 census, and that > surname is rarely found in Edgecombe County records, although it is > plentiful in Nash. > > 9.) "James C. [Collins] ...served three years in the Civil War, 15th N.C. > Cavalry...William H. [Collins] served four years in the 15th N.C. Cavalry , > promoted to captain of his company with the Army of Lee. .." > > A James C. Collins, or any variation on the name, cannot be found in the > N.C. Troops series. The only William H. Collins that appears was a musician > and was from Anson County . > > 10.) "Daniel Campbell came from Perquimans County in 1816, locating in > Springfield Township. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. ..in > a few years he was the wealthiest planter of Old Edgecombe." > > There are no Campbells at all in the 1820 Edgecombe census. The name Daniel > Campbell appears in 1820 in Richmond, Moore, Lincoln, Cumberland, Beaufort, > and Bladen Counties, and the pattern is the same in 1830. There is no > Campbell land transaction recorded in the Nash County deeds, as transcribed > by Joseph Watson. > > Overall, the book appears to have been written by someone who had Edgecombe > and Nash Counties confused, and thus I seriously doubt it was written by > anyone who really lived in this county. There are nuggets of truth in the > book, and those that can be verified as such from other sources are about > Nash County people and events. Some of the information appears to have been > lifted from other published sources, and the rest (in my opinion) appears to > be the product of a vivid imagination. I also think it is extremely strange > that no copy of the book can be found in this area, if it was written by > someone from here. Then again, as obviously bogus as much of the information > is, who around here would want it?? > Hope this clears up why I think this book is garbage, to use a professional > term again. :) I also think it is a bad thing that many people believe such > information is gospel truth because they saw it on the internet, or they > believe websites such as Ancestry.com have good quality control. I continue > to get questions every day from people who have used this database and think > the book is not only reliable but common, and I have to explain all this all > over again. I even had one person from out of state who had based ALL his > research on this one database! Scary! > Incidentally, I had someone ask me a question about a marriage record in the > early 1800s the other day, and then said "but I suppose you won't be able to > find anything since marriage records weren't kept in N.C. before 1868." I > was dumbfounded as to where she could have gotten that information, as > marriage records have been kept here (with gaps here and there, of course) > since colonial times. Then the other day I found it - Ancestry.com states > that in the description of a new database called North Carolina Marriages, > 1850-1868. Which is rather funny, since Ancestry also has a database called > N.C. Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868. Go figure! > Be careful of the info out there! > > Traci the Librarian > _________________________________________________________________ > Hi Traci :) > > I understand that we should be careful about our > sources, but for me, being an afro-american > genealogist, all info is precious. I have the opinion > that even historical "hoaxes" are worth something...if > not accurate details. The fact that these people were > even mentioned in the book gave me something to go > on...at least so it seems. > > The book was allegedly authored by a few senior ladies > of Edgecombe county. What exactly is it about this > book that is a lie? > (1) the author: was it someone claiming to be a group > of elder-women from edgcombe? > (2) the actual info in the text: is it inaccurate? > (3) the source: is it actually stuff extracted from > other already published records? > > If 1 and 3 are the case, then I would definitely say > that the book is junk. But if it was info provided by > local oral history, then I would say that it is not > complete junk. I have some pretty questionable tales > passed down to me from family, but they were very > useful in id-ing names and places. > > Please, explain what you mean by "garbage". I do not > ask that to question your eductaed opinion in any way. > You have been very helpful to me so far. I am just > curious about the nature of this "hoax". > > ---Karmella > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > >

Hello again all, Just wanted to say that so far I have been extremely pleased with the LDS 1880 census CD; it's better than any other CD tool I've seen yet! Of course, as someone else said, expectations must be realistic; every product like this will inevitably have errors. The various ways of searching are a definite plus. I hope they prepare CDs like these for all the census years. The price is very reasonable, too! Traci the Librarian "Local history is not just local history but human history, world history. The information that you write down, the letters and maps you keep, these are the drippings of the human spirit and distillings of a man doing his job." --Paul Green _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Karmella, You are certainly right that oral history is important. The very best history is found in people's minds! However, as far as I can tell, this book is not based on oral history. I analyzed the seven pages Ancestry.com sent me from the book and wrote an article on it for June's issue of the Edgecombe County Genealogical Society newsletter. Here is the article: June 2001 Lines & Pathways of Edgecombe County Volume 5, No.6 The Mysterious Edgecombe Book (and why we are wary of it) by Traci Thompson Researchers who use Ancestry .com may have noticed a new Edgecombe County database that recently appeared on this website. The database title is Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Vital Records, 1720-1880 and was compiled by Cynthia Herrin of Rochester, Michigan from a book entitled Early Families of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Its Past and Present. The title page of this book claims it was published in 1881 and "Compiled by the Ladies' Tarboro, N.C. Genealogy and Library Association for the Preservation, Dissemination and Exultation of the History of Edgecombe County, N.C." On the surface, this would appear to be a wonderful resource for genealogists. ..until one digs deeper and uncovers the problems. This book and the database created from it is a concern to Edgecombe County historians for the following reasons: 1.) No copy of this book seems to exist. Traci Thompson, Local History Librarian at Edgecombe County Memorial Library, and others have tried to locate a copy to no avail. None can be found in Eastern N.C. public libraries, N.C. university libraries, the State Library of North Carolina, the State Archives of North Carolina, nor the Library of Congress. Also, the LDS library database has all known Edgecombe County books on microfilm, and this one is not listed.One lady has been located who remembers seeing the book in the 1940s, but does not know where to obtain a copy now. Cynthia Herrin apparently owned the only copy in existence, but when contacted, said she threw away the book after compiling the database. So. ..If anyone out there knows where this book is, we'd love to hear from you! 2.) Clubs and organizations that existed in Tarboro in the 1880s are well documented, and this ladies' association isn't one of them. While there were several known civic groups in this time period, all that have left records were male groups such as the Masons, the International Order of Odd Fellows, and military reunion groups. The earliest known group of ladies organizations in this area began in the mid-1890s after Sally Cotton popularized them by helping create the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs. Also, although the "library" part of the organizations' title could simply be describing the group as literary, it is worth pointing out that Tarboro did not have a library until the 1920's. 3.) ECGS President and native Edgecombite Betty Reason tested the database against known facts gleaned from original sources, and says, "Most of the prominent families are not present. A few are represented, but well-known families instrumental in founding the county do not appear. The research I've done on my own family doesn't match what is in this database; what is in there on my family is simply wrong!" In order to have the database added to Ancestry.com's website, Ms. Herrin had to photocopy a few pages from the book and send them to Ancestry .Copies of those pages have been donated to the Edgecombe County Memorial Library , and although there are only seven pages, those seven show a wealth of misinformation. For example: 1.) "One of the proprietors [of Tarboro] was from the Potomac, and impressed by the wealth of natural resources found in Edgecombe's pine forests, suggested that the new laid-out town should bea! the name of its most prominent industry, tar and turpentine manufacture." This opening description of Tarboro does not mention the most commonly accepted reason for the name Tar, that it is a corruption of the word Tau. Tarboro takes its name from the Tar River, which was originally the Tau River. Accepted explanations for the word Tau are that it was a Tuscarora Indian word meaning "health" (thus, "the river of health"). According to Turner and Bridger's History of Edgecombe County, "About 1855 an old inhabitant of Tarboro believed Tauboro to be the original name of the town." 2.) "Captain Walker's (of Revolutionary fame) house was the first one within the town plat. ..[Benjamin Butler] established and kept tavern until he built his log cabin on the corner, which for many years continued the principal tavern of Tarboro. Butler moved into it in the fall of 17[?]5 and lived in it until [unreadable] when he built a beautiful brick and stone house, the first in what would become Edgecombe County. The original tavern was used as a war office in the recent Rebellion, and under previous administrations." Edgecombe officially became a county in 1741. Tarboro was laid off in 1760. The Commissioner's Book of 1760 lists the purchasers of the town lots, and there is not a Butler nor Walker among them. 3.) "...he moved to Granite Township, Edgecombe County...located in Springfield Township...also of Ferrell Township...White Oak Township...Liberty." Townships with these names do not exist, and never have, in Edgecombe County. Some of the names, such as Springfield and Liberty, are names of townships in neighboring Nash County, suggesting that someone got the counties confused, further suggesting the author was not familiar with the area. The examples that follow are further indication of this. No townships or districts known to be or that have been in Edgecombe are mentioned in the seven pages. 4.) "Another prominent family, that of Archibald Arrington. .." Further text puts Archibald Arrington in Edgecombe County around 1820. Census records show that the only Arrington here in 1820 was a Lewis Arrington. There were none in 1830. The Arrington name is also rarely found in Edgecombe records. However, the name is common in Nash County, and an Archibald is found there in 1840. 5.) ". ..Ezekiel and Rebecca Manning in the tragic loss of their son Stephen Manning. Son Stephen enlisted. ..in Co. H, 32"d Infantry Regiment N.C." A Stephen Manning cannot be found in the series N.C. Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster, in the 32"d Regiment nor any other. According to the Roster of Confederate Soldiers CD (by Broadfoot Publishing Co.), the only Stephen Manning enlisted in Virginia. Also, a search in census indexes does not turn up an Ezekiel Manning, and although this Stephen is said in the text to have married an Isabelle Wilder, the marriage does not show up in Edgecombe marriage books nor in a search of an N.C. marriage bond database. A newspaper article covering the marriage is given, but the name of the paper is not, and it did not appear in The Daily Southerner. 6.) "Buchanan Manning, son of Van Buren Manning and his wife, died July 3, 1863...Private B. Manning was a recruit in Company A, 47th Infantry Regiment." The only Manning in the 47th Regiment, according to N.C. Troops, is a Joseph Manning from Nash County who survived the war. The closest evidence to a Van Buren Manning is an 1860 census record, again from Nash County, listing a Moses V.B. Manning. However, Moses V.B. Manning was only in his 20's and according to N.C. Troops served in the war himself, in Co. I, 30th Regiment, dying from wounds Sept. 28, 1862. 7.) "Also of Ferrell Township, was Oscar K. Massey. A brave son of Matthew Massey and Millie Ferrell. ..Mr. Massey was a member of Company H, 32"d Infantry Regiment. .." This is the soldier entry with the most truth. An O.K. Massey does appear in the N.C. Troops book, although he was in the 47th Infantry, Co. D. There are no Masseys at all on the Edgecombe 1860 census, but there is one Massey family on the Nash 1860 census, which was headed by a Kemp Massey who appears to be Oscar Kemp. Details from the book (wife's name, father's name, death date) match the census and troop information; however, again this deals with a Nash County family, not Edgecombe. 8.) "James Collins...removed from Maryland to Edgecombe Co. N.C. in 1822 and settled in Springfield Township on a plantation purchased from Figures Phillips, called Fort Hill." Figures Phillips is very easy to find; he appears in many Edgecombe County records, is listed in the Edgecombe 1830 census, and his death on April 26, 1833 at the age of "about 45 years" was recorded in the Daily Southerner. However, there is no James Collins on the 1830 nor 1840 census, and that surname is rarely found in Edgecombe County records, although it is plentiful in Nash. 9.) "James C. [Collins] ...served three years in the Civil War, 15th N.C. Cavalry...William H. [Collins] served four years in the 15th N.C. Cavalry , promoted to captain of his company with the Army of Lee. .." A James C. Collins, or any variation on the name, cannot be found in the N.C. Troops series. The only William H. Collins that appears was a musician and was from Anson County . 10.) "Daniel Campbell came from Perquimans County in 1816, locating in Springfield Township. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. ..in a few years he was the wealthiest planter of Old Edgecombe." There are no Campbells at all in the 1820 Edgecombe census. The name Daniel Campbell appears in 1820 in Richmond, Moore, Lincoln, Cumberland, Beaufort, and Bladen Counties, and the pattern is the same in 1830. There is no Campbell land transaction recorded in the Nash County deeds, as transcribed by Joseph Watson. Overall, the book appears to have been written by someone who had Edgecombe and Nash Counties confused, and thus I seriously doubt it was written by anyone who really lived in this county. There are nuggets of truth in the book, and those that can be verified as such from other sources are about Nash County people and events. Some of the information appears to have been lifted from other published sources, and the rest (in my opinion) appears to be the product of a vivid imagination. I also think it is extremely strange that no copy of the book can be found in this area, if it was written by someone from here. Then again, as obviously bogus as much of the information is, who around here would want it?? Hope this clears up why I think this book is garbage, to use a professional term again. :) I also think it is a bad thing that many people believe such information is gospel truth because they saw it on the internet, or they believe websites such as Ancestry.com have good quality control. I continue to get questions every day from people who have used this database and think the book is not only reliable but common, and I have to explain all this all over again. I even had one person from out of state who had based ALL his research on this one database! Scary! Incidentally, I had someone ask me a question about a marriage record in the early 1800s the other day, and then said "but I suppose you won't be able to find anything since marriage records weren't kept in N.C. before 1868." I was dumbfounded as to where she could have gotten that information, as marriage records have been kept here (with gaps here and there, of course) since colonial times. Then the other day I found it - Ancestry.com states that in the description of a new database called North Carolina Marriages, 1850-1868. Which is rather funny, since Ancestry also has a database called N.C. Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868. Go figure! Be careful of the info out there! Traci the Librarian _________________________________________________________________ Hi Traci :) I understand that we should be careful about our sources, but for me, being an afro-american genealogist, all info is precious. I have the opinion that even historical "hoaxes" are worth something...if not accurate details. The fact that these people were even mentioned in the book gave me something to go on...at least so it seems. The book was allegedly authored by a few senior ladies of Edgecombe county. What exactly is it about this book that is a lie? (1) the author: was it someone claiming to be a group of elder-women from edgcombe? (2) the actual info in the text: is it inaccurate? (3) the source: is it actually stuff extracted from other already published records? If 1 and 3 are the case, then I would definitely say that the book is junk. But if it was info provided by local oral history, then I would say that it is not complete junk. I have some pretty questionable tales passed down to me from family, but they were very useful in id-ing names and places. Please, explain what you mean by "garbage". I do not ask that to question your eductaed opinion in any way. You have been very helpful to me so far. I am just curious about the nature of this "hoax". ---Karmella _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

Hello All, I am a very experienced census researcher. I purchased one of the first sets of the 1880 Census CD set that was sold at the NGS conference in Portland in May. So far, I have found about 30 individuals, that I would never have found with the Soundex. These were people who did not have children under 10 years of age in their household, or who had moved totally out of the area where I expected to find them. All indexes, whether published in books, or the soundex have errors. I looked for my great-grandfather in the Illinois soundex for two years. His name was Winfield Scott Van Horne. Van Horne codes to V565. I went through that index at least five different times. Then one day I went through it forward, nothing, then backward, nothing. As I sat there looking at the three index cards on the screen, I had the last card from the previous section and the two header cards for V565, I realized the last card from the previous section said Winfield Scott Van Horne, and the other people on the card were my family. My Van Hornes had been coded V560 for Van HOME. The irony of all this was that my great-grandfather had been the census taker for that section of Champaigne county, and his signature was on every page. And by the way, my family is properly coded in the new CD version of the 1880 census. This census set is 55 CD's, and contains every name in the census. The 1880 Soundex only includes those households with children under 10 year of age. It is a marvelous tool, when properly used by people with realistic expectations. I have other ancestors with the surname Congleton. You folks should see what the census takers could do with that name, and that's before the makers of indexes got into the act. Marleen Van Horne

Oh, don't be afraid to ask. This is an easy one! No, there is not an Edgecombe County Heritage book. The Edgecombe County Genealogical Society is currently debating whether or not they should and could put one together. If one does happen, be assured it will be a few years in coming. Traci _________________________________________________________________ Tracy: I'm almost afraid to ask. Is there an Edgecomge County HERITAGE BOOK (with family genealogies, histories and photos)? If so, what is your opinion about it? Are there additional copies for sale? Hesitantly, C Heath "Local history is not just local history but human history, world history. The information that you write down, the letters and maps you keep, these are the drippings of the human spirit and distillings of a man doing his job." --Paul Green _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

There were index cards created for each child under the age of 10 as well as the head of the household in which they lived. I've not seen, much less used, the LDS CD, but I have used the microfilm rolls of the 1880 Census Soundex for Arkansas and was lucky enough to find the children I was looking for living with their Grandmother and their father in their grandmother's house. This info confirmed half of a family legend I used to begin my search for them in this location and it contradicted part of the same family legend. This demonstrated for me just how legends may contain nuggets of truth interspersed with half remembered truths or tales twisted by the handing down through the generations. Legend had it these children were raised by a great aunt after their father left the family divorcing his wife. Actually, he married a divorce' who gave birth to his two children and then divorced him to marry later a third man. He took the children out of state from where they had lived and went to his mother's farm. She was widowed by 1880 and he was the only man in the house at the time of the census. The fact her name had changed after she had him meant I would never have found her without the Soundex Index cards for her grandchildren. These microfilmed index cards listed the father and grandmother and the relationships of each to the head of the house, the grandmother. So, it was a beautiful find. I can't say enough good things about the Soundex! But it was limited to U.S. Census Records of 1880, 1900, and 1920; and for some states, 1910 also; and, of course, to children under the age of 10. Wes Coleman ----- Original Message ----- From: <RCFamHist@aol.com> To: <NCEDGECO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 6:37 PM Subject: Re: [NCEDGECO] 1880 census CD > Bonnie, > The same can be said for any index -- the original handwriting has to be > interpreted and sometimes it gets mangled by those not already familiar with > the family. What is great about the 1880 everyname census is all the > creative ways you can search -- with wildcards, first names, by county, by > state or the whole US in one search. If you know the names of their > neighbors you can search for them and then look at the neighbors. You > mentioned a way of searching - by an unusual first name - that cannot be done > using the 1880 soundex that is indexed by head of household for only those > households with children under the age of 10. If only all the other census > indexes were created the same as the 1880! > > Rebecca > > In a message dated 8/23/01 5:11:56 PM Central Daylight Time, > brs1@mediaone.net writes: > > << Word of warning on the 1880 census from LDS - I purchased my own copy of > the CD set, and tried to look up a family I had already located, as a > test of the index. It took some doing to find them on the CD. I had to > resort to searching for a given name in the family that was unusual, > without the surname, which was so badly misread I never would have found > it in their index. This happened in varying degrees with a few surnames > I searched for. So, if you don't locate your family immediately on the > CD's, be very, very creative with your search of the index. > > Bonnie > >> >

Bonnie, The same can be said for any index -- the original handwriting has to be interpreted and sometimes it gets mangled by those not already familiar with the family. What is great about the 1880 everyname census is all the creative ways you can search -- with wildcards, first names, by county, by state or the whole US in one search. If you know the names of their neighbors you can search for them and then look at the neighbors. You mentioned a way of searching - by an unusual first name - that cannot be done using the 1880 soundex that is indexed by head of household for only those households with children under the age of 10. If only all the other census indexes were created the same as the 1880! Rebecca In a message dated 8/23/01 5:11:56 PM Central Daylight Time, brs1@mediaone.net writes: << Word of warning on the 1880 census from LDS - I purchased my own copy of the CD set, and tried to look up a family I had already located, as a test of the index. It took some doing to find them on the CD. I had to resort to searching for a given name in the family that was unusual, without the surname, which was so badly misread I never would have found it in their index. This happened in varying degrees with a few surnames I searched for. So, if you don't locate your family immediately on the CD's, be very, very creative with your search of the index. Bonnie >>