Fourth Generation Inclusive

Historical Documents of Genealogical Interest to Researchers of North Carolina's Free People of Color

Tag: Edgecombe County

February 19, 2013

He craves the privilege of carrying a shotgun.

State of North Carolina, Edgcomb County   }

To the Worshipful the Justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sestions May Term 1841 – The Petition of the under Signed Cizens of Said County Humly requesting:

Your Petitioners respectfully Shew unto your worships that Basdill Thomas of the State and County afore said having been a Citizens of Destrict No 7 of the 1 regiment of the Edgcomb Militia, he being a free person of color and having been debard by the Laws of the State of keeping Fire armes Except in Case of having a proper License from the worshipful Court of the County wherein he resides whare as he the said Thomas Craves the privilege to geather with his assigners of being Impowered with the authority of Carrying or using a Shot gun or musket in his neighbor hood or about his Dometical afares and also the said Thomas to gather with his assigners wish to shew to your worship in order that you may be Staisfied that he has been a resident of said District above mentioned and that he is a peaceable & quiet Citizen and Stands fare as an honest man and as & unblemished a character as any man in the neighbourhood for the Last for or Five years Whareas we the under signd are willing and do assigne our names with the same Thomas to be granted the above named privilidg this 24th May 1841

/s/ Basdill Thomas, Wm. R. Dupree, R.F. Eagles, John A. Pin[illegible]

Rejected – By order, May term 1841 – Louis D. Wilson

Slave Records, Edgecombe County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

Basdill Thomas married Sally Young in Franklin County on 13 March 1833. Benja. Long was bondsman; S. Patterson, witness.

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February 17, 2013

A plea for the repeal of a tax on free colored wives and daughters.

To the Worshipful the Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly.

The petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of the Counties of Northampton Edgecombe and Granville.

Humbly Sheweth That by one Act of Assembly passed in the year 1723, Intituled “An Act for an Additional Tax on all free Negroes, Mulattoes, Mustees and such Persons Male & Female, as now are or hereafter shall be intermarried with any such Persons resident in this Government.” Amongst other Things it was enacted That all free Negroes &c. that were or shou’d thereafter be Inhabitants of this Province Male & Female being of the Age of twelve Years & upwards shou’d be deemed Tythables and as such should yearly pay the same Levies and Taxes as other Tythable Inhabitants.

That many Inhabitants of the sd Counties who are Free Negroes & Mulattoes and persons of Probity & good Demeanor and chearfully contribute towards the Discharge of every public Duty injoined them by Law. But by reason of being obliged by the sd Act of Assembly to pay Levies for their Wives and Daughters as therein mentioned are greatly Impoverished and many of them rendered unable to support themselves and Families with the common Necessaries of Life.

Wherefore your Petitioners would humbly pray in behalf of the sd Free Negroes &c. That so much of the said recited Act as compels such of them as Intermarry with those of their own complection to pay Taxes for their Wives & Daughters may be repealed or that they may be otherwise relieved as to your Worships in your great Wisdom seem meet.

And your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall pray &c.

Granville County: Will’m Eaton, John Hawkins, Phil. Hawkins, George Jordin, Tho’s Lowe, Jno. Sallis, Patrick Lashley, Phil. Pryor, Fra’s King, Jno. Bowie, Aaron Fassol, John Jones, Tho’s Dulany, John Wade, Zack Bullock, George Cuttlor, John Williams Jun’r, Thomas Woodlief, John Gibbs, William Forkner, And’w Hampton, Marton Dickson, Moses Coppack, Amanwall Forkner, Wm. Johnson, Leopold Fallon, Jonas Parker, James Smith, Rich’d Harris, Wm. Smith, Amos Newsom, Jos. Brantley, Shurley Whatley, James Brantly, Jno. Glover, Edw. Young, John Martin.

Edgcomb County: Jos. Jno. Alston, Wm. Irby, Will’m Anderson, Joseph Strickland, Thos. Wood, Benj’n Sherrod, John Jones, Jacob Strickland, Augustin Curtis, Nathan Joyner, John Noland, Ebenezer Folsom, Benj. Nevill, Wm. Adams, John Cheney, William Richason, John Fish, Richard McKinne, James Brown.

Miscellaneous Records, Office of Secretary of State, North Carolina State Archives, as transcribed in Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, http://www.docsouth.unc.edu

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February 2, 2013

Free Colored Inhabitants of the Town of Tarboro, Edgecombe County, 1850.

#7. Isach Scott, 35, painter; Drucilla Scott, 40; and J.H. Wilkins, 8.

#8. Right Locust, 45, carpenter, wife Temperance, 37, and A., 14.

#9. Lovy Hagans, 33; wife Cas Morgin, 36; and children Rebecca, 9, and P.A. Morgin, 1 month.

#11. Green Copes, 30, mason; Mary Thompson, 80; and Susan Copes, 17.

#12. J.A. Anderson, 39; Wyatt Hagins, 13, and Jack D. Hagins, 82.

#13. Moses Jones, 25, blacksmith; Sally A. Jones, 24; and W. Jones, 60.

#21. John Mitchel, 10, in the household of carpenter Thomas Oberry.

#23. Rebecca Mitchel, 35; L[illegible] Hagins, 15; and Susan Letten, 12.

#28. Elizabeth Scott, 48, in the household of Randolph Cotton.

#33. Julia Butler, 11, in the household of Lewis Bond, cabinetmaker.

#69. Blunt Letten, 16, and West Letten, 13, in the household of Helvy Shurley, farmer.

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February 2, 2013

Free? Yes. Clothes? No.

State of North Carolina, Edgecombe County   } August Term 1783

Personally appeared before me Col’o James Armstrong and being duly sworn deposeth and saith That on or about the first day of August In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty one this deponent being at Martinborough in Pitt County and State aforesaid being appointed to Superintend the receiving of draughts deserters and Substitutes for the Continental service from the districts of Halifax and Newbern a certain William Kitchen who was then a deserter from the Continental Service having brought a certain Ned Griffin a molattoe or Mustee to this deponent as a Substitute in the room of the said Kitchen to serve for the term of Eighteen Months in the Continental Service the said Kitchen upon his delivering the said Griffin to this deponent (who ever mindful of his duty and determined strictly to adhere to the laws of the State particularly to the directions there enjoined respecting the receptions of Draught Substitutes &c) objected to the said Griffin upon this principle that he was not perfectly satisfied of his being a free man and the said Kitchen thereupon with the strongest of assurances declared that he the said Griffin was a free-man and as such delivered him to the deponent declaring and positively affirming at the same time that he had purchased the services of the said Griffin and upon his serving the said tour faithfully he the said Kitchen manumitted and totally discharged him from every species of further services whatsoever. That upon those terms and solemn assurances of Kitchen only he this deponent received and enrolled him the said Griffin in the Continental service accordingly. And farther this deponent saith that some time after the enrollment he met with William Griffin the person from whom Kitchen had purchased the services of the said Griffin he this deponent addressed himself to the said William Griffin in these words “So says this deponent Kitchen has purchased of you a certain Ned Griffin (meaning the said Ned Griffin that he had received as a free man of Kitchen) for a substitute for him the said Kitchen upon which the said William Griffin answered yes this deponent then demanded of him Clothing for the said Ned Griffin upon which he the said William Griffin replied that he made no contract with Kitchen when he disposed of the services of the said Ned Griffin to the said Kitchen therefore was no obligation to comply with his requisition. /s/ James Armstrong  Sworn to before me this 6th August 1783 in open Court J Sessums

Slave Records, Edgecombe County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

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February 1, 2013

Surnames: Edgecombe County, 1850.

ADAMS, AMERSON, ANDERSON, ARCHER, ARTIS, BAKER, BARFIELD, BARNES, BAUSMOND, BRASWELL, BRICE, BROWER, BROWN, BUTTER, COPES, CHAVERS, CLARK, DANIEL, DEW, DOWNING, EAVANS/EVANS, ELLIS, FAITHFULL, HAGINS, HALL, HAMLET, HAMMONS, HEWES, HILL, HORN, JAMES, JONES, KEEL, LASTER, LETTEN, LOCUS/LOCUST, MICHEL/MITCHELL, MORGAN/MORGIN, NETTLE, ODAM, PORTER, PRICE, REED/REID, ROBBINS, SCOTT, SKINNER, STATON, STOKES, THOMPSON, THORN, TITUS, TUCKER, VAUGHAN, WILKINS and WORRELL.

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January 31, 2013

Free-Issue Death Certificates: MISCELLANEOUS, no. 6.

James Llewellyn Faithful.  Died 10 April 1943, Princeville, Edgecombe County. Negro. Married to Mary Faithful. Grocer. Born 15 February 1860, Edgecombe County, to Ervin Thigpen and Beatty Faithful, both of Edgecombe County. Buried Saint Paul, Tarboro. Informant, Mary Faithful.

In the 1860 census of Tarboro, Edgecombe County: Beedy Faithful, 29, children Joanna, 4, John F., 2, and Llewellen, 5 months, plus Alice Hagans, 11, Nancey Wilkins, 29, and Cintha J. Wilkins, 4.

Asberry Blackwell.  Died 21 September 1919, Old Fields, Wilson County. Colored. Widowed. Age 62. Farm hand for Grover Lamm, Wilson County. Born Wilson County to Asberry Blackwell and an unknown mother. Informant, George Flowers.

Willmas Eatmon.  Died 21 July 1916, Taylor’s, Wilson County. Negro. Widow. Age about 85. Retired servant on farm. Born Wilson County to Nelson Eatmon and Renda Eatmon. Buried Wilson County. Informant, Willis Ellis.

Deal Howard. Died 6 December 1939, Oldfield, Wilson County. Resided Route 2, Wilson. Colored. Widower. Age 79. Farmer. Born Wilson County to Deal Howard and Rhodie Howard. Buried Wilson County. Informant, Herman Howard.

John Lassiter. Died 15 January 1915, Wilson, Wilson County. Colored. Married. Age 63. Son of Silas Lassiter and Ophie Simpson. Buried in Wilson County. Informant, Henry Lassiter.

Willis Barnes.  Died 15 September 1914, Wilson, Wilson County. Colored. Married. Age 73. Farmer. Born Nash County to Toney Eatman and Annie Eatman, both of Nash County. Informant, Jesse Barnes, Wilson NC.

The 1850 census of Nash County shows Tony Eatman, age 55, farmer, living in the household of Theophilus Eatman, 70, a white farmer.  Willis and his mother, presumably, were enslaved.

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January 27, 2013

He plans to leave the state with a free negro.

$20 REWARD. – RAN AWAY from the subscriber on the 6th instant, a negro man by the name of CAGE. Said negro is about twenty-seven years old, about five feet ten inches high, quick spoken and rather black – weighs some hundred and seventy pounds. It is my opinion that he intends to leave this State, with a free negro by the name of Nicholas Williams. The above reward will be given to any person, who will confine said negro in any jail or deliver him to me at my house about three miles above Toisnot Depot, Edgecombe County, N.C. – Josiah Jordan.

Tarboro Press, 13 March 1847.

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January 22, 2013

Runaway bound boy, no. 5.

Five cents Reward.

RANAWAY from the Subscriber, on the 5th inst. An indented mulatto boy named WHITMEL Anderson, about 15 or 16 years old, very bright complexion, and has a large scar across the right hand.  It is supposed that he is lurking about Col. Joshua Pender’s mill in Conetoe, where his connexions reside.  The above reward will be given for the apprehension and delivery of said boy to me in Edgecombe county.  All persons are forbid harboring, employing, or carrying off said boy under penalty of the law.  BURREL DUNN.  Oct. 7, 1834.

Tarboro Press, 10 Oct 1835.

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January 21, 2013

It gets worse.

To the worshipful the Justices of the County Court of Edgcombe. The Petition of your Petitioner Harry McClennan humbly sheweth that your Petitioner is a freeman that for some time past he hath been held and claimed as a slave by William Leigh late of this County that a suit if now depending in this Court before your Worships against George Brownriggs wherein the said George at the instance of your Petitioner hath pleaded that your Petitioner is a freeman & not a slave your Petitioner further sheweth that he hath been informed that the said William Leigh, apprehensive that the said issue will turn out against him designs to seize upon the body of your Petitioner & remove him to some foreign Country beyond the jurisdiction of this Worshipful Court by which means your Petitioner would be utterly deprived of the benefit of the law and of those natural & Civil Rights to which the Citizens of this Country are entitled.

Your Petitioner further shews that impressed with the truth of the above design of the William [sic] he is hampered and impeded in preparing himself in his defence and without the interposition of your Worships to take his Care into consideration & give such Relief as to you in your Wisdom may seem proper.

Miscellaneous Slave Records, Edgecombe County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

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January 21, 2013

“It was always my intention to free the child.” — the road to hell.

The worshipfull the County Court of Edgecombe May Term 1796: Approving me to take the Deposition of George Ogg in a matter Depending in our said County wherein William Leigh is Plaintiff and George Brownrigg is Defend’t. In Obedience thereto I have attended at the house of Solomon Sessums and taken said Ogg’s Deposition.  It is as follows – The Deponant after being Duly Sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God Deposeth and sayeth that he had oftimes heard Mr. Robert Bignall sens Dec’d say that a Certain Yellow or Mulatto Boy Named Harry now in the Possession of George Brownrigg was the son of William McClellin formerly a merchant in Tarborough and was at a certain Age (Twenty one years he Believ’d) Intitled to his Freedom and Further this Deponant sayeth not.  Given under my hand and seal this 30th day of May 1796.  /s/ Exum Philips JP

Records of Slaves and Free Persons of Color, Edgecombe County, North Carolina State Archives.

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