The survey includes listings for the following cemeteries.  Do keep in mind that there may be errors and/or mistakes.

• Baptist Cemetery (pg. 2)
• Brinkley Cemetery (pg. 3)
• Downing Cemetery (pg. 12)
• Episcopal Cemetery (pg. 4)
• Methodist Cemetery -pg. 8
• Windley Cemetery (pg. 11)

You can find the Washington County files here. To view more from across the state, click here.

You can stay connected to the page and help answer any questions that arise from other researchers, share pictures of interest, or just share links to resources you find helpful.   The Facebook page is not limited to just Washington County, but covers the whole state, so who knows what you’ll discover.  An icon-linked picture to the Facebook page, as well as a link to my personal Twitter profile is now included on the right sidebar of the site if you want to connect via Twitter.

Enjoy and participate!

Picot-Armistead-Pettiford House - photo by Jeanne Olecki

An article from April in the Washington Daily Times provides further details.  Essentially, an Alabama family who owned the Picot-Armistead-Pettiford House, has donated it for use as a museum.  The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Willie Drye, chairman of the Plymouth Small Town Main Street Committee, notes on his blog that the family decided to donate it after a private meeting in Plymouth.  Attending that meeting was their family friend Peter McNair. I suspect this is my distant cousin Peter McNair so need to call him to find out!

This is a reunion of the descendants of William Reynolds Jr. and his sister Matilda Jane Reynolds Spencer, both originally from Chelsea, England.  William Reynolds Jr. lived in Tyrrell County and became a Primitive Baptist Preacher, while Matilda Jane Reynolds Spencer lived near Roper in Washington County and ran a local store.

Also, everyone is encouraged to bring any items of family interest that they have (such as old pictures, family bibles, diaries or handiwork) to the reunion for “show and tell”.

THIS YEAR’S PROGRAM:

Mark Bateman, our President, will lead the program of “Reynolds Family – Coming to America”.  Hear the story of how our Reynolds ancestors first came over to America, how many came, where they landed, lost family lines, and more!

AGENDA:

10:00 – 10:30 AM Registration and Fellowship
10:30 – 12:00   Business Meeting and Program
• Welcome and Invocation
• Announcements
• Kids Corner
• Minutes and Treasurer Report
• Memorial Service

• Program:  Reynolds Family – Coming to America

• Old Business / New Business
• Family Lines Count

• Recognitions and Show & Tell
• Closing
12:00 – ???      Picnic Lunch
1:30 PM           Bethlehem PBC Preservation Society Annual Meeting

2:30 PM           Tyrrell County Genealogical & Historical Society Meeting

The picnic is pot luck luncheon – the reunion provides barbecue and plates / utensils / cups / ice.  Everyone should bring their drinks and a dish to share. Reminder that out-of-town family members are not obligated to bring a lunch – you are invited to be guests of the local members.

DIRECTIONS TO BETHLEHEM PB CHURCH: Take US Highway 64 to Columbia NC.  At traffic light head south onto NC Route 94 for about 2 miles, and take right onto Newlands Rd.  The church is 1/8 mile west, park in the yard.

ANNUAL PREACHING SERVICE AT BETHLEHEM PBC:
The annual Primitive Baptist preaching service will be held at Bethlehem PBC on the 2nd Sunday, June 12th, 2011 at 10:30 a.m., led by Elder Johnny Ray Gardner.

QUESTIONS? Contact:

Mark Bateman, President  ……….. (860)464-1715

Jimmy Fleming, Vice President ….. (252)796-2361

Gail Reynolds, Treasurer …………. (252)796-9471

Now, of genealogical interest, I also learned that the Register of Deeds site has an online search for Deed records.  The site allows you to search deeds from 1996-present (UPDATE: the search covers June 1996 to present; older deeds back to 1974 can be viewed if you have the deed book number and page.  Check the Tax Property Records to locate the deed book and page number). You will need to download and register a special image viewer and must also use Internet Explorer.   Though the more recent deeds may not help you with your ancestors – capture them now to help your descendants in their future research.

Below is a screenshot of the searching options for the deeds.  You can search by last name/first name,  select grantor, grantee or both, specify a specific date or choose a date range of 1995 or later.  Currently, they do not have any deeds prior to 1995, but I wonder if they plan to add them since it is listed as an option on the search form.

Searching options

And here is an example of how the deed record displays in your browser window.  The navigation controls are easy to use to go back and forth between pages, and you can print the document as well.

example deed record

Thank you to the Register of Deeds office for allowing access to these records.  They will be a great help and we look forward to seeing what else may be added.

Obituaries in this group include:

• Julius L. Howell, former mayor of Creswell
• an infant child of Thomas Green
• John Layton
• Julia Carmalt of Beaufort County
• Jessie Clifton – six year old son of lighthouse keeper Thomas Clifton
• Hester A. Darden
• Jennie Marriner
• infant daughter of B.D. & Bertha Latham
• May Buchannon (nee Windley)

Marriages in this group include:

• Annie B. Norman & J.E. Smith
• Annie Darden & Claud Woodard
• Loula Bateman & John Lewis
• Mamie C. DeCormis & J.E. Reid
• Bettie Mitchell & Charles A.S. Barrus
• Jennie Davenport & John H. Ange
• Mattie Johnston & W. Fletcher Ausbon
• Margie Garrett & Capt. S.L. Johnston
• Sadie Davenport & H.W. Mathews

In addition, there are other news items included.  For example, this grade report from the Creswell Academy of some of Principal Dunston’s students — could you imagine having your grades posted in the newspaper??

Grade reports from the Creswell Academy - May 2, 1890 issue of the Roanoke Beacon

To view the current list of 409 names from Washington County that are in the index so far, click here.

photo by Flickr user JimmyWayne

While indexing old issues of the Alamance Gleaner (paper of Alamance County, NC), I found a reference to the 1881 fire.

The loss is described as $127, 000, of which there was little insurance.

My first database is here and while searchable, I’ve never been completely happy with it.  So, earlier in the year I started to redesign how I record information and have created a new database.  Not only does it work for extracts from the Roanoke Beacon, but I can use it for items reported in newspapers from many places.   I’ve named the new site, NC People in the News and am donating the material to the NCGenWeb Project.

This is the first time I’ve shared the link, so please understand that it is not quite finished yet.  However, it’s flexible, and one thing I can do is tease out Washington county deaths I’ve added that appeared in the Roanoke Beacon, organized by Last Name of the individual.   I am in transition of moving content from the old site to this one and it may take awhile.  This is definitely an ongoing project.

screenshot from NC People in the Papers database

To see the list click here.  I hope this makes looking for your ancestors a less complicated task.

Featured speaker for the day is Rev.  Dr. Bobby R. Taylor.  More details in the flyer below.