Brunswick

Names of Families in Brunswick County Wills, Estates, Probate Records

From 1667 to 1725, a few Englishmen attempted to settle in Brunswick County. One of them was Thomas James who was granted 1000 acres on the west side of the Cape Fear River in 1714. The settlement was disastrous as he was found murdered the following year by local Indians. The earliest legal grant was to Landgrave Thomas Smith on May 8, 1713, with the conveyance of Smith Island (now Bald Head Island).

During 1725 a number of land grants were issued to prospective settlers. In 1726 Brunswick Town was settled which became known as the county seat. In April of 1733, James Wimble began selling lots on the east side of the Cape Fear River, called New Carthage. Subsequent names for it was New Liverpool, New Town, or Newton . Newton was incorporated as the Town of Wilmington on February 25, 1740 and designated as the new County Seat. This infuriated those settlers residing on the west side of the Cape Fear River, and they commenced plans to secede from New Hanover County. Brunswick county was officially formed in 1764 from parts of Bladen and New Hanover Counties. It was named after the old the colonial port of Brunswick Town (now in ruins) which was named for the Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg, was held at the time by the British kings of the House of Hanover.

Images of Wills and Estates, Book B, 1908 to 1924

Wake up. Tis Time for the Genealogists to Bloom!

Yep. As the beautiful spring weather begins to lure everyone outside, it is time to awaken our curiousity and take it into the fields and dales of exploration. Evidence of the past is all around us. The old cemeteries are a logical beginning because these people are the “old neighborhood.” It is best to go first to the old section and read those names. Notice the age and texture of the tombstone and the names which faded away with time. Those names are usually identified by running the finger over the impression and discerning each letter. A slow process, but well worth it. A similar method is employed in reading old documents. First, identify the letters. A chart can be made as each letter is identified, then used as a guide for reading the whole document. If you are reading something (before 1500 A. D.) which looks like a foreign language, it is probably Latin. A good Latin dictionary is worth the investment. As we interpret the records, we begin our awakening. Ah, to awaken in the full knowledge and understanding of past records, and alas bloom!

Images of Wills and Estates, Book A, 1764 to 1921

Where North Carolinians Went After 1820

By the 1820s, the descendants of many of the original settlers in North Carolina had moved on to greener pastures, to Alabama and Mississippi. For most farmers involved in agriculture, times were tough, due to plant diseases, insect infestations, and depleted soil of its nutrients. This meant that families had to once again uproot and search for richer soil. A traditional crop in Brunswick County was strawberries as evidenced by the photo of the Chadbourn market. During the 19th century, the State attempted to improve farming practices, including the formation of a centralized state agricultural department in 1877 and a grant to the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1887.

Images of Wills and Estates, Book C, 1924 to 1954