August 21, 2024
I'm giving a history presentation at the Wilkes Heritage Museum on Tuesday, September 24 at 10:30am with a focus on Wilkes County in 1799. I'll talk about records that I've recently discovered that provide a new perspective on what the county was like 225 years ago. We'll learn about their log cabins, barns, and mills. We'll also take a look at what the new town of Wilkesboro looked like before William Lenoir laid out the streets including the location of the county's first court house and jail.
June 9, 2024
I discovered the 1798 Wilkes County Tax List among other papers, and I was amazed at the details it provides. Not only does it list landowners, but it shows the individual tracts they owned, where the land was located, the size of dwelling houses, cabins, kitchens, mills, and other structures on the property. And since Wilkes extended north to Virginia and west to Tennessee, families who lived in what is now Alleghany, Ashe, and parts of Watauga and Caldwell counties are also included. I transcribed the list of over 1,000 landowners, alphabetized them, and created a book. Copies of the book 1798 Wilkes County, NC, Tax List are available on lulu.com.
May 14, 2024
Two new upcoming events to share. The first is a hike that I'm leading on May 30 at 9:30am at Stone Mountain as part of NC Trail Days. We'll visit a couple cemeteries off the main trail, and I'll share some stories of the families who lived in the area. Sign up at nctraildays.com!
The second event is a presentation that I'm giving at the Wilkes Heritage Museum on June 11 at 10:30am called Theaters of Wilkes. The 1-hour program will be a discussion of the many theaters that are part of Wilkes County's history. I'll show old photos, newspaper articles, and advertisements that tell the history of the theaters and drive-ins from the past and present.
March 29, 2024
My next history presentation will be about Colonial Land Records and what they can tell us about our Wilkes County ancestors. None of the Revolutionary patriots who lived in the area that became Wilkes County owned the land they lived on when the war began in 1775. Their first opportunity to purchase that land was in 1779, four years into the war. Not only were they fighting for freedom and representation, but also for the right to purchase land. The presentation will be on Thursday, May 2, at 6pm at the Wilkes Heritage Museum in Wilkesboro. It's a program by the Rendezvous Mountain Chapter of the DAR in cooperation with the Wilkes Genealogical Society and the Wilkes Heritage Museum.
January 7, 2024
On Tuesday, February 13, I'm giving a presentation on Wilkes County slave records. We'll discuss how these records can tell us more about our ancestors, and we'll look at examples of how they can be used for genealogy. The presentation will be at the Wilkes Heritage Museum at 10:30am.
October 25, 2023
On Tuesday, November 14, I'm giving a presentation on using land records for genealogy research. I'll talk about how using land records can tell us more about our ancestors, and I'll also provide an update on the progress I've made in mapping Wilkes County land grants. It will be at the Wilkes Heritage Museum at 10:30am.
October 25, 2023
Over the years, many people have asked about how to purchase a copy of the book Log Cabin Families of Stone Mountain, NC which was written by Hardin and Virginia Royall in 1981. This book documents the many families who lived and settled at Stone Mountain in Wilkes and Alleghany Counties. I'm happy to share that this book is now available online from the Wilkes Heritage Museum for $25. I've worked with the museum to reprint the book, and this version has full-size pages to make it easier to see the many photos that are included. The book is sold through lulu.com, and all purchases support the Wilkes Heritage Museum as a nonprofit organization.
August 26, 2023
On Tuesday, September 12, I'm giving a presentation on the Cemeteries of Stone Mountain and the families associated with them. There are many cemeteries within the park, and they serve as a reminder that dozens of families lived along these streams and mountain ridges in the 1800s and early 1900s. It will be at the Wilkes Heritage Museum at 10:30am.
May 6, 2023
I made an update to my map of the Wilkes County, NC, land grants that began in 1778. This map includes the placement of 1,000 additional grants since the last update. But even more exciting than that is the improved map interface. Instead of individual grid squares, now the entire map is viewable together as a single map! And it's on top of a Google Maps base which allows the user to switch between "map view" and "satellite view". The searchable table now includes a link that opens the map in a new tab with the selected grant centered on the screen. This makes it much easier to find what you're looking for! I also created a YouTube video that explains the new features.
November 20, 2022
Above, I added an option to enter your email address to be notified when I post new articles in the blog. This is usually no more than a few times a month. Also, at the end of each article there is an opportunity to leave comments. While I usually share these articles on Facebook, not everyone wants to use social media. This is a convenient way for everyone to share their thoughts. We get to try out both of these features with today's new post about the 1841 Wilkes County School Census.
October 28, 2022
I completed another update to how the Wilkes Land Grants are presented. I replaced the cumbersome 1,500-page listing of all the grants with a neat searchable table. Now, if you want to find all the grants issued to Spicer, you just type that name in the search filter. To go to the map where I've located that property, there's a convenient link to the grid map beside the name. There's also a link to the corresponding GPS coordinates in Google Maps. I'll use this a lot for my own research, and I hope others will find it useful, too.
September 24, 2022
Updated maps of Wilkes County Land Grants now include the placement of grants on Big Elkin Creek, Little Elkin Creek, Bugaboo Creek, Roaring River, Rock Creek, Mulberry Creek, Swan Creek, Wrights Creek, Grays Creek, Briar Creek, Moravian Creek, Warrior Creek, and Kings Creek. Next up is Reddies River and Hunting Creek.
October 2, 2021
As we collect more information on David Allen's Iron Works which was located on the Big Elkin Creek, I'm adding more records and photos to the Elkin History page. We've learned that this historic site played a larger roll during the Revolutionary War than we first realized.
March 18, 2021
I added a new page to the site: "My Research Services". I'm starting a small business where I do research for people who have a genealogy mystery to solve and who need help in solving it. It's the same sort of projects I've been working on for years, but I want to start doing it full time. I believe I'm good at it, and I enjoy doing it, so I'm taking steps to turn my hobby into a new career.
March 18, 2021
I made an upgrade to the header for each page on the website. A simple logo is at the left, and menu choices are at the right on a large screen. This layout is better for small screens because the menu becomes a vertical list when viewed on a phone. I also think it looks more modern and professional.
March 12, 2021
Over the past two years, I've expanded my Wilkes Co, NC, Land Grants project beyond those on Roaring River. I now have a plan for working on grants throughout the county and for presenting them online. I have most grants plotted for the northeast part of the county including those on Big Elkin, Little Elkin, Bugaboo, Roaring River, and Rock Creek. Next is Mulberry Creek, but I also want to continue trying to place the stragglers on these other creeks.
The Wilkes Land Grant page is under the "Records" tab > "Wilkes Co, NC" > "#6 Wilkes Land Grants".
April 25, 2020
Over the past four months, I've scanned and catalogued every genealogy-related photo that I have. Nearly 1,000 additional photos are now online. As of today, there are a total of 4,231 photos. I also updated the Photo Family Trees for each of my grandparents. These are a set of family trees that show my grandparents' ancestors and the siblings of their ancestors.
February 20, 2020
Once again, I made a new and improved photo album. The one that I started in December had too many bugs and glitches. The biggest problem is that anyone who tried to view it with IE or Edge browsers would lock up my entire website. This new one seems much more stable, and it has some nice bells and whistles that I'll use. Today there are 3,878 photos on the site. This is a link to the blog post explaining how to use the filters and sorting features on the photos page.
December 28, 2019
Introducing a new and improved photo album! Accessible from the photos page, this is one table that includes all the old photos I have on the site. All pictures are presented in one long list. To find what you're looking for among the 3,000+ pictures, type in the surname or any other keywords to filter the list. I think it will be more user-friendly once we all get used to it. Click on the picture to open a larger version in a separate browser tab. Unfortunately, it does not work with the Edge or Explorer browsers. Use Chrome or Firefox which are both free.
September 24, 2019
For the past few weeks I've taken a break from my Roaring River Land Grant project to explore old deeds and landmarks in nearby Elkin. This started with a hunt for the old David Allen Iron Forge which appears to have been near the library. Now I'm working with some old maps, deeds, and grants to identify early property owners. I'm collecting this information on a new Elkin Research page. Over the next few weeks I'll work to make the page more organized and post additional records and maps.
July 14, 2019
I'm changing the blog format. I've ignored it for several months because the Wordpress application was giving problems, and eventually it stopped working altogether. By designing it myself, I'll have more control over how the content looks, and it will be easier to add new articles.
Mar 26, 2019
The debut of a new page of maps for the Roaring River system in Wilkes Co, NC. This has been 4 years in the making, and I still have several more maps to add to the page.
Oct 17, 2018
I've started a blog. When I find random genealogy stories that I find interesting, I'll write a short post.
Feb 11, 2018
Made a complete update to my research files. The last update was way back in 2007, and I had collected 11 years worth of additional research that needed to be incorporated into it. I updated the font, made the census entries easier to read, and slightly changed the general layout of each section. This is the sixth major update I've made since my first printing back in 1996.
Dec 9, 2016
Added a new photo album for Grayson Co, VA, and surrounding areas. This is a separate album from the one that includes eastern Carroll Co, Floyd Co, and Pulaski Co, VA. Also added over 100 pictures mostly of the Donithan family.
Feb 28, 2016
Added a one-page collection of photos for the 8 children of William H. Absher (b1855) and his wife Cassie Ingool (b1857).
Feb 28, 2016
Added a one-page collection of photos for the 7 children of Andrew J. Richardson (b1874) and his wife Geneva Prevette (b1881).
Feb 28, 2016
In the last two weeks, added over 150 pictures for Wilkes Co, NC. They are mainly pictures of the Absher and Richardson families from Traphill.
June 22, 2014
In the last three weeks, added over 150 pictures for Alleghany Co, NC. They are mainly pictures of the Brooks and Williams families.
May 4, 2014
The "Research" page has been redesigned slightly to make it easier to read. Also, my family trees and a link to my ancestry.com tree are also included there.
December 29, 2013
On the "Pictures" page, under "Miscellaneous" there is a new file showing 41 old postcards saved by Paris Goad and his wife Vertie Mitchell. They lived in Carroll/Floyd Co, VA.
October 15, 2013
On the "Videos" page, under "Video Discussions", Item #5 is a new video showing the pictures that I've found of Richard Bauguess' grandchildren. This generation was born mostly between 1800 and 1840.
October 15, 2013
On the "Articles" page, under "My Spreadsheets", Item #1 is a chart organizing some of the
children and grandchildren of Richard Bauguess who settled in Wilkes Co, NC.
July 31, 2013
I added an interesting story to the "Records" page: a transcription of the estate papers for Emanuel Bauguess (1797-1861) of Wilkes Co, NC.
July 27, 2013
I've now passed 2,100 pictures in the online album!
February 4, 2013
I updated the collection of pictures for the children of Matt Bauguess and Julia Pruitt. (Pictures -> Pictures of Siblings). I was able to add more pictures of Bette and Sherd as well as another picture of my great-grandfather John S. Bauguess.
July 1, 2012
A new look for my genealogy research on webjmd.com.
After 10 years or more, I decided it was time to update my webpage. Over the next few weeks I'll continue to make some minor adjustments, but if you discover anything that doesn't work correctly, please let me know! I wanted this site to have a more modern look. It was starting to feel claustrophobic with all of my links on a single page. Now there is a single row of buttons across the top and bottom of the page that will take you to the different sections. I'm also starting to make some videos, and now they are listed on their own page as well.
Comments and suggestions are welcome.
June 2, 2012
Cousins from the BILLINGS REUNION... send me your email address so I can contact you when I receive new information on our ancestors.
April 30, 2012
Cousins from the BLACKBURN family... send me your email address so I can contact you when I receive new information on our ancestors.
November 16, 2011
New! My first DVD Slide Show is now available for Traphill, Wilkes Co.
Visit the Videos Page to view a sample.
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Calendar of upcoming history and genealogy programs in the area.
