Hyde County Wills and Estates

The Legend of Old Quork's Point
By Jeannette Holland Austin

"Old Quork" was the name of a man, a castaway who had washed on Ocracoke Island. He was the survivor of a shipwreck and afterwards elected to remain on the island among the courageous people who helped him to survive. The skin of "Old Quork" was a light gold color, seemingly of Arabian origin, and his native tongue pronounced his name in such a manner that it was said to mimic the croaker fish. But that was not all. "Old Quork" was known to possess strange and outlandish habits and mannerisms. He was a quick learner of the skills of the fisherman and soon owned his own boat. The boat was as old as the 94-year old fisherman who sold it to him. Quork could cast a net without attracting sharks. On the morning of February 6, 1788, one month after Christmas was celebrated in the village of Rodanthe on Hatteras Island, Quork put out his fishing boat from a point of land near Ocracoke Village. His nets were neatly folded in the stern of his boat and his sails were spread to the freshening wind despite the fact that the old-timers predicted a full gale before the next high tide. He sailed alone and it was not long before his little boat disappeared over the horizon. The weather worsened and the islanders worried. When his boat was spied heading for shore, she seemed low in the water. Quork sped through the inlet and Pamlico Sound and tied up to the dock. Now, the trim of the boat was apparent as it was loaded to the gunwalkes with good, marketable fish. His neighbors helped him to unload his catch. By now the wind had quickened into a half-gale and the breakers were growing larger. The fisherman congratulated themselves upon getting the boat unloaded before the Sound became too rough to work. But, to their surprise, Quork refolded his nets and refilled his drinking-water jugs to prepare a return to the sea. They tried to persuade him that it was foolhardy to risk a return to the sea, but the wild light in his eyes revealed his stubborn determination. They warned him that he would be "flying in the face of the Almighty Himself." Aghast, his neighbors watched as he successfully traversed the inlet and reached the open sea. Some say that just before he sailed out of sight, a lone figure in the driving rain and spume, they heard a high, mocking laugh. "Old Quork" was never seen again! There is highway sign as you approach Ocracoke Village which marks the very point from which he is said to have sailed. This is the meaning of "Old Quork's Day."

Source: Legends of the Outer Banks by Charles Harry Whedbee (1966); More information

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Who Are You?
By Jeannette Holland Austin

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So many answers are at our disposal now! Freedom is a precious heritage won by our Ancestors! But do we really know who we are? To learn some answers about ourselves we must look into the past, into the lives of those who brought us here. Discovering ancestors is not only fun, but surprising. The lineage doubles every generation (into the past), which makes for an unlimited resource of ancestors who were part of the histories which we study today. For example, it is easy to trace the lineage back to a Revolutionary War Soldier. Gosh! The pension itself is loaded with information about the battles they fought and famous officers they served with. You just don't know how this goes, until you read the pension. Then, there are the Civil War Pensions. Of course, the old wills, estates, deeds, tax digests really open the puzzle to a wonderfully new perspective. The old script used is beautifully executed with a quill and india ink. Some of these documents are simply worth framing! The census records are not enough. To find ancestors, one must also research county records where your ancestors resided or where you thought they were. This is a must! For one thing, the records, such as wills, estates, marriages, inventories, sales, guardian ships will provide names of heirs. Additionally, the tiny details which lead to the next source. For example, in the estate of Henry Holland of Jasper County, an Annual Return made by the administrator revealed a letter sent to Holland, Virginia. From there, it was easy to find this place as the family seat. Another resource are receipts from heirs sometimes found in the estates, including husbands of the daughters. Of course, if you look in the marriage records, that is where the marriage was recorded with the name and full date of the record. The 8 genealogy websites contain county records easy to view online! First, become a member, then view/print/download your ancestor's old will or estate. It is really cool!

Hyde County was formed December 3, 1705, as Wickham Precinct, one of three precincts within Bath County. The name Wickham was derived from the manor ofTemple Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, the family home of John Archdale, Governor of North and South Carolina from 1695 to 1696. In 1712 it was renamed Hyde Precinct after Edward Hyde,the Governor of North Carolina from 1711 to 1712. In 1739 Bath County was abolished, and Hyde Precinct became Hyde County. Since, numerous boundary changes followed. In 1745 Lake Mattamuskeet and its adjoining territory were transferred from Currituck County to Hyde County. In 1819 the part of Hyde County west of the Pungo River was annexed to Beaufort County. In 1823 the part of Currituck County south of New Inlet was annexed to Hyde County. This area included the present day Hatteras Island. In 1845 Ocracoke Island was transferred from Carteret County to Hyde County. In 1870 Hyde County was reduced to its present dimensions, when its northeastern part was combined with parts of Currituck County and Tyrrell County which formed Dare County.

Images of Hyde County Wills and Estates 1764 to 1818, Vols. 1, 2, 3

Abrams, John | Adams, William |Alderson, Levy |Allen, Jason | Allen, John |Arthur, James |Bailey, Bethnell |Bailey, Davis | Bailey, Henry |Bailey, James |Bailey, Joshua |Bailey, Thomas | Balchelder, James |Baron, Ann |Barron, George |Barron, William | Barron, Zachariah | Beachey, William |Bell, Abram |Bell, Ebenezer | Bell, George |Bell, Joshua |Bell, Watson |Bell, William |Blount, Lewis |Boomer, William |Botson, Mary |Boyd, Robert | Brooks, Stephen |Bull, William |Burgess, Malicka | Burks, William |Caffey, William |Caldwell, Joseph |Campbell, William |Capps, James |Carrowan, John |Carson, Ann |Chambers, Ezekiel | Chambers, John |Clark, Ann |Clark, Major | Clausen, Thomas | Cleaver, James |Cleaves, James |Cleaves, John |Cochran, William |Collins, Henry |Commer, Jacob | Commer, Jacob (2) | Cording, William |Cording, William (2) |Cox, Jesse |Cox, Joseph |Cox, William | Culbert, Peter | Daily, Thomas | Daily, William | Davidson, Hannah | Davids, Sophia | Davis, Davis | Davis, Duncan | Davis, Elizabeth | Davis, John | Davis, Samuel | Davis, Samuel | Davis, William | Davis, William (2) |Dawson, Philinda | Dixon, John | Donnelly, Henry | Duke, George | Durden, Jacob | Easton, Davis | Easton, Harris | Easton, John | Easton, Thomas | Ebom, Enoch | Ebom, John | Ebom, Samuel | Eborn, Rebeccah | Eborne, Aaron | Ebon, Edward | Ellis, Benjamin | Ellison, Thomas | Elsbre, John | Emmory, Steven |Ensley, John |Ester, William | Ethridge, John |Ethridge, Samuel |Farrow, John |Fisher, Robinson |Foreman, Benjamin |Foreman, Joseph |Foreman, Martin |Forman, Caleb |Forman, Caleb (2)|Forman, Joshua |Forman, Lazarus | Forman, Lazarus (2) |Galloway, Abraham |Gaskin, Ann |Gaylord, John |Gaylord, Rosanah |Gaylord, Thomas |Gaylord, Winsfield | Gibbs, Benjamin |Gibbs, Elizabeth |Gibbs, Joseph |Gibbs, Robert | Gibbs, Robert(2) |Gibbs, Selby |Gibbs, Thomas |Gibbs, William | Gibbs, William (2) |Glade, Agness |Green, Davis |Hall, James | Hall, John |Harris, John |Harris, J. W. |Hamis, Peter | Handison, Isaac | Harris, Sarah | Harris, William | Harris, William (2) | Harvey, Nathan | Havey, Margaret | Henderson, John | Henry, Hugh | Henry, Robert | Henry, Seth | Horsey, Peter | Howard, William | Hussey, Henry | Hussey, Mary | Inlowe, Mary | James, Henry | Jarvis, Agnes | Jarvis, Davis | Jarvis, Jesse | Jarvis, Josiah | Jasper, Jonathan | Jennett, Joseph | Jones, Abraham | Jones, Bartholomew | Jarvis, Agnes | Jarvis, Davis | Jarvis, Jesse | Jarvis, Josiah | Jasper, Elizabeth | Jasper, Jonathan | Jennett, Joseph | Jolley, Phillip | Jones, Abraham | Jones, Bartholomew | Jones, Morris | Jordan, Dinah | Jordan, Richard | Jurganns, Jonathan | Kipps, Seth | Lacy, Parker | Latham, Sarah | Mallison, Gordon | Mallison, John | Mann, Thomas | Martin, Benjamin | Mason, Agnes | Mason, James | Mason, John | Mason, Malicha | Mason, Mary | Mason, Thomas | McCarty, Archibald | McElwain, Edward | Midget, Christopher | Miller, Frederick | Moore, William | Mordeck, Benjamin | Mordick, Lewis | Morris, Thomas | Mullison, William | Murray, Daniel | Murray, Timothy Neal, Benjamin | O'Neal, William | Parmella, William | Pearl, Charles | Porter, William | Reeves, Edward | Russell, Benjamin | Selby, John | Selby, Nathan | Selby, Tolbert | Slade, Ann | Slade, Benjamin | Slade, Hannah | Slade, Hezekiah | Smith, James | Smith, John | Smith, L. | Smith, Margaret | Smith, Mary | Southside, Jonathan | Spencer, Edward | Spencer, John | Spencer, John (2) | Spencer, Nathan | Spencer, Nathan (2) | Spencer, William | Spring, Moses | Swindall, Caleb | Swindell, Isaac | Swindell, Isaiah | Swindell, Joel | Swindell, Josiah | Swindell, Zedekiah | Tyson, Aaron | Tyson, Aron | Walls, Joshua | Warner, James | Watson, William | Webster, James | Webster, John | Webster, William | White, Caleb | Whithand, Nathan | Wilkins, John | Wilkins, Patrick | Wilkinson, Isaac | Wilkinson, Isaiah | Wilkinson, James | Wilkinson, Sarah | Wilkinson, William | Wilkins, Thomas | Wilkins, Thomas (2) | Windfield, John | Windley, Maybell | Windley, Thomas | Winfield, Richard Winfield, Robert | Wormington, Samuel | Wright, James | Wright, Thomas | Wright, William

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