Board for Certification of Genealogists ®

1781 North Carolina Deed

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1781 North Carolina deed, page 1
1781 North Carolina Deed, page 2

TRANSCRIPTION | RESEARCH FOCUS | ABSTRACT | COMMENTARY | RESEARCH PLAN

TRANSCRIPTION

Source: Herbert Pritchard to Edward Outlaw, Jr., deed, 28 March 1781, digitized image at "Test Your Skills," Board for Certification of Genealogists <www.bcgcertification.org/tests/
documents/outlawdeed1.jpg> and <www.bcgcertification.org/tests/documents/
outlawdeed2.jpg> citing "Bertie County, N.C., Unbound Deeds, 1723–1890, Outlaw–Purvis, North Carolina State Archives file C.R.010.408.8, Folder Pl–Pr"; downloaded 26 May 2001.

Pritchard ----North Carolina ~ Bertie County ~
--to-------------Know all men by the presents that
Outlaw--------I Herbert Pritchard of the County and
-----_____--- State aforesaid for and in consideration
of the sum of Sixty Five Pounds Silver Money to me
in hand paid before the Ensealing and delivery here
of by Edward Outlaw of the County & State aforesaid
have given granted & by these presents do freely fully
& absolutely give grant bargain sell alien Convey and
confirm unto him the said Edward Outlaw Junr
his heirs & assigns forever one certain tract or parcel of lan[d]
& plantation whereon I now live containing Two Hundred
Acres more or less Situate lying & being in Bert[i]e aforesaid
on the No side of White Oak Swamp butted & bound as
followeth, Begining at a Gum in the Fork of White
Oak Swamp running thence up said Fork Medey
Whites line to the back line, running thence sd old
line to a pine a Corner thence keeping the new pat
tern [patent] line to a pine thence a line of marked Trees
Buchannans line to White Oak Swamp and thence
up the run of said Swamp to the first Station.
To have and to hold the said land with all appur-
tenances privileges and commodities to the same belong
ing or in any wise appertaining to him the said Ed
ward Outlaw his heirs and assigns forever & further
I the said Herbart Pritchard do Covenant promise
Grant & agree to & with the said Edward Outlaw his
Heirs &c that before the Ensealing & delivery hereof I
am the true Sole & Lawfull owner of the said Land
[page 2] and have in myself good right full power & Lawfull
authority to bargain and sell the same in manner
aforesaid in fee Simple & further I the said Herbart
Pritchard do bind myself my Heirs Executors & administra
tors and assigns to warrant and defend the said land
unto him the said Edward Outlaw Junr his heirs and
assigns forever against the Lawfull Claims or Demand of
any person or persons whatsoever Quitrents only Excepted
As witness my Hand & Seal this 28th Day of March 1781
Signed Sealed and ----------------------Herbert Pritchard (Seal)
delivered in presents of us
---his
Luke-+-White
---mark
---his
Isaac -X-Butler
---mark
Cader Bass

Bertie County
August Term 1781
The within Deed was proved in
Open Coudue[?] form of Law by the Oath of Cader
Bass one of the subscribing Witnesses
Stevens Gray C.C.
A True Coppy from the Records
Wdle[?] C Carbr[?] P.R

Help—Source Citation: It is common practice in the genealogical field to begin citations with the author's name (if citing to a book, chapter, journal article, etc.) or the name of the chief person involved (if citing to another kind of record). For example: John Brown, Browns of Brownsville . . . ; or John Brown household, 1850 U.S. census, . . .; or John Brown birth certificate, no. 123–34–5678, . . .; or John Brown entry, Brownsville County tax lists, . . . and so forth.

Because we were not looking at the original paper from the archives file, we cited to the digitized image of it on this web page. The title of a web site is written in italics, as a book title would be. The title of a web page on that site is enclosed within quotation marks, as a chapter within the book would be. The convention for citing a URL is to enclose it within angle brackets and not underline it.

We also included the descriptive data that was written on the photocopy by whoever viewed the original and copied it for BCG's use here. (Presumably, the handwritten citation provides accurate directions to the document's location.) Only if we had viewed the original ourselves would we have cited directly to the archives box and folder and omitted the part of this citation that concerns the web site. In other words, we cite to what we were looking at when we made our photocopy, transcription, abstract, or other kind of research note. An applicant who had received this document in his or her final-application package, for example, would cite it thus: Herbert Pritchard to Edward Outlaw, Jr., deed, 28 March 1781, photocopy from Board for Certification of Genealogists citing "Bertie County, N.C., Unbound Deeds, 1723–1890, Outlaw–Purvis, North Carolina State Archives file C.R.010.408.8, Folder Pl–Pr"; received 27 May 2001.

If we were including information from this deed in a case study, or family compilation, or on a pedigree chart, we might want to include additional information (at the end of this citation or in a separate footnote) explaining that this document is a "True Copy" of the deed and the signatures were written by the copyist, not by Mr. Pritchard or his witnesses.

Help—Transcription: A transcription copies everything exactly as it is in the record, including capitalization, peculiar spelling, punctuation, and word division. In this transcription, we chose to use the same line divisions that are in the record. (See the 1870 Wisconsin deed transcription for an example that does not follow the line divisions. The related Help section explains why we made that choice.)

Because we believed it was necessary to add a few notations such as "sic" (and the "i" in Bertie about halfway down the transcription), we put our additions into square brackets to show that they were not part of the document. Anything added, including punctuation, is enclosed in brackets (for example, "[,]"). This is one of the distinctions between genealogical transcription and some forms of historical editing.

Note that we added question marks (also in square brackets) at places where we were not sure we read the record correctly — as in the signature of the copyist, who also appears to have left out parts of the phrase "Open Court in due form." If we had chosen to expand his inadvertant abbreviation, we would have written the phrase "Open Cou[rt in]due form."

RESEARCH FOCUS

I will assume that I am researching Herbert Pritchard.

Help: In our research, we usually have some reason for looking up a particular record. If, for example, we were to find this record during an investigation of Edward Outlaw, our abstract and commentary might emphasize that he was called "Junr." only twice in the deed — indicating that (a) there might be confusion between Edward Sr. and Edward Jr. in other records, and (b) that Edward Jr. did not buy the White Oak Swamp tract until 1781, so he was (presumably) living elsewhere until then.

For the certification test, however, applicants are presented with two documents that are unrelated to their own work. Thus, they are asked to establish a hypothetical "focus" that permits them to concisely discuss the record, target a problem, and design a research plan to resolve it.

ABSTRACT

Deed of bargain and sale from Herbert/Herbart Pritchard to Edward Outlaw Jr., both of Bertie County North Carolina, 28 Mar. 1781, for 65 pds. "Silver Money," a tract "whereon I now live" containing 200 acres more or less on the north side of White Oak Swamp described as "begining at a Gum in the Fork of White Oak Swamp running thence up said Fork Medey Whites line to the back line, running thence s[ai]d old line to a pine a Corner thence keeping the new pattern [patent] line to a pine thence a line of marked Trees Buchannans line to White Oak Swamp and thence up the run of said Swamp to the first Station." Signed: Herbert Pritchard. Witnessed by: Luke (+ his mark) White, Isaac (x his mark) Butler, Cader Bass. Proved: August court 1781 on oath of Cader Bass before Stevens Gray, C[lerk] of C[ourt]. Copied: [no date] by "Wdle C. Carbr P.R."

Help—Source Citation: Regardless of what kind of research note we make—transcription, abstract, quotation, or summary—we cite our source fully and completely.

Help—Abstract: An abstract leaves out only the formula or "extra" words that are not needed for a good understanding of the record. It includes all of the information that varies from one record of the same type to the next (date, personal names, place names, circumstances, land descriptions, and so forth).

The land description in this True Copy of the deed is highly compressed and unclear. (Did the line run up the fork with Medey White's line or to Medey White's line, for example?) In these cases, we take care to quote the obscure passage exactly, lest we distort our abstract by carelessly including in it our own conclusions. We have also quoted the copyist's name exactly as we deduced that it was written. If we later find out who he was, we can return to our abstract and add his full name in square brackets — as we did when we expanded the abbreviation of Clerk of Court.

Another note-taking technique — summarizing — is often confused with abstracting. A summary, however, is a brief overview, or "thumbnail sketch" of the record and omits lengthy passages not considered crucial at the time the note is taken. Summaries, for example, often leave out land descriptions in deeds or itemized bequests in wills. Abstracting, not summarizing, is the technique required of applicants for certification.

COMMENTARY

The important points to note about this record are as follows:

This is a "True [official]" copy, not the original, so the signature is not Herbert's; it is a copy of it. The copy of the record must have been made for a reason, however, possibly for use as evidence in a court case.
This Herbert Pritchard signed his name to the deed. If there were other Herbert Pritchards who signed with marks, we can distinguish this one from them.
Herbert was living on the tract when he sold it to Outlaw, and his neighbors on the north side of White Oak Swamp at the "Fork" were Medey White and ___ Buchannan. Presumably, Herbert also knew the witnesses, Luke White (possibly kin to Medey), Isaac Butler, and Cader Bass. Some or all of the neighbors may have been Herbert's long-time associates — or even relatives.
Herbert mentioned that one of his boundaries was an "old line," indicating perhaps that he (or an earlier Pritchard) had lived on the land for some time. Because he also mentioned a "new pattern [patent] line," part of his 200 acres may have been a recent land grant (or possibly the grant was for one of the neighboring tracts).
The courses and distances (compass directions and lengths of the lines) are not given, so drawing a plat of the tract to determine its specific location on a map will not be possible. Because the land lay at the fork of the swamp, however, its general location can be deduced. Also, the land grant papers may include a helpful survey, or a later sale by Edward Outlaw Jr. may provide the full tract description.
No dower release was appended to the deed. We cannot tell, therefore, whether Herbert was married at the time. (Dower releases in North Carolina, although required by law until 1784, had gone out of use in most areas by the early 1770s.)
The deed does not say why Herbert was moving or where (or even if he did move — he could have remained on the tract and leased it from Outlaw). Although it was made during the Revolution, the deed makes no reference to the war or military service.
Herbert's purchaser was Edward Outlaw, who was termed "Junr." twice. ("Junr." indicates that there was a "Senr." alive in Bertie in 1781.) Herbert did not refer to Edward as "friend" or "son-in-law," and the purchase price seems to be in line with a normal sale, not a gift deed. The record, therefore, provides no clues about whether Herbert was older or younger than Edward, or about the same age.

Help: The Commentary is our chance to show that we know how to distill all the information possible out of each record we examine. Many of the points listed here (no. 6 for example) would not be known to us if we were not experienced with North Carolina records of the period. But be assured that the photocopies the Board sends its applicants are taken from areas and time periods that should be familiar to them, based on the information they provided in their Preliminary Applications.

Notice that our commentary considers what is not in the record (the original signatures, for example, and the absence of any mention of the Revolution) as well as what is in the record (the names of neighbors and witnesses, for instance).

RESEARCH PLAN

This deed raises as many questions as it answers: How old was Herbert Pritchard? How long had he lived in Bertie? Did he leave after 1781? Was he married, and if so, to whom? Did he have children? Were there several Herbert Pritchards in Bertie? Was this one kin to any of his neighbors, witnesses, or other Pritchards who may have been in Bertie? The following plan may answer some (or all) of these questions:

Preliminary Search: Check Pritchard compilations published in print or digital form to see whether anyone has already compiled a documented history of the family.
Census: Check the 1790 and later federal censuses for all North Carolina counties. Collect data for Pritchard/Prichard/Pritchett/etc. heads of household in and near Bertie. (Also check to see if Bertie's 1786 state census survives.)
Land Records: Collect Pritchard/etc. information from earlier and later Bertie purchases and sales (and for post-1781 sales by Edward Outlaw) using the microfilmed deed books and grantee/grantor indexes. Also check the Secretary of State Land Office Records at the state archives to see if any grants were issued to Pritchards for land on White Oak Swamp or elsewhere in or near Bertie.
Probate Records: Check Pritchard/etc. wills in North Carolina for any that mention Herbert as a testator or legatee, using the microfilmed will books and the originals if they survive. Use: Thornton W. Mitchell, North Carolina Wills, A Testator Index: 1665-1900, rev. ed. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995); and the testator/legatee indexes on microfilm.
Marriage Records: Check for Pritchard/etc. marriage bonds, using the microfiche statewide bond index, and collect photocopies of any relevant originals.
Tax Records: Check to see if Bertie tax lists survive for the period and, if so, examine them for all Pritchard/etc. (Land was not taxed until after 1784 but Herbert and other male Pritchards owed poll taxes if over the age of sixteen.)
Court Minutes: Check the published Bertie County Court Minutes by Weynette Parks Haun (multiple volumes, various dates) both before and after 1781.
Military Records: At the archives, check Revolutionary War service records and the pay vouchers for supplies given and military or civilian services rendered. Look for news of Herbert and other Pritchards.

Help: Notice that we have included some specific sources (Mitchell's index in no. 4, for example) and some that are more general. Throughout this section, however, we have tried to show that we really do understand North Carolina records, even if we do not have all the information at our fingertips (whether Bertie has surviving 1786 state schedules, for example).

If this were a real research problem, not a practice one, we would realize that the more detailed our research plan is, and the more carefully it is targeted to what we want to know, the more valuable that plan would be in directing our investigation. If we were not an experienced North Carolina genealogist, for example, we would want to do some preliminary work in more-general sources such as North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History, 2d ed., Helen F. M. Leary, editor (Raleigh: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1996), and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, "Research in Land and Tax Records," The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, 3rd ed., Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, editors (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 2006).