Wills and estate papers (Wayne County), 1663-1978

Notes

Microfilm of originals in the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

This record contains original materials sent in from the county.

CRX wills are those records that have come to the Archives from other than the official sources. That is to say, CRX documents are county records that have left official government custody, whose provenance cannot be proved. "These papers have been out of official custody and in the hands of private persons unknown and suspected. Therefore, they must never be mingled with our authentic documents whose authenticity is unquestionable. To put these in official files would be to cast doubt on the reliability of our collections. Any certificate based upon these papers must state clearly the facts concerning their escape from custody, since a clever counterfeiting of one date or one name might sometime become the basis for important claims. For purposes other than legal, these papers may be taken as reliable, though of clouded authenticity. To make them available for use while yet segregated from any possible mixture with more authentic files, they are placed in this special binder." Henry Howard Eddy, 20 Aug. 1946.

Secretary of State original wills: The Secretary of State was the official repository for wills and estates during the colonial times. In about 1760, it was ordered that wills would be filed with clerks of court, but some wills were filed with the Secretary of State until 1789. The wills listed under the above title is the collection of the existing wills that were filed with the Secretary of State.

Estate papers: The Estates Records collection at the North Carolina State Archives consists of files of loose papers arranged alphabetically by county. The loose papers in each file include any documents used to settle the estate of a deceased person. The estate records can include: Administrators' bonds, Guardians' bonds, inventories, accounts of sales, annual accounts, allotments of years provisions, settlements, divisions, petitions of many sorts, and bills and receipts.

Subjects

Locality Subjects

Film/Digital Notes