Carteret County

by Chestnut, Paul I. Charles Laban Abernethy, congressman and lawyer, was born in the town of Rutherford College, Burke County. His father, John Turner Abernethy, was the son of Robert L. Abernethy, the founder of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I often visit Karen Willis Amspacher on Harkers Island, east of Beaufort. Karen is one of the nation's leading authorities on America's maritime heritage. She also has deep roots on Harkers Island. A [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Littleton, Tucker Reed. John Backhouse, legislator, planter, mariner, and salt maker, first appeared in Carteret County records about 1758. That same year, he became a justice of the peace for Carteret County. In four deeds [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. Dykeman Waldron Baily, sportsman, businessman, and novelist, was born in Mt. Kisco, N. Y. His father was Elbert Todd Baily, local politician and son of Benjamin Baily, personal attorney to Cornelius [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Shrader, Richard A. Eugene Cunningham Branson, educator, author, and editor, was born in Morehead City, oldest of the seven children of the Reverend Levi and Edith Cunningham Branson. The Reverend Mr. Branson, an [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited with Gretchen Brinson at her home in the Promised Land neighborhood of Morehead City. In the opening months of American involvement in World War II, German submarines sank more than 140 [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Carraway, Gertrude S. James West Bryan, attorney and legislator, was born in New Bern to James Bryan (1769–1806) and Rachel Heritage Bryan (1782–1842), who after her first husband's death was married 1 Oct. 1807 to Dr. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Lemmon, Sarah McCulloh, Littleton, Tucker Reed. Burns, Otway, Jr. by Sarah Mcculloh Lemmon and Tucker Reed Littleton, 1979; Revised November 2022. See also: Burns, Otway 1775–25 Oct. 1850 Otway Burns, Jr., privateer, ship builder, and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wallace, Carolyn A. David Miller Carter, Confederate officer, legislator, and attorney, the son of David Carter and his wife Sarah Lindsay Spencer, was born in Fairfield, Hyde County. His father was a prosperous planter [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Watson, Alan D. Richard Cogdell, merchant, planter, and politician, was born in Beaufort, the eldest of fourteen children of George and Margaret Bell Cogdell. Contrary to the popular assumption that the Cogdells [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Butler, Lindley S. James Wallace Cooke, Confederate naval officer and commander of the ironclad C.S.S. Albemarle, was born in Beaufort to Thomas and Esther Cooke. He was orphaned at the age of four years, and he and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. John Jordan Douglass, clergyman and poet, was born in Cumnock, Lee County, the oldest of nine children of William Campbell and Josephine Tysor Douglass. His father was a successful attorney and his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hicks, Julia Jones. Daniel Gould Fowle, lawyer, state legislator, judge, and governor, was a descendant of George Fowle, who emigrated from England to Concord, Mass., in 1638. Daniel G. Fowle was born in Washington, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited Hildred "H.O." Golden at his home in the remote fishing village of Stumpy Point, on the far edge of Pamlico Sound. He has been a commercial fisherman all his life and, by reputation, one of [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Cecelski, David S. On a hot summer morning I found 86-year-old Wesley Goodwin standing amid corks and twine in his backyard net shop. Born and raised on Cedar Island, he has long lived nearby in the fishing village of [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Cecelski, David S. At her home on Harkers Island, Madge Guthrie told me about Christmas when she was a child during the Great Depression. Renowned for its fishing and boatbuilding traditions, Harkers Island is east of [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Cotten, Alice R. Jacob Henry, legislator, was the son of Joel and Amelia Henry. His birthplace is not known, but by the time of the 1790 census Jacob, then under age sixteen, and his parents were living in Carteret [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gatton, T. Harry. Hood, Gurney Pope by T. Harry Gatton, 1988 26 Nov. 1884–20 Nov. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited gravedigger Lennis Ipock at his home in Newport, a small town in coastal North Carolina. For nearly 30 years, he dug graves by hand for the Bell-Munden Funeral Home in Morehead City. He was [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Pennywitt, Neil C. Thomas Lovick, assemblyman, member of the General Court, and militia colonel, held a variety of governmental posts in eastern North Carolina. The older brother of John Lovick, he was born in Chowan [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, Maud Thomas. Angus Dhu MacLean, lawyer and legislator, the son of John Allan and Mary Virginia Brown MacLean, was born in Maxton in Robeson County, the heart of the Scottish settlement in North Carolina. He [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Brown, Nevin C. McCorkle, William Parsons by Nevin C. Brown, 1991 2 Apr. 1855–7 Mar. 1933 William Parsons McCorkle, clergyman and religious writer, was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Price, William S., Jr. Henry Eustace McCulloh, was the only son of Henry McCulloh of Turnham Green, Middlesex, England, the largest land speculator in colonial North Carolina. Henry Eustace entered North Carolina as an [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stewart, James. Mitchell, John William By James Stewart, NCSU Libraries, 2015 Originally published as "Life of An Extension Agent: John W. Mitchell," Special Collections News, NCSU Libraries, December 11, [...] (from NCSU Libraries.)

by Littleton, Tucker Reed. Robert Nixon, Baptist minister, local official, and saddler, perhaps a grandson of the Richard Nixon who died in Craven County in 1746, appeared in the Onslow County records as a witness to deeds as [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. John Alsey Park, journalist, was born in Raleigh, the son of Benjamin Franklin and Frances Beavers Park. His ancestral lines extended from Scotland and Ireland on his father's side, and from Great [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bosman, Jane Parker. Parker, Surry by Jane Parker Bosman, 1994 1 Dec. 1866–21 Apr. 1942 Surry Parker, designer and builder of steam logging machinery and founder of Pinetown, was born in Nansemond County, Va., [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Worthy, Pauline. Anne Blackwell Payne, poet, was the daughter of Charles M. and Margaret Justice Sparrow Payne. Anne, called "Annie" until she grew up, was born in Concord, where her father was a Presbyterian [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnston, Hugh B., Jr. Josiah Solomon Pender, poet, artist, army officer, and Confederate blockade-runner, was the son of Solomon and Mary Batts Pender of the Tarboro area of Edgecombe County, both of whom were descended [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Barnes, Ruth Royal. Emeline Jamison Pigott, Confederate spy, was born in Carteret County, the daughter of Levi and Eliza Dennis Pigott, both from families with roots deep in the area. At the time of the Civil War, the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Queen, Louise L. Plyler, Marion Timothy by Louise L. Queen, 1994 14 Sept. 1867–24 Mar. 1954 Marion Timothy Plyler, Methodist minister and editor, was born in Iredell County, the son of Robert Conrad and Mary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. In September 1849 he was principal of the Elizabeth City Academy, and later his wife joined him as head of the Female Department. In 1850 he opened a night school for young men and apprentices whose [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Dill, Alonzo T. James Reed, Anglican clergyman and founder of the first tax-supported school in colonial North Carolina, predecessor of the celebrated New Bern Academy, was born in England. With the encouragement of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Massengill, Stephen E. John Roberts, planter, legislator, and militia officer, probably was born in the Bogue Sound area of Carteret County. His parents were William and Jemima (Jamima) Roberts, who owned a well-stocked, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited Tibbie Roberts at her home in the coastal town of Morehead City. Born 92 years ago across the river in Beaufort, she has been a women's rights activist all her life. She was a pioneer for [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by McMillan, Douglas J. Benjamin Franklin Royal, physician, surgeon, and founder and chief of staff of the original Morehead City Hospital, was born in Morehead City, the son of John, Jr. (a railroad conductor) and Mary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cumming, William P. Claude Joseph Sauthier, one of the ablest civilian and military surveyors and mapmakers of the Revolutionary period, was born in Strasbourg, Alsace, the eldest child of Joseph Philippe, a saddler, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Sink, M. Jewell. H[arvey] Hoyle Sink, jurist, was born in the Tyro community, Davidson County, a son of Thomas Franklin and Martha Anne Lanning Sink. The Sink (Zink or Zinck) family emigrated from Germany to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Michael John Smith, naval officer, test pilot, and astronaut, was born in Beaufort, the son of Robert Lewis and Lucille S. Smith. He was graduated from Carteret County High School, where he played [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited Milton Styron in Davis, an old fishing village on Core Sound. He was a commercial fisherman for more than half a century. By all accounts, he was one of the best, a man who could make his [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. William Surginer, General Baptist leader who established churches in present Warren, Halifax, Edgecombe, and Nash counties, was a major figure in North Carolina colonial Baptist history. He is said [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kenner, Mary Bodman. Charles Randolph Thomas, Jr., congressman, was born in Beaufort, Carteret County, the son of Emily Pitkin and Charles Randolph Thomas. He attended New Bern Academy and Emerson Institute, Washington, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tise, Larry E. Joel W. Tucker, Methodist clergyman and controversialist, a native of Virginia, was one of those individuals who appear from virtually unknown origins, reveal a flash of brilliance, and then [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, William S., Jr. Jeremiah Vail, local and provincial official, one of several of this name, began to be involved in a number of land transactions and other legal causes in Chowan County beginning in 1697, when he [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. One of the great pleasures of my life has been getting to know Sonny Williamson and his wife, Jenny. Born and raised in Sea Level, a remote fishing village in Carteret County, Sonny had a short [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited David Yeomans at his fishing camp at Cape Lookout, on the far southern end of the Outer Banks. A native of Harkers Island, on the other side of the sound from the Cape, he is one of the [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)