Orange County, North Carolina Inventories and Estates, 1758-1785

By: Wiliam Doub Bennett, Pub. 1994, reprinted 2022, 226 pages, Index, 8 1/2" x 11" soft cover, ISBN #978-1-63914-067-1. Orange County was formed in 1752 from Granville, Johnston, and Bladen counties. This transcription of these records provides an accurate description of the industrial and social life in the colony. It provides specific information valuable to the genealogists. For example, the sale of the moveable property of John Andrew dated 11 Oct. 1783 (who, one finds from other records, died intestate) shows many sales to "the widow," not named. The widow, however, signs the account of the sales as Deborah Andrew. The "true inventory of the estate of James McCallister," dated 30 July 1771, shows among other items of personal property, 276 acres of land and was signed by Neil McCallister. Although the minutes of the Court of Pleas & Quater Sessions are missing for this period, we have an approximate date of death for James. Since Neil McCallister's inventory is dated 1 March 1775, we have a time frame for his death; his inventory is signed by Mary McCallister. One learns to wring out every bit of the information in every record. This volume is extremely valuable since it lists many names not found in the surviving court minutes and deed books.