Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Wake Wednesday: Fendol Bevers of Wake County - Surveyor, City Engineer of Raleigh and Time Traveling BFF

Have you ever used the Fendol Bevers Map, created in 1871, for your genealogy research? I use it all the time. So much so, in fact, that I consider Fendol Bevers to be my genealogy BFF from the past. Bevers was the City Engineer of Raleigh. In the early 1870's, He surveyed all the townships of Raleigh in preparation for the 1870 Census. 

source

This blogpost came to be because of a quirky discovery that occurred while using the map the other day. I was trying to remember where Oak Grove township was within Wake County. I had not seen it mentioned in a good long time, but needed to pin that down to solve another puzzle. I looked at progressively older maps and finally found Oak Grove township mapped on the wonderful Fendol Bevers map. 

It turns out that sometime prior to 1890, Oak Grove and a portion of Cedar Fork townships of Wake County were carved off in the creation of Durham County. When you need to look up a location referenced in the northwest corner of Wake early on, but your are targeting a time frame after 1850, be sure to look at Durham County. Start with this Durham map.

c.1890s map of Durham County shows the
portions of Oak Grove and Cedar Forks
that were excised from Wake County. 
(This is not a Fendol Bevers map, but helps sort
the location of the townships formerly in Wake County.)

Once the timey-wimey stuff was sorted, it was back to the Fendol Bevers map and my particular puzzle. As I devoured that little corner of Wake County, trying to place the location of a certain family within proximity to their neighbors from census records, my eyes fell upon an unmistakable name right in the thick of that genealogical "FAN club" - F Bevers! Can it be? 

So, yes, I had to go down the rabbit hole and found all this terribly interesting (and some sad) information of about Fendol and his house.

Find F Bevers right above Hillsborough Road!

His home, seen below in better days, stood on Leesville Road near the intersection with Doc Nichols Rd. The house no longer survives. It was razed about 2017 to develop the Fendol Farms subdivision at Brier Creek. It is noted in this N&O article about the failure of an 11th hour attempt to save the home, that "certain elements of the home have been removed for preservation and reuse in the community clubhouse as part of the interpretative display honoring Mr. Fendol Bevers and his surveying work in Durham County."

source

There was such public desperation to save his house that a lengthy description about it appears at a website called freehousenews.com. The plea there reads Fendol-Bevers & $15K–Durham, NC

The description reads:

"You can get this early vernacular, 1280 square feet, I-House with Greek Revival details free and with up to $15,000 in structural moving costs.

The house has a fieldstone foundation, chimneys, and original windows with ornamented surrounds. The interior of the main block appears to be intact and consists of a center hall plan, two rooms wide and one room deep. Some other notable features are original flooring, sheathing, mantels, and double vertical panel doors. With all these architectural details, this may be one of the best preserved farms in Durham County. It is also one of only a few antebellum structures still extant in the area.

The house gets its name from Fendol (Fendel) Bevers (Beavers) who built the house around 1850. He lived from 1822-1883, was Raleigh’s City Engineer and surveyed Wake County using his own surveys for the 1870 U.S. Census. The surveys were part of an effort from 1870-1895 by many North Carolina counties to show the new township borders as a result of the 1868 Constitution. When Durham County separated from Wake County 10 years later, his 1871 survey map helped set the Durham County borders. Interestingly, in 1871 Durham County did not exist, so the Fendol-Bevers farm would have actually been identified, at that time, as being within Wake County. In the nineteenth century, Leesville Road was near the Wake County Line and served as a major route between Raleigh and Hillsborough. In 1895, the house and farm were sold to J. Elmer Ross.

There are a number of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century farm buildings surrounding the farmstead, including a kitchen house with a hewn-timber frame and transom lights above the two entrances, a log smoke house, several tobacco barns, and storage sheds. The architecture of the Fendol Bevers building features an elongated form with a low hip roof and end chimneys. A rare feature in Durham County is the ashlar (squared) stone bases. The windows are six-over-nine on the first floor and six-over-six on the second floor and have four-part surrounds decorated with plain corner blocks." >> more

I wish someone could have saved the F Bevers home.

Do not miss a chance to use the Fendol Bevers map in your Wake County research. I promise you will be rewarded. When you do, take a minute to notice how rich in detail the map is. In addition to the townships, the map shows landowners, churches, retail stores, schools, and mills. It must have taken a lot of time for Fendol to create it in that time period with the tools and transportation modes available. 

I have spent too many hours to count gazing at his wonderful 1871 Wake County map. I have solved more local genealogy puzzles and mysteries with his map than most any other map or resource I have used to date. Architectural and Historic Surveys run a close second, but Fendol is the Man!

When you solve your mystery, send up a thousand thanks to my good friend Fendol Bevers, surveyor, City Engineer of Raleigh and time traveling BFF of Wake County researchers. Let's appreciate all his efforts to keep Wake's past alive for future generations. 


View a previous post about the Fendol Bevers map here


Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images |Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Monday, July 21, 2025

Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter - July 2025

For those following along, here is the latest Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter.

July 2025

This issue features the funeral of J. J. Upchurch, life in the 1940's, the funeral of Angeline Green Upchurch, an Upchurch connection to an notorious figure from WW2 and more.

View past UAFA newsletters here




Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Grave Relocation Alert - Near Apex NC - Jones/Barker/Collins

This was shared to our Facebook page this weekend. It originally appeared in the N&O and can be viewed at the link. Thanks to Elizabeth Godwin for sharing. More information on the two men with named graves follows.

News and Observer
Legal Notices, 17July2025
POTENTIAL GRAVE RELOCATION In the matter of the proposed removal and reinterment of approximately 16 graves at the Jones-Barker-Collins Cemetery located south of the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and NC Highway 540 (PIN 0730865572) Apex, Wake County, NC. The cemetery contains two inscribed gravemarkers for B.Q. Barker (1846-1925) and B. H. Collins (1848-1912). There are also 9 uninscribed fieldstones and 5 possible grave depressions within the cemetery. The removal and reinterment request is anticipated to go before the Apex Town Council in late summer or early fall 2025. Anyone having information about these graves or the next-of-kin of the deceased, please contact Olivia Heckendorf at oheckendorf@rgaincorporated.com or 262-305-0055. IPL0248610 Jun 26,Jul 3,10,17 2025

I also checked the ncnotices.com listing and their records show that it has been published weekly since June 26, so time for action is running out. Their copy reads the same. 

The land outlined in red is the property described above on the
southwest side of the intersection of US1 and 540 in Apex. 
From Raleigh Imaps Pin 0730865572

Other findings for B. Q Barker 1846-1925 (aka Berrell, Burrell, Burwell Quinton Barker)**

There is a Death Certificate for Berrell Quinton  Barker born March 5, 1845 and died Jan. 14, 1925. This fits the dates on the stone. His widow was Nancy B. Barker. His parents were Mark Barker and Gilly Olive, both of Wake County. (Link)

There is a marriage record for B. Q. and Nancy dated Dec. 22, 1870. Nancy's maiden name was Jones. Her parents were Alvin Jones and Dilly Jones. (Link)

There is a 1910 census records for Burrel that shows him living in Buckhorn township as expected. The listing includes his wife Nancy and 3 children. Sons Alvin and Alvious and daughter Lector Barker. (Link)

His obituary reads:

QUINTON BARKER DIES AT HIS HOME IN APEX Quinton Barker, 80-year-old Contederate veteran, died Wednesday morning at his home at Apex. Funeral service will held today at 2 o'clock from the old home place near Apex. Mr. Barker survived by two sisters, J. J. Edwards, of Cary, and Mrs. H. M. Holloman, of Apex, and by one brother, Dickerson Barker, of Durham. He leaves three sons, Alius, Robert and William Barker. (Note there were other children not listed in the obit.)

The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday, January 16, 1925, P. 11.1

Other findings for B. H. Collins 1848-1912 (aka Benjamin and Benn H. Collins )**


There is a 1910 Census for Benn H Collins, 62 years of age living single as a head of household in Buckhorn in Wake County.  His age fits with a birthdate in 1848. (Link)

There is an 1880 Census for Benjamin Collins age 30, living in the home of parents Eaton and Melinda. (Link)

There is an 1850 Census that shows B. H. age 0, living in the home of parents Eaton and Sally Collins in Western Division, Wake County as this area was called at the earlier time. (Link)

**These files were researched at Ancestry which requires a subscription. You can access from thelibrary if you have a current library card. You can also look for the same files at FamilySearch which is free to use after you create a profile.


I have also checked the suggested location in the notice against what we have in the Wake Cemetery Survey and this cemetery is not one that was surveyed in the past. A note will be added to our files. This cemetery is located halfway between Apex and Holly Springs. 

It does not match any of the cemeteries we have in the Survey with the associated names of Barker, Collins or Jones, but there are quite a few family cemeteries located along the Friendship Road road heading to New Hill. There is also a cemetery with those names listed near the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area at  Jordan Lake. Those groups may be kin to the group mentioned here. 

Links to those possibly affiliated families' cemeteries are in the respective townships in the Wake County Cemetery Survey c. 1978 at our website - 

Barker in Buckhorn twp - Barker, and Barker, Bright, & Lienau 

Barker in Holly Springs at Cross Cemetery

Collins in Buckhorn

Jones in Buckhorn at Collins (same as above)

Jones in Holly Springs at these locations- Jones, Alford, Holland, Hunter, Pope, Turner, Turner Community, Utley

There may be other related folks in the larger local cemeteries not included on our surname list. To research the above follow these steps - 

Choose the township in the left side bar and click the hyperlinked noted that were submitted when the survey was taken. 
Look for the New Index in each township to get a spreadsheet that includes GPS Coordinates for the Cemeteries mentioned above. 

 If you are related to these people or know descendants of these families, please share so they can act before the cemetery is moved. 



Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Friday, July 18, 2025

Fall Schedule Genealogy Classes with Barbara McGeachy - Registration Opens July 22

Do you want to start delving into your family history? Are you interested in taking your genealogy skills to the next level? We have great news for you whether you are a beginner or intermediate family researcher. A new, expanded series of genealogy classes offered by Barbara McGeachy, President of Wake County Genealogical Society. Classes will start this September and run through November.


Barbara's classes are offered in partnership with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation. Classes will be held Mondays from 10:30 am to noon in the large meeting room in the Laurel Hills Community Center, 3808 Edwards Mill Road.


Beginning Genealogy Classes taught by WCGS President, Barbara McGeachy


Fall 2025 Genealogy Class list :

Learn how to research your family history. Start with yourself and work back in time. Start with records you already have. Find records on-line to fill in the gaps. Learn how to record names, dates, and locations. Learn how to keep track of what facts you find and where you found them. *This class is recommended (but not required) as a foundation for the others in the series.

After learning the basics, we now learn how to find vital records (birth, marriage, and death) which are essential to genealogy.

The census records all Americans every 10 years, from 1790 to 1950. Learn what information is in the census and how to find your ancestors!

Learn about estate records, a rich source of genealogical information. Wills list heirs; inventory lists describe all the person’s worldly goods and their value. Learn where to find your ancestors’ wills and other estate records.

Local newspapers were the internet and TV of their day! Find wedding descriptions, obituaries, family reunions, arrest records, and lots more genealogical data. Learn where to find old newspapers online.

Why take a DNA test? Where can you take a test? How much does a DNA test cost? What are the pros & cons of testing?

Learn how to use the results of your DNA test. We’ll explain the ethnicity report and the match list. Any testing company has similar results.

Learn how to find your ancestors on the two most popular on-line websites for family history. FamilySearch.org is free to everyone. Ancestry.com has a free version and a library version is free at Wake County Public Libraries. Your ancestors are waiting to be found!

Deeds can have valuable genealogical information, including spouses, heirs, parent/child relationships and more. This class focuses on the 20 states (mainly east of the Mississippi River) that use the "metes and bounds" system for describing land.

If your ancestors owned land in a "public domain state", that is, west of the original 13 colonies, their land is described using a grid. Learn about the 30 states that use this system and how to find your ancestors' land!

Learn about European migration to America from 1607 (Jamestown, Virginia) through the early 1900s. Find passenger lists, citizenship papers, and more!

*This first class - Genealogy: Getting Started! - is recommended (but not required) as a foundation for the others in the series.

Please share this opportunity with friends and neighbors! 

Any questions? Email Barbara president@wakecogen.org 

Each class is $8. 
You must register for each separately.

You must register for each class separately. Find help accessing the registration forms below. Class titles above are hyperlinked to their individual registration. If they don't take you to registration, the instructions below will. Look for the genealogy class with 11 sections. Note: Classes will read unavailable until Monday, July 22 when registration opens.

Enroll online at 
https://ncraleighweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/splash.html
 
Or stop by any staffed parks & rec center. 
 

Online registration guide - click to enlarge. Search "genealogy"


Another way to find the classes online (if you are on phone, tablet, or half screen on a PC this is helpful to know) - From the link above, click the "Activities" tab. 

Find the green "funnel" at the top right corner of the search page and click it. 

Put "genealogy" in the keyword search and choose Laurel Hills in the location field. 

Scroll down and click the green search button in the lower right corner. 

Open the "Genealogy: Getting Started" tab. Enroll in each session individually.


Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Wake Wednesday - Get Your Historic Bearings With These Great Self Guided Tours!

Raleigh Historic has this great catalog of walking tours - 22 in all - within the bounds of Raleigh. I wish this existed for all of Wake County. Check them out at the link below.

Browse Raleigh Historic Walking Tours!


Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Wake Wednesday - Oberlin Papers

The Samuel Patrick and Ella McGuire Family Papers

        Surnames: Patrick, McGuire, Buffaloe
        Locations: Oberlin Village, Wake county
        Railroads: Gaston & Raleigh RR, Seaboard Airline RR

A box of family papers bought at a yard sale. Thank heavens they found their way to the NC Archives.

Read this NC Archives blog post for the full and fascinating details.

"Summary of the Collection

These are the papers of Samuel Patrick and Ella McGuire, an African-American family of Raleigh, Wake County, with family in other locales, ca. 1872-1940. Includes personal and business letters; business receipts and Raleigh schools and city tax receipts; promissory notes; bills and statements of dues; summons for Raleigh public road work; wedding invitations; certificate of church membership; insurance policies; World War I naval commendation for son, Wilbert Henrick McGuire, for role in saving the ship, U.S.S. Mount Vernon, following its torpedoing by the enemy in September 1918; a small quantity of photographs; and miscellaneous materials. Quantity: one third cubic foot."
Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images |Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Monday, July 7, 2025

Preservation Workshop with State Library of NC - July 19, 2025

We received this message and invitation from Taylor Wolford, the Outreach Librarian at the State Library of NC regarding their preservation event. 


The event is limited to 15 participants and registration is required. Full Details: 


Preservation Workshop:
Preserving Your Family Records and History
 
Program Details:
 
Date and Time:  July 19, 2025, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
 
Program Description:

Join the SLNC Government and Heritage Library and the State Archives Conservation Lab for an engaging workshop on preserving physical family records and historical items. This hands-on workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and practical skills to preserve their family's treasured documents.

Experts from the State Archives Conservation Lab will present on key preservation topics, followed by a brief Q&A session where participants can ask questions about their own preservation challenges. Attendees will have the opportunity to create their own  document storage container under the guidance of skilled staff. 

Registration is required and limited to 15 participants. This event is free and open to the public.

Location: Meet in the State Library of NC Government and Heritage Library at 109 E Jones St., Raleigh, NC.

Registration link

This is an in-person event.


Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

Two More DNA Videos from Diahann Southard at RootsTech 2025 - It's a Process!

Two years ago, I took a year long workshop type course on working with DNA run by Diahan Southard. The course focused primarily on Autosomal DNA and presented some well structured and thought out workflow plan for identifying and working with one's DNA match list. 


I shared a blog post last year that featured the free first four portions of the material we covered when Diahan presented her techniques at RootsTech2024. You can read about them and access the videos from 2024 at this link.

Following up this past spring in 2025, Diahan presented two more free installments of her "Plan" at RootsTech 2025. I am including these here. 

Best Matches - https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/how-just-one-match-can-help-you-find-missing-ancestors-in-2025

Combine Test Types for more insight - https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/combine-multiple-dna-test-types-how-atdna-ydna-mtdna-atdna-more-answers

Hot summer afternoons present an excellent excuse to take a deep dive with your DNA matches as you wait in the AC for the air to cool off enough for an evening outing or walk. I find Diahan's strategies and simple explanations the very best place to start for those who are timid or overwhelmed with working with autosomal DNA. If you are not timid or overwhelmed, the videos present an opportunity to turbocharge your research and impose some order on the process. Everybody wins, and it is free fun.

Exercise your mind with Diahan Southard's help and get to know your DNA cousins in the process. Enjoy. I hope you break some brick walls and make a few interesting discoveries!


Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org


Saturday, July 5, 2025

New Member Special - Join Early for Special Access - There is Still Time!

There is still time to take advantage of this great offer.

Sign up June - August and Get  up to 15 Months instead of 12!


Join WCGS in June - August 2025 and your membership will be valid until August 31. 2026!

If you follow the blog and newsletter or have joined us for a virtual meeting in the past year, we hope you have appreciated the insights, tools, and inspiration we’ve shared through our various outreach channels. We invite you to take the next step and become a full member of the Wake County Genealogical Society.

Your membership grants you access to a wealth of resources available at our website, such as:

  • 24/7 access to both our award-winning publications:
    • Wake Treasures, our journal - 31 years of issues from 1991 to 2022.
    • Wake Genealogy Watch, our quarterly newsletter.
  • Eleven virtual monthly meetings on the fourth Tuesday (Nov/Dec combined meeting).
  • Access to recordings from prior monthly virtual programs. 
  • Members-only presentation materials.
  • Reduced pricing for special events.
  • Member directory and surname database - connect to those who are researching similar interests and family lines so you can collaborate.
  • Personalized notification of WCGS meetings and events.
  • 50% off Legacy Family Tree Webinars (only for new LFT members).
  • Our WCGS Welcome kit.

We are offering extra value exclusively to new members who register in June. With our special offer of up to 15 months for the price of 12, there’s no better time to join. When you become a member, you’re not just signing up for benefits—your membership is an investment in a shared journey of discovery. Your support advances our mission to further genealogical research, provide education through virtual meetings and in-person events, promote collaboration, and preserve records important to your history and ours. Genealogy isn't just about looking back. It's about moving forward together. 

Join now and be part of something enduring.
Questions? Reach out to Membership Chair Carol Kimball Stahl at membership(at)wakecogen.org.




Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org


Thursday, July 3, 2025

Another Successful Outing from WCGS - Enjoy These Photos from the June 2025 NC Library and Archives Tour

A grand time was had by all at the Archives and Library tour the last Monday of June! Just look at all the fun. If you love the smell of old books and history in the morning, this is your kind of place! I hope you managed to attend. If not enjoy vicariously through these photos.


Photos by Carla Stancil and Carol Kimball Stahl
Click image to view the larger version.

Clockwise from top left:
  • Admiring the Carolina Charter of 1663.
  • Archivist Katie Crickmore explains how the vertical family files work - the info is provided by researchers.
  • A very attentive group learning the advantages of using the State Library as explained by librarian Taylor Wolford.
  • Taking notes.
  • More tour participants admiring the Charter.
  • The rare book room in the stacks - heaven for us researchers.
  • Taylor Wolford explains the Library collection.

Here is a virtual copy of the Carolina Charter for you to enjoy thanks to DigitalNC. Here is a transcript of of the Charter in case you can't make out the fine old English text! The transcript is housed at Yale Law Library.

Who Toured it Better? (the genealogy version of Who Wore it Better - guys don't worry if you don't get it...) Just take a look at the photos from the February 2025 Tour and compare. It just goes to show you that each tour is different and you can take it over and over and learn new things each time.


Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images | Society Surnames | Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact - info(at)wakecogen(dot)org