While moving into a new home, I’ve been going through boxes of genealogy papers to determine if I actually need all of that paperwork. I’ve found some things that I could do without, and I have found some things I’ve been looking for for months. The attached image is one such document. It is a view of the roads in the Caton community from the 1800s showing the names of all the water courses. I found the document in the State Archives in Craven County records on Roads.
The map is endorsed “Plan of The Road from The 7 mile post To Flat Swamp” and was drawn by an unknown person. The map shows B. Gatlin’s house at the intersection of what today is the Aurora Road and Great Swamp Road. The home of Moses Ernul is shown at the intersection of Hill’s Neck Road and Great Swamp Road. Near the home of B. Gatlin is a notation that reads “21 miles from core point But called the 7th in the order district extending from said post to the Flat Swamp Bridge or county line.”
The water courses from Flat Swamp to the intersection of “Core Point Road” and Hills Neck Road are as follows: Flat Swamp (at the Craven/Beaufort County Line), 14 mile post Branch, Bull Branch, and White Oak Branch (near present-day Beaver Dam Road). Following Core Point Road the branches are Dunns Branch (near New Haven Church), Roes Branch (near current Stilley Cemetery), Mill Branch or Pine Tree (near current Pine Tree Cemetery), Spring Branch, Ash Branch and Sneeds Branch.
Following Hills Neck Road the waterways are: Water Hole Branch, Deep Branch, Quarter Branch, Muddy Branch, and Long Branch. Little Swift Creek runs between the two roads, turning into High Bridge at Dunn’s Branch. That helps explain some of the deeds in the Dunn family, who owned land on High Bridge swamp (and along Dunn’s branch).
Notations show there were 28 hands that worked on the Core Point Road and 29 hands that worked on the Hills Neck Road.