Phelps Y-DNA & Genealogy of Northeastern North Carolina

Revised 11/19/2008   Authored by Cathy Roberts and Doug Phelps

Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties.

Join our effort to study the origins of Phelps in northeastern North Carolina.   Phelps settled in that part of the state beginning as far back as the 1600s and their many descendants continue to live in the area while other descendants moved south and west.  This project will attempt to look at the origins of the Phelps in that area.  And it will make extensive use of a new tool,  Y-DNA testing of Phelps males.

Y-DNA is the male chromosome, passed down from father to son largely unchanged for hundreds of year.  It is considered "junk" DNA having no bearing on physical traits other than being a male.  We are actively recruiting male Phelps in the area for a simple YDNA test, usually performed by, Family Tree DNA.  We have NO financial interest in this, and are strictly volunteers.    If desired, your identification will be completely blind, even with your mailing address unknown.  While we would appreciate your submitted paternal ancestry, this will not be required.

Our purpose will be to identify major biological Phelps lines in the area, their origins, and where possible, to confirm known paper trails.  Because we already have identified several major Phelps lines from colonial America at the Phelps YDNA web site, we will be able to determine if the Phelps in this area are related to those other Phelps in colonial America. 

Our Y-DNA research has proven several Phelps lines, with good paper trails, who are not related to one another:

• The line of James Phelps, Sr  b. bef. 1740 Gates Co, NC d. 1794

• A group of 5-7 biologically related  Phelps likely from Tyrrell Co, NC

• The biologically related lines of James Phelps d 1786 Caswell Co, NC, Thomas Phelps d 1751 Albemarle Co, Va, and Thomas Felps, d 1759 Baltimore Co, Md (with descendants in Rowan Co, NC in the 1800s)

• The line of John Phelps d. 1747 line of Goochland, VA.

• Three unrelated New England lines of:  William Phelps b ca 1593 England;  George Phelps  b ca 1606 England;  and the brothers Henry, Edward and Nicholas Phelps

Join our efforts!

Be an observer or research contributor:  View or join the new northeastern NC Phelps Google discussion group.

Be a tested Phelps male (or be a proxy for one):  Contact Doug Phelps or Cathy Roberts for details.  If requested we can assure your anonymity.  Regular access to email is needed if you wish to be kept updated regularly.  What is the cost?  The usual cost is either $99 or $149, but to get the project started our previously tested Phelps may help pay for part or all of the costs.

Cathy is available to help you fill out your Phelps ancestry chart - free!

Other private Google discussion groups you may want to join.

Phelps ancestors of Tyrrell Co, NC  A discussion group for Tyrrell Phelps

 New England brothers Henry, Edward and Nicholas Phelps - and Perquimans Co, NC Descendants

James Felps of Chowan NC (1768 Will)   There are no ydna kits for this line, but the ancestry is pretty well documented.

James Phelps of Gates Co., NC   This documented line has been  proven with only 3 ydna kits.

Recent announcements;

9/2009: Perquimans County: 

Washington County:  Three courthouse fires destroyed nearly all of the records from the beginning of Washington County (deeds  survived)  The rest of them - marriage bonds, wills and estates, tax records, bastardy bonds, etc., were lost.  The courthouse endured three separate fires in the 1800s.  So unless someone is lucky enough to get their hands on a family Bible, they will only be able to get a paper trail back to a certain point.  SOME of the earlier marriage bonds that survived list parents, but not all of them. 
 

Related research: 

Visit the Southern Phelps of the 18th and 19th Centuries for research papers.  Find your county under North Carolina

View an animated NC county formation map.  and Links to NCGenWeb County pages

A table to analyze census records of Phelps in Tyrrell Co.

1790 Federal NE NC Census

1800 Federal NE NC Census

1810 Federal NE NC Census

1820 Federal NE NC Census 

1830 Federal NE NC Census

1840 Federal NE NC Census

Washington County courthouse records inventory

Population of Phelps in North Carolina

A table  to analyze the early Phelps in Tyrrell Co. -(under development)    By Bill Freeman 8/2007