Sometimes we find a record which on its own can open the door to so many possibilities.  The deed below is one of those:

[M-731, 5 May 1785, May 1785, Joseph (X) Sumerell & wife Elizabeth to Hezekiah Callum (Collins)] Being 220 acres beginning at a gum that was once James Blunt’s and Thomas Busby’s corner and then along the first line to a red oak standing near patent line at a beginning tree at a dividing line between Spivey and Page then along a line of marked trees until it meets with the afsd patent line to a marked white oak standing in the line and then down the patent line to a marked pine then along a line of marked trees to the head of the branch then down the branch to the first station which land was made over unto me from my mother Alice Thomas by a deed of gift and now I have sold the land unto my brother James Thomas. Witnesses were Luke Raby and Edward Collins.

This deed indicates that Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Sumerell is the daughter of Alice Thomas. There is no mention of a daughter Elizabeth in the 1732 last will and testament of Joseph Thomas [I]. There is a daughter named Elizabeth mentioned in the 1752 last will and testament of Joseph Thomas [II]. His will reads:

6thly I give to my daughter Elizabeth Thomas my land and plantation whereon Judeth Thomas now lives it being the land that fell to me by the death of my brother James Thomas. I also give to my daughter Elizabeth the second child that shall hereafter be born of my negro woman.

This is the same land that Alice Thomas purchased from Littleton Spivey in the late 1730’s and that she soonafter gifted to her son Luke. And then, more than forty years later, the same land reappears in the form of the above deed.

And while on mysteries, note that the above deed from Joseph and Elizabeth Thomas Sumerell mentions Spivey and Page lands?  Born ca. 1700 Littleton moved to Granville County NC where his wife Ann and son-in-laws are mentioned in his 1761 last will and testament. Looking at the names of his girls, did he or at least someone in his family marry into the Thomas family of Bertie …or via versa? Littleton’s wife is named Ann and his daughters are Alice, Molly, Judith, Fereby and Elizabeth Spivey. All of these are names of Thomas children with exception of Fereby. There must be a connection through marriage that I haven’t yet figured out.

Also, let’s look at a record for the above mentioned Page family:

[M-264 Bertie, 18 Aug 1779, William and Elizabeth Holmes and Moring Page to Thomas Page] Moring Page of Granville Co. SC in Ninety Six District do make over unto Thomas Page of Bertie County North Carolina two hundred acres of land whereon my father John Page formerly lived ..now held by John Dodwill. Signed: Moring Page, William Holmes, Elizabeth Holmes.

The said Elizabeth Holmes declared she “is the wife of William Holmes formerly wife of John Page.