READERS REPORTS


Christie Lamont - St. Petersburg, Florida
I was so excited to receive your Estate Records books yesterday. On a quick look I have just found some brief mentions of family, but hope to learn more as I work my way through them. I am already looking forward to many enjoyable hours of reading, and the glimpse they will provide into the lives of the families of Richmond County! Thank you for sharing your work in your handsome books. Christie Lamont   May 04, 2009

Judy Kiilehua - Corona, California
Myrtle, I received your Estate Records, Book 1, yesterday and sent a check off to you. I was happy to find the information that I needed in the book regarding Hercules Agee, father and son. (These are my great and 2nd great grandfathers.). There may be more to glean from it when I get a little further along. ... Isn't it fun! I love this pursuit and am impressed with your ability to read these records in the original. Thanks again for making them available. Judy Kiilehua   June 16, 2006

Jean Covington LaCross - Asheboro, North Carolina
Myrtle, I wanted to let you know that I went to Richmond County yesterday. I had a friend from Missouri go with me to help me in my search. She of course was not familiar with your books and I told her that we would NOT find any wills or estate records that were not in your books. Well, she didn't believe me. I kept telling her and she was just insistent, so I finally thought, okay, I will just let her prove herself wrong! She would find a particular will at the Clerk of Court and get all excited and I would just look at her and say, Yes, I would like to copy that original but, but I have the transcript right here from Myrtle's book!! And so it went for every single thing she found!! She belongs to about 15 lineage society's and at the end of the day, she was absolutely flabergasted at your work, which of course, at the end of my day, I said "I told you so." ....Thank you again for your invaluable research tools.
Jean LaCross —January 19, 2006

Marcus Norton - Laurel Hill, North Carolina
     "Myrtle, Thanks very much for the wonderful books. My wife Janet and I have already spent several enjoyable hours reading them. Tremendous amounts of great information too!
     Since we talked about the exact DNA matches between our lines I have learned that there are two Hathcocks that are also exact matches!! There are lots of interesting leads to explore.
     Can't wait to read more of your work. Thank you again for sharing all you have done. That brings a lot of joy to many people including my wife and I." Sincerely, Marcus Norton —— December 20, 2005

Jean Covington-LaCross - Asheboro, North Carolina
You are absolutely the most remarkable person I have never met!!!! Thank you so, so much. I hope that somewhere on your web site or your book review pages if you have them, you can quote me:   "Myrtle Bridges' books, as well as her immense wealth of knowledge and her generosity with that knowledge, make her an invaluable resource for anyone searching for their ancestry. In the case of the Covington geneaology, her resources provide documentation far beyond what anyone could possibly hope for in their search. Thank you Myrtle." Jean LaCross —— November 03, 2005

Sharon Davis - Pine Mountain, Georgia
Dear Myrtle, I received your wonderful books yesterday. They are beautifully done, well written and a treasure. I did not immediately find the answer I am searching for, but I know when I do, these books will be a wonderful source for me to continue my research. Thanks for your hard work and devotion to the Richmond County pioneers. Sharon —— October 28, 2005

Murdoch A. Morrison - Mooresville, North Carolina
Myrtle, Thanks for getting the books out promptly. ... In one hour with the books last night, I learned a number of things about my great grandfather that I did not know, including knowledge of where his brother moved after leaving the Richmond county area... what a tremendous window into the lives of our forebears!

You've done a marvelous job of transcription... I'm afraid to ask how much time in research and transcription you have tied up in these. I know that some of the old documents are easy to read because of the precise handwriting... others are extremely difficult to read because of the lack thereof. My hat's off to you. Thanks again. Regards, Murdoch —— August 26, 2005

Jean Covington-LaCross - Asheboro, North Carolina
Hi Myrtle, I wanted to tell you the Estate Book I got from you has been very helpful and I spent all of Saturday in the library here (Randolph County) and your book 'Final Words' was there and boy did it help me. It is wonderful and I do plan on ordering one from you probably next week. Jean —— August 24, 2005

Rebecca Sanford - Deland, Florida
Myrtle, The books came a few minutes ago and I can hardly wait to dive into them. You have done a superlative job! Thank you so very much. —— March 21, 2005

Anita Steele - Roanoke, Virginia
Myrtle, I received your three-volume set of Richmond County Estate Records, and am enjoying them. Anita —— July 14, 2004

Bea Taylor - Virginia Beach, Virginia
I received my copy of this book early this afternoon and I've been unable to let it go ever since. I have filled in some holes and now have a lot more questions. I've branched to a couple of other NC counties; girl, your name is all over the place. This work must keep you hopping! Thanks again for all your hard work. I hope to be able to order another book before too long. I can't wait to share this with my family. —— July 13, 2004

Carol McCall - Melbourne, Florida
Myrtle, Just wanted to let you know that I received my book "Estate Records; Book II" on Friday, March 5th. It is a well written, well put together book. So full of information, although it did not help me with my Henry Family I am sure that so many out there will need this book to help them. Thank You so much for all your time and effort that you have put into these Great Books and I recommend them to others.—— March 09, 2004

Kathryn Dodd - Sanger, Texas
Myrtle,
Last year I purchased your three volume books "Estate Records 1772-1933 Richmond County North Carolina." These books are wonderful and I am thoroughly enjoying them and all the information they contain. —— March 08, 2004

Steve Jones - Brandon, Mississippi
Myrtle,
I have truly enjoyed the books and have gleaned some useful information on my Mason, Bounds, Covington, Watkins and Waddell/Waddill/Waddil lines. Thanks for your hard work.—— December 20, 2003

Danny McNair - Trinity, NC
Myrtle,
I have found a great deal of information on my family of McNair's that I am fairly certain. There are so many Neill and Edward McNairs it is difficult to always know which one is correct, but what I have found is exciting. I have found definite info on my Great Grandfather William McNair, his father John and who I believe is his father Neill. I also found info on many other of their relatives.

...My Great Grandfather William is on page 137 of Vol. III as purchasing property from John Patterson who married his sister Mary A. McNair. "Mitchell" McNair is Daniel Mitchell who is in several places in the estate books and in your book "Our Native Heath" on page 228 and is a brother to William and Mary. My William is also on page 108 of Vol. III as a "Commissioner" in settlement of the estate of A.C. Patterson.

...You did an outstanding job with these records. I am amazed at how you transcribed the records and so many of them. ...I am really enjoying your books and telling everyone about how great they are. I just sent out a McNair newsletter to 110 of my relatives to let them know how excited I am about your work.—— December 20, 2003

Martha Berry - Chatsworth, Ga.
Hi Myrtle,
Today I have a little more time to spend on Book 1. At the bottom of page 463 and top of 464, I was paying closer attention and see that it states that Nelson was the son of Thomas. This was so exciting. I had no idea that I would ever see that written down. ... It amazes me to see the amount of time and effort you had to put into these books. The most amazing thing is that you can still see.... I appreciate also the time you devoted to accomplishing the task of assembling all the data and having it published. It has always been exciting to find the golden nuggets of family history. Thanks, Martha Berry —— February 21, 2003

Madonna M. (Lee) Hill - Faribault, Minnesota
Myrtle,
The books arrived on Saturday in good condition. I am glad that you double boxed them because the outer box was damaged, but the books were all right. I am very happy with them. I can tell that you put an enormous amount of work into them. You did a good job! I hope that you have received my check already.

From all of the census lists, school lists and other records, I am going to try to reconstruct the older parts of the family tree and fill in the blanks in what I already have.

I found your description of your mother and her interest in these things to be most touching. How wonderful that she could inspire you, encourage you, and share this interest with you.

I hope that you continue to do research and publish more books. I especially hope that you will include anything you can find about the Morrisons, Williamsons, Floyds, and more maps. Marriage, birth, military service, and death records are always helpful. All of this history is so interesting and worthy of preservation. I could not possibly research many of these things myself because I live so far away. Thank you for sharing your work with the rest of the world. Lee —— December 19, 2001

Judges for North Carolina Society of Historians - Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
"Unbelievable 3-volume set of books containing some tremendously valuable information, accurately recorded by a devoted author! What also amazed us was how vast this project was! Probably over 2,000 pages of information, small print, with no page space wasted at all!! The information was well-documented by an author researchers can trust, which is a very valuable asset; and, we were all envious of anyone with Richmond County ties because they will be the recipients of the county's rich history as it pertains to the wealth of its inhabitants." —— November 3, 2001

Nancy Brister - Picayune, Mississippi
Myrtle, I've had some time now to go through your Richmond County Estate books and each time I do, I'm struck by what a huge project it was. They are wonderful and I'm so grateful to have them. I'm amazed at the array of information that can be gleaned from estate records. I have three different lines in Richmond County and every time I open one of those books, I learn something new. I can't imagine how you decided to commit to such a major project, but I'm so glad you did. Nancy Brister —— Oct. 16, 2001

Bill Bostick - Oak Ridge, Tennessee
I have your 3-Vol. Richmond Co. Estate Books; thanks, they've been very helpful. ... Bill Bostick —— August 24, 2001

Robert Adair - Pensacola, Florida
Myrtle, I looked over your 3 new Richmond County Estate Books, very impressive. — Having poured over some of these records using LDS microfilm I can appreciate the task that you completed, It would have taken me 10 years. Sincerely, Bob Adair —— August 23, 2001

Jack Wright - Richmond, Virginia
I've been reading Estate Records of Richmond County. WONDERFUL reading.··· Keep up the good work. Jack —— July 16, 2001

Mark McKenzie - Yuba City, CA
Myrtle, Just recieved the great Richmond County Estate Records Three Volume Set. There are definitely Chappells galore in the books. ··· Thanks again Myrtle, for your assistance and fantastic books. They really help me know my Chappell relatives along with assorted Covingtons, Baldwins, Capels, and Pankeys that they married. Mark —— July 13, 2001

Mary Jean Medlock Zimmerman - Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Dear Myrtle:    Your books arrived today! I can't believe your efficiency and thoughtfulness. They are just wonderful to read, beautiful to see, and filled with obvious professionalism and character. Thank you so very much for all your work, and especially for providing it in such superior packages. — Without YOUR BOOKS I would not know where to look..and you did such a wonderful job of putting them together and I shall always be awed by your ability to read that handwriting. So often in my trying to read the writing, I feel so sorry for the recorder who obviously has a tired hand at most times. Sincerely, Mary Jean Medlock Zimmerman
PS. I was particularly touched by your Dedication. Bless you. —— July 6, 2001

Kay Smith - Duluth, Georgia
Hello, Myrtle. I have received your wonderful books and just can't put them down. ... I really am very pleased with the books. I stayed up 'til 3:45 a.m. the first night reading them. Kay —— July 2, 2001

Nancy Brister - Picayune, Mississippi
I also have the three books.....and 'amen' to all the kudos to Myrtle. As I fully expected, they are incredibly well done and of inestimable value to any Richmond Co. researcher.....especially one who lives far away from NC! —— July 2, 2001

J. D. McEachin - Portland, Oregon
Hi All, Now that I've been using these books for a few weeks, I thought it would be appropriate to comment on them:

The "Estate Records" books are the BEST compilation of county records I have ever seen, presenting an enormous amount of information in 3 comfortably sized volumes. The books are beautifully bound and typeset, each book in a different shade of grey. This is a thoughtful touch, allowing one to easily differentiate between the 3 without having to pick each book up to read the cover.

The contents are derived from the 69 boxes of Richmond Co. Estate Records stored at the NC State Archives. If you have never been there and looked at them, they are legal paper storage boxes, about 6 inches deep, containing folders, each one with a name and date. The folders hold the estate records for a particular person. Most of these are handwritten, and depending on the writer's penmanship, can be very difficult to read. Myrtle N. Bridges, the author of these books, has saved everyone an enormous amount of trouble by transcribing these records. Not all of them, but close to it. The name and call number of each box is given, then the name and date from the folder, then the documents found therein. There are separators between each box, folder, and document which clearly demark them.

The text does not have a lot of spacing (to keep the books from being too big), but it does not feel cramped. There are occasionally scans of signatures and old documents, the effect of which makes the book easier to navigate and more visually pleasing.

The most important feature of the books is the index. Each contains about 25,000 name references, for a total of 75,000! Scanning the indexes is a lot easier than reading through 69 boxes of papers for a particular name. I am sure that a lot of brick walls are going to be broken through with this, as persons find their gg-grandmother mentioned in the estate papers of their ggg-grandfather, and so forth.

I live in Oregon, so I don't get to visit Raleigh, NC very often. When I was there, I copied all the "McEachin" files, but didn't get much else. Consequently, I missed several important mentions of my relatives. Using the index, I have cleared up several little mysteries in the short time I have had the books. They are worth every penny to me.

I have only a few very minor quibbles:

1) Not every paper is included. So far I've only noticed one case, and I agree that the papers excluded were pretty much duplicated by what was in the book. However, it would be nice to know that there are other papers in the folder to look for on my next visit, perhaps via a one or two line description.

2) No wills. I had to order a set of Richmond Co. Wills microfilms to track down some of the details mentioned in the estate papers. I think the wills are in a separate set of boxes, but still, it would be nice to have them. Perhaps that could be your next book, Myrtle? ;)

3) No CDRom. I guess I'm a child of the computer age, but knowing that the information has already been transcribed to electronic format, it drives me crazy to have to retype it for inclusion in my family tree. Oh well.

4) Myrtle doesn't have more kin in Robeson County. I'd LOVE to see a similar set of books for Robeson, or for that matter, every county I do research in. Maybe what I'm really saying is, the world needs more people like Myrtle. :)

Conclusion:

These are quality books, presenting an enormous amount of information at a reasonable price. If you have relatives who lived in Richmond Co. NC in the 19th century, then you probably need one or more of these books. Jeffrey —— July 1, 2001

Joyce Braswell - Laurinburg, North Carolina
The estate books are wonderful and I know it was a labor of love and a lot of hard work. Everyone needs them who is doing research in Richmond and Scotland counties. —— July 1, 2001

Colin E. McSween - Sanger, Texas
Have all your books, and they are great! Just wish they were available twenty-five years ago. —— June 28, 2001

Donna Christensen - Dallas, Texas
Myrtle, I received the books I had ordered from you today -- they look beautiful, and I am anxious to start reading. Donna Christensen —— June 26, 2001

Joanne Harley - New Bern, North Carolina
Hi Myrtle, Your books came this morning. I like the colors you chose for the binders/covers. Now my work starts. Don't you want to go over to the Marlboro Courthouse and do some work there? I wish someone would. Thanks, Joanne Harley —— June 21, 2001

Robert J. McSwain - Petal, Mississippi
Myrtle, I received my 3 book set yesterday! Thank you so much for getting them sent out so quickly! I haven't had much time to really look them over good yet, but what I have read looks great. The books are very professionally done and I must commend you on a job well done. I know it must have been a labor of love on your part! The books are so chocked full of information that I believe anyone researching their family ancestry would consider this a great addition to their research library. Thanks again for the wealth of information that you have opened up for us through your books. Sincerely, Robert —— June 14, 2001



Back to Richmond County, NC Estate Records
Back to Myrtle's Genealogy Page