Swamp People in Hyde County!

This is sort of an update to the last entry about pleasure driving through Hyde County.  I spent the day in the library and learned why it was that I didn't find Stephen Brooks Jr. and his wife Mary Farrow Brooks.  Stephen was a fish... really.  The book In Memory of...: An Index to Hyde County Cemeteries tells exactly where they are buried... on an island.  There is no bridge to this island, nor is there even an identifiable area of high ground where you might find a graveyard.  Still, they are the only two people buried here in the "Lightwood Creek Marsh Cemetery."  

How appropriate of a name!

Portion of Wyesocking Bay area in Hyde County, NC

I'm guessing that Stephen and Mary probably lived on this island and operated their ship from this point.  He did have a ship.  During the American Revolution, he ran supplies to and from a British-besieged Hatteras Island with it and lost it in the process.  

Stephen and Mary, as well as her father owned land on Hatteras at one point... speaking of point, Brooks Point near present Brigand's Bay is named for one of the Stephens... either this guy or his dad.  After Stephen Jr.'s death, his wife Mary and son Isaac held the property for awhile.  Stephen had passed away at his home in the marsh in 1797.


Interestingly, a great many families can be found in both places, Hatteras and Hyde County.  Brooks, Midyett, Gibbs, Davis, Wahab, etc lived in both places, many of them began with a single person who lived in both... like Stephen Brooks.  


I wonder where his ship is....?  I know some underwater archaeologists in ECU's Maritime Program... hum... :)  I'll probably need the funds to find it first.  Oh, well. 

Here's the cemetery data that I found:

On page 233 of In Memory of...

By the way, the information about Wallingford, Connecticut is still questionable according to what I've heard.  Here's the annotated map showing the cemetery's location:

Map from the same book... #30 is Lightwood Creek Marsh Cemetery

 Well, that settles that.  I guess I'll have to try a quiet boat ride instead of a car next time.  The real obstacle will be avoiding the hunters that seem to be the only people out that way.  I may need some rubber boots, too.