This small quaint seaport has roots back to April 7, 1730 when Isaac and Jonathan Green Sr. purchased from Ebenezer Harker "a certain plantation and track of land containing by estimation 441 acres situate lying and being in ye Carterett in ye county of province of aforsaid being ye west side of ye mouth off White Oak River." By 1771 Theophilus Weeks started a town on his plantation, laying out a plat and selling lots. Formerly known as Bogue, Week's Point, The Wharf and New Town, the town was officially designated by the North Carolina General Assembly on May 6, 1783. Above photo (from North Carolina State Archives) courtesy Jack Dudley, as included in Swansboro - A Pictorial Tribute

Early Bloodgood Family – Carteret and Onslow Counties

The earliest North Carolina Bloodgoods may have found their way to Swansboro from Shackleford Banks or the Core Banks area of Carteret County.

1800 Carteret County Census
ISAAC BLOODGOOD, perhaps the father of 1798 John Bloodgood, was included in the 1790 and 1800 Carteret County censuses.

Land Deed: August Court Carteret County 1793. Deed of sale from John Fulford to Isaac Bloodgood for one hundred acres of land on Core Banks between the Middle Camps and William Thomson west most line acknowledged by said John Fulford and ordered to be registered.

Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants: Isaac Bloodgood. N.C. Private. 2 Feb. 1786. 274 acres.

Jane Bloodgood 1800-1875
JOHN BLOODGOOD 1798-1860. John married Jane Lamb 1815-1870 in Carteret County on November 9, 1829. (Documented NC marriage collection) and/or Jane Lovett 1800-1875 born in Charleston, SC.

John Bloodgood children: James 1830-1880, Clarissa 1832-, Mary 1836-, Nancy 1839-, Joseph 1840-1907, Euphemia Fannie 1846-1915, Charity 1847-, Edward 1850-.

New Orleans Passenger List 1820-1945: John Bloodgood, age 40, steamship Natoka that arrived from Havana, Cuba on April 19, 1841.

1850 Census Swansboro: John 52 sailor, Jane 35, James 19 sailor, Clarissa 18, Mary 13, Nancy 11, Joseph 8, Euphema 5 and 3-year-old Charity.

In 1853 Mary Bloodgood married 1830 Tyre Moore, son of 1807 Samuel J. Moore of Shackleford Banks, Carteret County.

JOSEPH BLOODGOOD: 1840-1907

1860 Beaufort Census: Joseph 19, Euphema 16 and Edward Bloodgood 10 (father, John Bloodgood, was then deceased) were living in Beaufort, Carteret County with Bowen and Jane Horton.

1865 Marriage: Joseph Bloodgood and Mary E. Bell 1849-1912 were married in Carteret County on June 5, 1865. Mary was the daughter of 1795-1860 Samuel Bell and Sabra Piner of Carteret County.

1870 Swansboro Census (August): mariner Joseph Bloodgood 28, wife Mary with 3-month-old twins Lucy and Isaac.

1880 Swansboro Census: Sailor (Capt.) Joseph Bloodgood 40, wife Mary E. 33, Lucy 11, William Charles 7, Albert 4, and 2-year-old Kanelium A.

1900 Swansboro Census: “Piloting” Joseph Bloodgood 60, wife Mary E. 52, Charles 27, Kanelium 22 and 20-year-old wife Elma.

Joseph P. Bloodgood 
1840-1907
Mary Bloodgood 
1849-1912

Joseph Bloodgood children: Isaac born 1870, Lucy 1870-1949, William Charles 1872-1948, Albert Burgess 1896-1955, Kanelium 1878-1938 and Elma born 1880. 

Capt. Bloodgood and his schooner Packet were mentioned in the text of Joshua Slocum's 1890 book Voyage of the Liberdade:

It was our good fortune to fall in with an old and able pilot at Corn-cake Inlet, one Capt. Bloodgood, who led the way through the channel in his schooner, the "Packet," a Carolina pitch and cotton droger of forty tons register, which was manned solely by the captain and his two sons, one twelve and the other ten years old. It was in the crew that I became most interested, and not the schooner. Bloodgood gave the order when the tide served for us to put to sea. “Come, children," said he, "let's try it." Then we all tried it together, the Packet leading the way. The shaky west wind that filled our sails as we skimmed along the beach with the breakers close aboard, carried us but a few leagues when it flew suddenly round to nor' east and began to pipe.

The gale increasing rapidly inclined me to bear up for New River Inlet, then close under our lee; with a treacherous bar lying in front, which to cross safely, would require great care.

But the gale was threatening, and the harbor inside, we could see, was smooth, then, too, cried my people: “Any port in a storm." I decided prompt; put the helm up and squared away. Flying thence, before it, the tempest-tossed canoe came sweeping in from sea over the rollers in a delightfully thrilling way. One breaker only coming over us, and even that did no harm more than to give us all the climax soaking of the voyage. This was the last sea that broke over the canoe on the memorable voyage.

The harbor inside the bar of New River was good. Adding much to our comfort too, was fish and game in abundance.

The “Packet," which had parted from us, made her destined port some three leagues farther on. The last we saw of the children, they were at the main sheets hauling aft, and their father was at the helm, and all were flying through the mist like fearless sailors.

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