Discovery of an unpublished index to a 1931 Perquimans genealogy book, "History of Perquimans County, NC"

Most genealogy libraries have the 1931 book, "History of Perquimans County, NC" which contains wills and genealogies of early Batemans and Phelps. It also has abstracts of deeds from 1681 through the Revolution. Deeds from 1730-1784 are not abstracted elsewhere. Unfortunately there has not been an index of this book or those deeds. However there is such an index. It is in the Seattle library as "Index, History of Perquimans County, N.C.” prepared by Marie Freeman and Helen Stevenson. http://www.spl.org/ Their library reference for the document is by Freeman, Marie. [S.l. : M. Freeman?, 197-?] 197-?] Call #: R929.3756 W732Hi

The index has great implications for James PHelps researchers as well as researchers of others in early Perquimans Co, NC Thes little known death of a James Phelps, reported to have married Mary Bateman of Perquimans was noted in a 1758 deed of record of (not sold/bought by Phelps). (Deed book F:278). Extremely few researchers have known about this deed and the death comment of James. The reason is that the indexes did not cover the years 1730-1784 and James would not have been found in the indexes for the original deedbooks. Only by stumbling on the paper “A Quaker Woman and Her Offspring” which made note of the deed was I able to make the connection. The author, Gwen Boyer Bjorkman, of Seattle, found this deed by an index for the entire book which was compiled by the two women in Seattle. She was instrumental in helping me sort through all this.