PRESS RELEASE

 PRESS RELEASE

Four-Volume Genealogical Study of the Lea Family of Caswell and Person Counties, North Carolina, Published

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde-Beatty announces the publication of the four-volume genealogical and historical study James Lea, James Lea, James Lea, 1790 Caswell County, North Carolina: Which One Married the Bankston Daughter? Ronald S. Beatty served as editor. Published by AuthorHouse in 2026, the four volumes are available through AuthorHouse, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

About the Books

James Lea, James Lea, James Lea investigates the early Lea families of Caswell County and Person County, North Carolina, with particular attention to identifying the James Lea who was deposed in 1794 and determining which James Lea married a daughter of the Bankston (Bankson) family.

The four-volume work combines traditional genealogical research using original records with land research, deed and grant analysis, platted maps, and modern Y-DNA and Big Y-DNA genetic genealogy.

Volume I - Genealogical Research and Analysis

Researching James Lea of Caswell County, North Carolina, who was deposed in 1794, has been challenging because decades of erroneous genealogical information have obscured the identities of several men named James Lea.

Volume I addresses these problems through a comprehensive examination of the Lea families of Caswell and Person Counties, North Carolina, based upon original historical records. It presents the evidence concerning the early Lea families and outlines their first three generations.

Particular attention is given to distinguishing the different men named James Lea and to the relationship between the Lea and Bankston/Bankson families.

• Volume I — Research / original-record study: ISBN 979-8823056083. 

Volume II - Original Records and Source Documents

Volume II contains appendices and reproductions of the original genealogical and historical records cited and analyzed in Volume I.  These source materials provide documentary support for the conclusions presented in the genealogical study and allow researchers to examine the underlying evidence.

•  Volume II — Appendices: ISBN 979-8823056366. 

 

Volume III - Lea Family Big Y-DNA and Genetic Genealogy

Volume III presents in color the Big Y-DNA study of the Lea family of Caswell and Person Counties, North Carolina, which appears in black and white in Volume I.

This extensive Lea Y-DNA genetic genealogy study provides important evidence concerning the relationships and heritage of the early Lea families and helps distinguish family lines that cannot be reliably separated through documentary records alone.

The Y-DNA research was conducted by Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde and compiled and analyzed by Dr. Maurice Gleeson of England, an internationally recognized genetic genealogist.

• Volume III — Maurice Gleeson’s DNA Report in Color: ISBN 979-8823053174. 

Volume IV - Platted Maps, Land Grants, and Deeds

Volume IV presents platted maps, land grants, and deeds of the early Lea families of Caswell and Person Counties, North Carolina.

The land records provide geographical and historical context for the Lea families discussed throughout the four-volume study and offer researchers another means of distinguishing individuals and reconstructing relationships among the early Lea families.

• Volume IV — Maps, Grants and Deeds: ISBN 978-1-4582-2486-6. AuthorHouse lists it as the 524-page volume published 

 

Publication Information

Author: Rev. Dr. Cynthia Forde-Beatty

Editor: Ronald S. Beatty

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Publication: 2026

Research Topics and Keywords

James Lea genealogy; Lea family genealogy; Caswell County North Carolina genealogy; Person County North Carolina genealogy; James Lea Caswell County; Lea family North Carolina; Bankston genealogy; Bankson genealogy; Lea Bankston family; Lea Bankson family; North Carolina genealogy; Y-DNA genealogy; Big Y-DNA; genetic genealogy; Lea Y-DNA; Caswell County deeds; Caswell County land grants; Person County deeds; North Carolina land records; genealogical proof; original genealogical records; eighteenth-century North Carolina genealogy