Vanceboro
Vanceboro is a small town within Craven County that reflects the quiet strength of rural African American communities in eastern North Carolina. Places like Vanceboro were often where families put down roots, raised children, shared resources, and maintained close-knit relationships across generations. The land and surrounding community hold memories of daily life, labor, celebration, and care that define family beyond any single generation.
New Bern
New Bern is a historic waterfront city where the Neuse and Trent Rivers meet, and it has long been a center of cultural, economic, and social life in eastern North Carolina. For African American families, New Bern represents both opportunity and complexity, as generations navigated life during and after slavery, Reconstruction, and segregation while building strong communities, churches, and institutions. Today, New Bern remains a place where history is visible and living, offering space to reflect on the past while gathering in the present.
Craven County
Craven County is the broader region that surrounds New Bern and reflects the natural beauty and heritage of eastern North Carolina. The county includes rivers, farmland, and nearby access to the Croatan National Forest, offering opportunities for outdoor exploration and quiet reflection.
Craven County is the larger landscape that holds the history of many African American families whose roots stretch back generations. Following emancipation, families established lives across this region, often working the land, building homes, forming churches, and creating enduring community networks despite systemic barriers. The county’s rural spaces and small towns reflect stories of perseverance, self-determination, and deep family ties that continue to shape the present.
Relevance to the Bland Family
For the descendants of Johnnie Bland and Penny Elizabeth Pugh Bland, this region is where our family story lives. Rooted in Craven County and connected to communities like Vanceboro and New Bern, our family’s history is part of a broader African American experience shaped by resilience, faith, and kinship.
This land holds the lives of those who came before us, including their work, their sacrifices, their traditions, and their love. As we gather, we return to the sacred ground that carries our history and affirm the legacy that continues through each generation.
Bland Family Reunion 