Our State – Our Stories
Daniel Dwiggins: Circuit-Riding Preacher
AUTHOR: Linda H. Barnette (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) I had heard from my grandmother, Blanche Dwiggins Smith, that her great-great-grandfather, Daniel Dwiggins, was a circuit-riding Methodist preacher in the early to mid-1800s, so you can imagine my...
The Hartleys’ Ferry on the Yadkin
AUTHOR: Linda H. Barnette (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) As people came from Europe to America, traveling down South in the 1700s, they found a vast network of rivers and streams. They discovered places where the water was shallow enough to cross, which...
The Transcription of a Letter Written by Edwin Bevers to his Wife, Mother, and Sister
SUBMITTED BY: Tom Henderson; Original transcription by Jane Taylor Henderson (1959) (submission edited by Cheri Todd Molter) This letter was written by Edwin Bevers, I deduce. It is a most poignant account of the death of his younger brother, Woodley Beavers, who was...
Diary of a Union Soldier Crossing Sampson–1865
SUBMITTED BY: Joel Rose for Richard G. Fowler (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) Note: One of my great grandfathers, Charles Sawyer, a forty-year-old father of four, volunteered as a musician and medical corpsman in the 141st New York Infantry, XXth Corps. He kept a daily...
List of Company C, 14th N.C. Regiment’s Wounded & Dead, July 10, 1862
AUTHOR: Steve Bailey (vetted and edited by Cheri Todd Molter) An Excerpt from the Thursday, July 10, 1862 issue of the N.C. ARGUS (Wadesborough [sic], Anson County, N.C.): “List—Of killed and wounded in Co. C, 14th Regiment, as far as known: Killed – Daniel McKAY,...
A Deserter, Shot for Wanting to See His Family
AUTHOR: Melba Cooper Finley (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) An Oral Tradition, told to my mother, Mary Sue Carswell Cooper, by her grandmother, Julia Adeline Butler Carswell, who was born in 1861 or there about (See note below). Julia's father, Erwin Jackson...
William Ayers, Coston, and John Richardson Davis: Three Brothers who Served the Confederacy during the Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Steve Sutton (vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Editor’s Note: Sgt. Steve Sutton (Ret) has submitted a document that was researched and typed up in the 1970s and two photographs. One of the photographs is of William Ayers Davis, and the other is of John...
John H. Holyfield: “This old Confederate veteran has some pluck yet”
AUTHOR: Keith Holyfield (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) John H. Holyfield of Surry County enlisted in the Confederate Army on Sept. 2, 1864. He mustered into Company H of the N.C. 1st Cavalry. He was wounded sometime before Nov. 30, 1864. Please see the...
Watson B. Holyfield: A Confederate Soldier Who Was Wounded Multiple Times
AUTHOR: Keith Holyfield (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Born in 1841, Watson Butcher Holyfield of Surry County, North Carolina, enlisted in the Confederate Army on May 4, 1861. He served in Company A of the 28th N.C. Infantry. Holyfield was wounded at the...
The Three Wise Men of Avery County
AUTHOR: Daniel E. Johnson, IV (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Beautiful little Avery County has the distinction of being the home of the only 3 brothers who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, survived the Battle of Gettysburg, and lived long...
Samuel A’Court Ashe
SUBMITTED BY: JC Knowles (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Samuel A’Court Ashe was born on September 13, 1840 at Wrightsville Sound, near Wilmington, North Carolina. His parents were William Shepperd Ashe and Sarah Ann Green. During his youth, Ashe lived on...
Lt. James B. Pool of Company G, 37th Regiment of the North Carolina Troops
AUTHOR: Herb L. Poole (edited and vetted by Cheri Molter) (Publisher's note: Click on this link -- Pictures and Records of J B Pool and Family -- for more information) Prologue “As they left that morning and took a last look back and saw a golden haze which, even at...
$100 Reward for the Return of Jerry
SUBMITTED BY: Lisa Y. Henderson (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) On February 28, 1863, Edmund Moore of Wilson advertised in the Tarborough Southerner for the return of Jerry, a thirty-year-old man who formerly belonged to Howell G. Whitehead of Pactolus township in...
William Haney [Brooks]
SUBMITTED BY: Wayne Haynie (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) William Haney [Brooks] and my 3rd-Great-Grandfather, Charles Haney, were brothers. Their father was James Haney (1794 – 1866). William was born in McDowell County, North Carolina, in 1844. I’ve...
“You have never known the cruelties of these people”: A Letter Written by A. F. Flood to the Freedmen’s Bureau
AUTHOR: Lisa Y. Henderson The photographs of a letter written by A. F. Flood, plus my transcription of his letter, annotations, and references, are available here. Click here: LINK [The author] is solely responsible for all posts to Black Wide-Awake,...
Farming in North Carolina, 1889
AUTHOR: JC Knowles (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Farming was so bad in North Carolina in 1889 that many farmers considered leaving their farms to seek their livelihoods elsewhere. The Chatham County Alliance, a local organization of the Farmers’ Alliance,...
Civil War History
AUTHOR: Andrew Adams Jr. (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The following story is based on family oral history: Two of my great-grandfathers were in the Civil War, Hugh Wallin and John Chandler. John was a Confederate soldier who was captured and imprisoned....
December 2020 Year End Update
Dear Friends: By any measure, 2020 has been a challenging year: A global pandemic. Racial division and strife. Economic turmoil. Many of you have asked what this means for the future of the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center. The answer...
Ransom Naylor, A Civil War Soldier
AUTHOR: Durin Naylor Ransom Naylor A Civil War Soldier By Durin Naylor The Year was 1840 when Ransom Naylor was born to Washington and Amy Naylor in the Mingo Township district of Sampson County, North Carolina. Ransom had 9 siblings, 4 brothers and 5 sisters....
“Relating how the McAdams, Roneys, and Rippys are Blood Kin to Dukes”: A Letter to Rev. Joseph “Mack” McAdams from L. D. Rippy of Alamance County
SUBMITTED BY: Jan King (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) I copied these documents from a McAdams file found in the Ray County Genealogy Library in Richmond, Missouri. These files were just in a manilla folder in the Genealogy Library. There is a note on page...
“Glory, Glory, Glory”: The Story of Grandmother Norton
AUTHOR: Dallas R Reese Jr. (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. (Psalms...
The Military Careers of Two Brothers, James M. Patterson & Armistead Patterson
SUBMITTED BY: Lois McPherson, written by D.W.P. (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) James M. Patterson (1837-1868) and Armistead Patterson were the sons of George and Sophia Coble Patterson, and they grew up in Alamance County. Their paternal grandparents were...
Charles Wesley Cecil: Reluctant Confederate, Teller of Tall Tales
AUTHOR: Jeffrey W. Long (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Charles Wesley Cecil (1827-1911), my great-great-great grandfather, lived out a mostly ordinary life as a farmer and laborer in Davidson County, North Carolina. He was descended from a long line of...
The Henry W. Jones Papers
SUBMITTED BY: Joseph Beasley (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) Henry W. Jones was my four-times-great-grandfather, and he worked as a farmer, a magistrate, and a distiller at Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina. A record of his correspondence and other official...
Incidents in the Life of John Robert Draughon, as Remembered by his Daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Draughon Godwin
SUBMITTED BY: Gerri R. Lugs; written by Elizabeth Catherine Draughon Godwin (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter) The following is a transcription of the original submission (click on this link: Incidents in the Life of John Robert Draughon) Incidents in the Life of...
George Lauder: Set in Stone
AUTHOR: Daniel Whiting (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) On January 24, 1810, George Lauder was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. While reliable records have not been discovered to confirm who Lauder’s parents were, it is believed he was born to John L. and...
William and Martha Haney
AUTHOR: Amelia R. Phillips (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) I am happy to share these stories and appreciate your willingness to help ensure that they aren't lost to time and poor memory. I am not accustomed to writing these stories down: They have always...
James Hamilton Thomas
SUBMITTED BY: James C. Riddle (submission edited by Cheri Todd Molter) According to his compiled military record, Rockingham County native James Hamilton Thomas was eighteen years old when he enlisted in the Confederate Army on July 31, 1864 at Camp Holmes, Raleigh,...
An oral history of assumed desertion
AUTHOR: Amelia R. Phillips (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-great-great-grandfather was William "Wesley" Wakester [also spelled Wacaster in records]. I was a small child when the following story was recited to me: Wesley was musically inclined, so when he...
Some stories about my great-grandparents, John Edwin and Laura Lee Dalton Fultz
SUBMITTED BY: Terri Correll (edited and transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-grandfather, John Edwin Fultz, fought during the Civil War. After the war, he married Mary Laura Lee “Laura Lee” Dalton. Attached is a picture of them. (Click on image to enlarge.) I...
Great-granddaddy David Crockett Lunsford
AUTHOR: Cathy Adcock Yancey (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-grandfather, David Crockett Lunsford, fought in the Civil War. On July 20, 1862, he enlisted in the Confederate Army as a Private, serving in Company E of the 35th Infantry (N.C. Troops)....
Letters from a Confederate soldier
STORY AND SUBMITTED TRANSCRIPTIONS BY: April Price Havens (edited by Cheri Todd Molter; modern transcriptions written by Cheri Todd Molter) Andrew Joseph “Joe” Price, my great-great-grandfather, was born August 1, 1837 in Union County, North Carolina. In 1862, Price...
A physical phenomenon: Hester “Hettie” Massey
AUTHOR: Gloria Lackey Stokely (edited & vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) On May 5, 1813, Elizabeth “Betsy” Massey & Thomas Revis had a daughter named Hester "Hettie" Massey who was born without any limbs (no arms or legs). She was Betsy’s second child, but Thomas...
Two articles about the lives and family of John Wesley and Sarah Frances Howell
SUBMITTED BY: Peggy Doesburg (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) I have enclosed information pertaining to my great-great-grandfather, John Wesley Howell. I hope you find it of interest. See the photo and articles at this link: ...
The Story Behind the Stone
AUTHOR: Paul Peebles (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) The U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum at Fayetteville, North Carolina, has many monuments and memorial paver stones on its grounds. Each one has a story behind it, and one is of a hometown hero named...
A letter written by my great-uncle, Oliver McPherson: a Confederate soldier
SUBMITTED BY: Lois McPherson (written by D.W.P.; edited & vetted by Cheri Todd Molter; transcription with modern spelling & punctuation by Cheri Todd Molter) I received this information from my cousin. I’ve attached a letter that my Great-Uncle Oliver...
John Wesley Houck, Company A, 26th NC Infantry
SUBMITTED BY: Cynthia "C. C." Howell Winslow John Wesley Houck [Note: His obituary states his name as “John William Houck.”] was the son of Jacob Houck and Temperance "Tempy" Greer Tatum. He was my great-great-uncle. Born in 1845, he enlisted in the Confederate Army...
An Excerpt from the Hickory Daily Record entitled “Longview Woman, 97, Remembers Civil War”
SUBMITTED BY: Elmon Dale (article transcribed by Carolina Echeverri; vetted and edited by Cheri Todd Molter) [This article and Mrs. Dale’s obituary, both from the Hickory Daily Record, are attached below. Click on image to enlarge.] “Mrs. Louisa Dale, ninety-seven,...
Samuel Anders Dowless’ Family Bible
SUBMITTED BY: David Dowless, Jr. (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) Samuel Anders Dowless’ Bible still exists. Samuel and his wife, Sarah, lived in Bladen County, North Carolina, and Samuel fought for the Confederacy, serving in “Batty I” Company, N.C. 2nd Light...
Jeremiah Aman (1825 – 1913) & Susan C. Petteway Aman (1838 – 1914)
AUTHOR: Clarnita A. Smith (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Jeremiah “Jere” Aman was the son of William Aman and Elizabeth Garrett of Onslow County, North Carolina. According to the 1830 Census, William Aman’s household included one male and one female “of 20...
The Recollections of Benjamin Franklin Hall, 1924
SUBMITTED BY: Susan Quinn Sand (written by Benjamin Franklin Hall [1924]; edited by Cheri Todd Molter) Note from Susan Quinn Sand: According to my Family Tree Maker Software, Benjamin Franklin Hall was my 1st cousin 5 times removed. Our common ancestor is William...
Ransom McIntyre
AUTHOR: Althea Womack (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-great-great-grandfather was Ransom McIntyre. Ransom was on my mother's side of the family and was originally from the Duncans Creek area of Rutherford County, North Carolina. During the Civil...
The Family’s Stories about Samuel Dowless, My Ancestor and a Confederate Soldier
SUBMITTED BY: David W. Dowless, Jr. (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) I have additional information about my ancestor, Samuel Dowless, that I heard from Bobby Dowless, my first cousin once removed, and I would like to add it to the collection (The original submission was...
A Document from the 1863 Sampson County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: “An Order for Sale of slaves”
SUBMITTED BY: Eddie White (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter and Carolina Echeverri) These pictures are of an order granting permission for John N. Jackson to sell Harriet and her son, Thomas, who were two individuals who were enslaved by Jackson’s ward, Mary J....
Fleming West and the N.C. 23rd, Co. I
SUBMITTED BY: Cynthia West Abbott (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My grandfather, Sidney Fleming West, and his brother remembered sitting at the feet of their grandfather, Charles Fleming West, while he entertained them with detailed stories of the battles...
Phase 1 is finished September 2020, and Phase 2 is in progress!
Phase 1 is finished as of September 2020! While covid-19 has slowed our progress, we now have our certificates of occupancy for the 3 houses in History Village. Landscaping and sidewalks are complete. The 6-minute-long video at the end of this post walks you through...
James Madison Ragland
SUBMITTED BY: Sam Cook (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My name is Sam Cook. My mother is a Ragland, and James Madison Ragland was my great-great-grandfather. The following story is based on the research and writings of my cousin, Charles J. Ragland, Jr. He...
John R. Richardson: The Anson County Soldier Who was Commemorated in Bronze
SUBMITTED BY: Steve Bailey (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) John R. Richardson was a native of Ansonville, North Carolina. On May 22, 1861, when he was eighteen years old, Richardson volunteered to fight, enlisting as an Anson Ellis Rifleman in Company A of...
The History of Bennett College
AUTHOR: JC Knowles (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) On July 23, 1873, a local newspaper announced the opening of a "Normal College for the education of colored teachers" in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school was founded through the motivation of newly...
John Wescott: The Last Surviving Confederate Veteran of Brunswick County
AUTHOR: Lewis Hardee, Jr. (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Editor’s Note: John Wescott was born on Aug. 28, 1845 to Samuel and Eliza Wescott [also spelled “Wescoat” in some records] of Brunswick County, North Carolina. After the war started, he served the...
Jack Sherrod – “A Man of First Class Standing”
AUTHOR: Minnie Becton (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Introduction: This story, and its accompanying photographs, were excerpts from a blog post entry entitled “52 Ancestors: #10 - Jack Sherrod – ‘A Man of First Class Standing,’” written by Minnie Becton...
The War Experiences of Eliza Ann Triplet & William T. Land
AUTHOR: Glenn Land (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Eliza Ann Triplet of Caldwell County, North Carolina, was married to a 3-times-removed-2nd-cousin of mine, William Taylor Land, the only son of Wilson Land and Rebecca Miller Land. While it seems most of my...
Interview with Lucille Ellington McManaway
AUTHOR: Judy Stainback (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter; original copy transcribed by Carolina Echeverri) Editor’s Note: The following interviews are documented conversations of two white women of two different generations, Lucille Ellington McManaway and her...
Captain James M. Young
SUBMITTED BY: Joe Young (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My ancestor, James Madison Young, was Captain of Company K, 11th N.C. Troops. On April 24, 1861, at the Smith-McDowell House in Buncombe County, twenty-fine-year-old Young mustered into Company E, known...
Claiming Love on the Road
AUTHOR: Amy Elizabeth Loggins (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My Great-Great-Grandfather, Elbert Joshua Hartley, served in Company C of the 21st Virginia Cavalry. He enlisted on June 4, 1863 as a Private and served until Lee’s surrender at Appomattox on...
An Excerpt from “Tragic Story Illustrates Tumult after Civil War”
SUBMITTED BY: Megan Dulaney Molter (article Written by Pat Reese, Fayetteville Observer Staff writer; submission edited by Cheri Todd Molter) None of the people named in this article are my ancestors, but I graduated from the Cumberland County School system and did...
The Confederate Canteen
SUBMITTED BY: Anne Russell (written by Cheri Todd Molter; transcriptions of a Photograph’s Contents by Caitlyn Keplinger and Cheri Todd Molter) One of the attached photographs depicts an artistic portrait of the canteen that belonged to Edward Wooten/Wootten during...
F. WASHINGTON DELLINGER: The Confederate Veteran Who Said He was at Ford’s Theatre when President Abraham Lincoln was Shot
SUBMITTED BY: Mike Stroupe (written by Cheri Todd Molter) Frederick Washington Dellinger, commonly called “Wash,” was born on Oct. 28, 1834, in the Cherryville area of Gaston County [His name is also spelled “Fredrick” in some records]. Wash was the son of Frederick...
A Look at Education during the Reconstruction Years
SUBMITTED BY: JC Knowles (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) In my personal library, I have a book titled Public School Education in North Carolina, which was originally published in 1916. The book was written by Edgar W. Knight, and in it, he discusses the...
A Letter to My Grandfather, Edward Wootten, by his Mother, Eliza Wootten, at her home at 11 S. Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina
SUBMITTED BY: Anne Russell (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) The following is the transcription of the letter that was published in the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society, Inc. Bulletin (Vol. XLVI No. 3, November 2002) (Photographs of the original letters are below;...
The Story of Andrew Joshua Jackson: Born Enslaved, Husband, Father, Blacksmith, Freedman, Pastor, Education Advocate
We would like to highlight the life of Andrew Joshua Jackson (1830 -1924), who is one of the most interesting and notable African Americans to live in Halifax, North Carolina. Jackson was born enslaved on Christmas day in Amherst County, Virginia. When he was 4 years...
Troy Kivett’s Story
SUBMITTED BY: Lisa Kelly (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Troy Kivett was the youngest of the children born to John A. and Mary Wellborn Kivett of Randolph County, North Carolina. On June 10, 1861, Troy enlisted in the Confederate Army as a Private. He...
Thomas Fonville: An Alamance County Soldier who Died at Gettysburg
SUBMITTED BY: Jan King (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Thomas Fonville was my great-great-grandmother’s brother, and he was killed on July 1, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. According to his compiled military record, Thomas G. Fonville was a...
Calvin McAdams: A Confederate Soldier from Alamance County
SUBMITTED BY: Jan King (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-great-grandfather was Robert McAdams; his brother, Calvin, died in 1862 at Richmond but from disease rather than from being killed in action. According to his compiled military record, Calvin...
Mary Susan McCubbins
AUTHOR: Teresa Leake (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The Civil War was a tragic time in our history, no matter what side you were on: Families were uprooted, children were orphaned, and stability—both family stability and economic stability—was lost. My...
Willie Daniel: A Union Man from Wilson County
SUBMITTED BY: Hinson Peed Willie Daniel (click image to enlarge) Mr. Daniel's obituary, clipped from The Wilson Advance (Wilson, North Carolina, Sept. 30, 1897) is at this link >> 1596122787-In_Memorium_to_Willie_Daniel
The Laughter Family Legacy of Service
SUBMITTED BY: Hinson Peed (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) About 1783, John Langford Laughter was born to John Laughter and Mary Langford Laughter of Warren County. John Laughter was among the first generation of that English family born in the colonies, and...
Noah Wyrick’s Civil War Experience
SUBMITTED BY: Rick Pardue (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The Wyrick family's name was at first spelled “Wirick.” [Both spellings appear in historical records.] It’s a German name that was changed over time; German engravings are present on some of the old...
Sheriff George Lee Phillips of Ashe County, North Carolina
AUTHOR: Shannon Burton (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-great-great-great-grandfather, George Lee Phillips, born on June 17, 1805, was swept off his horse while attempting to cross the Yadkin River while it was flooding. Phillips was the Sheriff of...
MINNIE EVALINE COBB DELLINGER: The Story of the Young Wife of a Confederate Veteran
SUBMITTED BY: Michael Stroupe (written by Cheri Todd Molter) Minnie Evaline Cobb Dellinger, affectionately known as “Granny” during her later years, had many stories to tell and was interviewed for articles that were published in several local newspapers, such as...
William N. Rose Jr.’s Civil War Story
SUBMITTED BY: Cara Barker Hadfield (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My 3rd great-grandfather was William Nicholas Rose Jr. His great-grandmother was Ms. Lucy Harper and his great-grandfather was Benjamin Rose, of Virginia: They moved to the Falling Creek area...
A Tale of Two Brothers
SUBMITTED BY: Joseph R. Suggs (Originally posted July 27, 2016; corrections made July 17, 2020) Lewis Osborn Sugg was born September 6, 1845 in Randolf County, and he was the son of Merritt A. Sugg and Tempy Spinks Sugg. The family story maintains that Lewis’s...
Joseph and Delia Russell Youngblood’s War Stories
SUBMITTED BY: Joanne Wickman Farris (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Editor’s Note: The following story is based on information contained in Terrell T. Garren’s historical fiction novel, The Secret of War: A Dramatic History of Civil War Crime in Western...
Samuel Anders Dowless’ Civil War Story
SUBMITTED BY: David W. Dowless Jr. (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter; letter transcribed by Carl E. Dowless [1981]) Samuel, Elisha, and John Dowless were brothers from Bladen County, North Carolina who all fought for the Confederacy. According to their military...
My Family History: Alexander Lowery (1831-1862)
AUTHOR: Melanie Forbes Cook (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The following is an excerpt from a blog entry, which was originally published at https://familyhistory4u.blogspot.com/2013/02/alexander-lowery-1831-1862.html?m=1: My Family History: Alexander Lowery...
A Simple Tombstone
AUTHOR: Jeff T Giambrone (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Over the years, I have visited cemeteries in many different states, and I have to say that I have enjoyed these trips immensely. For a historian such as myself, visiting a cemetery is like opening a...
A Confederate Chaplain: Adolphus W. Mangum (1834 – 1890)
SUBMITTED BY: Geri Irwin (written by Cheri Todd Molter) The attachment is the scan of a page from The Mangums of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Utah, and Adjoining States, by John T. Palmer, PhD...
Hiram Hamilton Hartley
AUTHOR: Linda H. Barnette (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Hiram Hamilton Hartley, known as H. H. or “Hi” to friends and family, was my great-great-grandfather. Born in Davidson County, N. C. in 1839, Hartley was a plantation owner who had inherited his...
A Special Order & Voucher Referring to the War Experiences of Dr. Robert Mijamin Patterson, A Confederate Assistant Surgeon
SUBMITTED BY: George L. Moore (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter) [To learn Dr. Robert Mijamin Patterson’s full story, read “The War-Time History of my Great-Grandfather, Robert Mijamin Patterson, M.D.”] Introduction: Born in 1837, Dr. Robert Mijamin Patterson got his...
The War-Time History of my Great-Grandfather, Robert Mijamin Patterson, M.D.
AUTHOR: George L. Moore (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) What follows is a condensed history of my Great-Grandfather, Robert Mijamin Patterson, who served the Confederacy as an Assistant Surgeon throughout the Civil War. (Click image to enlarge.) Robert...
Lt. Colonel James Land & The Deserter
AUTHOR: Glenn Land (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) In the past, I submitted a poem written by my 1st cousin 4 times removed, Confederate Lieutenant Thomas Charles Land, who served in the 1st & 53rd N.C. Infantry Regiments. [That story is titled “Return...
From a Confederate Deserter to a Soldier on the Overland Trail: The War Experiences of Elias Day
RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY: K. Jeffery Torgler and Cheri Todd Molter Elias E. Day was born in 1831 in Surry County, North Carolina, and his parents were William and Nancy (Triplett) Day. Before 1850, William and Nancy had relocated their family to Wilkes County, North...
Lt. Lal White’s Letter to his Brother, Murdock: October 8, 1863
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter; letter transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter & Caitlin Crenshaw) Note from Sandra: Here are Lal's letters. Please do upload them. His handwriting is so neat! All the Whites were educated,...
Dr. Eleazor Aaron Pyatt (1832-1902): Ass’t. Surgeon, CSA
AUTHOR: Daniel E. Johnson IV (edited by Cheri T. Molter; vetted by Carolina Echeverri and Cheri T. Molter) Click to enlarge the picture above. Please see the full story of Dr. Pyatt at this link: Dr. Eleazor Aaron Pyatt
Henry Richard McFadyen’s “Amazing Grace”: The Reflections of a “living link between what now is and what has been”
SUBMITTED BY: Emily Whitaker Poetz (Introduction vetted and edited by Cheri Todd Molter; Manuscript written by Henry Richard McFadyen) My name is Emily Whitaker Poetz and my aunt, Claudia Whitaker, sent me a link to your story submission page and said the History...
My Great-Great-Grandparents, Caleb Smith and Elizabeth Braxton Smith, of Pitt County, North Carolina
AUTHOR: Linda Branch (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Caleb Smith was my great-great-grandfather. He married Elizabeth Braxton (the daughter of Jesse Braxton), and she was the mother of my great-grandfather, Caleb Putnell Smith (called “Put”). Caleb Putnell...
Lt. Lal White’s Letter to his Brother, Murdock: November 22, 1863
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (Introduction researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter; Letter Transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter & Caitlin Crenshaw) Note from Sandra: Here are Lal's letters. Please do upload them. His handwriting is so neat! All the Whites...
June 8 2020 Statement by the Board of Directors
It is with great sadness for the families and friends of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor—and for where we are as a state and as a nation—that we at the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center issue this statement. The unjust and...
Josiah, James, and John Haywood: Union County Brothers Who Fought for the Confederacy
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra Haywood Nivens (researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter) My great-great-grandfather was Josiah Haywood. We didn’t know much about him until a few years ago. Josiah and his two brothers, John Franklin Haywood and James Madison Haywood, all...
C.S.A. Captain John Tillinghast Taylor (1834—June 27, 1862)
AUTHOR: Robert Taylor (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Born in Granville County, N.C., John Tillinghast Taylor was a son of John Camillus Taylor and Emily Elizabeth Tillinghast. His mother had been born in Cumberland County, N.C., to Paris Jenckes Tillinghast...
An Orange County Family during the Civil War
AUTHOR: Ruth C. Couch (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Both my husband and I have Orange County, North Carolina, Couch family roots. I had always heard that my great-great-grandfather had fought in the Civil War and died without seeing his twin sons—my...
Dicey Couch’s Petition to the Commissioners of Claims: The Orange County Woman Sought Compensation for a Horse, a Mule, and Bacon
SUBMITTED BY: Ruth C. Couch (transcription of original document by Ruth C. Couch; vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) To read the petition, click on the link here: 1588269639-Dicey-Couch-claim
Jane Dickinson Cowan DeRosset’s “Sherman’s Men Enter North Carolina”
SUBMITTED BY: Beacham McDougald; AUTHOR: Jane Dickinson Cowan DeRosset (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Col. Robert H. Cowan, Jr. was a grandson of Governor David Stone (1808-1810) of Bertie County, North Carolina. Col. Cowan was also president of the...
Nathan Bradshaw: A Soldier of the Overland Trail
SUBMITTED BY: K. Jeffery Torgler (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) This is an outline of research results—census records, military records, etc.—that tell the story of the life of Nathan Bradshaw. We were compiling this information to track down the grave...
“[T]ell me what we poore soldiers wifes is to do”: Mrs. Susan Shearin, Mrs. L. Reid, Mrs. M. Neal, Mrs. C. Aycock, Mrs. Thomson, and Mrs. Elbeth Write a Letter to Gov. Vance
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (introduction written by Cheri T. Molter; original document transcribed by Jean Finch Inscoe; submission transcription by Cheri T. Molter) Life was difficult for women, too, during the Civil War. After able-bodied men went off to...
Thomas Warren “Capt. Plunk” Shearin
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Thomas Warren Shearin was born on April 24, 1832 to his parents Seth and Mary “Polly” Pike Shearin of Warren County, North Carolina. As an adult, Thomas married Susan D. Myrick and the couple...
“[W]e can talk over the old times that tried mens [sic] souls”: A Letter from George Fitts to John L. Shearin
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter; transcription by Cheri Todd Molter and Carolina Echeverri) John Lindsey Shearin was born in 1842 in Warren County, North Carolina. He worked as farmer in Warren County and enlisted in the...
A Captain in the U.S. Army and a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army: Lewis Addison Armistead (1817-1863)
AUTHOR: Robert Taylor (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The burial place of Lewis Addison Armistead was a mystery to most people until 1939 when a Gettysburg Park official told people to look for his memorial at the Old St. Paul’s Cemetery in Baltimore,...
Doctor Parks Turner Beeman of Peachland, North Carolina
SUBMITTED BY: Steve Bailey (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Editor’s Note: Born on Dec. 4, 1833 in Anson County, Dr. Parks Turner Beeman was a pacifist who was opposed to the Civil War. During the war years, Beeman was arrested for making a derogatory remark...
A Civil War Mystery Solved: Crowder Patience and Thomas Lawrence Jr. were Brothers from North Carolina
AUTHOR: Dr. Juanita Patience Moss (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) (Click on photos below to enlarge.) Thomas D. Lawrence Jr., born enslaved in Edenton, North Carolina, circa 1836 and dying there in 1929, was the son of Thomas D. Lawrence Sr. and his wife...
Granny Harriet
AUTHOR: Beverly Levi-Parker (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) I’ve been chasing my Western North Carolina ancestors for over 40 years, and thankfully, I’ve “met” most of them. I know stories of some of their hardships and their victories. I know most of their descendants...
“The Fidelity of Lewis” by Mrs. Cornelia Worth French
SUBMITTED BY: Frances Cullom Morgan (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) Note from Frances Cullom Morgan: Cornelia Murphey Worth French was the daughter of Barzillai Gardner Worth and Mary Elizabeth Jessie Carter. (Editor’s Note: The author of the following story, Cornelia...
Letter to Cousin Martha H. “Pattie” Aiken from Cornelia Murphey Worth
SUBMITTED BY: Frances Cullom Morgan (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Note from Frances Cullom Morgan: This letter was published in A Goodly Heritage by Emma Woodward MacMillan, a niece of Cornelia Murphey Worth and my great-aunt. Although many of Emma's...
The Oral History Shared by my Great-Grandmother, Emily Jones Morrison
SUBMITTED BY: Sonny P. Jones (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My Great-Grandmother was Emily Jones Morrison, and she was the daughter of Hiram King and Lucretia Jones of Henderson County, North Carolina. She was born in 1853 and died when I was in the 11th...
Dr. Francis Hamilton Conoly: A Man Who was Born in Robeson County, Fought for the Confederacy, then Relocated to South Carolina
SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Smith (researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter) Note from Elizabeth Smith: My great-grandfather was Dr. Francis Hamilton Conoly, and Cheri found the records that brought him and his family members to life for me. She gave me knowledge of my...
Emeline Jamison Pigott: A Confederate Heroine
SUBMITTED BY: JC Knowles (written by Cheri Todd Molter) (Click photo above to enlarge) Emeline Jamison Pigott was the daughter of Levi Whitehurst and Eliza Dennis Pigott of Carteret County, North Carolina. She was born on December 15, 1836, and her father died when...
Major Robertson and George Clopton: Two of My Ancestors Who Died during the Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The following men are two of my Granville County, North Carolina, ancestors who served in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Pvt. Major Robertson (click image below to enlarge) Major Robertson...
A Tale of Two Brothers: Their Civil War Experiences
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The following men were some of my ancestors who served in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Ewell Taylor Green and William Alexandria Green were brothers who were born in Virginia but moved...
Jeffrey Stark [AKA Edward F. Small]: An Account by a Civil War Veteran
SUBMITTED BY: Pam Barry (story written by Edward F. Small; submission transcribed by Carolina Echeverri; introduction researched & written by Cheri Todd Molter) Pam Barry’s note: Here is the story I told you about, written by my great-grandfather, Edward...
My Finch Ancestors Who Served in the Confederate Army
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) William Finch William S. Finch was born on June 1, 1834. He resided in Granville County, but enlisted in Wake County, N.C., as a Private in the Confederate Army on July 8, 1862. He served in...
Three of Dicey Shearin’s Sons Fought for the Confederacy and Only One Survived
SUBMITTED BY: Jean Finch Inscoe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Dicey Shearin lived in Warren County and had four children: James O. Shearin, William H. Shearin, John Lindsey Shearin, and Catherine Shearin. All three of her sons fought for the Confederacy...
Pvt. Franklin Cauble and the Great Shohola, Pennsylvania, Prison Train Wreck, July 15, 1864
WRITTEN BY: Tom Fagart (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) On July 12, 1864, 833 Confederate soldiers, many who had been captured during the Battle of Cold Harbor, were loaded onto the steamer Crescent, which was tied up along the dock of the Point Lookout...
The Graves of Union Cavalrymen Henry L. Sennet, Calvin Simpson, David Woods, Reid Allcorn and Mathew L. Ross were Marked in Richmond County
SUBMITTED BY: Steve Bailey (vetted and edited by Cheri Todd Molter) Hello, my friends! While searching on the Richmond County, N.C. Genealogy Website, I stumbled upon this interesting history article & hope you can include it on your website. (Click photo to...
Lt. Lal White’s Letter to his Father: October 7, 1863
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter; transcribed by Caitlin Crenshaw & Cheri Todd Molter) Lt. Lal White’s Letter to his Father: October 7, 1863 Lallister M. White, or “Lal”, was born in Sampson County, North Carolina. He...
Ruins of Winton, N.C.: A Sketch of the Scene after the Town was Burned by Union Troops
SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Jones (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Editor’s Note: This is a sketch by Charles E. H. Bonwill for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, an illustrated literary and news publication that was founded in 1855 by Frank Leslie. The sketch...
North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center – Phase 1
Always nice to share good news. Even in the throes of the virus, the History Center is pressing ahead with completion of Phase 1. Progress is great! We are still on course to have Phase 1 complete by the end of April. Stay tuned for the ribbon cutting and...
History Village Progress!
The North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center is making great progress on Phase I's "History Village"! In the architect's birds-eye drawing above (click to enlarge), you can see the Village in the lower left as well as Phase II's Picnic Pavilion and...
The Burning of Winton in 1862
SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Jones Thomas Parramore, “The Burning of Winton,” North Carolina Historical Review (Winter 1962): 18-31. Dr. Thomas Custis Parramore grew up in Winton and was a Raleigh historian, author, lecturer and Meredith College history professor...
Illustration of General Foster’s Troops Disembarking at Winton, N.C. Feb. 1862
SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Jones (edited by Cheri Todd Molter) An Illustration of General Foster's troops disembarking at Winton, N.C. Click to enlarge. This was the prelude to the burning of the town of Winton, which occurred in February 1862.
Watson L. Daniel of Hertford County Votes against Secession
SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Jones (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) The following is an excerpt from The Secession Movement in North Carolina, which was written by Dr. Joseph Carlyle Sitterson and published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1939: “The...
My four Civil War ancestors
SUBMITTED BY: JD Mayo (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Photo of Charity Rose Womble. Click photo to enlarge. I have four ancestors who joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War. My great grandmother’s mom was Cherry Rose Robbins Sears (1867-1939). Her...
Minnie McClenny Sutton’s Family Experiences during the Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Adrienne Stanley (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Minnie McClenny Sutton was my great-grandmother, and I found two separate sheets of paper on which family members had recorded their interviews with Minnie while asking her about the Civil War....
Lt. Lal White’s Letter Home: May 25, 1863
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter and Caitlin Crenshaw) Note from Sandra: Here are Lal's letters. Please do upload them. His handwriting is so neat! All the Whites were educated, and they were all Masons, as well. Uploads here:...
The Letters of Charles and George W. Dellinger, Lincoln County Brothers Who are Stationed in Wilmington and Missing Home
SUBMITTED BY: Michael Stroupe (introduction and modern transcriptions written by Cheri Todd Molter) Charles and George Dellinger were brothers, and their parents were Adam and Anna Faulks Dellinger. They grew up in Lincoln County, North Carolina. The following are...
Polk County, N.C. during the Civil War: The Story of Charity Holbert & Her Husbands
AUTHOR: Oren Jerry Hill, Jr. (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Geographical, cultural, political, and socioeconomical diversity in the mountain counties of North Carolina led to the occurrence of a wide range of incidents, from those of unusual cruelty to...
Willis Richardson: The Story of an African American Playwright
SUBMITTED BY: JC Knowles (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Willis Richardson, an African American playwright, was born to Willis Wilder and Agnes Ann Harper Richardson on November 5, 1889. His parents lived in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the time of his...
Lt. Lal White’s Letter Home: July 19, 1863
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter and Caitlin Crenshaw) (Note from Sandra: "Here are Lal's letters. Please do upload them. His handwriting is so neat! All the Whites were educated, and they were all Masons, as well.") Lallister M....
What a Good Birthday Party Can Do: The Birth of a ‘Little General’ Unites Both Sides in Celebration
SUBMITTED BY: Steve Bailey (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Abstracted from the February 2020 Issue of the Marshville N.C. Museum & Cultural Center Newsletter: “[In July 1864], the army of the Union and the army of the Confederacy were locked in vicious...
Ann Eliza Brown White (1838 – 1927)
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Here is a picture of Ann Eliza Brown White (1838-1927). She was born in Sampson County, North Carolina, on Aug. 8, 1838. Ann married Murdoch White and was Lt. Lal White’s sister-in-law (some...
Lt. Lal White’s Letter Home: August 20, 1863
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra White Hinton (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter and Caitlin Crenshaw) August_20_1863 Lal and James White and August_20_1863_backside (click on links at left to view PDFs of letter) (Note from Sandra White: "Here are Lal's letters. Please do upload...
From Enslaved to Landowner: The Story of James H. Woodard
SUBMITTED BY: Dr. Algeania W. Freeman (researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter) The Woodard story is also told in “Black River” (a historical fiction novella written by Algeania W. Freeman, PhD). Much of this story is based on the oral history passed down through...
The Proffit Brothers of Wilkes County, North Carolina
SUBMITTED BY: Glenn Land (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) (click photo to enlarge) A family connected to my ancestors in Wilkes County, N.C., by marriage, was that of William Proffit (Proffitt, Prophet) and Mary Walsh Proffit. Their daughter, Rhoda, was...
Woodrow Wilson at Davidson College
AUTHOR: JC Knowles (edited by Cheri Todd Molter; vetted by Daniel Whiting and Cheri Todd Molter) In 1873, a sixteen-year-old lad entered Davidson College, a Presbyterian liberal arts college in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. At Davidson he was known as Thomas...
Jackson County’s John B. Queen is Memorialized by his Friend, Elbert Brown
SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Lackey Brock (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) John B. Queen was my 2x great uncle. He was the son of James H. & Isabel Bryson Queen of Jackson County, North Carolina. John was born in 1836 and was twenty-five years old when he...
Robert H. Jordan: Born and Raised in Hertford County, Made a Home in Tennessee, and Served in the Union Army
SUBMITTED BY: Carroll White (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) My 2x great grandfather, Robert H. Jordan, was born in Hertford County, North Carolina. His parents, Robert and Lavenia Jordan, died young, and he moved to Tennessee afterward. When he arrived in...
Catherine Sweet Babington: The Only Woman Master Mason
SUBMITTED BY: JC Knowles (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Along with many other “firsts” to its credit, North Carolina can claim to be the state that the first woman Master Mason in the history of the craft—from King Solomon's Temple to the present day—called...
Finding Brothers William and Levi Monroe
SUBMITTED BY: Rick Monroe (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) I've known for quite a while my great-great uncles, William Johnson Monroe and Levi Deaton Monroe, were both killed during the battles for Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864 and 1865. A number of times,...
Long Way Home
SUBMITTED BY: Alan Ashworth (vetted by Cheri Molter) My Great-grandfather John Calvin McFadyen served the Confederate Army in Co E, 38th NCT—the Richmond County Boys. A copy of their unit song is in Rankin Museum in Ellerbe, NC. John's unit was guarding the Southside...
My Civil War Great-Great-Uncle James D. Ellington
SUBMITTED BY: Judy Ellington Stainback; Letters Transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter, Caitlin Crenshaw, Carolina Echeverri, and Daniel Whiting A note from Judy Ellington Stainback: I grew up on a 300-plus-acre tobacco farm in Drewry, Warren County, North Carolina. Part of...
The Winton-Triangle: A Mixed-Race Community’s Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Marvin T. Jones (vetted by Cheri Molter) The Winton Triangle is a community of land-owning people of color in the Winton-Cofield-Ahoskie area of Hertford County, North Carolina. Originally inhabited by the Chowanoke people, the first landowners of color...
The Story of Lt. William Beavans, Company D, 43rd Regiment CSA
SUBMITTED BY: William R. "Bill" Beavans William “Billy” Beavans, a Confederate soldier from Halifax County, N.C., served in Company I of the 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment and with the 43rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment, Company D. He was wounded at...
An Excerpt from Elliot Daingerfield’s Autobiography
SUBMITTED BY: Linda S. Anderson and Julie Dulaney Elliot Daingerfield was born on March 26, 1859 in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). His parents were Captain John Elliot Parker Daingerfield and Mathilda Wickham De Brua Daingerfield. The family relocated...
Jeff Sanders, A Free Black Man Who Served for the Confederacy During the Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Lakeysha Medlin (vetted and edited by Cheri Todd Molter) (Click images to enlarge) My name is Lakeysha Medlin, and this story is about my 3rd Great Grandfather Jefferson "Jeff" Sanders. Jefferson “Jeff” Sanders was my 3rd Great Grandfather. He was born...
Samuel Spake & Harriet Dellinger Spake: “We are still in the land of the living and trying to do the best we can.”
SUBMITTED BY: Mike Stroupe (written by Cheri Todd Molter) Samuel Spake was born June 23, 1821 in Lincoln County, North Carolina. He married Harriet R. Dellinger, daughter of Peter Dellinger and Margaret Haines Dellinger, around 1842. According to the 1850 Census,...
Wilmington’s Confederate General William MacRae
SUBMITTED BY: Hugh MacRae II (written by Susan Block, edited by Cheri Todd Molter) (Click image to enlarge) William MacRae was born in Wilmington, North Carolina on the ninth of September, 1834. He was the…son of Alexander MacRae, president of the Wilmington and...
The Messer boys survive the war
SUBMITTED BY: Glenn L. Taylor (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) Two brothers from Haywood County, William and Lawson Messer, decided to join the Confederate Army together. They served in Co E, 29th Infantry, N.C. Troops. William, or Bill, was thirteen years...
The Cleveland County “Merchant Tailor”: Anonymous W. Quinn’s Civil War Experiences
AUTHOR: Jim Dugan (vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) (Click on images to enlarge) Anonymous William Quinn, LDS ID LC32-RXV, #8845442, (family tradition states he was named Aaron at birth, but he didn't like the name and changed it to Anonymous; another reference states...
The Freedmen’s Bureau Record and Clara Lennon Ashley
SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Pope (transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter) The following is a transcription of the document in the attached photograph (click to enlarge): Office Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands … for Robeson County Lumberton Sept 2nd 1865 This...
The History of First Baptist Church in Fairmont, NC: An Introduction with Slaves Leading the Way
SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Pope (transcribed by Cheri Told Molter) The following is an excerpt from the church history, as written on their web site [The full story can be read here: https://www.firstbaptistfairmontnorth.org/weve_come_this_far_by_faith]: "Pleasant Hill,...
Solomon Keyes’ life during and after the Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Lee Keyes VETTED BY: Cheri Todd Molter Solomon Keyes (also spelled Kees and Keys) (b. 8/31/1836 on Stony Fork, Wilkes County, d. 1/02/1929 in Caldwell County) enlisted on 9/15/1862 at Camp Holmes, near Raleigh, NC. He became part of Company C 26th North...
A Recollection of a Genealogical Rediscovery from the Civil War Sesquicentennial
SUBMITTED AND WRITTEN BY: Earl Ijames, NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources In July 2014 I had been invited to give the keynote program to commemorate the 150th year since the Battle of Atlanta. The Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum in Georgia wanted...
A grandmother’s recipe for washing clothes
SUBMITTED BY: JC Knowles The following is a recipe for washing clothes, handed down from a grandmother in North Carolina to her granddaughter, who was a new bride. It was found in an old scrapbook and is an exact copy as written—with spelling errors and all: WARSHING...
More Civil War Soldiers
SUBMITTED BY: Linda H. Barnette (vetted by Cheri Todd Molter) As both a genealogist and a member and supporter of the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, I decided to try to find out how many of my 8 great-great-grandfathers actually fought...
“[H]e will come back to dixey again”: A Letter of Reassurance from a Soldier to his Sister
SUBMITTED BY: Mike Stroupe Written and transcribed by Cheri Todd Molter (Click photos to enlarge letter) Frederick Washington “Wash” Dellinger wrote this letter to Margaret Dellinger Brown, his sister and the wife of William B. Brown. Wash fought for the Confederacy,...
“[M]y Dear I dont expect to git home and if I dont, try and do the best you can”: Letters written by Jacob L. Hartsoe
SUBMITTED BY: Louis Stewart (vetted by Cheri Molter) These letters were written by My Great-Great-Grandfather, Jacob Laban Hartsoe, who served in the Catawba Braves 46th-K. Jacob L. Hartsoe was born on July 29, 1833 and a native of Catawba County, North Carolina. He...
Visiting Ashe County Relatives in 1862: An Excerpt from Francis Marion Wilcox’s Journal
SUBMITTED BY: Christopher Robinson Edited and Vetted by Cheri Molter (Note from Christopher Robinson: There is much information contained in the journal of Francis Marion Wilcox (written in ca 1893) regarding the Civil War period in Ashe County, NC. The author,...
Love in the midst of war
AUTHOR: Roy Ledbetter Out of my 8 great great Grandfathers, 7 of them fought under the Bonnie Blue Flag, they were all from Western NC. One of my maternal Great Great Grandfathers fought in the Shenandoah Valley with Jackson. He was wounded at the Battle of Port...
Joel Elmore (Company A, 40th NC Troops) and the Ft. Fisher shark
AUTHOR: William Everett Elmore Joel Elmore (9/15/1831 – 4/8/1919) was born north of Whitehall in Wayne County but married and moved to Lenoir County in 1855. Early in 1862, Joel joined Company A of the 40th NC Troops (3rd Battalion of Heavy Artillery) and was sent to...
“we donte get husking Suppers here”: Philip S. Baity’s Letter to his Wife, Mary Jane
SUBMITTED BY: Eddie Hinson WRITTEN AND TRANSCRIBED BY: Cheri Molter A note from Eddie Hinson: Philip S. Baity was my 2nd Great-grandfather. So far, this letter is the only physical evidence of him. I know he could read and write and seemed to be a religious person....
The Obituary of Sergeant Clark Allen
SUBMITTED BY: Eddie Hinson I found this obituary for Clark Allen in the personal effects of my Aunt Ethel Hinson. It was passed down from Larkin Allen, a brother of Clark’s and my 2nd Great-grandfather. Clark’s Civil War headstone is in Pleasant Hill Baptist Church...
Phone: 910-824-7282
Email: info@nccivilwarcenter.org
824 Branson Street
Post Office Box 53865
Fayetteville, NC 28305
Phone: 910-824-7282
Email: info@nccivilwarcenter.org
824 Branson Street
Post Office Box 53865
Fayetteville, NC 28305