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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...
How to Hire an Essay Writing Company
The best way to solve your academic problem is right in front of you; all you need to do is to contact an essay writing company, for example Writemypapers. You will find several essay writer on the internet. All you need to do is to search for them. But if you want...
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...