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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...
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