Biennial report of the North Carolina Historical Commission

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COLLECTION OF
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EIGHTH BIENNIAL REPORT
OF THE
North Carolina Historical Commission
December 1, 1918, to
November 30, 1920
Raleigh
Edwards & Broughton Printing Co.,
State Printers.
1921
North Carolina Historical Commission
J. Bryan Grimes, Raleigh, Chairman
Frank "Wood, Edenton
M. C. S. Noble, Chapel Hill
D. H. Hill, Raleigh
Thomas M. Pittman, Henderson
R. D. "W. Connor, Secretary, Raleigh
Letter of Transmission
To His Excellency,
Hon. T. W. Bickett,
Governor of North Carolina.
Sir :—I have the honor to submit herewith for your Excellency's con-sideration
the Biennial Report of the North Carolina Historical Com-mission,
for December 1, 1918-lSTovember 30, 1920.
Respectfully,
J. Bryan Grimes,
Chairman.
Raleigh, N. C, January, 1921.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
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BIENNIAL REPORT
OF THE
Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission
DECEMBER 1, 1918, TO NOVEMBER 30, 1920
To Hon. J. Bryan Grimes, Chairman, Messrs. D. H. Hill, Thomas M.
Pittman, M. C. S. Noble, and Prank Wood, Commissioners.
Gentlemen :—I have the honor to submit the following report of the
work of the North Carolina Historical Commission for the period De-cember
1, 1918-November 30, 1920.
ORGANIZATION
On April 1, 1919, the terms of Messrs. Thomas M. Pittman and
M. C. S. Noble expired, but both were reappointed by the Governor for
the term ending March 31, 1925.
Mr. W. J. Peele, who had served on the Commission since its organi-zation
in 1903, died on March 27, 1919, and to the vacancy thus created
the Governor appointed Mr. Prank Wood, of Edenton, whose term will
expire March 31, 1923.
At a meeting of the Commission held April 3, 1919, Hon. J. Bryan
Grimes was reelected chairman, and R. D. W. Connor secretary, for the
term ending March 31, 1921.
The vacancy in the office of legislative reference librarian, created
by the death of Mr. W. S. Wilson, December 18, 1918, was filled at a
meeting of the Commission held July 11, 1919, by the election of Mr.
Henry M. London, who entered upon his duties August 1, 1919. His
term will end on March 31, 1921.
William Joseph Peele
In the death of Mr. William J. Peele the Commission lost not only
its oldest member in point of service, but also the man to whom pri-marily
it owes its existence. The idea was his. He wrote the bill
which created this Commission and secured its enactment into law.
Appointed by Governor Aycock its first member, he was promptly
selected by his colleagues as its first chairman and held that position
until his voluntary retirement in 1907.
2
6 Eighth Biennial Report.
Under Mr. Peele's chairmanship the Commission was organized and
began its work. Its beginnings were modest in the extreme. With an
annual appropriation of only $500, with a law which forbade the em-ployment
of any salaried official, without a staff, office, or equipment,
or any provision for them for the first four years of its existence, the
North Carolina Historical Commission was scarcely more than an idea.
It was Mr. Peele's idea, and it was he who breathed into it the breath of
life. How well he did it the history and development of the Commis-sion
itself, its present quarters and equipment, the existence of its
present staff, its numerous lines of activity, its rich and varied collec-tions,
and its high reputation among its kind throughout the country,
testify more convincingly than any words of ours. Mr. Peele's interest
in the Commission was constant and intelligent, his services were quiet
but invaluable, and he rarely attended a meeting which he did not signal-ize
by some stimulating suggestion which helped to give vitality to its
work.
Office Force
During the period covered by this report the following have composed
the permanent staff of the office
:
Secretary, R. D. W. Connor.
Legislative Reference Librarian, W. S. Wilson, December 1-18, 1918;
H. M. London, since August 1, 1919.
Collector for the Hall of History, Fred A. Olds.
Collector of World War Records, Robert B. House, since June 19, 1919.
Restorer of Manuscripts, Mrs. J. M. Winfree.
Stenographer, Miss Marjory Terrell.
Stenographer, Miss Sophie Busbee.
File Clerk, Mrs. William S. West.
Messenger, William Birdsall.
The following were employed temporarily for special services
:
Acting Legislative Reference Librarian, Robert H. Sykes, January 8-
April 1, 1919.
Assistant Legislative Reference Librarian, William T. Joyner, Janu-ary
8-March 11, 1919; August 1-31, 1920.
Stenographer, Mrs. W. S. Wilson, December 1-18, 1918.
Stenographer, Miss Alice Moffitt, since September 7, 1920.
File Clerk, Mrs. F. M. Stronach, December 1, 1918-March 6, 1919.
DIVISION" OF DOCUMENTS
Executive Papers
The papers of the following governors, transferred from the Gov-ernor's
office, were properly arranged and filed:
1ST. C. Historical Commission. 7
Elias Carr, 1893-1897.
Daniel L. Russell, 1897-1901.
Charles B. Aycock, 1901-1905.
Robert B. Glenn, 1905-1909.
William W. Kitchin, 1909-1913.
Thej number 14,356 pieces.
Historical Manuscripts
The following collections of historical manuscripts were arranged and
made ready for use:
William A. Graham Papers, 1776-1875.
A. L. Brooks Collection, 1758-1875.
Rice Letters, 1811-1821.
Joseph Graham Papers, 1813-1836.
Lewis Letters, 1835-1863.
County Records
As a rule marriage bonds received from the counties are without sys-tematic
arrangement. Those received from the following counties were
filed alphabetically by counties : Burke, Bute, Caswell, Chatham, Cum-berland,
Currituck, Duplin, Halifax, Haywood, Johnston, Perquimans,
Person, Rockingham, Stokes, and "Warren.
Repair of Manuscripts
The work of repairing, reinforcing, and mounting manuscripts pre-paratory
to permanent binding, has been continued along the lines dis-cussed
in previous reports and perfectly familiar to the members of
the Commission.
Collections so treated during this period number 8,666 manuscripts,
of which 6,208 were repaired, 2,939 were reinforced with crepeline, and
3,205 were mounted ready for binding.
Albemarle County Records
Most of the manuscripts treated in the repair department were (1)
papers of the County of Albemarle and (2) papers of Chowan precinct.
They form, perhaps, the most valuable unpublished collection of Colonial
documents in the State. Stored away in the courthouse of Chowan
County, they received, until very recent years, but little care and atten-tion
from the local officials. They were open to everybody who cared to
look at them, without supervision, and have been badly damaged from
improper handling. Many important papers originally in the collec-
8 Eighth Biennial Report.
tion have been lost or stolen. It was not until Mr. Frank Wood became
chairman of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners that steps
were taken to remedy this condition. It was through his efforts that
the papers were finally sent to the North Carolina Historical Commis-sion
to be put in good shape, the Commission agreeing to do the work
without expense to the County. After the Commission has completed
its work on them, the papers are to be substantially bound and returned
to the courthouse at Edenton.
Under all the circumstances it seems exceedingly regrettable that these
original records, running so far back into our history, should not remain
in the fireproof rooms provided by the State for such valuable docu-ments.
I trust that the Commission will urge the County Commission-ers
of Chowan County to consider two points before they finally decide
on the disposition of these papers. The first is that a large part of
those records are more than the record of Chowan County—they are
the records of the far larger county of Albemarle, and, as Albemarle
was the parent settlement of North Carolina, they are the records of
North Carolina. Hence, they are interesting not merely to the citizens
of Chowan County, but to every man and woman who is engaged in
a study of North Carolina and, in order to be available to a large num-ber
of students of history, ought to be in the custody of the State.
It is impossible for Chowan, or any other county, properly to care
for and administer these historical records. In the first place, the
courthouse is not a fireproof structure. Nor has it the space and
equipment necessary for the proper care and administration of such
records. Available space in the courthouse, as well as the time and
attention of county officials, must necessarily be devoted to the rec-ords
in current use. Such officials have not the time, and but rarely
the inclination, to administer records of an historical value merely, or to
exercise proper supervision over their use by others. It is a constant
complaint of people engaged in historical research in North Carolina
that county officials will not answer their letters inquiring as to the
existence of such records, or requesting certified copies from them. No
single county is peculiar in this respect ; the situation prevails in every
county in the State, and it was in recognition of this fact, and a desire
to provide a proper remedy for it, that the Legislature wrote into the
Act of 1907, under which the Historical Commission is at present
organized, the following section:
Sec. 5. Any state, county, town or other public official in custody of public
documents is hereby authorized and empowered in his discretion to turn
over to said Commission for preservation any official books, records, docu-ments,
original papers, newspaper files, printed books or portraits, not in
current use in his office, and said Commission shall provide for their perma-
N. C. Historical Commission. 9
nent preservation; and when so surrendered, copies therefrom shall be made
and certified under the seal of the Commission upon application of any per-son,
which certification shall have the same force and effect, as if made by the
officer originally in charge of them, and the Commission shall charge for such
copies the same fees as said officer is by law allowed to charge, to be col-lected
in advance.
Forty-seven counties have taken advantage of this law to deposit with
the Historical Commission their records not in current use, thus (1)
relieving the congestion in their courthouses and making room for
rapidly accumulating current records; (2) placing their historical rec-ords
where they will be properly preserved and administered in a fire-proof
structure; and (3) making them available for historical purposes.
Incidentally, it may be observed that scarcely a day passes that some
investigator does not call at the Commission's rooms to consult these
county records.
It seems to me to be perfectly apparent that Chowan County will
consult her own interests, as well as the interests of the State, by fol-lowing
the example of these forty-seven other counties in the disposition
of her records of purely historical value, and I recommend that the
Commission make a formal request to the county officials to take this
course, setting forth the reasons upon which such request is based.
Binding
During the period covered by this report 36 volumes of manuscripts,
containing (approximately) 4,070 pieces, have been bound, as follows:
Tillie Bond Manuscripts, 1690-1828, 2 vols.
L. O'B. Branch Papers, 1861-1862, 1 vol.
Brevard Papers, 1769-1867, 2 vols.
John L. Cantwell Papers, 1855-1896, 1 vol.
Papers of the Convention of 1788, 1 vol.
Papers of the Convention of 1789, 1 vol.
Governors' Papers; State Series, Vols. I-XV, 1777-1787, embracing the
papers of
—
(1) Gov. Richard Caswell, 1777-1780, 5 vols.
(2) Gov. Abner Nash, 1780-1781, 1 vol.
(3) Gov. Thomas Burke, 1781-1782, 3 vols.
(4) Gov. Alexander Martin, 1782-1785, 1 vol.
(5) Gov. Richard Caswell, 1785-1787, 5 vols.
Thomas Henderson Letter-book, 1810-1811, 1 vol.
Proceedings of the Court-martial of Col. Charles McDowell, 1882, 1 vol.
Miscellaneous Papers: Series One, 1755-1912, 4 vols.
Onslow County Records: Wills, 1757-1783, 1 vol.
10 Eighth Biennial Report.
Onslow County Records: Wills and Inventories, 1774-1790, 1 vol.
Proceedings of the Wilmington-New Hanover Committee of Safety,
1774-1776, 1 vol.
Shaw Papers, 1764-1861, 1 vol.
Z. B. Vance Papers, Vols. XVI-XVIII, 1857-1902, 3 vols.
The following eight volumes of manuscript records were rebound
:
North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts: Receipt Book.
Accounts of the United States with North Carolina, War of the Revolu-tion,
Book A.
Accounts of the United States with North Carolina, War of the Revolu-tion,
Book C.
Statement of Army Accounts No. 19, War of the Revolution.
Abstract of Army Accounts: North Carolina Line, War of the Revolu-tion;
Book of Settlements, No. 28.
Accounts of the Comptroller's Office, War of the Revolution, 1777-1783.
Minutes of the Commissioners of the Town of Tarborough, 1760-1793.
Book of Registers, Collector's Office, Port of Roanoke, 1725-1758.
Index to Revolutionary Army Accounts
Work has been continued on the card index to the Revolutionary Army
Accounts as described in previous reports. Since my last report
indexes have been made to the names in eight volumes, which complete
the cards for 20 volumes. These manuscript records contain the ac-counts
submitted by the State to the United States for settlement of our
Revolutionary accounts after the Federal Government had assumed
the debts contracted by the States in the War for Independence. They
are valuable as a source for study of our Revolutionary history and are
indispensable to the genealogist. The task of making a card index to
the tens of thousands of names found in them has not been an easy one.
It has been slow, tedious and expensive, but will be justified by opening
up to the investigator what has hitherto been almost a closed mine of
historical material. The work is now nearing completion.
ACCESSION'S
Additions to Former Collections
To collections already begun of the papers of George E. Badger,
William Gaston, L. O'B. Branch, John Branch, D. H. Hill, William R.
Davie, John Steele, and Zebulon B. Vance a few additions, from one to
half a dozen pieces each, have been made.
The most important additions to such collections are as follows:
Walter Clark Papers.—To this collection of his personal papers,
Chief Justice Clark has added 2,770 pieces. This is now one of the
N. C. Historical Commission. 11
largest and most interesting collections of personal papers in our posses-sion,
numbering all told 3,969 pieces.
Willim A. Graham Papers.—To this collection of his father's papers,
Major W. A. Graham has added 471 pieces, dating from 1776-1875, and
containing, besides numerous letters written by Governor Graham him-self,
letters written to him by William Gaston, Edward Stanly, Daniel
"Webster, George E. Badger, Henry Clay, David L. Swain, Willie P.
Mangum, John M. Morehead, William T. Sherman, and Z. B. Vance.
Miscellaneous Papers.—Erom various sources the Commission re-ceived
40 miscellaneous manuscripts, among which are letters of Gen.
Rufus Barringer, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Jefferson Davis, Gen. R. F.
Hoke, Gov. A. M. Scales, Gov. John M. Morehead, Gov. Abner Nash,
Matt W. Eansom, R. M. Saunders, W. T. Dortch, Hinton Rowan Helper,
and Col. John Tipton.
New Collections
World War Records.—The largest and most important of our new
collections are those grouped under this head. More than 100,000
pieces, consisting of both official and personal records of North Carolina's
part in the World War, have been received. Eor further details of
this collection reference should be made to Mr. House's report sub-mitted
below.
A. L. Brooks Collection.—From Hon. A. L. Brooks the Commis-sion
received a collection of interesting autographs. Among them are
autograph letters of Governors Richard Caswell, Thomas Burke, Alex-ander
Martin, William Hawkins, H. C. Burton, David Stone, John
Owen, Edward B. Dudley, David L. Swain, John W. Ellis, Henry T.
Clark, Jonathan Worth and Curtis H. Brogden. The collection contains
24 pieces.
Joseph Graham Papers.—Major W. A. Graham presented to the
Commission a collection of 90 manuscripts of his grandfather, Gen.
Joseph Graham, a distinguished soldier of the Revolution and one of
the early industrial leaders in North Carolina. The collection dates
from 1813 to 1836.
Hillsboro Academy.—From Hon. Frank Nash the Commission re-ceived
a small manuscript volume of 10 pages, entitled : "Accompts. for
Hillsborough Academy," 1784.
Lewis Letters.—Miss Annie Lewis, of Raleigh, presented a collec-tion
of 18 letters of the Lewis family, dating from 1835 to 1863, inter-esting
because of the glimpses they give us into the social life of the
period.
12 Eighth Biennial Report.
Moore-Waddell Papers.—This is a collection of 43 pieces relating
to the Moore and Waddell families, presented by Mr. O. C. Erwin of
Morganton.
Regulator Records.—In 1886 Mr. Julius Brown, of Georgia, pur-chased
from W. E. Benjamin, of New York, two manuscript volumes
containing official records of Governor Tryon's expedition against the
Regulators in 1771. These volumes, according to our information, were
formerly in possession of Sir Henry Clinton and were bought by Mr.
Benjamin at a sale of Sir Henry's papers. Upon the death of Mr.
Julius Brown they passed into the possession of his brother, Hon.
Joseph E. Brown, formerly governor of Georgia, who thought that, being
important documents in the history of Worth Carolina, they properly
belonged in this State. Accordingly, in February, 1919, Governor
Brown brought the documents in person to Raleigh and formally pre-sented
them to the State through the Historical Commission. They are
:
(1).—Orders given by/ His Excellency Governor Tryon/ to the Pro-vincials
of North Carolina/ raised to march against/ Insurgents. [Written
on the inside cover] : Book Aide du Camp. [The last two pages con-tain]
: Report of the Provincial Army Whilst Encamped at Husbands, Sandy
Creek, 22 May, 1771. Quarto, bound in parchment. 108 pages.
(2).—Journal of the Expedition agst the Insurgents/ in the Western Fron-tiers
of North Carolina beginning the 20th April, 1771. [Contains] : A
PLAN of the CAMP and BATTLE of/ ALAMANCE, the 16th May 1771,
Between the Provincials of North Carolina, Commanded/ By His Excellency
Governor TRYON, and/ Rebels who style themselves Regulators. Surveyed
and drawn by C. J. Southier. Quarto, 50 pages.
Rice Letters.—This is a collection of 15 letters of Rev. John H. Rice
and Rev. Benjamin H. Rice, eminent Presbyterian ministers, all written
to Rev. William McPheeters, from 1811 to 1821, relating to the affairs
of the Presbyterian Church in North Carolina and Virginia. They
were presented to the Commission by Hon. Benjamin Rice Lacy.
Stringfield Papers.—This collection consists of three documents
relating to Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians in the Confederate
Army, written by Major "W. "W. Stringfield. They are
:
(1) Diary for 1864 of W. W. Stringfield, major of the 69th Regiment
(Thomas' Legion), Jackson's Brigade, Ransom's Division, Longstreet's
Corps, C. S. A.
;
(2) Major Stringfield's manuscript, "History of Thomas's Legion,";
(3) "Historical Sketch of the 69th North Carolina Infantry," by
W. "W. Stringfield, Lieutenant-Colonel, from January 1 to August 25,
1864.
X. C. Historical Commission. 13
George W. Swepson Papers.—This is one of the most valuable of
our new collections. It embraces 438 pieces, dating from 1866 to 1870,
and contains many letters from most of the leaders of Reconstruction in
North Carolina. Among them are A. W. Tourgee, W. W. Holden,
Joseph C. Abbott, and Martin S. Littlefield. There are also letters from
Jonathan "Worth, Patrick H. Winston, Z. B. Vance, Thomas L. Cling-man,
Matt W. Ransom, A. S. Merrimon, and R. F. Hoke. The collec-tion
was presented by Mr. A. L. Baker of Raleigh.
Tarboro Town Records.—Prom Bishop Joseph B. Cheshire the
Commission received a manuscript volume of the original "Minutes of
the Commissioners of the Town of Tarborough, 1760-1793."
Wake County Ladies' Memorial Association.—The Wake County
Ladies' Memorial Association, the oldest Confederate memorial organiza-tion
in the State, with a continuous existence since 1866, deposited with
the Commission the following records
:
(1) Blue print of the Confederate Cemetery at Washington.
(2) Roster of Confederate soldiers buried in the Confederate Ceme-tery
at Raleigh.
(3) Minutes of the Wake County Ladies' Memorial Association, 1866-
1882.
(4) Volume in manuscript entitled: Ladies' Memorial Association;
Lists of Original Interments; the Arlington Dead.
(5) List of members of the Wake County Ladies' Memorial Asso-ciation.
Confederate Muster Rolls.—Muster roll of Co. B, 1st Regiment,
North Carolina Junior Reserves, R. H. Andrews, lieutenant in com-mand,
1865. Two copies presented by Mr. W. J. Andrews of Raleigh.
World War Records
As soon as the United States entered the World War, historical agen-cies
throughout the country recognized the necessity of inaugurating at
once systematic efforts to preserve the immense volumes of material
which war conditions would produce of value for the history of the
war. The immensity of the task was appalling, and most of the his-torical
commissions, societies, and other organizations were not equipped
with sufficient means to accomplish it adequately.
Among such insufficiently equipped agencies was the North Carolina
Historical Commission, which had neither the funds nor the staff to
perform the task for the State of North Carolina, as it ought to be done.
To enable it to meet the problem as effectively as possible, the Commis-sion
sought the cooperation of the State Council of Defense, at the head
3
14 Eighth Biennial Report.
of which, fortunately, was a member of the Historical Commission.
The Council met us sympathetically and appointed an Historical Corn-mittee
of the State Council of Defense with the Secretary of the His-torical
Commission as chairman. Thus the strength of these two organi-zations
was combined for the task. Not much could be accomplished,
however, in the collection of material, but important results were
effected in calling attention to the importance of preserving it and
foundations were laid for the more permanent work that was to come.
This more permanent work has been made possible by the law passed by
the General Assembly of 1919, upon the recommendation of the His-torical
Commission, and empowering the Commission to appoint a col-lector
of World War records, giving official sanction to the work, and
providing money for its support. The chief provisions of the law are
as follows
:
"Sec. 3. That for the purpose of putting into permanent and accessible
form the history of the contribution of North Carolina and of her soldiers,
sailors, airmen, and civilians to the Great World War while the records
of those contributions are available, the North Carolina Historical Commis-sion
is hereby authorized and directed to employ a person trained in the study
of history and in modern historical methods of investigation and writing,
whose duty it shall be, under the direction of said Historical Commission, to
collect as fully as possible data bearing upon the activities of North Carolina
and her people in the said World War, and from these to prepare and publish
as speedily as possible an accurate and trustworthy illustrated History of
North Carolina in the Great World War.
"Sec. 4. The said history shall give a reliable account of the:
(a) Operations of the United States Government in North Carolina
during the war;
(&) Operations of the North Carolina State Government in war times;
(c) Operations of county and local government in war times;
(d) War work of volunteer organizations;
(e) Military, naval, and air service of North Carolina units and of
individual North Carolina soldiers, sailors, and airmen;
(/) Organization and services of the Home Defense;
(g) A roster of North Carolina soldiers, sailors, and airmen in the war;
(h) Services of North Carolinians in national affairs during the war;
(i) Effects of the war on agriculture, manufacturing, transportation,
finance, trade and commerce in North Carolina;
0") Social and welfare work among the soldiers and their dependents;
(fc) Contributions of schools and churches to the war and the effect of
war on education and religion.
(I) Such other phases of the war as may be necessary to set forth the
contributions of the State and her people to this momentous
event in the world's history.
"Sec 5. That after the preparation of such history the said Historical
Commission shall have the same published and paid for as other State print-ing,
and said Historical Commission shall offer such history for sale at as
near the cost of publication as possible: Provided, that one copy of such
history shall be furnished free to each public school library in North Carolina
N. C. Historical Commission. 15
which shall apply for the same: Provided also, that said Historical Commis-sion
may exchange copies of said history for copies of other similar histories
of the war; and Provided -further, that all receipts from the sale of said
history shall be covered into the State Treasury."
Acting under authority of this law, the Historical Commission chose
Mr. Robert B. House Collector of World "War Records, and Mr. House
entered upon his work June 19, 1919. In the discharge of his duties he
has shown such a clear grasp of the problems involved that he has been
able to organize the work on a permanent and effective basis, and he has
pursued it with an aggressive and yet tactful efficiency which has pro-duced
rather remarkable results. His report submitted below reveals that
he has procured a collection of war records, official and personal, number-ing
more than 100,000 pieces and covering almost every phase of the
subject which concerns Worth Carolina.
Although we must expect war records to come in more slowly from
now on, yet we must recognize that the field has not yet been covered
nor the sources of supply anything like exhausted, and Mr. House should
be given the requisite stenographic and clerical help that will enable him
to push his work as vigorously as its importance deserves.
His report, which follows, merits your careful consideration.
Report of the Collector of World War Records
Raleigh, H". C, December 1, 1920.
Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary.
Sir :—I take pleasure in submitting my report of activities as collector
of World War Records for the North Carolina Historical Commission
from June 19, 1919, through November 30, 1920.
I was employed under the general provisions of chapter 144, Public
Laws of 1919, which enjoined upon me the collection of data concerning
North Carolina in the World War and the preparation therefrom of
a reliable, illustrated history. My first efforts, of course, have been
directed to collecting as fully as possible all available data.
On taking up my duties I found that the Historical Committee of the
State Council of Defense, through a system of volunteer collecting in
various counties of the State, and Col. F. A. Olds, Collector of the Hall
of History, had already brought together a considerable amount of
material. My work, therefore, has been largely to systematize and to
expand the work as I found it already in progress.
The obvious duties of my office required me to collect from the
national archives, the State departments of North Carolina, the county
organizations, and individual citizens, innumerable classifications of
data. My means for doing this consisted of myself and the part-time
16 Eighth Biennial Report.
assistance of one stenographer. Therefore, completion of this task within
a short time was a physical impossibility. This fact was recognized
by the Historical Commission when I began work, and my plan of action,
with their approval, was to do as fully as possible what I could with the
means at my disposal. The following analysis of my operations will
indicate the trend that the work has taken during the past two years
and the results accomplished.
OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
So great was the popular interest of North Carolinians in the war as
a subject of information and study, that immediately upon its becoming
known that a Department of War Records was in operation, I began to
receive letters requesting information, offering help, etc., so that at once
a voluminous correspondence was instituted, which together with my
routine letters began to total up a large amount of office administration.
Letter-writing and copying manuscripts, together with filing docu-ments
received, arranging them in rough, systematic order and cata-loguing
them, likewise roughly, began to take up a large part of my time,
threatening to eclipse the other activities I had instituted. In this con-nection
I have been constantly handicapped by lack of sufficient steno-graphic
help. However, this side of my work has been satisfactory
within its limitations.
SURVEY OF RECORD-PRODUCING AGENCIES
One of my first tasks was to survey all possible sources of informa-tion
concerning North Carolina in the World War to be found in the
national archives, in the State departments, and among the various
county organizations and individuals of North Carolina. In surveying
national sources of information, I found that various other states of
the Union were engaged in a similar task. Consequently, in September,
1919, representatives from the several states met in Washington to
organize what became the National Association of State War History
Organizations. This was a cooperative enterprise financed by a mem-bership
fee of $200, paid by each member state organization. The North
Carolina Historical Commission became a member of this association.
As a result we have in hand a complete survey of materials that will be
necessary to our purpose from the national archives, and have a con-siderable
number of digests of this material.
In the State departments I found that the correspondence and pub-lished
documents of the years 1917-1920 would be essential, but these
documents being still of administrative value in the respective offices
could not be released for some time to come. I, therefore, impressed
N". C. Historical Commission. 17
upon each office the necessity of preserving its records for these years
entirely, until such time as they could be released for our archives. In
this way I was able to insure the eventual accession of all records in the
State departments. These records have begun to come to us in such
manner as I have indicated in my catalogue of accessions.
The records produced by county organizations and individuals in
North Carolina were found to be in a chaotic condition. In many cases
officials of various war-work organizations had destroyed their records
immediately upon the signing of the armistice, under the impression
that these records were of no further value. In many cases, moreover,
they had kept no complete records during the course of the war. I,
therefore, took steps to advise these organizations of the value of their
reports to any adequate history of the war. Moreover, while in a
majority of the counties of the State volunteer collectors had agreed to
bring together material for the Historical Committee and the Council
of Defense, they had in reality done little systematic work. By letters
and personal visits, however, I prevailed on most of these volunteer col-lectors
to continue their connection with the Historical Commission,
and I also effected organizations of volunteer collectors to a considerable
extent in counties hitherto having no collectors. In addition, I secured
in sixty-two counties of the State representatives of the colored race to
take care of data pertaining to negroes in the war. Following up this
effort to organize volunteer collectors, I held in Raleigh, February 4,
1920, a conference of volunteer war records collectors in order to empha-size
what documents ought to be preserved and methods of preserving
them. This conference has produced definite results, which will appear
in my catalogue below. I might note here, however, that the most nota-ble
results in county collection of war records have been achieved in
Orange, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Cumberland, Halifax, Hyde, "Wilkes,
and Warren counties, where the collectors in each case have checked
over practically all available sources of information and have either
secured complete records of each war organization and individual in
the county or have determined that such records do not exist in par-ticular
cases.
PUBLICITY
In the early part of my work I prepared three bulletins outlining
fully the nature of war records, why they should be preserved, and how
the people of the State could help preserve them. These I have dis-tributed
widely and from them have also received beneficial results. In
addition, I have kept the press of the State supplied with newspaper
articles concerning my activities, points of interest about the war, and
the progress of the collection of war records. The results from these
efforts have also been concrete and beneficial.
18 Eighth Biennial Keport.
preparation of war roster
I also prepared a roster of all individuals who held official positions
in any war-work organization in North Carolina. "With this roster as
a guide, I began a systematic correspondence with those individuals in
an effort to secure such records as were in their possession. This effort
was attended with varying success, hut it produced concrete results that
will be shown by my catalogue. I am still pursuing this canvass of
individuals.
FIELD WORK
It was obviously necessary that I go out into the State to acquaint
myself with individuals possessing war records and to secure such things
as were available, and in the course of my work I have made a number
of visits to counties, to the meetings of the National Association of
State War History Organizations, to the several reunions of the Old
Hickory and the Wild Cat divisions and to community celebrations, in
an effort to push the collection of war records. I found, in general, that
while such traveling always produced concrete results, it was better to
await the occurence of such events as Armistice Day celebrations, official
meetings, etc., than to go at random on a general canvass of the State,
since so much time, energy and money were required in other depart-ments
essential to my work.
RESEARCH
Numerous individuals and organizations in the State were already
studying the progress of the war in North Carolina and in many cases
preparing historical sketches of certain branches of war history. These
individuals have invariably come to me for information in their par-ticular
line of work. I have endeavored to answer all inquiries as
promptly as possible so that the Collector of War Records exists in the
minds of the people of the State as a bureau of information about the
war in general.
It is impossible to outline in detail the actual results accomplished in
furthering the preservation of North Carolina's war records by the
efforts described above. Organizations have been effected in various
localities of the State which are still in operation and the final results of
whose efforts it is impossible to determine as yet. The fact that North
Carolina has a splendid war record that should be preserved in a defi-nite
body of documentary material is growing more and more clearly in
the consciousness of the people. In a word, it has paid to advertise this
work to the State, so that each day now I find it easier to obtain war
records, because of the growing idea of the importance of the work in
the State at large.
N". C. Historical Commission. 19
However, the final test of the work is a survey of such documents as
have been secured, and, therefore, I give in the following paragraphs
a digest of war records received, an estimate of the number of pieces in
each particular collection, and some indication of its value to the war
history of North Carolina.
ACCESSIONS
American Legion
Program of American Legion convention in Raleigh; Li6t of members in
Cumberland County; Notice of meeting at Enfield, 1919-1920.
Citations
"War Department Orders, containing citations of North Carolina men.
Miscellaneous material concerning the following: Robert L. Blackwell,
Earl M. Thompson, Major W. A. Graham, Andrew Scroggs Nelson, Capt. I. R.
Williams, James H. Baugham, Lieut. W. O. Smith, Lieut. James A. Higgs,
Coit L. Josey, Capt. John R. Jones, Major Paul C. Paschal, Lieut. Robert B.
Taylor, James McConnell, Joseph H. Laughlin, Emory L. Butler, Henry H.
Hall, Lieut. J. H. Johnston, J. Graham Ramsey, S. J. Erwin, Jr., Lieut.
Robert B. Anderson.
Specimen of the diploma given by the French Government to all soldiers
of the World War who lost their lives.
About 500 pieces, 1917-1920.
County Collections
The following individual county collections, totaling in all about 5,000
pieces, 1917-1920:
Wilson County—J. Dempsey Bullock, Collector.
Surry County—Miss Isabel Graves, Collector.
Davidson County—J. R. McCrary, Collector.
Hoke County—John A. Currie, Collector.
Cumberland County—Mrs. John Huske Anderson, Collector.
Gates County—A. P. Godwin, Collector.
Halifax County—Mrs. E. L. Whitehead, Collector.
Lenoir County—H. Gait Braxton, Collector.
Guilford County—W. C. Jackson, Collector.
Hyde County—Mrs. L. D. Swindell, Collector.
Wilkes County—F. H. Hendren, Collector.
Warren County—W. Brodie Jones, Collector.
Pasquotank County—Miss Catherine Albertson, Collector.
County Councils of Defense
New Hanover County: Correspondence; historical sketch; clippings from
the Morning Star. 5,000 pieces, 1917-1919.
Avery County: Historical sketch; correspondence. 500 pieces, 1917-1919.
20 Eighth Biennial Report.
Wilson County: Three volumes of clippings, photographs, etc.
Material from the following counties: Alamance, Guilford, Warren, Rock-ingham,
Lenoir, Nash, Anson, Lincoln, Person, Polk, Chowan. 1917-1920.
Economic Data
3,000 pieces, 1917-1920, collected from various sources.
Education
About 3,000 pieces, 1917-1920, miscellaneous data, collected by the Collector
of War Records.
Histories of North Carolina Units
Histories of North Carolina units have been secured as follows
:
118th Infantry, 105th Engineers, 120th Infantry, 147th Field Artillery,
Fifth Division, 316th Field Artillery, 321st Infantry, 55th Field Artillery
Brigade, 306th Engineers, 113th Field Artillery.
Miscellaneous data on 113th Field Artillery, 81st, 30th, 3d, 26th, and 42d
divisions; papers, pictures and notes of Old Hickory Reunion, 1919; con-gratulatory
orders and papers concerning the 30th Division; operations map
of 30th Division; record of service of 147th Field Artillery in France; letter
and report on 9th Battalion, 156th Depot Brigade, letter relating to history of
115th Machine Gun Battalion; roster of 113th Field Artillery; names of men
from North Carolina now with First Division; newspaper, program and
other souvenirs of Wildcat Reunion, 1920; address of Col. Harry R. Lee to
81st Division; newspaper, souvenirs and other material concerning Old
Hickory Reunion, 1920. 1917-1919.
Individual Records—Army
Data consisting of letters, biographies, sketches, newspaper clippings,
pamphlets, covering roughly, 1860-1920, have been secured, concerning
the following North Carolina soldiers
:
Brigadier-General Campbell King, Major Frank E. Emery, Jr.; Lieut.
Robert C. Brantley, Capt. John R. Jones, Lieut.-Col. Hugh H. Broadhurst,
Paul Ayers Rockwell, Edgar W. Halyburton, Col. Marion S. Battle, Col. Clar-ence
P. Sherrill, Luther Clarence McKinley Enlow, Col. Gordon Johnston,
Lawrence B. Loughran, Charles McKee Newcomb, Robert Timberlake New-combe,
Col. Paul C. Hutton, Robert C. Williamston, C. D. House, Everett
Edward Briggs, Jeoffrey Franklin Stanback, West Vick, Brigadier^General
Henry W. Butner, Col. John W. Gulick, Major A. B. Deans, Jr., Walter E. Ray,
Jesse Staton, Peter Spruill, Francis Marion French, J. E. Gregory, William
S. Williams, Charlie M. Jones, Robert N. Beckwith, Col. John Van B. Metts,
Lieut. Frederick Fagg Malloy, John B. Watson, R. B. House, Thomas Leete,
Jimson Robinson, Lacy Edgar Barkley, James Redding Rives, Jr., Hubert
Mahaney Whitaker, G. S. Boyd, David Smith, Major-General George W. Read,
Brig.-Gen. Charles J. Bailey, Charles L. Coggin, Col. Holmes B. Springs,
Brig.-Gen. E. M. Lewis, Sergt. John A. L. Moore, I. G. Wilson, Corp. C. C.
Noble, Col. C. N. Barth; soldiers from Fayetteville, Spring Hope, Surry
County, Wake County, Halifax County. Number of pieces estimated at 5,000.
N". C. Historical Commission. 21
Individual Records—Navy
Data consisting of letters, biographs, sketches, newspaper clippings, pamph-lets,
covering roughly 1860-1920, concerning the following North Carolina
sailors:
Rear Admiral Victor Blue, Lieut-Commander John P. Green, Lieut-Com-mander
Walter Doyle Sharpe, Commander Rufus Zenas Johnstone, Lieut.-
Commander W. C. Owen, Lieut.-Commander J. R. Norfleet, Lieut.-Commander
Paul Hendren, D. C. Godwin, James Edward Stephenson, Capt. Lyman A.
Cotten, William Hansell Bushall, Listen Newkirk, Capt. R. W. McNeely,
Reuben O. Jones, Commander John J. London, Lieut.-Commander William
T. T. Mallison. 2,000 pieces.
Individual Records—Air Service
Robert O. Lindsay Papers: About 50 pieces, 1917-1920, concerning the
services of Lieut. Robert O. Lindsay, the only Ace from North Carolina.
Kiffin Yates Rockwell Papers: About 3,000 pieces—letters, clippings, etc.,
covering roughly the dates 1892-1920, concerning Kiffin Yates Rockwell, an
aviator with the French Escadrille, who gave his life in action in 1916.
Donated by his mother, Dr. Loula Ayres Rockwell, and his brother, Paul
Ayres Rockwell.
James A. Higgs Papers: About 1,000 pieces, covering roughly the dates
1890-1920. Story of his war experience, diary, personal correspondence, offi-cial
correspondence, miscellaneous personal papers, official balloon notes,
official photographs, balloon notes, etc. Lent by his sister, Miss Mattie Higgs.
Miscellaneous data about Lieuts. William Palmer, Harmon Rorison, John
C. Miller.
About 10,000 pieces.
Jewish War Records
About 100 pieces, 1917-1920. Compiled by the Jewish War Record office,
New York City.
Liberty Loan Campaign
Papers of Mrs. R. M. Latham, State Chairman Woman's Liberty Loan Com-mittee:
about 5,000 pieces of correspondence, covering dates of 1917-1920.
Miscellaneous papers covering same dates: about 100 pieces.
Local Exemption Boards
Local Board reports, about 2,000 pieces, containing the lists of drafted men
from each county, obtained by Col. P. A. Olds.
Miscellaneous material as follows: Photographs; list of inducted men and
letters of the Hyde County Board; Account of the Carteret County Board;
Information concerning the draft in Hyde, Caldwell, Stokes, Chowan, Gra-ham
and Franklin counties; History of the Draft Board for Beaufort and
Halifax counties.
About 2,000 pieces, 1917-1920.
22 Eighth Biennial Report.
Letters Pertaining to the War
Letters from the files of Col. F. A. Olds, covering roughly the dates 1917-
1920. 50 pieces.
Miscellaneous letters from the following:
Marcelle Brunet to Mrs. Woollcott; Henriette, Duchess of Vendome, Prin-cess
of Belgium, to Tryon Chapter A. R. C; Kiffin Rockwell to Mrs. John Jay
Chapman; Ambassador Jusserand to Hon. S. P. McConnell; J. Graham Ram-sey,
James Menzies; Clara I. Cox; Mrs. K. R. Beckwith; L. S. M. Robinson,
DeWitt Smith; Mrs. Eliza Potter Settle; Parents of Madelon Battle; Shirley
N. White; John Y. Stokes; Lieut. Harry L. Brockmann; Mr. Charles C. Ben-son;
and correspondence of General S. L. Faison and the War Department.
Letter-book of Governor T. W. Bickett, about 1,000 pieces of essential cor-respondence
relating to Governor Bickett's administration.
Executive Papers of Governor T. W. Bickett pertaining to the war, about
10,000 pieces, 1917-1920. Filed chronologically under headings, as for ex-ample
the following: Draft, Desertions, Food Administration, Fuel Adminis-tration,
Rehabilitation, etc.
Miscellaneous Data
In addition to collections of materials which have been outlined in this
report, there has been brought together about 5,000 individual items bearing
on North Carolina in the World War. These are as yet entirely unread and
unarranged, and therefore cannot be described in detail.
Munitions and Shipbuilding
Records of Andrew B. Baggerly, Navy Yard, 1917-1920.
Negroes in the War
About 20 pieces, 1917-1920, from W. H. Quick, and J. Dempsey Bullock,
collectors.
Photographs
About 250 photographs collected by Col. Fred A. Olds and noted in his
report.
Additional photographs as follows: Entertainment given by Raleigh Y. M.
C. A.; Panorama of Camp Lee, Va. ; Collection lent by Neivs and Observer;
Lieut.-Commander John F. Green; Col. Albert L. Cox; Wake Forest students
at Plattsburg in 1918; Lieut. J. J. Sykes; Brig.-Gen. S. T. Ansell; Col. Joseph
Hyde Pratt; Capt. Thomas Polk Thompson; John H. Howell; Lieut. William
T. Gregory; Lieut. Samuel F. Telfair; Rufus Zenas Johnston; 90 prints of
official photographs illustrating the 30th Division; Panorama of 119th Infan-try
at Camp Sevier; Brig.-Gen. Campbell King; Col. Marion S. Battle; Lieut.-
Col. Hugh H. Broadhurst; Foreign Legion; Edgar M. Halyburton; Otis B.
Baggerly; Col. Clarence P. Sherrill; Camp Bragg and Fayetteville; Lieut.-Col.
W. G. Murchison; Col. S. W. Minor; 9th Battalion, 156th Depot Brigade;
Major P. C. Paschal; Shirley N. White; Admiral Archibald Henderson Scales;
Lieut.-Commander D. C. Godwin; Otis V. Baggerly; Capt. Lyman A. Cotten;
James Edward Stephenson; Peter Spruill; Collection taken by Capt. Bagley,
321st Infantry; Capt. R. W. McNeely; Tablet erected to Lieut. Robert H.
N. C. Historical Commission. 23
Anderson; Commander John J. London; German celebration at Hot Springs;
German soldiers; Chairmen of County Councils of Defense; Wilkes County
Council of Defense; Capt. William W. Palmer; Capt. John C. Ray; Robert H.
Salisbury; Miss Ella Fly; G. S. Boyd; Henry Brooks Webb; Corporal Charles
Nathaniel Webb; Nathaniel Dunn Pierson; Ernest Hyman; Lieut.-Col. John
W. Gulick; David Smith; Wallace Riddick; Company A, 306th Engineers;
Brig.-Gen. Charles J. Bailey; Col. Holmes B. S. Springs; Brig.-Gen. E. M.
Lewis; Sergeant John A. L. Moore; I. C. Wilson; Corporal C. C. Noble; and
miscellaneous photographs from Cumberland County, Halifax County, Pasquo-tank
County, etc., 1917-1920.
20 photographs concerning farming activities of North Carolina women.
Red Cross
Red Cross chapter histories as follows: Goldsboro, Gates, Fayetteville,
Chowan County, Cleveland County, Chapel Hill, Camden County, Carthage,
Wilkes County, Burke County, Halifax County, Durham County, Wilmington,
Pitt County, Raleigh, Southport, Lee County, Duplin County, Hertford County,
Granville County, Scotland County, Kings Mountain, Beaufort County, Bertie
County, Reidsville, Salisbury, Leaksville-Spray-Draper, Greene County, Ran-dolph
County, Chatham County, Robersonville, Person County, North Curri-tuck
County, Richlands, Watauga County, Alleghany, Vance County, Hickory.
Marion, Weldon, Gaston County, Anson County, Guilford County, Stanly
County. 1917-1920.
About 2,000 pieces.
About 5,000 pieces of miscellaneous material, as follows:
Sundry numbers of Red Cross Briefs; paper on North Carolina production;
letters from soldiers to Raleigh Red Cross; report of activities of Durham
County Chapter; record of shipments by Surry Chapter; material relating
to Anson County; Kinston; Littleton, and Red Cross Roll Call in North
Carolina; publicity items. 1917-1920.
Religion
One box of miscellaneous letters, 1917-1920, collected from various sources.
500 pieces.
Soldiers' Diaries
War dairies from the following: E. Warren McCullers, Charles H. Warren,
Willard Newton, Col. Joseph Hyde Pratt (8 volumes manuscript), B. R.
Lacy, Jr., covering roughly the dates 1917-1920.
Soldiers' Letters
Robert Burton House Collection: About 500 letters, covering the dates
1916-1920, a diary from May 15, 1917, through 1918, scrap book, clippings, etc.
Miscellaneous letters as follows: Edgar W. McCullers; Joseph J. Mackay;
Capt. John E. Ray. Letters from Fayetteville soldiers; miscellaneous letters
written by soldiers to Mrs. William J. Andrews. 1917-1920.
State Council of Defense
The Joseph Hyde Pratt Collection: Two loose-leaf volumes of about 500
pieces, covering dates May, 1917-Sept, 1917.
24 Eighth Biennial Report.
Official papers of the State Council of Defense, covering roughly dates
1917-1920, about 10,000 pieces; from Dr. D. H. Hill, Chairman.
Miscellaneous papers as follows: Incomplete set of minutes; some speci-mens
of propaganda; Soldiers' Business Aid Committee papers; Certificates
issued to R. J. Morgan, Chairman Haywood County Council of Defense;
First Annual Report; Correspondence and press material. About 2,000 pieces.
1917-1920.
U. 8. Food Administration
Complete record of the U. S. Food Administration in North Carolina, 10,000
pieces, 1917-1920, turned over by Col. F. A. Olds from Henry A. Page, Food
Administrator.
Miscellaneous material, 500 pieces, 1917-1920.
U. S. Fuel Administration
Complete records of Fuel Administrator A. W. McAlister and R. N. Nor-fleet,
10,000 pieces, 1917-1920.
Miscellaneous material, 500 pieces, 1917-1920.
War Camp Community Service
Reports of War Camp Community Service in Southport, Winston-Salem,
Wilmington, Morehead City, Raleigh, Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Goldsboro,
Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, Asheville, Hot Springs, Waynesville.
History of War Camp Community Service in Southport and in Fayetteville.
Poster, picture, several papers, and story of War Camp Community Service
in Charlotte.
About 500 pieces, 1917-1920.
War Savings Stamps
Miscellaneous material, from Colonel Olds. About 500 pieces, 1917-1920.
Welfare Work
About 500 pieces, 1917-1920, miscellaneous printed matter.
War Work Fund
Records concerning the War Work Fund, 1917-1920.
Women in the War
Miscellaneous data, about 2,000 pieces, 1971-1920, consisting of individual
reports from various women's organizations in North Carolina.
Y. M. C. A.
Material from Colonel Olds. Material concerning the Y. M. C. A. in the
Army of Occupation. About 1,000 pieces, 1917-1920.
Analysis of the foregoing catalogue shows, first, that some of our
collections are already practically complete as, for example, records of
the Food and Fuel Administrations, the State Council of Defense, and
!N". C. Historical Commission. 25
the Governor's office. These collections I purpose to arrange at once,
systematically, so as to render them available for consultation. Also
I purpose to study them with a view to publication.
In the second place, some of our collections can be made complete
within a reasonable length of time, as, for example, the service records of
our soldiers, sailors and airmen, the histories of war work organiza-tions,
and histories of counties, military units, etc. These I purpose to
complete systematically as soon as possible, after which I shall arrange
them for consultation and study also.
In the third place, some of our collections will never be completed.
These may be described as colorful, human-interest documents, such as
letters, pictures, diaries, etc. But they are essentially of value to the
historian even though incomplete, because of their typical, representa-tive
nature. These I purpose to add to by every opportunity possible.
Therefore, for the immediate future, my plans are to continue work-ing
along my present lines of collecting and arranging documents in
general. But results already achieved indicate that before the coming
year is over the emphasis will shift to systematic arrangement, study
and publication.
Respectfully yours,
R. B. House,
Collector of World War Records.
County Records
Seventeen counties deposited with the Commission, during the period
covered by this report, their noncurrent records, as follows
:
Burke County. (Erected in 1777 from Rowan.)
County Court Papers (unbound), 1783-1842.
Wills (unbound), 1794-1866.
Marriage Bonds (unbound), 1794-1866.
Bute County. (Erected in 1764 from Granville.)*
Land entries and oaths, 1778. 1 vol.
County Court Minutes, 1767-1776. 1 vol.
Wills and Inventories.
Marriage Bonds.
Caswell County. (Erected in 1777 from Orange.)
Marriage Bonds.
Chatham County. (Erected in 1770 from Orange.)
County Court Minutes, 1811-1816. 1 vol.
Columbus County. (Erected in 1808 from Bladen and Brunswick.)
County Court Minutes, 1838-1846. 1 vol.
Abolished in 1778, and territory divided into Warren and Franklin.
26 Eighth Biennial Report.
Cumberland County. (Erected in 1754 from Bladen.)
County Court Minutes, 1784-1860. 26 vols.
County Court Road Docket, 1825-1855. 2 vols.
Fayetteville papers, 1820-1871 (unbound).
Marriage Bonds.
Currituck County. (Erected in 1672 from Albemarle.)
County Court Minutes, 1799-1830. 3 vols.
Marriage Bonds.
Duplin County. (Erected in 1749 from New Hanover.)
County Court Minutes, 1784-1837. 6 vols.
Marriage Bonds.
Granville County. (Erected in 1746 from Edgecombe.)
County Court Minutes, 1786-1820. 9 vols.
Halifax County. (Erected in 1758 from Edgecombe.)
Marriage Bonds.
Haywood County. (Erected in 1808 from Buncombe.)
Marriage Bonds.
Johnston County. (Erected in 1746 from Craven.)
Marriage Bonds.
Perquimans County. (Erected in 1672 from Albemarle.)
Inventories and Sales, 1715-1815.
Wills, 1711-1803.
Marriage Bonds.
Person County. (Erected 1791 from Caswell.)
Marriage Bonds.
Rockingham County. (Erected in 1785 from Guilford.)
County Court Minutes, 1786-1803. 3 vols.
Marriage Bonds.
Stokes County. (Erected in 1798 from Surry.)
Marriage Bonds.
Warren County. (Erected in 1778 from Bute.)
County Court Minutes, 1783-1855. 8 vols.
County Court Trial Docket, 1787-1805. 1 vol.
Minutes of Courts Martial (militia), 1791-1815. 1 vol.
Marriage Bonds.
Wake County. (Erected in 1779 from Dobbs and Craven.)
County Court Minutes, 1787-1788. 1 vol.
Wills and Inventories, 1782-1808. 1 vol.
Maps
The following maps have been received:
Map/ of the/ United States/, Exhibiting the/ Post-Roads, Situations,
connexions, & distances of the Post Offices/ State Roads, counties, & Principal
Rivers/ By Abraham Bradley Junr. 38x52. 1804. Insert: Map/ of North
Carolina.—Presented by Miss Maude Waddell.
Photostat copies of Collett's map of North Carolina, 1768-1770, and of
Jeffrey's map of St. Christopher and Nevis, from the originals in the British
Museum.—Presented by Prof. Charles M. Andrews of New Haven, Conn.
1ST. C. Historical Commission. 27
Newspapers
In the early part of the present year a systematic effort was begun to
secure either original or photostat copies of all North Carolina news-papers
prior to 1800 which could be located. The accomplishment of
this undertaking has been made possible by the publication in the Pro-ceedings
of the American Antiquarian Society of Mr. Clarence S.
Brigham's "Bibliography of American Newspapers." An arrangement
with the Massachusetts Historical Society has made it possible for us to
procure positives of such prints at the cost of negatives. We send the
negatives to them from which they furnish us the positives without
charge, on condition that the negatives remain with them, they being
permitted to furnish from them prints to any other historical society,
commission, or library that may desire them. This agreement enables
us to procure positives of our early newspapers at almost half the price
they would otherwise cost us.
To the courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society, the British
Public Records Office, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Library
of Congress, the New York Historical Society, and the Louisiana State
Museum, we are indebted for permission to have such prints made of
early North Carolina newspapers as follows
:
From the American Antiquarian Society:
Edenton Intelligencer, April 9, 1788.
State Gazette of North Carolina. Forty-six issues of various dates
from March 30, 1792, to February 20, 1799.
North Carolina Chronicle; or Fayetteville Gazette. Six issues in 1790.
Fayetteville Gazette. Ten issues in 1792.
North Carolina Minerva, and Fayetteville Advertiser. Issues of No-vember
17, 1798, and November 26, 1799.
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern). Two issues, October 18th, 1759;
June 24, 1768.
Wilmington Sentinel, and General Advertiser, June 18, 1788.
Wilmington Chronicler, and North Carolina Weekly Advertiser. Octo-ber
22, 1795.
Martin's North Carolina Gazette (New Bern). August 15, 1787.
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern). Three issues in 1790 and 1794.
From the British Public Records Office:
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern). Four issues from 1757 to 1775.
North Carolina Gazette (Wilmington). Three issues in 1765 and 1776.
Cape Fear Mercury. One issue in 1773 and three issues in 1775.
From the Library Company of Philadelphia
:
State Gazette of North Carolina, October 4, 1787.
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern). Twenty issues from October
12, 1793, to July 16, 1796.
28 Eighth Biennial Report.
From the New York Historical Society
:
North Carolina Gazette (New Bern). Seven issues in 1775.
State Gazette of North Carolina, February 7, 1788.
From the Library of Congress
:
Post-Angel, or Universal Entertainment (Edenton). November 12, 1800.
Newbern Gazette. Seven issues of various dates from November 24,
1798, to March 16, 1799.
State Gazette of North Carolina, October 4, 1787.
North Carolina Minerva, December 23, 1800.
North Carolina Journal. Complete from January 4 to December 12,
1796, except for the issues of January 11, February 29, May 9, June
13, and July 26; of October 17, and December 12, we have only the
second and third pages.
From the Louisiana State Museum
:
Martin's North Carolina Gazette. Issues of July 11 and December 19,
1787.
By purchase we procured the originals of the
North Carolina Journal. Six issues of various date in 1794-1795.
As a gift from Mrs. Henry A. London, we received
The Chatham Record, 1878-1920. 42 vols.
History of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard
In connection with the commemoration of the Tercentenary of Sir
Walter Raleigh, Col. Sir Reginald Hennell, colonel in command of the
King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard, the oldest military
organization in the world, presented to the State of North Carolina
through the Historical Commission, the last copy in his possession of
his history of the Guard which was written by him at the command of
the King. This copy Colonel Hennell had handsomely bound in the
colors of the Guard, and inscribed to the State of North Carolina in
commemoration of the fact that Sir Walter Raleigh, whose colonies
settled on the shores of North Carolina, was formerly a captain in the
Guard.
Publications
Since my last report the Commission has issued the following publi-cations
:
Bulletin No. 24. Seventh biennial report of the North Carolina Historical
Commission, December 1, 1916-November 30, 1918. Paper. 17 pages.
Bulletin No. 25. Proceedings of the State Literary and Historical Associa-tion
of North Carolina for 1918; Addresses prepared for the Conference on
Anglo-American Relations in commemoration of the Tercentenary of Sir
Walter Raleigh, October 28-29, 1918. Paper. 146 pages.
N. C. Historical Commission. 29
Bulletin No. 26. Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Session of the State
Literary and Historical Association of North Carolina, November 20-21, 1919.
Paper. 137 pages.
North Carolina Manual for 1919. Compiled and edited by R. D. W. Connor.
Cloth. 459 pages.
Papers of Thomas Ruffin. Compiled and edited by J. G. de R. Hamilton.
Vol. II. Cloth. 625 pages.
Volumes III and IV of the Ruffin Papers are now in the press and
their publication may be expected at an early date.
Moravian Records
One of the largest and most important unpublished collections of
manuscript material bearing on the history of North Carolina are the
records of the Moravians in Wachovia, preserved in the Wachovia His-torical
Society at Winston-Salem. These records are continuous from
the beginning of the Wachovia settlement in 1752 to date. From 1752
to 1857 they were kept in German, but since 1857 the English language
has been used. They are in the form of church minutes, journals,
diaries, and "Memorabilia" prepared by the pastors and read annually
to the several congregations, and relate not merely to the affairs of the
Moravians but to events of general interest throughout the colony and
the continent.
The Commission has been fortunate enough to make arrangements
with Miss Adelaide L. Fries, archivist of the Wachovia Historical
Society, to translate and edit these records for publication by the Com-mission.
Miss Fries' thorough knowledge of the history of Wachovia
and her familiarity with these records make her especially competent
for this difficult task; indeed, she is probably the only person living
who is competent to do it. The first volume of the series, "The Records
of the North Carolina Moravians, 1752-1771," is ready for the press
and will be sent to the printers as soon as other volumes now in their
hands are out of the way.
HISTORICAL MARKERS
The General Assembly of 1919 reenacted the Act of 1917 which appro-priated
$2,500 annually to be used by the Historical Commission to aid
in commemorating by suitable markers events of interest in our history.
No change was made in the conditions under which the fund can be used,
which were explained in my last report. Conditions have not been
favorable during the period covered by this report for raising money for
such historical memorials and but little aid has been requested from this
30 Eighth Biennial Report.
fund, but we can, I feel sure, look for a revival of suck activities in the
near future. During this period we have aided in erecting the follow-ing
markers :
1. Henry Irwin Tablet.
This is a tablet erected in the courthouse at Tarboro in memory of
Henry Irwin, colonel of the 2d Regiment, North Carolina Continental
Line. Erected by the Miles Harvey Chapter, D. A. R.
2. Confederate Navy Yard.
A tablet marking the site of the Confederate Navy Yard on the Cape
Fear River near Wilmington. Erected by the New Hanover County
Historical Commission.
3. Sugar Loaf Battlefield.
This is a tablet marking the site of Sugar Loaf battlefield, about
fourteen miles below Wilmington on the Cape Fear River, where was
fought in 1725 the last battle between the whites and the Indians on
the Cape Fear. Erected by the New Hanover County Historical
Commission.
4. Site of Fort Anderson.
A tablet to mark the location of Fort Anderson on the Cape Fear
River opposite Fort Fisher, which, with Fort Fisher, formed the de-fense
of the city of Wilmington during the Civil War. Erected by the
New Hanover County Historical Commission.
5. Site of Charlestown.
This tablet marks the site of Charlestown on the Cape Fear, founded
in 1665 by Sir John Yeamans, and afterwards abandoned. Erected by
the New Hanover County Historical Commission.
6. Historical Sites in Wilmington.
A series of tablets marking the sites of events of historic interest in
the city of Wilmington. Erected by the New Hanover County His-torical
Commission.
7. Ramsgate Road Tablet.
A tablet to mark the location of the old Ramsgate Road in Wake
County, built in 1771 by Governor Tryon, when on his expedition
against the Regulators. Erected by the Bloomsbury Chapter, D. R.
8. Ramseur Tablet.
A tablet erected to mark the location of the Belle Grove House near
Winchester, Va., where died, October 20, 1864, Major-General Stephen
Dodson Ramseur, of a wound received at the battle of Cedar Creek,
October 19, 1864. Erected in conjunction with the North Carolina
Division, U. D. C, and the North Carolina Division, U. C. V.
9. Pettigrew Tablet.
A tablet erected to mark the location of the Boyd House near Win-chester,
Va., where died, July 17, 1863, Brigadier-General James John-ston
Pettigrew, of wounds received at the battle of Falling Waters,
July 14, 1863. Erected in conjunction with the North Carolina Di-vision,
U. D. C. and U. C. V.
!N". C. Historical Commission. 31
The Ramseur and Pettigrew memorials are bronze tablets affixed to
handsome granite columns, the columns being gifts to the Commission
of the late Col. Peter H. Mayo of Richmond, Va. They were unveiled
on September 16 and 17, 1920. In the exercises in connection with the
unveiling of these memorials we received such cordial cooperation and
hospitality from the Confederate veterans, Daughters of the Confed-eracy,
and other citizens of Winchester and vicinity, as made the occa-sion
a notable one.
HALL OF HISTORY
I submit herewith the report of the Collector for the Hall of History,
and desire to call your attention especially to the fine collection of World
War relics and photographs which have been secured during the period
covered by this report. Another particularly interesting feature of the
report is the statement that during the past two years, 202 classes of
school children, representing schools in thirty-two counties, have visited
the Hall of History and heard lectures on the history of North Carolina
as illustrated by the collections there exhibited.
Report of the Collector for the Hall of History
Raleigh, N. C, December 1, 1920.
To Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary:
I beg leave to submit herewith my report as Collector for the Hall of
History for the biennium, December 1, 1918-Wovember 30, 1920:
During the period covered by this report, December 1, 1918-November
30, 1920, the collections in the Hall of History have been greatly en-riched
and enlarged. Many of the counties in the State have been
visited in the search not only for relics but for documents, letters,
record-books and any other material, which could be obtained.
From many counties much original material was secured, including
marriage-bonds, county court minutes, wills, inventories of estates and
other documents. So many courthouses have been burned and such
extreme carelessness shown in other cases that the loss of documents has
been immense and irreparable. The stories of the various counties, cov-ering
existing records now in them and those brought here from them,
have been prepared and are on file for instant reference.
When Mr. R. B. House took up his duties as collector of material
relating to the World War there were turned over to him many thou-sands
of documents and great numbers of photographs. The documents
included the records of the draft in North Carolina ; records of the food
and fuel administrations ; reports on war industries in the State, which
had been made by me as the unpaid representative of the War De-
32 Eighth Biennial Report.
partment and the United States Shipping Board ; posters issued by the
United States and the State during the war; and many other reports,
orders, maps, etc. This collection was begun as soon as the World "War
began, as some North Carolinians entered it as early as September,
1914, and was continued to the end of the war.
The additions to the collections in the Hall of History are set out
below, in what may be termed historical periods, for the sake of
convenience.
Colonial Period
An engraved portrait of Martin Howard, last Chief Justice under the
Crown, presented by Mr. Alexander B. Andrews, of Raleigh; portrait
and letter of Bishop Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg; portrait of Col.
"William Polk; 97 steel engravings of notable English men and women;
tablecloth brought here by the Mendenhall family in 1682 ; commission
of Joseph Montfort as Grand Master of Masons for America, signed by
the Duke of Beaufort, Grand Master of England, this being deposited
by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina; engraving of Sir Walter Ra-leigh,
as Captain of the Archers of the King's Body Guard of the Yeo-men
of the Guard, 1592, presented by Col. Sir Reginald Hennell, the
present commanding officer of the Guard.
Revolutionary Period
Watch worn by Capt. John McDowell at the battle of Cowpens;
picture of a North Carolina soldier, by Howard Pyle ; bullets and glass-ware
from the battlefield of Ramseur's Mill ; clock of Zebulon Baird, the
grandfather of Gov. Z. B. Vance, presented by the teachers' association
of Transylvania County ; map of New Bern ; many Indian relics ; medal
struck in honor of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham ; and watch worn by
Sarah Marcy, lent by Mrs. Jonathan Worth Jackson, in memory of Mr.
Jonathan Worth Jackson.
Federal Period
Chair of the old House of Commons, saved when the first State capitol
at Raleigh was burned in 1831 ; bronze medal given by Congress to
Cyrus Field for the first Atlantic cable ; medal given by the people of the
United States to Henry Clay.
Civil War Period
Sword and sash of Capt. Francis Nash Waddell; flags of the 11th
Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, presented by Capt. Edward R.
Outlaw of Elizabeth City and the children of Col. W. F. Martin ; flag of
N". C. Historical Commission. 33
the 16th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, presented by Emanuel
Rudasill of Sherman, Texas ; sword and spurs of Col. Francis M. Parker
of the 30th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops; shell from the
battlefield of South West Creek, near Kinston; photograph of Gen.
Junius Daniel; bust in marble of Governor John W. Ellis, transferred
from the Executive Mansion; photographs of Gen. William MacRae
and Capt. James Iredell Metts of Wilmington, presented by Cape Fear
Chapter, TJ. D. C, Wilmington.
Oil Portraits
Gen. William Ruffin Cox, C. S. A., painted by Martha M. Andrews,
presented by Mrs. Kate Cabell Cox, of Richmond, Ya. ; Dr. Stephen B.
Weeks, painted by Paul Emil Menzel, presented by Willie P. Mangum,
Weeks, Washington, D. C.
Period Since the Civil War
Group portrait of William A. Graham and his seven sons ; the original
of the famous telegram sent by William R. Cox, Chairman of the State
Democratic Executive Committee, to W. Foster French, Democratic
Chairman of Robeson County, during the election of delegates to the
Constitutional Convention of 1875, reading: "As you love your State
hold Robeson," presented by Mr. D. D. French; photographs of all the
members of the State Constitutional Convention of 1875 ; photograph
of Dr. Bartholomew W. Durham, for whom Durham County was named
;
the Supreme Court on the hundredth anniversary of its establishment;
photograph of Lieut. William E. Shipp, U. S. A., killed in the War with
Spain ; part of the Wright brothers' airplane, which made the first suc-cessful
flight, at Kitty Hawk, Dare County, N". C, May 8, 1908, and the
first telegram announcing that flight.
The World War
The flags of all the North Carolina regiments in the United States
service, these being the 105th Engineers, 115th Field Artillery, 115th
Machine Gun Battalion, 119th and 120th Infantry, all of the 30th or
"Old Hickory" Division; 316th and 317th Field Artillery, 321st and
322d Infantry, all of the 81st or "Wild Cat" Division, with the battle
ribbons and also silver bands for the staffs; the headquarters flag of
Gen. Samuel L. Faison, commanding the 60th Brigade, 30th Division,
presented to him by the North Carolina Chapter of the Sons of the
American Revolution ; flag of Base Hospital Unit No. 65, presented by
the surgeons and nurses composing it.
34 Eighth Biennial Report.
Two cannon and an anti-aircraft gun from the German ship Crown
Princess Louise, from the Navy Department; German anti-tank rifle
and automatic fifty-shot pistol, presented by Col. S. W. Minor, 120th
Infantry; German machine gun, captured and presented by the 113th
Field Artillery; number of relics of service in France and Belgium,
presented for the 113th Field Artillery by Col. Albert L. Cox, including
the last shells fired by each of the six batteries of that regiment, the
moment before the armistice began, November 11, 1918; testament
struck by German shrapnel, which saved the life of private Curtis Ben-ton
of the 113th Field Artillery; imperial German telephone captured
by that regiment, presented by Maj. A. L. Bulwinkle.
The collection of the photographs is large and varied. Sets were
made of Red Cross work at Raleigh and the reception of the 113th Field
Artillery here on its return from France. There are nine views of
Raleigh from an airplane ; many of the shipyards at Wilmington, New
Bern and Morehead City; the hospital at Oteen and Kenilworth; the
naval aviation station at Morehead City and of all the regiments from
North Carolina above referred to in connection with their flags ; together
with pictures of officers and men of these and other commands.
The autograph photographs include those of President Wilson, Mar-shall
Foch, Field Marshal Haig, who commanded the army of which
the 30th Division was an important part; King Albert of Belgium,
General Pershing, General Mclver, General Lewis, General Faison,
and General Campbell, all North Carolinians; Colonel Minor, Col-onel
Metts, Colonel Pratt, Colonel Wooten of the First U. S. Engineers,
the first American force to enter England ; Lady Madelon Battle Hancock,
formerly of Asheville, who was at the Front in the British Red Cross
Service in France and Belgium from August 10, 1914, until the armis-tice,
who received twelve decorations from Great Britain, Belgium and
France, and is widely known as "Glory" Hancock ; Robert Lester Black-well,
119th Infantry, the only North Carolinian ever awarded the Con-gressional
Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration ; John
E. Ray, 119th Infantry, who received the Victoria Cross.
There are many other relics from the battlefields of France and Bel-gium;
twenty-five commemorative medals struck by France and lent by
Col. Albert L. Cox; thirty-one military medals of the various counties,
lent by Lt. E. F. Wilson; part of the airplane in which Kiffin Rockwell
made his last flight, he being the first North Carolinian killed in the war.
There are the uniforms of Kiffin Rockwell with three French decora-tions,
those of the Legion of Honor, Medaille Militaire and Croix de
Guerre ; of James McConnell and James H. Baugham, also of the Esca-drille
LaFayette, decorated with the Medal Militaire and the Croix de
Guerre; John E. Ray, of the 119th Infantry, decorated with the Victoria
!N\ C. Historical Commission. 35
Cross and the Distinguished. Service Cross; Robert R. Bridgers, of the
British ambulance service, decorated with the honor medal of that
service.
Special Visits, Exhibits and Lectures
During the period the battlefields of Guilford Courthouse, King's
Mountain, Ramseur's Mill, Moore's Creek, Alamance and Bentonville
were visited. At the battlefield of South West Creek, near Kinston, an
address was made and appropriate relics exhibited. The Confederate
reunion at Fayetteville was attended. Memorial Day addresses were
made at Elizabeth City and Henderson.
Nearly 300 college and school addresses were made, in almost all the
counties in the State.
During the period 202 schools or classes in schools visited the Hall of
History, representing thirty-two counties.
A great deal of care has been given to the arrangement of relics
chronologically in the Eastern Hall and when possible episodes in the
State's history have been set out. These include the First Settlement on
Roanoke Island ; the Lords Proprietors ; the Stamp Act episode at Wil-mington,
1765 ; the Moravian Settlement ; the Scotch settlements ; the
battle of the Alamance ; the Revolutionary War from beginning to end
;
the naming of the counties, with portraits of persons for whom they
were named ; Colonial and Revolutionary notables ; the Worth Carolina-born
Presidents of the United States; the University and the earliest
colleges ; early transportation ; the World War.
The collections in the Western Hall were already arranged chrono-logically.
The addition of so much fresh material has made it possible
to effect both of these arrangements, which prove of great value to teach-ers
and students, who compose a large part of the visitors, and also to the
general public as well. Many lectures were delivered and students took
notes easily because of this arrangement by periods.
Acting in cooperation with the Sulgrave Institution, at its request,
the special attention of the public was called to the exhibits of objects
relating to the First Settlement in North Carolina territory, 1584-1587.
This material includes in the Eastern Hall engravings of Sir Walter
Raleigh and his wife, born Elizabeth Throgmorton; his autograph, his
home, Hayes-Barton; the room in the Tower of London, in which he was
so long a prisoner; John White's narrative of the 1586 settlement on
Roanoke Island, with map and engravings, 1590; letter from Joshua
Lamb, whose father, of Boston, Mass., bought Roanoke Island, April
17, 1676, from Sir William Berkley of Virginia; map of Roanoke
Island, made by Surveyor-General William Maude, 1710. In the West-ern
Hall are the portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Raleigh, engraving
36 Eighth Biennial Report.
of Raleigh as Captain of the Archers of the King's Body Guard, of the
Yeomen of the Guard, 1592 ; Sir Walter and his half-brother, Sir Hum-phrey
Gilbert; the inscription on the slab upon his grave in St. Mar-garet's
Church, Westminster Abbey; his knightly arms; another pic-ture
of his home in Devonshire, Hayes-Barton ; harquebus or hand-gun
of that period ; ballast from the vessels of White's expedition ; charcoal
from the fire-pit in Tort Raleigh ; oil paintings of Roanoke Island today,
Jacques Busbee; engraving of King Edward VII, autographed by His
Majesty and specially sent because of the first English settlement in what
is now the territory of the United States, with letter from Viscount
Bryce, setting out this fact.
Respectfully submitted,
Fred A. Olds,
Collector for the Hall of History.
LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE LIBRARY
Below will be found the biennial report of the Legislative Reference
Librarian. Considering the serious handicaps under which the library
has been compelled to function during the past two years, the report
shows a record creditable to it.
It should be borne in mind that the greater part of the library's work
is of an intangible character which cannot be adequately described in
such a report as this. For instance, merely to say that 424 of the bills
introduced into the General Assembly of 1919, and 150 of those intro-duced
at the Special Session of 1920 were prepared for members in the
Legislative Reference Library, does not give an adequate idea of the
amount of labor required in investigations preliminary to the prepara-tion
of the bills in the numerous conferences with the members for whom
they were drawn, and in the many drafts which are frequently necessary
before they are ready for introduction. The library has functioned
effectively during the sessions, but its attention needs to be directed to
a more systematic and thorough expansion and development of its
activities between sessions. For this purpose the Librarian needs more
stenographic and clerical assistance.
The report of the Librarian follows
:
Report of the Legislative Refrence Librarian
Raleigh, N. C, December 1, 1920.
Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary:
Following the death on December 18, 1918, of the Former Legislative
Reference Librarian, Mr. W. S. Wilson, the services of Mr. R. II. Sykes,
of Durham, were secured for the session of the General Assembly of
1919. Mr. Sykes was assisted by Mr. W. T. Joyner.
N. C. Historical Commission. 37
Assistance was thus furnished the members of the General Assembly
in the preparation and drafting of bills, in a similar way to the services
so efficiently rendered by the late Mr. Wilson to the General Assembly
of 1917.
Upon assuming my duties as Legislative Eeference Librarian on
August 1, 1919, I at once entered actively into the work of ascertaining
the needs of State and county officials as to information desired touching
legislation in this and other states and in promptly supplying this
information. In order to acquaint myself with present and prospective
problems of legislation I attended meetings of the State Bar Association,
State Social Welfare Workers, the District Library Association and
other important gatherings in the State.
During November, 1920, after conferring with the Chairman and
Secretary of the Commission, I went to Baltimore, Albany and Hartford
and inspected the Legislative Reference Libraries at those places.
I was shown every courtesy and had placed at my disposal all the
facilities of those well-equipped reference libraries for making a study
of the work done and the methods used. This trip was deferred until
after the Special Session of the General Assembly in August, in order
that I might be in better position to ascertain more clearly just what
particular line of study and investigation it would be best to pursue.
Publications
Among the first of the activities of the Legislative Reference Library
during the past year was the compilation and publication of a booklet
of 63 pages entitled, ''Directory of State and County Officials of North
Carolina." It contained a complete list of North Carolina's congress-men,
State officers, heads of the State departments, boards and com-missions,
judicial officers, district tax supervisors, members of the Legis-lature
and of county officials with their postoffice addresses. For each
county it gave the name and address of the clerk of the court, sheriff,
treasurer, register of deeds, coroner, surveyor, superintendent of health,
superintendent of schools, superintendent of public welfare, county tax
supervisor, county and highway commissioners. So great was the de-mand
for this booklet that the supply of the first edition was quickly
exhausted, necessitating the publication of a second revised edition.
Copies were mailed to State and county officials besides being furnished
to a large number of other people upon request.
At the instance of the Southern Headquarters of the American Red
Cross in Atlanta, during the spring and summer of 1920, I assembled
and compiled material for the "Handbook of Information of the Social
Resources of the State of North Carolina." This publication was edited
38 Eighth Biennial Report.
and published under the direction of the Social Service Department of
the American Red Cross, all the expense having been borne by that
organization. By cooperating with our various State institutions and
agencies, the Legislative Reference Library acted as a clearing house,
so to speak, for the several chapters in the book assigned to them. This
handbook will furnish to social service workers comprehensive informa-tion
as to the agencies that they may call upon to assist them in their
work. The Red Cross in planning extension of its social work in North
Carolina, felt that the handbook would be of invaluable aid. If a case
should arise that requires a knowledge of the correctional institutions
in the State, the location and all available information can be had by
reference to the handbook. All child welfare laws, educational laws,
and institutions, labor legislation, private and public institutions for the
care of the feeble minded, health work, home demonstration, etc., are
listed in the book with detailed information as to how to make the
services of the institutions available. Copies of this handbook will be
available on request to the Red Cross authorities.
In September, 1920, I prepared and published a digest of the election
laws relative to the requirements of registration and voting as especially
affecting new voters. This was mailed to every newspaper in the State
and was also sent to various women's clubs and equal suffrage organiza-tions,
it being of especial interest and value to the prospective women
voters.
Shortly after the election in November, 1920, I compiled and pub-lished
a complete list of the members-elect of the Legislature of 1921,
together with their postofnce addresses.
Special Session op 1920
During the sixteen days' Special Session of the Legislature in August,
1920, about 150 bills were drafted in the Legislative Reference Library.
In this work I was assisted by Maj. W. T. Joyner, who had rendered
valuable assistance in a similar capacity to Mr. Sykes during the regular
session of 1919. Information on a wide range of subjects was furnished
both before and during the session to the legislators. Several weeks
before the Special Session convened, I forwarded the following self-explanatory
letter to each member:
You have doubtless in mind some legislation of a public or private nature
which you think should be enacted at the approaching session.
If the Legislative Reference Library of the Historical Commission can be
of any service to you in collecting information in this or other states on the
subjects of proposed legislation, please advise us. It will be our pleasure
to serve you in this or in any other matter. All that is asked is that suffi-cient
time be given to collect the data required. For that reason, if you will
iST. C. Historical Commission. 39
communicate with this office, making known your needs and desires, some
time in advance of the session, the information will be assembled and fur-nished
you in ample time.
The Legislative Reference Library desires at all times to serve the people
of North Carolina and especialy to offer its services to the members of the
State Legislature. It is hoped that you will avail yourself of our assistance,
both now and during the approaching session.
In response to the above letter a number of replies was received from
which some idea was acquired of the character of legislation likely to be
introduced and the information was secured accordingly. A similar
letter has already been sent to the members-elect of the Senate and
House of Representatives of the General Assembly of 1921.
It has been my constant effort to make the Legislative Reference
Library a place where the legislator and man of public affairs can study
easily, intelligently and fully the trend of legislation at home and abroad
and learn something of the reasons for and against the several move-ments.
The benefits of the Library are being recognized more and more
and there are many regrets that it was not established many years ago.
Every effort has been made to make the library useful and satisfactory
and as its advantages are understood and appreciated it is confidently
predicted that it will steadily grow in importance and usefulness to the
citizens of the State.
Respectfully submitted,
Henry M. London,
Legislative Reference Librarian.
SUMMARY
The following summary, although clearly inadequate, may enable the
members of the Commission to get a clearer idea of the scope of the
Commission's work as covered by this report. The report shows that
during the past two years
—
1. Five official and five unofficial collections, containing 15,014 pieces, were
arranged and filed for use;
2. 8,666 manuscripts were scientifically treated for permanent preservation;
3. 44 volumes of manuscripts were bound;
4. Index cards to the names in eight volumes of Revolutionary Army
Accounts were made, and cards to 20 volumes, numbering upwards of 75,000,
were arranged alphabetically;
5. 3,281 manuscripts were added to collections already begun; 11 new col-lections
were secured;
6. The work of collecting the records of the World War was organized and
more than 100,000 documents, covering 31 different subjects, were procured;
7. Noncurrent official records, in 60 bound volumes and thousands of
unbound papers, were brought in from 17 counties;
40 Eighth Biennial Report.
8. Photostat copies of 169 issues of North Carolina newspapers of various
dates from 1757 to 1800, were secured;
9. Five publications were issued;
10. Nine historical markers were erected;
11. To collections in the Hall of History were added 178 different exhibits,
embracing hundreds of portraits, photographs, battle flags, medals, uniforms,
and other relics illustrating every period of our history;
12. The Legislative Reference Library, in addition to its general activities,
prepared 574 bills for members of the General Assembly, published one valu-able
bulletin, and collected data covering a wide range for an important
publication on the social service resources of the State.
Although the above summary very inadequately covers the work of
the Commission, most of which is incapable of being expressed statis-tically,
it is not, I think, unimpressive.
Respectfully submitted,
R. D. W. Connor,
Secretary.
Raleigh, North Carolina, December 1, 1920.