North Caroliniana
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Scattered around tlic state in public
libraries — and in a few private li¬
braries — are sets of an unusual work.
The \ or th Carolina Booklet. The first
issue is dated May
I».
1901. and for
nearly a quarter century the periodical
fulfilled its aim of presenting "Great
Events in North Carolina History." At
the time it was founded by the North
Carolina Society of the Daughters of
the Revolution, the State Historical
Commission had not been established,
and there was no media, so far as we
know, responsible for the regular and
systematic publication of North Caro¬
lina historical material.
Edited at first by Miss Martha Ellen
Haywood (whose idea it was) and
Mrs. Hubert Haywood of Raleigh. The
Booklet was just what its title implied.
Each issue was a little booklet, devoted
to one specific episode in our history,
and closely resembled the series of
booklets and pamphlets now issued by
the Department of Archives & History.
Each edition sold for 10 cents; a
year's subscription was SI: and promi¬
nent and well-informed North Caro¬
linians contributed the solid and au¬
thentic articles I he very first of all
was on Virginia Dare, written by Major
(irahani Daves. I hen followed others,
and both subject matter and authors
must have excited and pleased a clien¬
tele hungry for such material.
Look at some of these titles and the
writers: "Liberty, Property and no
Stamp Duty," by Col.
Л.
M. Wad¬
dell; "Edenton I ea Party," bv Dr.
Richard Dillard; "Betsy Dowdy’s
Ride." by Col. R B. Creccy; "Green's
Retreat," Prof. (General) i). II. Hill;
"Lafayette." by Major E. J. Hale; "Pet¬
tigrew's Charge." Capt. S. A. Ashe;
"Reminiscences of a Blockade Run¬
ner." James Sprunt.
The Booklet gradually evolved into
a magazine, and in 1905 became a
quarterly It was increased in size and
variety of contents, with Miss Mary
Hilliard Hinton and Mrs. E. E. Moffit
as editors. Inward the end. more at¬
tention was paid to genealogical ma¬
terial. but on the whole the publica¬
tion consistently sought historical
articles of general interest from leading
North Carolinians, and its last issue,
published in April 1923. contained ar¬
ticles by Chief Justice Walter Clark.
Dr. Collier Cobb. Dr. Richard Dillard
and Marshall DcLanccy Haywood. Its
advisory board included such people
as General D. II. Hill. Dr. R. D. W.
Connor, Dr. William K. Boyd. Cap¬
tain S. A. Ashe. Miss Adelaide Fries.
Dr. Charles Lee Smith, and others.
Such an array of talented leadership
would make the mouth of any editor
water.
Twelve years after the magazine
was started. Captain Ashe wrote of it,
"A noble oak has grown front an
acom. What an advantage it has been
to the state! How many subjects have
been explored how many historical
incidents have been rescued from ob¬
livion. . . ."
Contents
Here are some representative ar¬
ticles, with authors, published in The
North Carolina Booklet. There were,
of course, scores of others:
Gen. lames Johnson Pettigrew. C.S.A.. bv
Justice Waller Clark.
Joe I anc. by Marshall Del anev Haywood.
The Term "Pickett's Charge" a Misnomer,
by Walter Clark
Richard Henderson, by Archibald Hender¬
son.
Last Days of the Revolution, by R. B. House.
Parishes in North Carolina, by Fred A. Olds.
Kiffin Yates Rockwell, by R. B. House.
History at Valley Forge, by Capt. S. A. Ashe.
Indians in Piedmont N. C„ by Douglas L.
Rights.
The Ramsgate Road, by Collier Cobb.
Old Carolina College, by Collier Cobb.
North Carolina at Gettysburg, bv Walter
Clark.
Battle of Cowan's Ford. Major William A.
Graham.
Rdward Moseley, by Gen D. H. Hill.
The Hornet's Nest, by Heriot Clarkson.
The Ku Klui Klans. by Mrs. T. J. Jarsiv
The Trial of James Glasgow.
К
P Battle.
Battle of Moore’s Creek, by M. C. S. Noble.
Our Own Pirates, by S. A. Ashe.
The Tuscarora War. by Walter Clark
Secret Service in the Confederacy. Dr.
Charles E. Taylor
lohn Motley Nlorehcad. R. D W. Connor.
Capt James Iredell Waddell. Capt. S. A.
Ashe.
The Pflcgcrin, bv Adelaide I Fries.
The Fisheries of Eastern Carolina, by Wil¬
liam J. Leary, Sr.
It was a merited judgement, but
nevertheless The Booklet died, for what
reason this writer docs not know. The
end was approaching in 1921. when the
last three numbers of Volume XX
were combined in one edition.
In 1922. all four numbers were pub¬
lished in one magazine. Then the pub¬
lication was interrupted until 1926. In
that year. Volume XXIII was pub¬
lished. with all four numbers again
appearing in one edition, priced at SI.
It was the editor's intention to con¬
tinue. for the customary notice was
printed about the next volume, and in¬
viting readers to send in their subscrip¬
tions. Apparently, a sufficient number
of them did not do so. for after this
no more Booklets appeared.
It is possible that appearance of The
North Carolina Historical Review, es¬
tablished in 1924, might have been the
final blow. The struggling publication's
editors may have decided that its pres¬
ence no longer was needed in a state
at last beginning to put its historical
house in order . . . and on display.
But in its 23 years of existence. The
Booklet and its editors wrought
mightily. They put in the record the
most significant and interesting epi¬
sodes from our history, many of them
for the first time. For some years, the
booklets were mined by subsequent
writers.
But not these days. One rarely runs
across a mention of the Booklet as a
source, and many libraries not only do
not have it. but a number of librari¬
ans tell me they have never heard of it.
The full set is rarely offered for
sale. Our own set came to us in two
portions — the first eight volumes were
bought bound; the rest of the volumes
were purchased loose from Miss Hinton
just before her death. Even at that, we
lack Nos. 3. 4. 5 and 10 from Volume
I and have no hope of finding them.
Readers interested in a unique and
wide range of readable, authentic ar¬
ticles on our history should inquire at
their local libraries to sec if this set is
available. — B.S.
Stated Wet I
Oliscr Edwards, once a fcllow-col-
Icgian of Dr. Samuel Johnson and in
later life a solicitor who turned Hert¬
fordshire farmer, was a man of buoy¬
ant temperament. "I have tried in my
time to be a philosopher." he declared,
"but cheerfulness was always break¬
ing in." — Investor's Reader
24
THE STATE. NOVEMBER 1, 1967