From Williams’ Almanac— 1840
Worth Carolina had ih> state debt; the Gov¬
ernor reeeiveil $2,000 a year; revenue from
taxes was $11 1,000 annually, and the popu¬
lation of the state was 727.987.
By WILLIAM A. ALLIIAWDS
THE North Carolina edition of
Williams’ Almanac for 1840.
published by David H. Williams
of Boston, Mass., contains some
interesting and enlightening infor¬
mation concerning tne state at that
period of its history.
According to facts found in this
early publication, the state of
North Carolina owed no debt in
1840.
Under the caption, "Debts and
Stocks of the Several States.”
North Carolina is described as fol¬
lows :
"This state has set apart a large
amount of funds for internal im¬
provements, and for the establish¬
ment of public schools, which are
placed under the direction of two
boards, styled the literary and
internal improvement boards.
These funds, until required to meet
specific appropriations by the legis¬
lature, arc lent out to individuals
and corporations at six per cent.
The state of North Carolina owes
no debt.”
Increase in State Traffic
From other varied information
given in the booklet, the population
of North Carolina at the end of
1830 was listed at 737.987. Slaves
in North Carolina in 1830 totaled
245,601. In 1820 the number was
205,017. In 1810 the total was
168,824, thus showing that the
slave traffic was increasing in the
state. South Carolina and Virginia
were the only states surpassing
North Carolina in the slave busi¬
ness.
Some of the state officers of that
period and their yearly salaries
were :
"Edward B. Dudley. Wilming¬
ton, governor, salary $2,000 and
the use of a valuable furnished
house. Chr. C. Battle, private
secretary to the governor, $500;
William Hill of Raleigh, secretary
of state, $800 and fees; Charles L.
Hinton, of Wake County, treasurer.
$1,500; William F. Collins, of
Chatham County, comptroller,
$1,000; Andrew Joyner, of Halifax
8
County, speaker of the senate; and
William A. Graham, of Orange,
speaker of the house of commons."
The University of North Caro¬
lina. and Davidson and Wake
Forest colleges are the only state
educational institutions mentioned
in the almanac.
College Expenses
Expenses for students, wishing
to attend the University of North
Carolina, were unusually reason¬
able: Instruction $50; room rent
and other college expenses. $9;
total college charges $59. Board
was given at $98, including wash¬
ing and fuel. The sums are to be
regarded, it is explained, as the
average necessary expenses for the
several objects.
Under the heading of common
schools, the almanac says:
"The funds set apart by the state
for the support of common schools
consists of 1 ,000,000 acres of swamp
land, of uncertain value; the tax
imposed on retailers of spirituous
liquors, and on auctioneers; moneys
paid into the treasury on entries
of vacant lands (except Cherokee
lands); all profits accruing to the
state for subscriptions to works of
internal improvement and from
loans made from the internal im¬
provement fund.”
Added to this was. also, a list of
shares of bank stock, and shares
of stock in Roanoke Navigation,
Cape Fear Navigation and the
Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad,
all of which added up to $1,730,485.
The annual income derived from
these sources, as given: "On $1 .-
700.000 of the above at 6 per cent.
$102,000; tax of retailers of spirit¬
uous liquors $2,800; tax on auc¬
tioneers $1,200; and money paid
for entries of vacant lands $5,000;"
all of which totaled $111,000.
The Common Schools
In a further discussion of the
common schools of the state, the
writer says:
“At the last session of the legis¬
lature — before 1840 — an act was
passed to divide the counties into
school districts and to establish
and support common schools; and
the design was submitted to the
people at the election of members
of Congress. All in favor of raising
by taxation one dollar for every
two dollars, proposed to be fur¬
nished out of the literary fund for
the establishment of common
schools in each school district, to
deposit their vote with the word
‘school’ written upon it; those op¬
posed to it, to vote ‘no school’ upon
their ticket."
"From the return of votes at the
last election of members of Con¬
gress, it appears that a great ma¬
jority of the counties voted in
favor of common schools."
The booklet contains a brief
article about General William
Lenoir, whose death occurred May
6. 1840, at Fort Defiance. N. C., at
the age of 88. Concerning him,
the writer says:
"There is perhaps no man now
remaining in North Carolina who
bore a more distinguished part in
the revolutionary war, or who was
more closely identified with the
early history of the state, than
General Lenoir."
The sketch enumerates the
achievements of this prominent
North Carolinian, and gives a list
of the various military and state
offices that he held. The writer
also states that General Lenoir
served as a justice of the peace
for a period of about 60 years-
which achievement, alone, must
have been somewhat of a record.
On the topic of weather, the
publication gives the following
information:
"In reviewing the changes of the
year 1838, we find it marked by
several striking peculiarities. In
it we find greater excesses of heat
and cold, drought and moisture,
than have been noticed in any
other for a long period of time.
The excess of caloric was, however,
more than balanced by the cold
of the winter and spring months.
The heat and drought of the sum-
( Continued on page 20 )
THE STATE. December 13. 1947
