Wake County Genealogical Society Blog

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Special Black History Month Presentations - Shiloh and Jesse Harris, Rev War Soldier

excerpt from SOFAFEA newsletter -

Saundra Russ Cropps, WCGS Diversity Officer and member of the South Atlantic Region of Society of the First African Families of English America, presented at the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society-Triangle Chapter on February 7. She shared the story of her Forgotten Patriot ancestor Private Jesse Harris and the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (from the original project collaboration with the Wake County Historical Society and Wake County Genealogical Society). Russ Cropps shared the story of her ancestor Private Jesse Harris (1762-1844), a free Black man who served for 18 months in the 10th North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Army after being hired by a "class of men" to fulfill their service obligation.

Saundra Russ Cropps

Black History Month is a fitting time to share both presentations from our Shiloh History Celebration in October 2025.

View both slidesdecks with narrative below:

Shiloh: The Founders' Legacy
Resources

Jesse Harris, Free Black Revolutionary Soldier

Resources
Descendants

Monday, February 16, 2026

Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter - February 2026

For those following along, here is the latest Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter.

February 2026

View past UAFA newsletters here

Reminder! 2026 Wake County Genealogical Society Virtual Meetings - next - Feb 24, 2026

There is still time to register for this webinar. Who knows what you will find in the digital collections.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026 @ 6:30pm – Virtual

Topic: NC Archives Digital Services: Using the website, digital collections, and online catalog

Speaker: Anna Peitzman

Join us for a review of the digital resources offered by the State Archives! Topics will include: Navigating the SANC website, searching the North Carolina Digital Collections, and searching the Discover Online Catalog, otherwise known as DOC.

Join us! Free and virtual!

*Please register by 4pm day of meeting.

*Please save your passcode and link for ease of entry at start time.

*Presentation starts promptly at 6:30 pm.

Link to register at the Wakecogen website events page.

Registration is now open!

Get the video recording to watch on-demand for 30 days and access to our webinar handout library with your WCGS membership!

** At presenters discretion.

Upcoming Events

View events page for details

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 @ 6:30pm - Virtual
Who's your daddy? Exploring North Carolina Bastardy Bonds
presented by A. Danielle Pritchett, MLS

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2026 @ 6:30pm - Virtual
Researching Your Mom: Don't overlook researching your immediate family!
presented by Diane L Richard

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 @ 6:30pm - Virtual
Preserving Small Family Cemeteries
Presented by Joel Hobby

Tuesday, Jun 23, 2026 @ 6:30pm - Virtual
Fishing in Every Pond: Cousin Baiting
presented by Christine Cohen

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Wake Wednesday 250: John Chavis, Notable Black Educator, preacher and Rev War Soldier

This article was previously posted in our newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, Vol 6.4, Summer 2023 under the title A Useful Find: NC Schools & Academies, 1790-1840.

I often discover interesting records by accident as I am researching other things. I found a lot that I was not looking for as I researched things for the Wake Cemetery Survey. This record is one you will find interesting if you have early NC ancestors. - CD

You will find a digitized copy of North Carolina Schools and Academies, 1790-1840, A Documentary History at NCDigital for your research and browsing pleasure. Created by Charles Lee Coon and published in 1915, “North Carolina Schools...” is a collection of education related postings that appeared in the weekly Raleigh Register during the 1790-1840 time frame. The book is an attempt to portray education as it existed in North Carolina during the fifty years immediately succeeding 1790.

While the volume covers all NC counties of that time, I focused on browsing Wake County. It should be noted that one must add 50 to any page you choose in the table of contents if you wish to land on the correct page. The front matter was numbered with roman numerals and that shifts the page numbering out of line considerably. The Table of Contents starts on page 51. The Wake County index includes pages 54 and 55. Schools appear to be listed in the order in which they were created chronologically from 1809- 1839. A more readable copy of each page appears by clicking on the preview window of the page you have chosen. A higher resolution image will appear. Raleigh Academy, the largest school in the area, appears on pages 388 (438) -512 (562).

John Chaves’ school of Wake County highlighted below caught my interest as I read that the school catered to both white children and children of color. The free colored population of Raleigh at this time must have been large enough to support this. I wondered if there was more to find on this school.

Source.
Click image to enlarge text.

I went looking and did find several articles about the teacher, John Chavis (Chaves). A lengthy article at NCPedia summarized his life. He was a brave and accomplished man who certainly earned his historical marker located at East and Worth Streets (if not more).

He was probably an "indentured servant” of John Milne of Halifax (c. 1773). He was a soldier in the Rev War, educated at the Presbyterian Washington Academy (now Washington and Lee University) and at Princeton. He was a licensed Presbyterian minister, and described as "almost certainly the most learned black of his time in the South, and perhaps in the United States."

His school in Wake started in 1808 was still running in 1828. He taught in Granville and Chatham counties as well. His bio is a good read.

I went to school with many Chavis kids at Millbrook High School back in the day. I imagine they were probably descendants. I wonder if they knew of their inspiring ancestor. I hope so, and wish we had been taught his role in history. It is amazing what you find when you are not looking for something. Check out NC Schools and Academies online and see what you learn. - CD

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Wake Wednesday 250 - The Jumonville Glen Incident, May 1754

AKA - That time George Washington might have started the first Global War!

Let's look at the territories in the time leading up to the French and Indian War. The map below illustrates the land held by the various parties at this time. France in green, Native Americans in pink and Britian in gold.

The maps set the stage for the events and pressures of the day. In this 1755 map, the English colonists were pushing westward for more fertile farm land, the French were pushing eastward to meet the English before they could claim land that France wanted for themselves, and the Native tribes resented being pushed on both sides. They wanted desperately to hold their ground and maybe gain back a little of what they had lost. The Natives were frequently bargaining with whichever side had the upper hand. It was a volatile time for all.

Carte des possessions angloises & françoises du continent de l'Amérique Septentrionale
c.1755
Source link - click to enlarge

Comparing this map (link) of the Native Trading Path Road through Va., NC, and SC will help you get your bearings on the 1755 map. The line that snakes from Petersburg, Va through NC into SC is this same Trading Path Road.

George was in his early twenties at this time and serving as a soldier for Britain as many good colonists of the day would do. In response to a spate of fort building along Lake Erie and LeBoeuf Creek, Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie directed Lt. Col. George Washington, his men and a band of Ohio Indian co-horts to lead a diplomatic mission to encourage the French to take a beat and abandon their forts. Washington was very green as an officer. He had only joined the militia a year earlier. The governor chose Washington thinking his prior six years experience as a surveyor would help in navigating the frontier. Alas, the mission did not end well and things deteriorated further over the ensuing year.

I won't deprive you of a wonderful account that describes diplomatic mission and the ensuing events. I recommend you read this article from Smithsonian magazine that chronicles Washington's experiences and missteps that led to the opening battle of the French and Indian War. The most amazing part of the article is the eye-witness account of a Native called the "Chief Warrior of the Ohio Iroquios." It is not often we get that sort of direct insight into how colonists and Natives were interacting in the moment.

“We are all Soldiers and Warriors. Some sharp words will now pass between us. We shall talk like drunken Men.”

- Chief Warrior of the Iroquois

Read the article here - When Young George Washington Started a War by Allison Shelley

As stated in the last blog post, the French and Indian War was part of a larger global conflict. The incident at Jumonville Glen was the spark that ignited the fire. For folks closer to home in NC, these actions spawned an immense rift between Natives and settlers. The frequency and intensity of Native attacks on settlers, resulted in the establishment of Fort Dodd near modern Winston-Salem. Colonists retreated eastward to Ft. Dodd and Bethabera putting strain on those populations and causing an epidemic due to overcrowding.

It is interesting that Washington was an instigator, if maybe only an accidental one, at the outset and our Founding Father at the conclusion. This article presents a fuller picture of George Washington that we get from most stories handed down. He was more human than "larger than life" I fear.

Friday, January 30, 2026

Video Update of New Collections at State Archives of NC

Learn about the new holdings at State Archives of NC! View the linked recording of the January 23 webinar here.

Description from the video webpage :

"Researchers can explore many new collections at the State Archives this year, 2026. Learn highlights from staff in government records, digital services, and special collections in Raleigh and the Archives' Outer Banks and Asheville branches. Topics will include new records about Black Mountain College, additions to the oral history and photograph collections, new military correspondence, and ways to access these records online. Whether you are a genealogist, historian, or just interested in sampling new collections, tune in to learn what the State Archives has to offer!"

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Wake Wednesday 250 - The French and Indian War Changes the Whole Colonial Vibe

Early colonial timelines point to the French and Indian War and its aftermath as the flashpoint for the troubles leading up to the Revolutionary War. The French and Indian War was part of the larger Seven Years' War 1756-1763 that pitted England and Prussia against France, Austria, Russia, and Spain, with fighting spanning North America, Europe, India, Africa, and the Philippines, focused on colonial power, trade, and resources.

Prior to that point, most British colonists were pretty satisfied with their situation. The chance to get ahead while beholden to the king was not the irritant it would become later. This was still a time when they could just settle a little farther into the backcountry if they wished to escape the scrutiny of the colonial tax collectors, sheriffs, judges. It was easier to ignore and escape too much regulatory attention in the far reaches of the colony.

The French and Indian War predates the War of Regulation (1770) and the formation of Wake County (1771) which were discussed last week. We are looking backward to this era to gain the historical context. The changes made during the intervening years irritated colonists' sense of freedom and economic independence.

In the 1750s, The Ohio Valley was a hot commodity. The border between the British and French possessions was largely undefined and hotly contested. Both parties wanted it for real estate and resources and the local Natives were doing their best to remain on their homeland and dancing between sidestepping or confronting whichever European powere held sway at any moment.

The British colonists, NC included, wanted to spread west into the Ohio Valley's fertile farmland. At the same time, they were concerned about French military moving steadily closer to the colonies' western borders and concerned that the French would encourage their allied Native tribes to attack them which did come to pass.

Most of the French forts were built well north of the NC colony, but concern and threat were significant enough to result in the building of Fort Dobbs (near where Statesville stands today) to protect the western frontier. The western colonists experienced many hardships during this time. Cherokee raids in 1759 and 1760 swept through backcountry settlements along the Catawba and Yadkin rivers. The western colonists that survived the killing and destruction of their homes fled eastward creating immediate overcrowding at Fort Dobbs and the town of Bethabara (near todays' Winston-Salem). The overcrowding led to diease. In 1759, typhus spread through Bethabara killing both refugees and locals.

Fort Dobbs Historic Reconstruction, Oct. 2025
This massive reconstructed fort just outside of
Winston- Salem is well worth a visit.

The NC militiamen sent to support the Colonial cause fared no better. The poor condition of the British colonial soldiers - sparcely equipped, underfunded and undertrained - was a pervasive theme of the French and Indian war. The men were ill-prepared for the fighting conditions and chaos they encountered. Many of those who did survive deserted. Of the 300 NC militiamen provided to Fort Duquesne in 1758, reports indicate that most had deserted on the journey.

Two major battles were fought on NC soil. The Fort Dobbs attack in February of 1760 involved an attack by Cherokee forces. The fort was successfully defended by Major Hugh Waddell and his men. The attack highlighed the vulnerability of the region.

The Battles of Etchoe during 1760 and 1761 were a series of raids where NC militiamen attacked fifteen Cherokee towns. Thousands of acres of crops were destroyed on the western border of NC.

By the end of the war, NC spent over 102,000 British pounds in proclamation money. The proclamation money was valued less than the value of British sterling by 75%. Devalued currency and heavy financial debt was one of the burdens that persisted in the ensuing years leading up to the Revolution.

In addition to the crushing debt, the war caused economic disruption, impeded westward migration and caused serious division of political views among the colonists over the hardships and costs of the war.

These same hardships and divisions played out over the whole of the thirteen colonies. Britain as a whole was severely in debt in the aftermath of the war. Its attempts to recover from the staggering debt in the following years further degraded the political views of the colonists.

Read More:

https://www.ncpedia.org/french-and-indian-war

https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/fort-dobbs-and-french-and

https://www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaCulture/videos/whats-inside-a-fort-french-and-indian-war-fort-tour-at-fort-dobbs-state-historic/1681148952071145/

https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/fort-dobbs/history/north-carolina-french-and-indian-war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethabara_Historic_District

https://www.carolana.com/NC/Royal_Colony/french_indian_war.html

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Wake Wednesday 250: The Formation of Wake County in 1771

Update - This is a great place to start our look back at conditions and events surrounding Colonial Wake County. This post was originally published in the Spring 2021 issue of the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter. This is a great story in our history. It also reinforces the importance of being aware of these frequent boundary changes when researching early family history in Wake County. - Cyndi Deal

Celebrating Wake County’s 250th Year

It would be remiss to ignore Wake County and its place in history of both state and nation as well as its importance to the many first settlers of the region. In researching the creation of Wake, I was most intrigued to find its creation firmly entangled with the fiery politics of the day.

Did you know that Wake owes its founding directly to the turmoil caused by the Regulator Movement of the pre-Revolution period from 1765 - 1771?

Life, survival, and politics was rough for the inland North Carolina colonists of this period. A drought and crop losses created a serious economic depression. They were forced to buy food and supplies from eastern merchants who were charging top prices for their wares and were quick to press charges when the colonist were not able to pay. The merchants and the judges, lawyers, and sheriffs charged with collecting these debts had no ties or allegiances to these struggling souls, only to the British sovereign who had no concerns but to collect all that was owed and collect quickly.

By 1765, King George III had promoted General William Tryon as governor. Tryon pressed the tax collectors, sheriffs, judges and increasingly, the military to ruthlessly pursue the collection of all debts. Tryon and the King’s agents were hampered by the fact that these farmers were in backcountry woodlands that were not easy to access, govern or maintain control. In addition to the perceived lawless stubborn nature of the colonist, there also a notable amount of corruption within the ranks of the merchants and the King’s agents.

Stress grew into hostility and protests. Tension in Hillsborough, the closest town for the colonist to press their grievances and seek legal redress, became volatile and reached a crescendo in September 1770 with an uprising that rocked the town and was forever after labeled the War of Regulation.

The ensuing violence prompted the colonial General Assembly to explore ways to dampen the violence and regain control over the rebellious and unruly colonists. One consideration was a plan to carve up the large counties in the middle of the colony which proved the most difficult to govern. This map from 1768 shows the expansive regions with limited access to government and legal services.

Source - Choose 1768 from year list

In December 1770, a bill to create a county carved out of portions of Orange, Johnston and Cumberland was presented to the House of Commons by Joel Lane, then a Johnston County Representative. The bill was enacted on March 12, 1771, and the new county was named to honor Royal Governor Tryon’s wife, Margaret Wake Tryon. The Assembly carved out three more inland counties after the formation of Wake. Those were Chatham, Guilford and Surry. The second map shows the new counties and resulting changes.

Source - Choose 1770 from year list

This effort to quell resentment and rebellion did not succeed. It surely sowed the seeds of the Revolutionary War in the very near future. Wake County owes it very existence to this tumultuous time in American history.

Monday, January 19, 2026

Saundra Russ Cropps will present at February's AAHGS Conference in Charlotte

WCGS member Saundra Russ Cropps will be presenting at the AAHGS 2026 Annual NC Genealogy Conference in Charlotte in February. The topic will be Using Full Text Search at FamilySearch.org.

Conference details can be accessed with the QR code in the image or via this link -
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/registration-nc-aahgs-2026-conference-tickets-1979632664590

click image to enlarge

Thursday, January 15, 2026

RootsTech2026 Virtual Registration Time is Upon Us!

Those attending RootsTech2026 in-person already have their plans in order. For the rest of us who follow excitedly via virtual attendance, the time has come to start checking out this years speakers and classes.

Virtual attendance is free. You can plan your streaming schedule. If something streams at a time when you are not available to watch, you can watch on demand later. RootsTech2026 offers three days of content (March 5-7) and presentations covering over 40 different genealogically relavant topics. This is an amazing online learning opportunity.

Check out the speaker list and 3 day schedule.

The speaker list this year is huge. I count at least two hundred and fifty speakers. I know you will find some familiar names and faces and discover some new favorites.

The schedule can be sorted by skill level, topic and online presentations.

If you can't wait to start learning, check out the library of popular classes from past years.

The theme for RootTech 2026 is "Together"
Source

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Wake Wednesday 250 - Spreading Rebellion Locally Wayyyy Before the Internet

I have been mulling over different directions to take the Wake Wednesday posts lately. I enjoy them, but there are not always enough research hours in the day. Another consideration is that Heather Leah has started doing something very similar with her new Facebook page. She is doing a great job and producing content at a rate that I just can't match. I encourage you to visit Heather's page. I may direct you there from time to time when I see she has written about something really special.

Otherwise, I am on a quest to see if I can dredge up content from the 1770's through 1790's to inform us how the denizens of Wake County lived, rebelled and coped with the political turmoil of their day. I hope to capture as much or more about life lived around and in spite of the politics, but I am sure both topics will appear over time.

As I was toying with the idea, one of my resources suggested this great article from the Muscogee Muckraker as an example. It offers extensive discussion of the era and the times leading up to the Declaration and the Revolutionary War. The article covers influences from French and Indian War, Stamp and Tea Acts, Lexington and Concord and Siege of Boston to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a handy article to read now if you are all-in on the spirit of America 250.

How Local Citizen Newspapers Spread Independence In A World Before Twitter
-Muscogee Muckraker, Jan.8, 2024

Read along and wish me luck on finding articles of a local nature. If you know of any interesting ones, please share here with atribution! I would love to feature guest posts.

Pushing back against the Stamp Act -

No stamp purchased.
Source

Upside down stamp overlaid with
an attacking devil. Source

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