2024 Wake County Genealogical Society Virtual Meetings - next - August 27

Tuesday, Aug 27 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic:  An Adoptee Searches for Roots

Speaker: Monika Fleming   

Raised as an only child, I was born in Germany and adopted by an American family. Once my adoption was revealed, I began searching for connections to another family. This program is about a 30+ year journey through documents, historical records, and finally DNA to uncover family that now includes a step-sister, half brothers and sisters, and dozens of nieces and nephews and even a great generation spread over three countries.

 

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!

Upcoming Events - view events page for details

Tuesday, Sep 24 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic: Land Ownership Over Time: Forwards, Backwards, and From the Middle

Speaker: David McCorkle,  Genealogy Researcher, Speaker, founder and president of North Carolina Historical Records Online (NCHRO)

Tuesday, Oct 22 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic:  Using Genealogy Research Plans (recorded video) 
Speaker: Connie Knox, Knox Genealogical Services, Genealogy TV & NC Ancestry

Tuesday, Dec 3  @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic:  Civil War Prisoner of War Records 
Speaker: Craig R.Scott, MA, CG, FUGA

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Updated::Upcoming Changes to NC Law Will Remove Cemetery Protections

Updates on HB383 sec 11:

The bill was passed on June 26 with the language that places old abandoned family cemeteries as well as historic archealogical relics at possibly more risk than before. The following language of HB385 Section 11 is taken directly form the Legislative Reporting Service at UNC School of Government. 

The wording below is the version that passed. The concerning portions are highlighted in yellow as restrictions to the OSA  that did not exist previously.

Part XI

Removes all of former Part XI (amending various statutes related to coastal development) and replaces it with the following new content.

Section 11

Adds new GS 113A-113.1 (requiring the Office of State Archeology [OSA] to provide information to owners and prospective purchasers in areas of environmental concern). Requires OSA to, upon request of an owner or prospective purchaser of land located in an area of environmental concern, to provide the owner or prospective purchaser with information as to any known or suspected archaeological or historical significance of the property, including any supporting evidence. Beginning either October 1, 2024, or 60 days after the provision described below is reported as approved, specifies that if OSA has informed the requesting party that there is no known or suspected archaeological or historical significance associated with the property, then prohibits OSA for a period of three years thereafter from adding a condition to a permit that requires or restricts a permittee's activity with respect to the property based on any archaeological or historical significance of the property unless a new finding or study indicates otherwise. If a new finding or study reveals information to support imposition of such a condition in a permit issued within the three-year period, requires OSA to notify the prospective purchaser or owner of the finding or study prior to imposition of the condition. 

Requires OSA to apply for any State, federal, or private grant funding available to purchase properties within areas of environmental concern of exceptional archaeological or historical significance to the State.

Requires the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), by no later than August 1, 2024, to prepare and submit GS 113A-113.1 to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for approval. Requires DEQ to report to the Environmental Review Commission quarterly on its activities under GS 113A-113.1 starting September 1, 2024, and ending when the NCGA repeals the reporting requirement. Effective August 1, 2024.

Obviously, this change and any further changes the legislature tries to make in the future concerning older lost or abandoned cemeteries and historical relics bears close watching. Oversight is being restricted. Stay vigilant if you have old NC cemeteries in your family. Keep them cared for and kept up!

Originally published 6/21/2024:

Folks, today I am speaking to you as a concerned citizen and a descendant of many great North Carolinian settler ancestors. Unmarked, lost and abandoned grave sites all over NC are in peril due to this upcoming law change.

We need your attention to this under the radar legislative maneuver. Efforts by developers and the NC General Assembly to lessen the powers of the State Office of Archaeology are afoot. Revisions to HB 385 Sec 11 are up before the GA right now in their summer short session that ends July 31. There is still time to act, but act soon. Please contact your representative with your concerns.

As stated in the linked WRAL report titled Homebuilders would have an easier time bulldozing archeological sites, under new NC proposal:

Under current state law, developers who discover unmarked graves must halt construction until they’re cleared by the county medical examiner or the state archaeologist. And if those bones — or any other archeological finds they dig up — are determined to contain some historic value that the project could harm or destroy, then state law requires construction permits to be denied.

Language in the revised law seeks to insert a portion that would revoke a permit after approval if material of archaeological significance is found after the initial permit is approved and guarantee developers full rights to develop unhindered for the following three years.

This revision removes the previously guaranteed protection of gravesites all over NC. I attempted to reference the law as it stands now from its home at the NC Office of Archaeology, but the public page for Cemetery Protection where that information resides has been pulled from public access. I reference this law often in answering cemetery queries and this is the first time I have seen this "Access Denied" message. This is a sad state of affairs.

click image to read highlighted text of revision. p.11

You can read this version of the upcoming changes and note there is a required initial query

to the State Office of Archaeology (SOA) in which they should report any known or suspected archaelogical or historical significance to the enquirer. A report only... no preliminary survey. This is different than what happens historically. You should also note that in the event that suspected artifacts are found, the current legal version requires halting development to survey and assess the findings for archaelogical or historical significance has been removed.

The legislature is totally stripping the SOA of its stewardship and oversight at the behest of developers with deep pockets who want to save their money and time more than our North Carolina heritage as described in the WRAL link above and this report from Axios - NC developers seek to build on land with up to 3,000-year-old Native American remains. The legislators are using sleight of hand to do this out of the public eye by using the summer session when most are busy and by shuttering the current version of the law on the SOA website.

Consider that this change of law protecting cemeteries will be in effect all over the state. Also, consider that this current provision as it stands today protects not only ancient Native American grounds and artifacts in our state but also small, abandoned cemeteries in each and every one of the 100 counties of NC. That puts at peril all currently lost and waiting to be rediscovered gravesites of enslaved African American, other Native American tribes, lower income/potter's field cemeteries, and rural family plots.

It is unconscionable that the NC General Assembly - our representives - would place cash and developers over our history and heritage, but they are in the process as you read this. If you have ancestors buried anywhere in NC you should be following this bill. Please don't hesitate to act. This will happen quickly. Contact your representatives in the NC General Assembly quickly. Let them know we are watching.

-Cyndi Deal

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Wake Wednesday - Wake County Bible Records Online

All Bible records held by the State Archives are now described in their online catalog. They have been digitized and the images and transcriptions are available as  part of the North Carolina Digital Collections.

Once you access the Family Record link above, you can search by Wake or any other county. At the left side of the page, you will find a "Format" box that will allow you to focus only on the bible records. You can search for a particular family by using the "Title" box drop down menu also on the left side bar.  

The Wake County Bible section includes 190 record groups at this writing including names that have long been a part of Wake County history. You will find records for the families of Etheldred and Jane Jones, Col. Matthew and Sarah Lane McCullers, Col. William Hinton, and so many more. I ran into records for both maternal and paternal sides of a good friend just browsing the list! The records span colonial times through 1989. 

I found my old friends Needham Price and his sister Schaharazade Price Mial (Wake Gen Watch,1.2 p.6) while browsing the Mial bible. See screen clip below.

Mial Family Bible Records, image 1

It is worth a browse through the digitized bible records in the NC Digital Collections whether you restrict your research to Wake County or expand your focus across all NC Counties. Happy Hunting.

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Wake Wednesday - A Book for the Wake-ophiles in the crowd

I happened upon this little book about Wake County one day when I was researching something specific. This popped up in the google search and stole a couple hours of my afternoon. Thought you might like to take a look!. 

Historic Wake County: The Story of Raleigh and Wake County, by K. Todd Johnson.

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Reminder: Next WCGS Virtual Meeting - Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30pm

There is still time to register for this event.

Tuesday, Jul 23 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic:  People Not Property

Speaker: Tammy Brunner,   Wake County Register of Deeds

What are slave deeds and what can we learn from them? "Slave deeds" are property deeds--bills of sale, deeds of trust, divisions of property--registered with county courts and registers of deeds that contain information about enslaved individuals. Sometimes these individuals are listed only by number, but more often they are listed by name and age, providing invaluable historical information for historians and genealogists. Learn about the work of the Wake County Register of Deeds and the People Not Property project that helped pull out these names and information about these sometimes forgotten people. 

 

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.
*Check in between 6:00 and 6:30 for chat, social time and questions!

Link to register at the Wakecogen website events page.  

Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - 

Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images |Digital Resources | History Resources | More Links and Resources | Contact

Upchurch and Allied Families Association Newsletter - July 2024

For those of you following UAFA, here is the latest news. 

Click on the link below to open the latest Footprints, the Upchurch and Allied Families newsletter. 

July 2024

This edition includes:

• the Upchurch Letters at Magdalene College in Cambridge, England
• the UAFA Open House
• the Arkansas Digital Archives.

View past UAFA newsletters here

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Wake Wednesday - Saving Oberlin Village

"Oberlin was not part of Raleigh. It was a proud freestanding, self-sufficient community of former slaves, free blacks, and their descendants, founded after the Civil War. In 1914, a New York newspaper described Oberlin as 'a unique little village of nearly twelve hundred inhabitants. The neat-looking buildings are artistically painted, and the front yards are planted with rose bushes and other shrubberies.' Oberlin actually surpassed Raleigh on some measures of homeownership and education." 

- News and Observer, Nov. 2019

For a glimpse at the history of Oberlin Village, its residents,  and a look inside at some of the homes visit the Saving Places blog post from the National Trust for Historic Preservation here. 

.Restored Parlor of the Graves Fields House, Oberlin Village. 

A collection of interviews describes the life, residents and restoration of the village and various homes.

“Everything that I am, and everything that I became, is because of that house and what happened in that house.... The house was opulent. There were all kinds of rugs, the best of everything, [My grandfather] wanted his kids and grandkids to have the best—to tell them, ‘this is what you should expect.”   

 -Andria Fields, granddaughter of Spurgeon and Jeanette Fields 

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Wake Wednesday - Independence Day Celebration 1800

How were they acknowledging and celebrating Independence Day in Wake County in 1800? 

Here is an account from the from the Weekly Raleigh Register dated July 8, 1800.  Bear in mind that this particular celebration was 24 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776), 17 years after the end of the Revolutionary War (1783) and 13 years after the signing of the U. S. Constitution (1787). The memories and experiences of the town folk were living, breathing things. They were very serious about their accomplishment as they should be. It seems to be a reverant and dignified event. I am glad to see the sixteen toasts were interspersed with patriotic songs so everyone could pace themselves. I guess you could say  it was also a "spirited" celebration.

You can read directly at the Raleigh Register here, and view the Declaration as it was read at the event on page 1.

Happy Independence Day to all of our readers.

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Wake Wednesday - Neuse River

Did you know the Neuse River is about 2 million years old and named for the Neusiok Indian tribe? It is known as "the River of Peace."

"At an estimated 2 million years, the Neuse is one of the oldest rivers in the US. Archaeological evidence indicates the first humans settled around the Neuse as early as 14,000 years ago."

https://www.americanrivers.org/river/neuse-river/

Named by English explorer Arthur Barlowe in 1584 for the Neusiok Indians, the river was called  Gow-ta-no, or ‘‘pine in water" by the Tuscarora Indians who thrived along its banks. 
-NCPedia

source

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Juneteenth Reader - From Galveston to Raleigh

Juneteenth commemorates the proclamation delivered on June 19, 1865 by Union Army General Gordon Granger in Galveston. The proclamation ordered the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state of Texas. Enjoy this collection of articles that give context to the Juneteenth holiday. Happy Freedom Day.

General Order, No. 3

source

This clipping appeared in the Galveston Tri-Weekly News on June 20, 1865.

The new Juneteenth federal holiday traces its roots to Galveston, Texas - NPR

Read or listen to John Burnett's NPR report on the history of Juneteenth,  its origins, and evolution of the holiday. Interviews with locals describe what it was like to grow up with this history and how in impacted their own family members in intimate ways.

The Juneteenth Legacy Project

The Juneteenth Legacy Project's mission is "to recontextualize Juneteenth as a pivotal moment in the arc of U.S. history while properly telling the story of its genesis, and historical and contemporary relevance." Visit their website for the complete story of Juneteenth including the little known narrative of the presence of several regiments of U.S. Colored Troops present at Galveston Island at the time.

 

What did Juneteenth mean for the thousands freed from slavery in Raleigh? 

Read or watch the video of Heather Leah's WRAL report of early emancipation days in Raleigh. 

"It's hard to imagine a time when downtown Raleigh was instead full of sprawling fields, plantation houses - and hundreds of enslaved individuals....

When emancipation finally came to Raleigh, thousands of suddenly freed men and women flooded from those plantations and into the surrounding city. Most had no money, no homes, no formal education. There were no churches, schools or medical facilities to serve the once-enslaved population. How did a generation of freed families build a life for themselves from nothing?

"African-Americans, after slavery, decided to get together and build, brick-by-brick, a community and a sense of ownership that allowed them to thrive," says Grady Bussey, center director for the John Chavis Memorial Park."

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Wake Wednesday - The Blue, The Gray & Reconstruction

The NC Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction History Center is a repository of accounts from the war, emancipation and reconstruction that allows us access to accounts of this pivotal period without even leaving home. 

source

Here are three of the sixteen accounts currently contained within the Wake County collection at the center. 

The Blue - an account of Sherman's march through Wake County.

The Gray - "The Capture and Imprisonment of Luther Mills, 1865," a first hand account of a Confederate soldier's capture and captivity at Johnson Island Prison.  (Note: Allow the page to scroll down to the photos of the account to start reading.)

Reconstruction - The State Convention of the Colored People of North Carolina at Raleigh, September 29, 1865

If you are studying your Civil War era ancestors, the NC Civil War & Reconstruction History Center is a source rich with historical context. Be sure you check out accounts from all NC counties.

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