Wake County Genealogical Society Blog: 2022

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Cohabitation Record for a Christmas couple

I was searching for Christmas images and happened upon this image. It fit my search "Carolina Christmas," but it took me in and entirely different direction.

Source

This Wake County cohabitation record issued in 1866, records that Seth Christmas and Sallie Christmas "if said County, lately slaves, but now emancipated, and acknowledged that they do cohabit together as man and wife, and that said cohabitation commenced the 11 day of Oct.,1855. " The record was recorded by J. J. Ferrell.

I checked for more images but did not find them. This is a treasure indeed. Any Christmas descendants out there reading our blog?

If you would like to search for other similar documents, be to check the NC State Archives store where you may request a Cohabitation Bond and Record Lookup, 1866-1867. NC residents may request a search for free and be invoiced if a record is found. Nonresidents must pay a $20 search fee either way.

The following information is required for the search:

County
Name of Groom
Name of Bride

It is worth noting that there is one roll of digitized Cohabitation Record images for 1866 in Wake digitized at FamilySearch.org. The files are not indexed and require browsing. It would be useful to check both places. Check the North Carolina Cohabitation Records wiki to see what exists in what format in each county.

This was a lucky find when I was searching something else. I hope it helps someone's research.

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Wake Treasures - Vol 31, Issue 2 is Available

Welcome to the last issue of Wake Treasures in 2022 In this issue Carla Stancil contines her vignettes on her Wake County ancestors, and shares the letters her father wrote while away from home in Marines. You'll also read the Wake County Court Records (batch 6), Wake County Deaths in WW1, and the 1896 Tax List.

Look for continuation of the 1896 Tax Records, the Ferguson Family Ledger, and the Gertrude Weil Papers in the next issue. Warm thanks again to Carla for sharing this piece of history with us.

If you have any Wake County an ancestors or research, Wake Treasures would love to feature your work in a future issue. We welcome submissions of research reports, narratives, and special articles. If you have questions or want to learn more about being published in our award winning journal, feel free to contact me at journal@wakecogen.org.

Please consider joining the journal team. In order to make the publication possible, a team of volunteers works behind the scenes and needs your help. There are currently openings for a content curator and transcribers. If you're interested in learning more about how you can help, please contact me at Journal@wakecogen.org and I will be happy to discuss volunteering opportunities.

Happy Reading, Donna, editor

To download this new edition, log into the Members Area and go to the Wake Treasures webpage. And if you have personal stories of people, places, and events connected to Wake County, please consider sharing them for inclusion into future editions!

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Christmas Wishes: Letters to Santa c.1932

Some things change, some stay the same. Santa Clause is still receiving a sleigh full of letters in early December. Here are some great examples from the NC Arcives Flicker photostream.

Margaret wants a big ball, some galoshes, and doll clothes!

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A. C. Allen decorated his request with this handdrawn picture of Santa!

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This child was an artist and had great manners, too!

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Wishing all a Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 5, 2022

Reminder: Next Saturday - December 10 - Visit the State Library of North Carolina - WCGS meetup

Join members of Wakecogen for an in person meet up at the State Library of NC.

Learn what resources and services are available.
Grab a library card.
Browse the collections.
Reconnect with friends at a lunch spot nearby.

We are looking forward to seeing you there! Free and open to all. Questions?

Here is a sneak peek at their Genealogy and Family History offerings.

What: WCGS visits SLNC
When: Dec.10, 10am - 12pm
Where: 109 East Jones St.

Friday, December 2, 2022

Member Spotlight: Barbara McGeachy will teach Genealogy Basics class at OLLI in March

OLLI is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at NorthCarolina State University. It is open to anyone age 50 or over; no affiliation with NCSU is required. Membership is $50 per year and allows you to take classes, go on study trips, and attend Special Interest Groups.

Barbara McGeachy is a longtime WCGS member, teacher and friend. She is my very knowledgeable go to person when I am stumped for a new research resource or technique. It is your great good fortune that she is teaching this “Genealogy- Starting with the Basics” class in a couple months. Her class begins in March 2023. It's a six week, 90 minutes per session class taught at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Registration is already open so sign up now if you are interested.

Here is a little bit more about the class from an OLLI email feature:

Interested in exploring your family history? OLLI has two perfect opportunities for you! First is our spring course “Genealogy- Starting with the Basics” taught by Barbara McGeachy. This course will teach you how to research your family history in the U.S. You will discuss what records are available and where to find them, which websites and software programs are best, and how DNA can help. Find out how to record and analyze the information you find.
If this course doesn’t mesh with your schedule or if you have already started researching your family tree, join the Family History Group! Also led by Barbara McGeachy, members exchange information about genealogical searches and resources. Contact barbnral@gmail.com for more information. This Special Interest Group tends to meet on Friday mornings at the McKimmon Center.

If you are well into your genealogical journey, this is a great chance to have a reset moment to add in all those details and techniques you wish you had known about as a newbie. If you are just starting out or have a friend who is interested in genealogy but timid to get started, this is a perfect opportunity to start on the right track.

Check out the OLLI course book for details and pricing. You will be surprised at all the classed offered!

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving Celebration and Tradition in North Carolina

Thanksgiving as we know it was not celebrated in North Carolin until 1849. Read about the history and evolution of the traditions at this article from NCDNCR.

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WCGS sends best wishes. May you have a bountiful and peaceful Thanksgiving where ever you are.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Guest Post from George Thomas - More Wake Migration

George Thomas is working his magic again with records and maps. Enjoy another Wake centric post as he tracks the westward migration of early Wake settlers. This time to parts in Cabarrus and Stanly counties. Read George's post here - A RIDE DOWN PINE BLUFF IN CABARRUS COUNTY

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Attention researchers for these families -

Reed

Keiser

Howell

Teeter

Barker

Byrd

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Fold 3 Free Weekend - 10 - 13 November: Recognizing 75th Anniversary of First Veterans Day

See Fold 3 Blog post for Details. https://blog.fold3.com/75th-anniversary-of-the-first-veterans-day-celebration-and-free-access-to-fold3

Ends 13Nov. 2022 at 11:59pm MT.

Invitation from NC State Capitol: Virtual presentation of the Naming to Knowing presentation

The live event was held in October, if you missed it or want to revisit it, this is your opportunity. The Capitol will share the presentation virtually via Zoom. If interested please RSVP via the Eventbrite link below.

From the NC State Capitol:

The NC State Capitol is hosting a series of public listening sessions to unveil their new website focusing on the stories of enslaved people.

About this event
This website, entitled "From Naming to Knowing: Uncovering Slavery at the North Carolina State Capitol" names over 130 enslaved workers who built and maintained the Capitol building in the 1800s. Most of the men worked on the Capitol's construction in the 1830s, either as laborers at the construction site or as quarry hands at the nearby State Quarry. The Capitol is dedicated to naming these individuals and telling their stories through this new publicly accessible website.
The public is invited to attend a listening session, learn about the website, and offer feedback to Capitol staff. The Capitol staff seek to share this work and the stories of these individuals and be as responsive to the community as possible. The public can attend
IN-PERSON SESSIONS at the Capitol
Thursday, October 20th from 6-7:30pm or
Saturday, November 12th from 11am-12:30pm
VIRTUAL SESSION
Monday, November 14th from 6-7:30pm by clicking https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16030644848.
Visitors can attend all or one session.
These sessions are free to attend and open to all, but guests are asked to RSVP here at Eventbrite. Your RSVP will ensure that you receive further information about attendance, including reminders and the zoom link for the virtual session.
Best,
Natalie Rodriguez
Tour Coordinator/ Education Specialist
North Carolina State Capitol
NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Monday, October 31, 2022

Wake Haunts 5 - The Andrew Johnson House

Who waits at the window with a candle against the darkness?? Are they watching for intruders or watching for a tardy loved one to finally return to them?

The tiny two story house with the Dutch roof is a curiosity tucked in a corner of Mordecai Historical Park. This is not its original home as it has been moved before calling the park home. Is this why the watcher eternally waits with a candle burning in the window?

The story is here along with the fascinating history of this early "tiny house."

Who waits in the upstairs window?

Friday, October 28, 2022

Wake County Genealogical Society Monthy Meetings for 2022

Join us for the next Virtual Meeting from WCGS!

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 @ 6:30pm - Virtual (combined November-December)

Topic: Finding and Understanding NC Court Records
Speaker: David McCorkle

Courts have always dealt with crimes and disputes, but in the past they also handled much more routine items that can be of great interest to your genealogical research. These include many functions now performed by other government offices such as proving deeds, probate, petitions, taxes, appointment of local officials, licenses, bastardy, manumission – the list goes on. To complicate things, the type of courts and what areas they were responsible for has changed over time. This discussion will help you know what you can find along with how and where to find it.

A North Carolina native, David is President and founder of NC Historical Records Online (NCHRO), with a mission to provide public online access to images of original records and other relevant information useful to researching North Carolina history and genealogy. He is the creator of NCHRO’s main project: the free website NC Land Grant Images and Data which contains searchable records for all 200,000+ land grants issued by North Carolina, along with close to a million images of original records.

This virtual meeting and presentation is open to all, but registration is required.

Link to register at the Wakecogen website events page.

Upcoming Events - view events page for topic details

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2023 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic: Applying Investigative Skills from the Financial Crime World to Genealogy
Speaker: Kate Townsend

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic: Sorrow Songs: Messages in Voice
Speaker: Mary Williams

Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2023 @ 6:30pm - Virtual

Topic: Make Sense of Your Research
Speaker: Robyn N. Smith

Monday, October 24, 2022

Wake Haunts 4 - Stone Angel of Oakwood

This haunt specific to Oakwood cemetery is known by many names, including the ‘Spinning Angel of Oakwood’, ‘The Ratcliffe Angel’ or ‘The Guardian of Oakwood.’ This solid stone angel usually stands quietly in the corner of Oakwood Cemetery closest to Watauga Street. She is said to let the Halloween celebrations go to her head. Literally. Supposedly, every Halloween at midnight, her head spins exactly 12 times and then stops. Are you planning a visit to Oakwood on Halloween this year?

Read more about the stone angel who stands vigil over the grave of Etta Rebecca White.

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Friday, October 21, 2022

WCGS recognized at the NCGS Annual Meeting, October 15, 2022

WCGS webmaster, Cynthia Gage received the Award for Excellence in Web Presence. Having worked on the backend of our website a good bit this year, I can tell you that the website mechanics are a bit fiddly at times and Cynthia always manages make her job look easy as she presents WCGS content in a very orderly and polished fashion. Congratulations to Cynthia.

The two coordinators of the Wake Cemetery Survey c.1978 Digitization Project received Certificates of Appreciation. Cyndi Deal received a certificate for directing the digitization portion of the project. Original Survey project director, Irene Kittinger received a certificate for her original role. Many more participants deserve recognition for their roles in the project both recently and in the past. WCGS considers that these certificates really represent the group effort.

Visit the WCGS webpage and The Wake Cemetery Survey Project to see the results of all our hard work.

Monday, October 17, 2022

Wake Haunts 3 - Gov. Daniel Fowle's Haunted Bed

Gov. Daniel Fowle, first governor to reside in the Executive mansion and first to die in residence is apparently busy haunting the mansion!

At least two govenors and their families have had "encounters" with him and one would regularly wish him "Good Night."

Gov. Danial Fowle

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Migration Through Middle Tennessee to Kentucky and Illinois

" Looking deeper into the letter published by John Powers, all remembered Mary Locust as being an old lady of color who passed as free. Witnesses confirmed her children were as she had stated, and she was neither Black nor White as they had always heard her mother was “Indian.” Lewis Barker stated that Mary Locust went from Wake County with his brother Thomas Barker to the Yadkin River, where he, Lewis Barker, saw her some other time.” People were clearly in motion." - George Thomas

Today's guest post has George Thomas looking at the power of Reverend John Powers to sway the powerful Gov. John Sevier from far away Logan, Kentucky to do the right thing in regards to the Lucost/Locust family. The Locust family were formerly free people of color in Wake County, North Carolina and enslaved by Sevier at some point after they arrived in Tennessee.

John Powers was a Methodist preacher and, as it turns out, a member of the Barker Family. John was "the son of Mrs. Thomas Barker, indicating that the said Thomas’ wife Ann had likely been previously married". This post further defines the relationships between the Powers, the Barkers and the Lucost/Locust family.

Read the details at George's blog post - BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS (Pt 6)

Follow George's Blog - They Lived Along a Rocky River

Monday, October 10, 2022

Wake Haunts 2 - Our Haunted State Capitol Building

Unknown spirits haunt the old NC State Capitol building. Ghostly happenings reported by a night watchman and others included screams, doors slamming, books hitting the floor, keys jingling and footsteps on the stone floors. More here.