Wake County Genealogical Society Blog: October 2022

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

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Oberlin Papers

The Samuel Patrick and Ella McGuire Family Papers

Surnames: Patrick, McGuire, Buffaloe
Locations: Oberlin Village, Wake county
Railroads: Gaston & Raleigh RR, Seaboard Airline RR

A box of family papers bought at a yard sale. Thank heavens they found their way to the NC Archives.

Read this NC Archives blog post for the full and fascinating details.

"Summary of the Collection

These are the papers of Samuel Patrick and Ella McGuire, an African-American family of Raleigh, Wake County, with family in other locales, ca. 1872-1940. Includes personal and business letters; business receipts and Raleigh schools and city tax receipts; promissory notes; bills and statements of dues; summons for Raleigh public road work; wedding invitations; certificate of church membership; insurance policies; World War I naval commendation for son, Wilbert Henrick McGuire, for role in saving the ship, U.S.S. Mount Vernon, following its torpedoing by the enemy in September 1918; a small quantity of photographs; and miscellaneous materials. Quantity: one third cubic foot."

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.

The Spinning Angel of Oakwood

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.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Finding Green Alford's Parents

If you have the surnames - Alford, Liles, and High - in your family lines, you will want to check out Eureka: Proving an Ancestor in Wake County, N.C. by Lodwick Houston Alford describing his efforts to discover and prove the parents of Green Alford, b.1787 near Wakefield, Wake County (Wake Treasures, vol.10, nbr. 2).

I read his account hoping for a workflow strategy or inspiration to solve my own elusive ancestor. His efforts included:

disambiguating between two similarly named men
proving/disproving the various family stories passed down for generations
working with several local history librarians in the area
using the Bastardy Bond abstracted records* published in the Wake Treasures
calling in another set of eyes when it seemed all possible lines of research had been exhausted

The sum of all these efforts led to his success.

This was a compelling report, one I could not stop reading even though it was NMF (not my family). He has given me some ideas to approach my mystery from other angles in the future. Definitely worth a read whether you are Alford or not.

*Bastardy bonds listed by time frame and location in journal subject index on page 1.

Journal access is a great perk of your Wake County Genealogical Society membership and a handy tool for those researching in Wake County remotely. Members have 24/7 access to the Journal. With 20 plus years of content, you will likely find the surnames and place names you are researching. Access the Journal issues directly in the Member Area after log-in.

Join for full access.

Visit the Journal subject index here.

This content is referenced with permission of Journal editor.

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.

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Stay Spooky!

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Wake County Public Libraries features virtual North Carolina History Series Oct 25 - Nov 15

Join Wake County Public Libraries for a virtual program series about all things North Carolina.

Haunted Carolina
Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at 6:30pm

I Didn't Know That! Untold Stories of North Carolina
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 6:30pm

Raleigh's Hidden History: Exploring the Past in Front of You
Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 6:30pm

The "Lost Colony" of Roanoke Was Never Lost
Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 2:00pm

Understanding the People Who Dwelled in the Great Dismal Swamp
Monday, November 7, 2022 at 6:30pm

Staff Picks: North Carolina Authors
Monday, November 14, 2022 at 6:30pm

Appalachian Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 6:30pm

Vist this information page to register- https://guides.wakegov.com/nchistory

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Wake Wednesday - Wake to Middle Tennessee, then North and West

As George has traced Wake migration west, he has uncovered some really fascinating stories. Today's guest post is a case in point. The continuation of the Barker families migration finds Thomas Barker in Middle Tennessee where he is part of a letter writing campaign to right a wrong done to a family known to him and his family and associates. The wrongdoer - none other than John Sevier, at the time serving as the first govenor of Tennessee.

Barker and his family figure prominently as witnesses in the lengthy open letter written by John Powers to Gov. Sevier in August of 1804. The open letter was published in the Tennesee Gazette of Nashville, Tennessee Read the letter for yourself and continue on to find out what becomes of Mary Lucost's family, previously free people of color, who were enslaved by John Sevier on migrating from North Carolina to middle Tennesee.

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This one is a must read folks.

Mary Lucost, the Barker Family, and Col. John Sevier (Pt 5)

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

Monday, October 3, 2022

Wake Haunts 1 - The Ghost of Poole Forest

How about some local ghost lore to usher in the month of Halloween?

The Ghost of Poole Forest is a perfect one to start with. It reads like a perfect spooky period piece set in post civil-war Wake county.

William Poole, a wealthy batchelor who loved his land and white horse in life, rides the 75 acre pine forest (near Rock Quarry Road) on said horse in death after 1889. Read the story here.

I imagine Mr. Poole's ghost is haunting extra hard these days with all his "precious pine trees" disappearing county wide!

William Poole's House, photographed long after his death. The house was demolished in the early 20th Century. Photo from the NC State Archives.

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Stay Spooky!

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