Sometimes when I decide to write about a particular topic, in my research I find that one or several other persons have already covered the subject so well that there is not much that I can add to the conversation except curiosity. That is the case here, so bear with me. A recent conversation with some friends started with cemeteries ( because that is where all conversations with me seem to start these days… ), settled on black cemeteries and then veered over to the Freedman's villages in Raleigh.  If I asked you to name some Freedman's villages in Raleigh, could you?   Many people could name Oberlin Village. A few others could add Method.  These are only two of thirteen Freedman's villages that sprang up around postbellum Raleigh in the late years of the Civil war and in the years immediately after. Blacks, no longer enslaved and with little to no livelihood, fled to Raleigh (and other large cities across the South) seeking refuge from hostility, jobs and assistance from...

 Here is another great find that resulted from researching the Wake Cemetery Survey project .  A large number of historic maps have been scanned and put on line by the Wake County Register of Deeds. The restored and peserved historic maps are available in the Online Consolidated Real Property Index . Currently available map time frame spans years 1885 to 1927 To View Preserved Historic Maps Online - Follow the Instructions Below: Visit: https://rodcrpi.wakegov.com/booksweb/genextsearch.aspx Enter one of the BM Years into the Book field one of the following years. In the Page field enter % This collection is extremely useful for tracking changes to an area over time and locating buildings or landmarks that may no longer exist. Here is an example map from 1913. Market House Site in Raleigh mapped 1913 City Market in Raleigh today   It is interesting to see what is the same and what has changed in the ensuing years. Notice how the original small lot sizes have been abso...