Wake County Genealogical Society Blog: August 2025

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Wake Wednesday - The Life and Times of Lucius Griffis 1839 - 1918

This Reading Room Review is republished from the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter, Fall 2023, p.3.

The Life and Times of Lucius Griffis (1839-1918): Including a Detailed Study of His Participation in the American Civil War (1861-1865), written by Brian Craig Griffis. 119 pp.

Brian Griffis shares this glimpse into his Wake County family story with us. He researched for years to discover and round out the context of his ancestor, Lucius Griffis. - CD

Lucius was a Wake County native born and bred, a fatherless son who was raised by two women. He was not much of a student and chose to pursue farming as soon as he could get away from the classroom. He was a soldier, a deserter who paid the consequences and rejoined his unit, a soldier again drilling and marching all over the South without seeing any real battle action until a very pivotal moment. He was a husband and father of a family unit tragically broken by the war and its aftermath, a husband again twice over, a veteran so crippled and debilitated from his injuries during the war that he spent his later years on the dole in the poorhouses of Raleigh.

That was my elevator speech version of Lucius' life. I am being deliberately brief here because Brian has done so much research on his 2nd Great grandfather over many years. He has done a masterful job of pushing past the easy task of snagging links at Ancestry.com. You will find he has dug deep to find records that not only document Lucius' presence in the many phases of his life, but jaw dropping accounts of what his ancestor faced as a soldier, deserter, and veteran. Brian has also captured the desolation of Lucius and various family members as they struggle to survive in the chaotic place that was the Reconstruction South.

Brian’s book will be of interest to a wide variety of readers’ interests including:

· Wake County research
· Civil War history in both North Carolina and Virginia especially those interested in the NC 47th’s role in battle and eyewitness accounts of battles and last days of the war
· Raleigh's occupation by Federal troops in the immediate aftermath of the war
· Social support and reform in the postbellum era
· History of the Wake County Home and Cemetery

Those seeking a model of best practices for research and family history writing will want to make time for a nice leisurely read to enjoy not only the story, but Brian’s strategy for “filling in the dash.” Brian presents us with a richly told story of a Wake County man and his cohorts as they struggle through some historically tumultuous events in our history.

In pressing beyond the standard data points of Birth, Marriage and Death records, Brian has made use of a great many alternate resources. These notably include:

· Eyewitness accounts of NC47th from published sketches of Captain Thorp, Co. A and Lieutenant Rogers, Co I, (Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War, 1861-1865)
· Eyewitness accounts of Surrender at Appomattox
· Eyewitness accounts of the Federal occupation of Raleigh
· Lucius’ Confederate service file
· NARA Confederate Archives
· Articles and reports from newspapers on various topics throughout the biography

Brian has made careful and helpful use of his footnotes and source bibliography. He includes photos with illustration credits. At the end, readers will find an Appendix with an eleven generation Griffis pedigree including the author and Lucius.

Click to read or download the PDF. Note that this is a large file and may take a minute or two to open. For printed copies or usage permission, you may contact the author at bcghistory@gmail.com.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Wake Wednesday - Major General Calvin Jones, M. D. of Wake Forest

Did you miss the Summer 2024 feature about Major General Calvin Jones, M. D. of Wake Forest in the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter?

If so, here is your reminder to seek out the feature to correct that mistake! Ed Morris, the former executive director of the Wake Forest Historical Museum shares his vast knowledge on Jones and illustrates why he can truly be called an early Wake County renaissance man. Jones was a soldier, medical man, entrepreneur, educator, politician and founder of a school that would eventually become Wake Forest University. This is not guilding the lilly. There is much more to know. I don't want to spoil Ed's masterful telling of the story, so I will direct you to it with the encouragement to keep a sharp eye. You don't want to miss how Major General Calvin cleverly saved North Carolina from being a battleground state in the War of 1812. He was truly a masterful strategist!

Dr. Calvin Jones of Wake Forest. Portrait
photo by Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University

This featured article can be accessed in this issue of the WGW on pages 3-7.

You can browse all the past issues of The Wake Genealogy Watch at this link.

Monday, August 18, 2025

Declaration of Independence Signer - John Penn "Speaks" at Braswell Memorial Library, August 27

Invitation from Braswell Memorial Public Library in Rocky Mount:

Please join us on Wednesday, August 27^th at 6 p.m. in our Warner Meeting Room to hear

Mark Pace speaking as Patriot John Penn!

We are leading up to the momentous date of 4 July 2026, which will be the

250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Come learn from John Penn, North Carolina’s signer of the Declaration,

what the current state of the union was in the year 1788!

https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/penn-john

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Fall Schedule Genealogy Classes with Barbara McGeachy - Sept 8 - Nov 17

Do you want to start delving into your family history? Are you interested in taking your genealogy skills to the next level? We have great news for you whether you are a beginner or intermediate family researcher. A new, expanded series of genealogy classes offered by Barbara McGeachy, President of Wake County Genealogical Society. Classes will start this September and run through November.

Barbara's classes are offered in partnership with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation. Classes will be held Mondays from 10:30 am to noon in the large meeting room in the Laurel Hills Community Center, 3808 Edwards Mill Road.

Beginning Genealogy Classes taught by WCGS President, Barbara McGeachy

Fall 2025 Genealogy Class list :

Genealogy: Getting Started! - Monday, Sep 8

Learn how to research your family history. Start with yourself and work back in time. Start with records you already have. Find records on-line to fill in the gaps. Learn how to record names, dates, and locations. Learn how to keep track of what facts you find and where you found them. *This class is recommended (but not required) as a foundation for the others in the series.

Genealogy: Hatch‘em, Match‘em, Dispatch‘em - Monday, Sep 15

After learning the basics, we now learn how to find vital records (birth, marriage, and death) which are essential to genealogy.

Genealogy: Making Sense of the Census - Monday, Sep 22

The census records all Americans every 10 years, from 1790 to 1950. Learn what information is in the census and how to find your ancestors!

Genealogy: Where There’s a Will - Monday, Sep 29

Learn about estate records, a rich source of genealogical information. Wills list heirs; inventory lists describe all the person’s worldly goods and their value. Learn where to find your ancestors’ wills and other estate records.

Genealogy: Read all about your ancestors! - Monday, Oct 6

Local newspapers were the internet and TV of their day! Find wedding descriptions, obituaries, family reunions, arrest records, and lots more genealogical data. Learn where to find old newspapers online.

Genealogy: Should I take a DNA test? - Monday, Oct 13

Why take a DNA test? Where can you take a test? How much does a DNA test cost? What are the pros & cons of testing?

Genealogy: Understanding DNA test results - Monday, Oct 20

Learn how to use the results of your DNA test. We’ll explain the ethnicity report and the match list. Any testing company has similar results.

Genealogy: Using FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com - Monday, Oct 27

Learn how to find your ancestors on the two most popular on-line websites for family history. FamilySearch.org is free to everyone. Ancestry.com has a free version and a library version is free at Wake County Public Libraries. Your ancestors are waiting to be found!

Genealogy: Land to the East - Monday, Nov 3

Deeds can have valuable genealogical information, including spouses, heirs, parent/child relationships and more. This class focuses on the 20 states (mainly east of the Mississippi River) that use the "metes and bounds" system for describing land.

Genealogy: Land to the West - Monday, Nov 10

If your ancestors owned land in a "public domain state", that is, west of the original 13 colonies, their land is described using a grid. Learn about the 30 states that use this system and how to find your ancestors' land!

Genealogy: How did my ancestors get here? - Monday, Nov 17

Learn about European migration to America from 1607 (Jamestown, Virginia) through the early 1900s. Find passenger lists, citizenship papers, and more!

*This first class - Genealogy: Getting Started! - is recommended (but not required) as a foundation for the others in the series.

Please share this opportunity with friends and neighbors!

Any questions? Email Barbara president@wakecogen.org

Each class is $8. You must register for each separately.

You must register for each class separately. Find help accessing the registration forms below. Class titles above are hyperlinked to their individual registration. If they don't take you to registration, the instructions below will. Look for the genealogy class with 11 sections. Note: Classes will read unavailable until Monday, July 22 when registration opens.

Enroll online at
https://ncraleighweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/splash.html
Or stop by any staffed parks & rec center.

Online registration guide - click to enlarge. Search "genealogy"

Another way to find the classes online (if you are on phone, tablet, or half screen on a PC this is helpful to know) - From the link above, click the "Activities" tab.

Find the green "funnel" at the top right corner of the search page and click it.

Put "genealogy" in the keyword search and choose Laurel Hills in the location field.

Scroll down and click the green search button in the lower right corner.

Open the "Genealogy: Getting Started" tab. Enroll in each session individually.

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Wake Wednesday - The Civil War era earthworks that circle Raleigh

Did you know that that portions of the earthworks built to fortify the city of Raleigh during the Civil War still exist?

Did you know you can find these earthworks remnants at places like New Bern Ave, Peace and West Streets, and other locations throughout the city? Did you know that the earthworks have their own blog.

Not just a post, but an entire blog!

2020 version of Bredenberg's fortification map

Visit the blog - Raleigh's Wall - to see the wall on maps - old and new - and hear stories uncovered as author/blogger, Alfred Roy Bredenberg, uncovered the wall and its history. He has also developed an interactive map of the fortifications. Brededberg also writes a companion blog Civil War Nuances dedicated to stories and insights into the Civil War.

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Wake Wednesday - Milling in Wake County

I am republishing this post that was featured back in 2023 to celebrate the fact that Yates Mill will soon undergo a much needed restoration of its waterwheel (to be completed fall 2025). You can read the particulars of the restoration here at the Wake County Parks and Recreation website.

Enjoy this remembrance of mills past in our area. and be sure to take a minute to read Leslie Hawkins Meadows thesis on Mills in Wake County below - CD

I am fascinated by the interconnectivity of early historic water mills in the thread of survival that runs through the story of Wake County from days of our early settlers up until the not so distant past. Much of this story has been erased in the repeated rounds of growth, development and building frenzies that Wake has experienced from the late 70's until today. Sadly, in our county, there is only one mill active today and only partial remains of one other.

As the colonial settlers of Wake County carved out homes and communities, they had to meet several high priority needs to do so. Highest on this list were shelter, a water source, fields to grow their food and roads to barter, trade and sell the products of their labor.

Time passed and progress happened. Mills became as important as these basic needs in order to prosper and flourish. Mills, from early days right up until the very recent past fueled the economy of Wake County at both a micro and macro level. As the county expanded and demand surged, these mills catered to the supply of food products and lumber, meeting needs within the vicinity and beyond.

The span of the 1800s through the first third of the 1900s found Wake County heavily populated with many mills. In this clip of the Fendol Bevers map of Wake from 1871, you can count no less than eight mills in the House Creek Township (a ninth, if you are sharp and enlarge the map to its full size and look just over the township boundary at the upper right.) Of course, all water mills had to be situated on the rivers and streams that were so important to early settlers, but they also drove the creation of roads for connection and trade. In later years, mill sites also figured heavily in where the railroad lines would run.

Fendol Bevers Map of Wake County 1871

Yates Mill (source)

If you too, are fascinated with mills and their impact on early settlements and communities, you will want to read this thesis on the History of Milling by Leslie Hawkins Meadows. Her work includes information on the various types of mills, their importance in the community and highlights the last three mills extant in our memories if not our landscape - Yates (the only one still in operation, Lassiter (only the dam remains) and Lake Myra Mill (which fell into disrepair in the 1990's and collapsed).

Meadows' detailed examination of the mills and their history appears in five parts on the Yates Mill website and includes sources and an extensive bibliography. You can access it here. I promise you won't regret the read!

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