Sources are wherever you find them and this is an unexpected one. While researching John Chavis' Revolutionary War history to find some information, I happened on this America 250 document prepared for school children. It included information on John Chavis as well as several other Black Patriots.  Source In addition to John Chavis, you will find resource links and lesson plans for: Edward “Ned” Griffin Austin Dabney Isaac Carter Isaac Hammond Thomas Peters The resource links include many other stories of Black Patriots beyond this focus group. Take some time to dig in.  Granted, this is not a traditional resource. You may want to read over it and sit with it awhile. You may find inspiration for researching another Black Patriot or you may the fortunate one to find your own ancestor listed here. Do take a look and mine it for the context clues it may provide! The Lesson Plan is available here -  Shining a Light on Untold History:North Carolina’s Black Revolutionary War So...

A new video is available from NC State Archives highlighting new collections added in 2025. The video also introduces our new State Archivist, Kelly Policelli.  Highlighted collections include  new records about Black Mountain College, additions to the oral history and photograph collections, new military correspondence, and ways to access these records online. Featured collections are housed within the  Raleigh , Outer Banks and Asheville branches of the archives.  Watch the video at the State Archives of North Carolina's YouTube Channel . New Year, New Collections Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events  |  Join WCGS  |  Publications  |  Wake Cemetery Survey Images  |  Society Surnames  |  Digital Resources  |  History Resources  |  More Links and Resources  |    Donate  |  Contact -  info(at)wakecogen(dot)org...

The Wake County Genealogical Society is the author of eight books containing Wake County ancestors. Order your own copy! School Census – Raleigh Township 1897 Cost: $11.69 Wake County Apprentice Bonds, 1770-1860 and 1872-1903 Cost: $28 Wake County Bastardy Bonds – 1772-1937 Cost: $20 Wake County Deed Book R [March 1802-October 1803] Cost: $20 Wake County NC - Divorce Records A-M Cost: $32 Wake Co. Superior Court Divorce Records 1831-1920, SURNAMES N-Z Cost: $17 Wake County, NC Levy Dockets 1805-1815 Cost: $17 Wake Heritage Cost: $55 Find details of each volume at  our website on the Publications page   (scroll down for Lulu). Find the prices and place your order on Lulu.com. Use the following search to see only the eight books being offered by Wake County Genealogical Society. Browse and  purchase from our Lulu Collection . Visit our Lulu Collection for more Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website  -  Homepage  |  WCGS Events ...

The map mentioned in the Jumonville Glen post is so useful for visualizing population, location and proximity during colonial times, I wanted to give it its own searchable post. To distinguish from the earlier post, here is a close up of the North Carolina section. I have put a rough sketch of the modern borders in blue to help you get your bearings. Notice how wild it all is.  There are only a few recognizable towns along the coast at this point.  I see Bath, Beaufort, and New Bern. There is no Wilmington, Halifax, or Hillsborough. There was definitely no Wake County or Raleigh yet. A town I have never hear of at all is also located at the coast. That would be Soroacte on this map, also called Sarecta the first charted town of Duplin County. At that time, Sarecta was a hamlet of ten houses. You can read about the town's early history here . Open map to original size for best viewing Excerpt from the  Carte des possessions angloises & françoises du continent de l'Am...

excerpt from SOFAFEA newsletter - Saundra Russ Cropps, WCGS Diversity Officer and member of the South Atlantic Region of  Society of the First African Families of English America , presented at the  Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society-Triangle Chapter  on February 7. She shared the story of her Forgotten Patriot ancestor  Private Jesse Harris  and the  Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church  (from the original project collaboration with the Wake County Historical Society and Wake County Genealogical Society). Russ Cropps shared the story of her ancestor Private Jesse Harris (1762-1844), a free Black man who served for 18 months in the 10th North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Army after being hired by a "class of men" to fulfill their service obligation. Saundra Russ Cropps Black History Month is a fitting time to share both presentations from our Shiloh History Celebration in October 2025.   View both slide...

This article was previously posted in our newsletter, Wake Genealogy Watch, Vol 6.4, Summer 2023  under the title  A Useful Find: NC Schools & Academies, 1790-1840.  I often discover interesting records by accident as I am researching other things. I found a lot that I was not looking for as I researched things for the Wake Cemetery Survey. This record is one you will find interesting if you have early NC ancestors. - CD  You will find a digitized copy of North Carolina Schools and Academies, 1790-1840, A Documentary History at NCDigital for your research and browsing pleasure. Created by Charles Lee Coon and published in 1915, “ North Carolina Schools. ..” is a collection of education related postings that appeared in the weekly Raleigh Register during the 1790-1840 time frame. The book is an attempt to portray education as it existed in North Carolina during the fifty years immediately succeeding 1790.  While the volume covers all NC counties of that time...

AKA - That time George Washington might have started the first Global War! Let's look at the territories in the time leading up to the French and Indian War. The map below illustrates the land held by the various parties at this time. France in green, Native Americans in pink and Britian in gold.  The maps set the stage for the events and pressures of the day. In this 1755 map, the English colonists were pushing westward for more fertile farm land, the French were pushing eastward to meet the English before they could claim land that France wanted for themselves, and the Native tribes resented being pushed on both sides. They wanted desperately to hold their ground and maybe gain back a little of what they had lost. The Natives were frequently bargaining with whichever side had the upper hand. It was a volatile time for all. Carte des possessions angloises & françoises du continent de l'Amérique Septentrionale c.1755 Source link - click to enlarge Comparing this map ( link...