Wake Wednesday 250: John Chavis, Notable Black Educator, preacher and Rev War Soldier

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, I focused on browsing Wake County. It should be noted that one must add 50 to any page you choose in the table of contents if you wish to land on the correct page. The front matter was numbered with roman numerals and that shifts the page numbering out of line considerably. The Table of Contents starts on page 51. The Wake County index includes pages 54 and 55. Schools appear to be listed in the order in which they were created chronologically from 1809- 1839. A more readable copy of each page appears by clicking on the preview window of the page you have chosen. A higher resolution image will appear. Raleigh Academy, the largest school in the area, appears on pages 388 (438) -512 (562). 

John Chaves’ school of Wake County highlighted below caught my interest as I read that the school catered to both white children and children of color. The free colored population of Raleigh at this time must have been large enough to support this. I wondered if there was more to find on this school. 

Source.
Click image to enlarge text.

I went looking and did find several articles about the teacher, John Chavis (Chaves). A lengthy article at NCPedia summarized his life. He was a brave and accomplished man who certainly earned his historical marker located at East and Worth Streets (if not more). 

He was probably an "indentured servant” of John Milne of Halifax (c. 1773). He was a soldier in the Rev War, educated at the Presbyterian Washington Academy (now Washington and Lee University) and at Princeton. He was a licensed Presbyterian minister, and described as "almost certainly the most learned black of his time in the South, and perhaps in the United States." 

His school in Wake started in 1808 was still running in 1828. He taught in Granville and Chatham counties as well. His bio is a good read. 

I went to school with many Chavis kids at Millbrook High School back in the day. I imagine they were probably descendants. I wonder if they knew of their inspiring ancestor. I hope so, and wish we had been taught his role in history. It is amazing what you find when you are not looking for something. Check out NC Schools and Academies online and see what you learn. - CD

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Wake Wednesday 250 - The Jumonville Glen Incident, May 1754

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) of the Native Trading Path Road through Va., NC, and SC will help you get your bearings on the 1755 map. The line that snakes from Petersburg, Va through NC into SC is this same Trading Path Road.

George was in his early twenties at this time and serving as a soldier for Britain as many good colonists of the day would do. In response to a spate of fort building along Lake Erie and LeBoeuf Creek, Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie directed Lt. Col. George Washington, his men and a band of Ohio Indian co-horts to lead a diplomatic mission to encourage the French to take a beat and abandon their forts. Washington was very green as an officer. He had only joined the militia a year earlier. The governor chose Washington thinking his prior six years experience as a surveyor would help in navigating the frontier. Alas, the mission did not end well and things deteriorated further over the ensuing year.

I won't deprive you of a wonderful account that describes diplomatic mission and the ensuing events. I recommend you read this article from Smithsonian magazine that chronicles Washington's experiences and missteps that led to the opening battle of the French and Indian War. The most amazing part of the article is the eye-witness account of a Native called the "Chief Warrior of the Ohio Iroquios." It is not often we get that sort of direct insight into how colonists and Natives were interacting in the moment.

“We are all Soldiers and Warriors. Some sharp words will now pass between us. We shall talk like drunken Men.”  

- Chief Warrior of the Iroquois

Read the article here - When Young George Washington Started a War by Allison Shelley

As stated in the last blog post, the French and Indian War was part of a larger global conflict. The incident at Jumonville Glen was the spark that ignited the fire. For folks closer to home in NC, these actions spawned an immense rift between Natives and settlers. The frequency and intensity of Native attacks on settlers, resulted in the establishment of Fort Dodd near modern Winston-Salem. Colonists retreated eastward to Ft. Dodd and Bethabera putting strain on those populations and causing an epidemic due to overcrowding. 

It is interesting that Washington was an instigator, if maybe only an accidental one, at the outset and our Founding Father at the conclusion. This article presents a fuller picture of George Washington that we get from most stories handed down. He was more human than "larger than life" I fear.

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