Last Thursday, June 25, Saundra's video premiered  on Spectrum News 1 . She was interviewed by Kennedy Chase about researching Black Patriot ancestors, an topic of  historic interest right now. Saundra's Patriot was Black so this made for some challenging research.  In the interview, Saundra explained,  “I did a lot of genealogy on the general public, but I did not have the time to focus on my family.”  She applied those skills honed over the years of past research to connect with her extended maternal line and trace her lineage back to  free Black Patriot, Jesse Harris . The video highlights several stumbling blocks that black researchers encounter and encourages persistence. Saundra noted that more discussion on researching black ancestors occurred than was shown in the final edit, but she thought Kennedy Chase did a wonderful job of pulling it all together. This was her first TV appearance, and she's excited to share more. Watch Saundra's Spec...

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...

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 just wanted to take a moment to point out the category feature on the Wake Cemetery Survey Project that you see above. It is there to help you search more quickly. Use these category groups to narrow your search: General Information African-American Cemetery Church Cemetery Community Cemetery Family and Slave Cemetery Family Cemetery Indian Cemetery Slave Cemetery Unknown Cemetery These categories refer to the smaller cemeteries. You will not find a category for the likes of Oakwood, or Raleigh City Cemetery. These are limited to searching one type of category at at time and we were only able to assign one category to each cemetery. Note that the category names were assigned with the word usage used in the original survey. * The category feature is helpful feature to highlight right now as many observe Black History Month and honor their ancestors by researching their family history.  The Category search works by township. If you don't know the part of Wake County you want to loo...

Information about the NC Cohabitation records created in March 1866 appears at the NCDigital collection where these records are housed. The description reads as follows:  In March 1866, the General Assembly passed “An Act Concerning Negroes and Persons of Color or of Mixed Blood,” which included a statute that enslaved people who had been living together as man and wife during slavery were now considered to be legally married. Called Cohabitation Bonds, these were filed with the Register of Deeds and were retroactive, legitimizing the marriages of former enslaved peoples. Typically included was the name and age of the bride and groom and length of time they had been “married”. Some counties include the name of the enslaver and/or the number of children the couple may have had. While in the original records cohabitation bonds are sometimes named as such, for many marriage records we cannot determine the race of the couple. In some instances, other marriage records from 1866 may be ...

I have been following the Hinton Midway Enslaved Persons Cemetery for several years now. I have been aware of it since first starting work on the Wake Cemetery Survey c. 1978 Image Project that is now hosted at the Wake County Genealogical Society website. I have been working on that since 2019 so I have seen it evolve as interest and civic action converged.  The Midway Enslaved Cemetery sat neglected for many years on fallow land in Knightdale while right across the street (New Bern Avenue/ Business US 64) the "more recognized/more historical" portions of the Midway Plantation and the white family cemetery were moved in preparation to build the Shops at Midway shopping center (now called the Knightdale Market Place on Google Maps). Quotes for emphasis because that is how the narrative reads despite what we know to be true. There would be no massive prosperous Midway Plantation without the the free labor of the enslaved persons who toiled and died there.  Meanwhile, the ensla...

This painful and incendiary moment in Wilmington's history has impact far beyond the bounds of her city limits. A Raleigh news outlet was instrumental in the event. The 1898 coup d'etat in Wilmington - the only successful overthrow of a domestic government in Americha history - is examined in a new documentary.   Watch American Experience  on PBS this coming Tuesday at 9pm.   American Coup: Wilmington 1898 Description from PBS: American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina's largest city in 1898 -- the only coup d'etat in the history of the US. Stoking fears of "Negro Rule," self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington's democratically-elected, multi-racial government. Dozens of Black residents were murdered, and thousands were banished. The story of what happened in Wi...

We are lucky that Ernest Dollar, City of Raleigh Museum director, discovered John Hunter and his history so that his story can be shared today. In 2020, a short documentary was made about the discovery and connection to Theophilus Hunter and his Spring Hill Plantation. You can watch that documentary here . John Hunter was an enslaved person on the Spring Hill Plantation, owned by Theophilus Hunter. John was well loved and lived a very long life. His obituary claimed 112 years. He was interviewed in the 1870's for an article in the Raleign Sentinel. His memories include Fayetteville Street while it was surrounded by wilderness and wild animals, the blood thirsty dragoons of Col, Tarleton, and local buildings burning in 1812. Learn more by viewing  Josh Shaffer's article from 2020 and the video at the N&O. If you wish to read the interview with John Hunter that appeared in the Raleigh Sentinel in December 1876, you may find it at This NCDigital link . I tried searching se...