Press Release from the NC Archives: Telling Our NC 250 Story: Free Women of Color in Revolutionary North Carolina Thu, Jun 11 2026, 12 - 1pm A panel of cultural heritage scholars and descendants will discuss free women of color during the Revolutionary Era. Hundreds of records from multiple archives—including freedom papers, census lists, marriage records, and estate accounts at the State Archives—document the lives of these women, along with their families and communities. Panelists will explore the experiences of these remarkable women who navigated the complex cultural, legal, and racial terrain of North Carolina and the new nation. Register for Telling Our Story before the digital presentation on June 11 at noon.  Address questions to contact at this link -  https://archives.ncdcr.gov/news/events/telling-our-nc-250-story-free-women-color-revolutionary-north-carolina Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications |...

A fitting topic for the last week of Women's History Month is a study of widows' pensions claimed against their husbands service after the end of the Revolutionary War. These pensions contain  first-person testimony that often provide clues about location, circumstances, associates and family.  Source   I want to direct your attention to a fantastic collection that has been curated on the MosaicNC website .  (Mosaic is a digital dublishing venture of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History.) The series of profiles explores several roles filled by women as the men went to war including farmers, nurses, refugees, and family guardians. There are also special focus sections on Free Women of Color and Pension History.  Read the full story:  In Their Own Words: North Carolina's Widows of the American Revolution I was excited to find that the Free Women of Color section includes two women familiar to me through my recent research.  The first is...

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...

President Barbara McGeachy was in attendance for the Fair held on Oct. 4. Here is her report - I had a great time this morning at the NC Archives & State Library Family History Fair in downtown Raleigh. We had a good turnout and lots of people signed up for our email list. The talks were recorded and are already available on YouTube on the "statelibrarync" channel as "2025 Family History Fair: African American Genealogy and History" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jeTTB3C48 WCGS Table -Oct 4 -  NC Archives & State Library Family History Fair 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  |  Contact -  info(at)wakecogen(dot)org

A grand time was had by all at the Archives and Library tour the last Monday of June! Just look at all the fun. If you love the smell of old books and history in the morning, this is your kind of place! I hope you managed to attend. If not enjoy vicariously through these photos. Photos by Carla Stancil and Carol Kimball Stahl Click image to view the larger version. Clockwise from top left: Admiring the Carolina Charter of 1663. Archivist Katie Crickmore explains how the vertical family files work - the info is provided by researchers. A very attentive group learning the advantages of using the State Library as explained by librarian Taylor Wolford. Taking notes. More tour participants admiring the Charter. The rare book room in the stacks - heaven for us researchers. Taylor Wolford explains the Library collection. Here is a virtual copy of the Carolina Charter for you to enjoy thanks to DigitalNC.  Here is a transcript of of the Charter in case you can't make out the fine old Eng...

Back by popular demand! Join us for a repeat of our February tour of the NC Archives and genealogy library in downtown Raleigh. We will offer a free tour of the NC Archives and the State Library, organized by President Barbara McGeachy. June Tour Details - Event : Tour of NC Archives and Genealogy Library Date : Monday, June 23, 10 AM - Noon (followed by optional lunch) Location : 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh (meet in the lobby) Lunch : Optional at the cafeteria in the basement of the legislature building, featuring hot food, salads, and sandwiches. Security check required; no special ID needed. This tour is open to everyone, with 30 spots available. Sign up here:                                                         https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044CA9A72CAAFA7-56338096-tour Each tour lasts 45-60 minutes, concl...

by Barbara McGeachy, President, Wake County Genealogical Society About 30 people, members of the Wake County Genealogical Society and interested parties, toured the NC Archives and Government & Heritage Library in downtown Raleigh. After the tour, about a dozen of us walked to lunch next door in the legislature building.  Our tour guides Doug Brown, Reference Unit Supervisor in the Archives, and Taylor Wolford, Outreach Librarian in the Government & Heritage Library, were ready for us with interesting documents. In the archives, we saw the original Sanborn maps of Raleigh, the will of John Rex whose bequest founded Rex Hospital in 1894 (still thriving in Raleigh today) and other documents. In the library, Taylor shared newsletters and meeting minutes of the Wake County Genealogical Society! We toured behind the scenes, going into the storage vaults and the rare book room of the library. Taylor shared this information about the library: All NC residents are eligible to get...

The Wake County Genealogical Society's first in-person outing of 2025 will be a popular tour of the NC Archives and the State Library, organized by President Barbary McGeachy. February Meetup Details: Event:  Tour of NC Archive and State Library Date:  Monday, Feb. 10, 10 AM - Noon (lunch optional) Location:  109 E. Jones St., Raleigh (meet in the lobby) Lunch:  Optional at the cafeteria in the basement of the legislature building, featuring hot food, salads, and sandwiches. Security check required; no special ID needed. Source: Wikipedia This tour is open to everyone, with 30 spots available. Sign up here: Signup Genius .  Each tour lasts 45-60 minutes, concluding by noon. The Archives tour is optional; participants can choose to visit only the library first. Research is not permitted on this day as both facilities are closed to the public on Mondays. The NC Archives has original documents and some books but it's only about North Carolina.The staff will exp...