An article from the N&O has haunted me for years. It was about the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Wake County and what that must have been like. I saved it. Can't find it now, but every summer at this time I think of it and how it captured my historic fancy those several years ago. So much so, that my young family including my two sons, husband and my father and step-mother made the trek downtown that hot, hot July 4 to tour the Joel Lane house and stand at the Boylan Bridge spot and imagine (despite construction detritus all around) what it must have felt like and sounded on that hill at the first reading in August of 1776. Well, it haunted me enough to go searching for the article again. After several failed attempts - success! I must give mad props and a plug to the NC Government and Heritage Library for their library card and the online access it provides. From their site, with my library card to log in, I was able to search the N&O Archives t...

This article was published in the Summer 2026 issue of the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter. Volume 9, Issue 4, p7. Do you have an ancestor who you suspect might have been a Loyalist? They would be alive in the 1775-1783 timeframe in your tree. Have you noticed some clues that have you wondering? - CD If your ancestor showed no obvious signs of being a Patriot, did they show any inclination to the opposite? Maybe they signed an association paper to the British cause, or they left town abruptly.  Is there evidence that their property was confiscated or that they were prosecuted for treason (or worse!) by the new American government?  Those wishing to remain British subjects called themselves Loyalists. The Patriot rebels derisively called them Tories. Loyalist support was especially strong in parts of the southern colonies, including South Carolina, Georgia, and the North Carolina backcountry. The Loyalists’ motives were many.  Southern plantation owners and merchants with ...

It is very fitting to include this previous post in the Wake 250 series. Margaret and her husband"s (William Tryon Colonial Governor of NC colony) very presence and actions were pivotal in the events leading up to the Revolution. I am sure sentiment about them was mixed at the time. March is Womens' History Month! Let's start it off by recognizing the woman of  Wake - Margaret Wake Tryon . She may or may not have been the "Mother of Wake County", but our county was certainly named for her in 1770, by none other than Joel Lane, according to Wikipedia . source Margaret was reported to be a "fine accomplish'd lady" in her day, possessed of skills and interests not usually adopted by women of her era. This description at Wikipedia certainly supports that notion. Wake was described as an "accomplished" and "learned" woman who had a talent for playing the organ and  spinet . [3]  She was known to avoid women's company and prefer...

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...

Early colonial timelines point to  the French and Indian War and its aftermath as  the flashpoint for  the troubles leading up to the Revolutionary War.  The French and Indian War was part of the larger Seven Years' War 1756-1763 that pitted England and Prussia against France, Austria, Russia, and Spain, with fighting spanning North America, Europe, India, Africa, and the Philippines, focused on colonial power, trade, and resources. Prior to that point, most British colonists were pretty satisfied with their situation. The chance to get ahead while beholden to the king was not the irritant it would become later. This was still a time when they could just settle a little farther into the backcountry if they wished to escape the scrutiny of the colonial  tax collectors, sheriffs, judges. It was easier to ignore and escape too much regulatory attention in the far reaches of the colony. The French and Indian War predates the War of Regulation (1770) and the formati...

Update - This is a great place to start our look back at conditions and events surrounding Colonial Wake County.  This post was originally published in the Spring 2021 issue of the Wake Genealogy Watch newsletter . This is a great story in our history. It also reinforces the importance of being aware of these frequent boundary changes when researching early family history in Wake County. - Cyndi Deal Celebrating Wake County’s 250th  Year  It would be remiss to ignore Wake County and its place in history of both state and nation as well as its importance to the many first settlers of the region. In researching the creation of Wake, I was most intrigued to find its creation firmly entangled with the fiery politics of the day. Did you know that Wake owes its founding directly to the turmoil caused by the Regulator Movement of the pre-Revolution period from 1765 - 1771? Life, survival, and politics was rough for the inland North Carolina colonists of this period. A drought a...

I have been mulling over different directions to take the Wake Wednesday posts lately. I enjoy them, but there are not always enough research hours in the day. Another consideration is that Heather Leah has started doing something very similar with her new Facebook page. She is doing a great job and producing content at a rate that I just can't match. I encourage you to visit Heather's page . I may direct you there from time to time when I see she has written about something really special. Otherwise, I am on a quest to see if I can dredge up content from the 1770's through 1790's to inform us how the denizens of Wake County lived, rebelled and coped with the political turmoil of their day.  I hope to capture as much or more about life lived around and in spite of the politics, but I am sure both topics will appear over time. As I was toying with the idea, one of my resources suggested this great article from the Muscogee Muckraker as an example. It offers extensive dis...

So, I was casting about for a WW post with a holiday theme and happened on this quaint turn of the century Christmas postcard that was featured in the  North Carolina Postcards section of the digital North Carolina Collection at UNC.  This is a postcard that B. H. Woodell, of Raleigh, had personalized and printed to send to his friends and colleagues in December 1907. It is a very classic and formal card typical the ones I have seen from that time period.  Source I am not familiar with Mr. Woodell and wondered what sort of footprint he left in Wake County for that time period.  A Google search turned up several entries for him in an 1887 Raleigh City Director y housed at the NC Archives. This ad from the directory shows that he was a business man in downtown Raleigh at that time.   source There are several other mentions of Mr. Woodell in this directory. They document his dual occupations of shoe merchant and broker/commission merchant, ...