Imagine living in a time when it took months to know what was happening in your own "little corner of the world" as well as the Colonies at large. North Carolina did not have a dedicated newspaper until 1751. The first local newspaper, the North Carolina Gazette, was published in New Bern roughly weekly.  Imagine going through the chaotic times leading up to the Revolution with no timely account of the world, local or global. Colonists of NC had to wait weeks and sometimes months for updates from England and other colonies. Not knowing the events was difficult, but not seening the rising tide of dissent had to be disconcerting as well.  Events such as the French and Indian War and the Native raids against the western NC settlements that we talked about earlier took a toll on the general morale of the colonists. The punative decrees and regulations yet to come against the colonists as a result of their resistance to the King and his agents added a further layer of divisiveness...

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...

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...

Have fun spending some time comparing and contrasting these two colonial era maps that are held by the Library of Congress . Both made under the direction of Henry Muzon. Both show the early colonies of North and South Carolina. Both are hand colored, although each is executed somewhat differently. One created in London, the other in Paris. They even share a title -  An accurate map of North and South Carolina, with their Indian frontiers, shewing in a distinct manner all the mountains, rivers, swamps, marshes, bays, creeks, harbours, sandbanks, and soundings on the coast with the roads and Indian paths as well as The Boundary or Provincial Lines, the several Townships and other divisions of the Land in both Provinces: The whole from Actual Surveys by Henry Mouzon and Others. Click through to see larger images, but more importantly, click the hyperlinked dates to view the original maps at the Library of Congress. 1775 1777 If you have time for nothing else, be sure to open the 1777...