Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

The Mystery Box

Have you ever conducted research at the State Archives of North Carolina, or any other archival institution for that matter? It’s a unique thrill when you discover history in your hands and read the words of the past as written by the people who lived it. Even when you know the basics about what you’re going to research, you never know exactly what you’ll find during an archival research trip. 

 

In this episode, our podcast team dives into the unknown with a trip into the “mystery box.” The team gathered in the Search Room at the State Archives to examine a box chosen from a State Agency series. They did not know anything about the box before the recording, so what you’ll hear is their discovery of the amazing history found in this box. Pull up a seat as you join the archival research experience.  

 

What should you expect to learn? Here’s a hint: It involves Walter Cronkite, an English explorer, and learning proper etiquette. We hope you learn what it’s like to go inside the Search Room and conduct archival research, so you’re inspired to take the plunge into your own mystery box. 

 

This episode is hosted by producer Josh Hager, who also selected the Mystery Box. The “research team” features producers Katherine Crickmore and Annabeth Poe and producer emerita Chauna Carr. 

 

Please note that the citation for the “mystery box” as well as digital copies of documents and photos mentioned in the episode appears in this blog on “History for All the People” at https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2024/12/11/connecting-the-docs-season-5-episode-6-mystery-box/.   

Myth Busters: Unpacking North Carolina Legends

This week on Connecting the Docs, host John Horan welcomes Reference archivist Katherine Crickmore, former Digitization Archivist Chauna Carr, and Records Description Unit head Joshua Hager to investigate the validity of popular North Carolina legends.  

First, Katie tackles the mysterious disappearance of Theodosia Burr, daughter of American Vice President Aaron Burr. Leaving South Carolina by boat to visit her father in New York, Theodosia was never seen or heard from again. She is said to have been abducted by pirates off the coast of the Outer Banks, but is that true? Next, Chauna unpacks the tale of Betsy Dowdy, a sixteen-year-old girl whose ride from Currituck County to inform military officers during the American Revolution rivals that of Paul Revere! However, with little evidence to back this up, did the ride really happen? Finally, Josh tells the story of the infamous Peter Stuart/Stewart Ney, who has long been tied to the Marshal Michel Ney, Napoleon Bonaparte’s right-hand man during the French Revolution. Did Marshal Ney fake his death and move to Davidson, North Carolina? 

Join us as we use primary sources from the State Archives of North Carolina to see if these are myths that need to be busted! 

 

Collections Used for Research 

Theodosia Burr 

David Stick Papers, PC.5001 Box 167. Research Material, 1990s-2006. Theodosia Burr, 1990s. 

Pool, Bettie Freshwater. “The Nag’s Head Picture of Theodosia Burr.” The North Carolina Booklet 9, no. 2, October 1909.  

Pool Family Papers, PC.5328. Box 1 

West, Harry C. “The Mysterious Portrait of Theodosia Burr.” The North Carolina Folklore Journal 22, no. 3, August 1974. 

 

Betsy Dowdy 

McBride, Ransom. “Revolutionary War Service Records and Settlements.” North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 9, no. 4, November 1983. 

Moore, Carole. “Betsy’s Wild Ride.” Our State Magazine 74, no. 10, March 2007. 

Seay, Majel Ivey. “Betsy Dowdy’s Ride.” The State Magazine 4, no. 47, April 1937. 

State Agency Finding Aid: State Treasurer's and Comptroller's, 1731-ca. 1940. 

 

Peter Stuart Ney 

Johnson, Mark. “The Plot Thickens: Did DNA Settle a Centuries-Old Conspiracy?” Davidson College, September 18, 2023. https://www.davidson.edu/news/2023/09/18/plot-thickens-did-dna-settle-centuries-old-conspiracy.  

Lyman C. Draper Collection, 1743-1906. MF-P.10.1 

Peter Stewart Ney Papers, PC.800. 

Whisenant, David. “French Researchers Conclude That Napoleon’s Famed Marshal Ney Is Not the Peter Stuart Ney Buried in Rowan Co. Church Cemetery.” WBTV3, September 9, 2023. https://www.wbtv.com/2023/09/09/french-researchers-conclude-that-napoleons-famed-marshal-ney-is-not-peter-stuart-ney-buried-rowan-co-church-cemetery/. 

 

Class is in Session: Integration and Busing Controversies, 1969-1972

Our final episode in our school-centric series takes us to Charlotte, home to one of the most famous legal cases involving school integration. By the time it reached the U.S. Supreme Court, Swann v. Mecklenburg addressed whether school systems could legally use busing routes to create more integrated school populations (or if they had an obligation to do just that). In this episode, join host John Horan, podcast Intern Olivia Coyne, and producer Josh Hager for a tour through the history of the Swann case and the larger issue of busing in North Carolina. Learn how school systems used busing to maintain segregation even after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. We’ll go over a chronology of the key events of the Swann case and its legal outcomes. Finally, we’ll dive deep into the correspondence of Governor Bob Scott to look at how citizens from across North Carolina argued for and against busing in both expected and wildly unexpected ways.  

Special thanks to correspondence narrators Annabeth Poe, Madison Lawson, and Kaylin Preslar. 

 

Collections Used for Research 

Governor Robert Scott Papers:  

• State Board of Education, School Buses, 1969 (Box 17) 

• Alphabetical File, Education, 1969 (Boxes 115-116) 

• State Board of Education, School Buses, 1970 (Box 158) 

• Alphabetical File, Desegregation, 1970 (Box 270) 

• Alphabetical File, Education (General), 1970 (Box 270) 

• State Board of Education, Busing Children, 1971 (Box 303) 

• Department of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, School Buses, Busing Children, 1972 (Box 463) 

 

Department of Public Instruction, Superintendent’s Subject File. Mailing of Free Choice Forms, 1969; Statement of Dr. Craig Phillips, 1971; and Letters of Protest from Forsyth County, 1970. Item 1074, Transfer 3: Boxes 12, 16, and 25 (unprocessed).  

 

Secondary historical information source: Robin Brabham, "Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education," North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/swann-v-charlotte-mecklenburg-board.  

 

Commercial Excerpt from “An Interview with Lucy Penegar (b. 1940)” by Jason Luker at the Gaston County Museum of Art and History in Dallas, North Carolina on March 15, 2021. From the State Archives of North Carolina, She Changed the World Oral History Project. Audio. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1155061. 

Class is in Session: American Indian Education Spotlight, Part 2

In the second and third episodes in our Class is in Session series, we focus on hearing from American Indian students about how they navigated school segregation and desegregation inside and outside of the classroom. Using a combination of government records and oral histories, join host John Horan and producers Josh Hager and Annabeth Poe for an overview of American Indian public education across the state over time. In the previous episode, we learned about segregated schools through the lens of the Sappony and how students integrated UNC-Chapel Hill’s Medical School. Now, hear the harrowing tale of what it was like to desegregate Dunn High School and the odd circumstances surrounding bussing in both Robeson and Harnett Counties.  

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including language that reflects outdated, biased, and/or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence. 

 

Collections Used for Research 

American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project, 2022-2024. State Archives of North Carolina. OH.010. 

“East Carolina Indian School (I-97).” North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, January 3, 2024. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/03/east-carolina-indian-school-i-97.  

“Enrollment Data - Interactive Data Dashboard.” The University of North Carolina System, Fall 2023. https://www.northcarolina.edu/impact/stats-data-reports/interactive-data-dashboards/. 

Normal Schools for African American Students Files, 1900-1924: Pembroke-Cherokee Indian School. Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education. Special Subject File, Box 3. 

Robeson County High School Annual Reports, 1950-1955. Department of Public Instruction Record Group, Division of Instructional Services, Supervision and Curriculum Section, High School Principal’s Annual Reports, Box 18. 

Class is in Session: American Indian Education Spotlight, Part 1

In the second and third episodes in our Class is in Session series, we focus on hearing from American Indian students about how they navigated school segregation and desegregation inside and outside of the classroom. Using a combination of government records and oral histories, join host John Horan and producers Josh Hager and Annabeth Poe for an overview of American Indian public education across the state over time. Then, learn about the conditions of American Indian schools prior to the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Finally, listen to students describe their experiences integrating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in their own voices in part one, and their experiences integrating local white public schools in part two.  

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including language that reflects outdated, biased, and/or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence. 

 

Collections Used for Research 

American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project, 2022-2024. State Archives of North Carolina. OH.010. 

“East Carolina Indian School (I-97).” North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, January 3, 2024. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/03/east-carolina-indian-school-i-97.  

“Enrollment Data - Interactive Data Dashboard.” The University of North Carolina System, Fall 2023. https://www.northcarolina.edu/impact/stats-data-reports/interactive-data-dashboards/. 

Normal Schools for African American Students Files, 1900-1924: Pembroke-Cherokee Indian School. Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education. Special Subject File, Box 3. 

Robeson County High School Annual Reports, 1950-1955. Department of Public Instruction Record Group, Division of Instructional Services, Supervision and Curriculum Section, High School Principal’s Annual Reports, Box 18. 

 

Class is in Session: The Legacy of Rosenwald Schools

Welcome to Season 5 of Connecting the Docs! We start this season with a trip to the classroom as we focus on three topics relating to North Carolina schools and education history. In our first episode of the series, we take a look at the history of Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina. Join host John Horan, podcast intern Lawanda McCullor, and producer Josh Hager as we learn how the Julius Rosenwald Fund spearheaded the construction of numerous schools across North Carolina for African American students, particularly in rural areas. The Rosenwald Schools became centers of community, starting from their onset in the 1920s until many of them fell out of use at the time of school integration. We’ll also learn about the Anna T. Jeanes Foundation and how that organization funded training for new African American teachers. The Rosenwald Fund and the Jeanes Foundation were key factors in building a community of teachers, parents, and supporters dedicated to educating African American youth in North Carolina during the years of Jim Crow.  

 

Collections Used for Research: 

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. State Superintendent’s Office: Correspondence File. SR.104.3. 

 

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: Special Subject File. SR.104.339. 

 

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: General Correspondence of the Director. SR.104.335. 

 

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: Correspondence of the Supervisor, Rosenwald Fund. SR.104.338.  

 

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: Articles and Speeches by N.C. Newbold. SR.104.336. 

 

Secondary historical information source: NCPedia (State Library of North Carolina).  

 

Uncovered Stories, Episode 3: The Revolutionary Ruthey Jackson Letter

Welcome back to the final series of Season 4, “Uncovered Stories.” In this series, you’ll hear about incredible records that archivists uncovered during work assigned for other, sometimes unrelated projects. These discoveries add new significant research topics to collections held by the State Archives for decades and shine a light on people and subjects upon which previous collection guides did not focus.   

 

In the last episode of the series, host John Horan welcomes Digitization Archivist Caitlin Martell and former Connecting the Docs intern and current Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe to discuss an overlooked letter from one of the Archives’ private collections. Caitlin found the letter, written in 1781, while digitizing documents about John Williams, a Granville County lawyer and Continental Congress delegate, for America’s 250th anniversary. The letter caught her eye because within a series of letters about troop rations and political movements, it had an unusual author with an unusual request. A dying Hillsborough woman named Ruthey Jackson was asking Williams to take in her daughter Nancy, who was the result of an affair with one of North Carolina’s most famous Revolutionary War generals. Join us as we discuss the letter, reveal Nancy’s father, and investigate what happened to Ruthey, Nancy, and the other characters in this 1700s soap opera. 

 

From the Archives 

 

The Letter: PC.176.1: John Williams Papers, 1772-1781 [digitized, pages 65-66], https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/john-williams-papers-1772-1781/425265?item=425574. 

 

21.111.48, 49, and 52: Special Agents’ Reports on Claims, Vol. XI, British Records Series (Microfilm z.5.149N from PRO Series T 79/84, 85 & 88). 

 

CR.044.101: Apprentice Bonds and Record, Granville County (Boxes 1-4). 

 

CR.044.102: Bastardy Bonds and Records, Granville County (Boxes 1-4).  

 

CR.044.510: Guardian Bonds, Granville County, 1758-1927. 

 

CR.044.801: Wills, 1749-1968, Granville County. 

 

CR.073.101: Apprentice Bonds and Records, 1780-1905, Orange County (Boxes 1-3). 

 

CR.073.102: Bastardy Bonds and Records, 1782-1908, undated, Orange County (Boxes 1-3). 

 

CR.073.301: Minute Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1752-1868. 

 

CR.073.801: Wills, 1752-1968, Orange County. 

 

MF-C.012.80001: Brunswick County Wills, 1764-1954. 

 

"North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, Orange County, Deeds, 1753-1793, Vol. 1 & 2, 
images, accessed through FamilySearch. 

 

"North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, Orange County, Land Records, 1778 and 1779-1795, 
images, accessed through FamilySearch. 

 

US Census Bureau, 1790 United States Federal Census, New Hanover County, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, images reproduced by FamilySearch (accessible through the Archives). 

 

US Census Bureau, 1800 United States Federal Census, Granville County, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, images reproduced by FamilySearch (accessible through the Archives). 

 

Secondary Sources 

 

Samuel Ashe, Biographical History of North Carolina Volume III, Greensboro, NC: Charles L. Van Noppen Publisher, 1906, page 129. 

 

Mrs. John C. Bernhardt, “Burton, Robert,” North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 1979, revised November 2022, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/burton-robert. 

 

Louise Littleton Davis, Nashville Tales, Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1981. 

 

M.M. Edmonds, “Williams, John,” North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 1996, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/williams-john. 

 

Marjoleine Kars, Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2002. 

 

Ransom McBride, “Claims of British Merchants,” North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 9, no.3 (1983); 156; 11, no. (1985); 29. 

 

John F. Reed, “Nash, Francis,” North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 1991, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/nash-francis. 

 

Steven E. Siry’s Liberty’s Fallen Generals: Leadership and Sacrifice in the American War of Independence, Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2012. 

Uncovered Stories, Episode 2: Marginalized Communities in Early Statehood General Assembly Records

Welcome back to the final series of Season 4, “Uncovered Stories.” In this series, you’ll hear about incredible records that archivists uncovered during work assigned for other, sometimes unrelated projects. These discoveries add new significant research topics to collections held by the State Archives for decades and shine a light on people and subjects upon which previous collection guides did not focus. 

In this second episode, former Connecting the Docs Intern and current Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe takes the hosting stage and interviews Friends of the Archives 2023 Summer Intern Hannah Nicholson about her project, creating a LibGuide about the records of marginalized communities in the General Assembly records from the years of early statehood, 1777 to 1789. What started as a research question into these records stemming from the Archives’ continued efforts to prepare for America’s 250th anniversary became a much larger project as more records of various categories emerged. Hannah and Annabeth discuss two incredible stories in particular: the fascinating emancipation of Hannah Bowers by Margaret Gaston (yes, the Gaston family for which the county is named) and the roller-coaster saga of Ned Griffin, an enslaved man who was promised freedom by his enslaver if he would serve in his place in the Revolutionary War. Learn how both stories as well as the other records documenting women’s history, African American history, American Indian history, and religious minority communities show how the bills, resolutions, petitions, and other legal records of the General Assembly have incredible significance to the social and cultural history of North Carolina. 

Please note that the LibGuide discussed in this episode is undergoing final edits. Look for it on the State Archives website later this year! 

 

Records cited: 

All records from General Assembly Record Group, General Assembly Session Records, 1777-1789. 

 

May 15: Senate bill to give Ned Griffin his freedom (petition and messages only), May 15, 1784, General Assembly Session Records, April-June 1784, Box 3. 

 

Dec. 12: House bill to emancipate Hannah, alias Hannah Bowers, of the estate of Alexander Gaston (with petition), December 12, 1786. General Assembly Session Records, November 1786-January 1787, Box 3. 

 

Uncovered Stories, Episode 1: Finding Enslaved Labor in the Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers

Welcome to the final series of Season 4, “Uncovered Stories.” In this series, you’ll hear about incredible records that archivists uncovered during work assigned for other, sometimes unrelated projects. These discoveries add new significant research topics to collections held by the State Archives for decades and shine a light on people and subjects upon which previous collection guides did not focus. 

 

In this first episode, host John Horan and regular panelist Josh Hager are joined by State Agency Description Archivist Alexandra Dowrey and Digital Description Archivist Caroline Waller. Over the past two years, Alexandra and Caroline have worked on a large-scale project to modernize the housing and description for the Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, a massive collection of financial records dating from colonial times to the early 20th century. While they expected to find some documentation of enslaved labor, especially in records pertaining to the State Capitol building, the volume and scope of these records across various parts of the collection was a major discovery. In this episode, Alexandra and Caroline will discuss the important and often heart-wrenching accounts that they have catalogued in this collection. Among other stories, you’ll learn about how enslaved laborers working on the Capitol’s construction had the well-honed skills of a master artisan and how a series documenting import and export taxes include record of the trafficking of eighty enslaved persons to work on infrastructure projects in the Great Dismal Swamp. 

 

As you might expect, this episode includes frank discussions of slavery and the daily life of enslaved persons. This episode may prove upsetting to some listeners. Our hope is that this episode will bring new attention to this collection that will enable the proper acknowledgement of these enslaved individuals and to enable further historical and genealogical research. 

 

Sources: 

Confiscated Lands, Halifax County, 1780-1809. Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.22.014. 

 

Eighty enslaved Africans arrived at Port Roanoke on the Brig Camden on June 10, 1786. Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, Ports, SR.204.40.033. 

 

Navigation and Canal Companies: Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Company, Payrolls, November 1859, Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.10.013. 

 

Public Claims of Individuals Against the State, 1733-1769, Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.41.001. 

 

State House: Pay Claims, Warrants, and Receipts, 1821; State House: Hire of Enslaved Persons, 1821; State Capitol: Laborer’s Pay and Enslaved Labor, 1837-1839 in Receipts and Pay Claims, Capital Buildings, Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.8.  

Ask an Archivist: Fan Letters

Have you ever wanted to ask an archivist why your photos are fading away? Or why only some records are digitized? Or whether they actually wear white gloves when handling old records?  

Well, good news! In this episode, our archivists will answer questions just like these that have been sent in from listeners like you! Inspired by the annual #AskAnArchivist day on social media and other popular programs, this episode will cover best practices for preserving family records, how archivists decide what to digitize, tips for researching at the State Archives, and more! 

Also be sure to check out the links below for further resources! 

  

Suggested Resources for Preservation: 

Northeast Document Conservation Center: https://www.nedcc.org/  

Quick Preservation Tips: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2015/04/27/quick-preservation-tips/   

Family Oral History: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2021/07/01/family-oral-histories-introduction-and-planning/   

UNC-G Scrapbook Collection: https://gateway.uncg.edu/islandora/object/ua%3AUA0111?page=3&display=grid  

Protecting Records: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2021/04/30/mayday-saving-our-archives-2021-protecting-your-important-books-papers-and-photographs/  

 

Suggested Resources for Research: 

North Carolina Digital Collections: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/   

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/  

NC Land Grants: https://nclandgrants.com/  

NC Maps: https://web.lib.unc.edu/nc-maps/  

TranscribeNC: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/transcribenc   

Journey of an Archival Record – Digitization and Access: https://connectingdocs.podbean.com/e/the-journey-of-an-archival-record-part-iii-digitization-and-access/   

DOC Search Guides: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/documents/doc-search-guides   

State Library’s Genealogy Guides: https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/research/research-guides-and-tools#Genealogy-41