Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

Tales Around the Campfire | Episode 1, part 1, ”Witches & Werewolves”

For the first episode of this season, we tell three of the spookiest stories from the collections held in the State Archives of North Carolina. We’ll first explore the earliest years of colonial North Carolina and find trials for witchcraft in old Albemarle County. You may expect to hear about wrongful convictions and superstition, but instead you’ll learn how the women charged with witchcraft in North Carolina fought back in court and won.

Then, we’ll move to Richmond County in 1799 to learn about a political figure so hated by his rivals that they believed he had succumbed to the bite of a “mad wolf.” Yes, an official petition send to the General Assembly claimed that their local candidate for Congress was a werewolf! But who was this figure that inspired such “wild” claims? The life of Duncan McFarlane was more eventful than even a werewolf petition could ever convey.

The Murder of Nell Cropsey | Episode 3, part 3, “Jim Wilcox: Guilty or Not?”

In episode 3, “Jim Wilcox Guilty or Not?” our archivists ponder the aftermath of the trials and the enduring mysteries surrounding the famous case.

Epilogue at the 25:00 mark: On Nov. 20, 2019, 118 years since Nell's disappearance, archivists Debbi Blake and Chris Meekins visited the Cropsey home in Elizabeth City, NC to see the related artifacts and visit the graves of some of the major players. Hear their impressions.

See the documents referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

The Murder of Nell Cropsey | Episode 2, part 2, "Charges and Trials"

In episode 2, “Charges and Trials”, archivists Debbi Blake and Chris Meekins outline the indictment and testimony in the trials of James Wilcox for the murder of Nell Cropsey. The first trial took place in March 1902 in Elizabeth City and the second in March 1903 in Hertford in Perquimans County.  Both verdicts were appealed to the Supreme Court.

See the documents referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

The Murder of Nell Cropsey | Episode 1, part 1, "Disappearance and Recovery"

The story of young Nell Cropsey is one that has been repeated throughout time.  A relationship ends and a woman disappears shortly thereafter.  Records maintained by the State Archives illustrate the tragedy as it unfolded in turn-of-the-20^th-century Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

In episode 1, “Disappearance and Recovery”, our archivists set the stage for the tragedy that unfolds late in the year 1901 when Nell Cropsey disappears from her home.  Her sister Olive, Olive’s suitor Roy Crawford, and Nell’s suitor Jim Wilcox were the last people known to see her alive.  Her body was found in the Pasquotank River in front of her home thirty-seven days later.

See the documents referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

"Animal Stories"

In this episode, archivists Debbie Blake, Ellen Brooks, Randon McCrea, and Chris Meekins delve into animal mayhem in the Old North State. Using government journals, maps, newspaper articles and more they explore the stories of animals wreaking havoc in the General Assembly, the streets of Charlotte, and on a porch near the Pee Dee River.

Special guests: Ask a Ranger podcast hosts, Ranger Crystal and Ranger Jess (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askaranger/ | Ask a Ranger podcast: https://www.ncparks.gov/ask-ranger).

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Ghost Ship: The Mystery of the Carroll A. Deering | Episode 2, part 2, "A Great Maritime Mystery"

This episode continues the story of the Carroll A. Deering. Our archivists, Donna Kelly, Stuart Parks, and Chris Meekins explore how newspapers reported the event; how maps helped show the route taken by the ship; what was found onboard the ship; its eventual destruction once it could not be salvaged or refloated; an official worldwide investigation into the crew’s disappearance; numerous theories on the fate of the crew; and what became of the timbers that washed ashore.

See the newspaper articles and photographs referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Ghost Ship: The Mystery of the Carroll A. Deering | Episode 1, part 1, "A Ghostly Monument"

This episode is about a ship, the Carroll A. Deering, whose crew mysteriously disappeared without a trace off the Outer Banks of North Carolina in late January of 1921. Our archivists, Donna Kelly, Stuart Parks, and Chris Meekins, give background on the ship and her crew; elaborate on the treacherous nature of the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”; and give details about several attempts to board the ship, once it is spotted run aground on Diamond Shoals.

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged | Episode 3, part 3, "Frankie at Rest"

“Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged” is the story of a gruesome death, prisoner disguise and escape, and the eventual hanging of a young woman found guilty of murdering her husband in 1831.  Episode 3, the final in the Frankie Silver series, host Andrea Gabriel talks with archivists Chris Meekins and Debbie Blake about Frankie Silver's escape; pleas for her pardon, her eventual hanging, and ways that her story resonates in contemporary times.

Special guests: Singer/songwriter Joe Newberry (http://joenewberry.me/wordpress/), NY best-seller Sharyn McCrumb (http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/)

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged | Episode 2, part 2, "Frankie Goes to Trial"

“Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged” is the story of a gruesome death, prisoner disguise and escape, and the eventual hanging of a young woman found guilty of murdering her husband in 1831.  Episode 2, host Andrea Gabriel talks with archivists Chris Meekins and Debbie Blake for a recount of Frankie Silver’s trial and appeal.

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged | Episode 1, part 1, "Charlie Goes Missing"

“Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged” is the story of a gruesome death, prisoner disguise and escape, and the eventual hanging of a young woman found guilty of murdering her husband in 1831.  Episode 1, host Andrea Gabriel talks with archivists Chris Meekins and Debbie Blake as they introduce the characters, time and place, and circumstances of the crime.

Special guest: NY Times best-seller, Sharyn McCrumb (http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/)

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.