North Carolina Genealogy

I’m not sure if I had posted about this before, but I just ran across the State Archives collection of North Carolina Family Records Online. They have digitized a number of items in their collection and you can browse or search. (Including browse by last name or location.) So, what records are included? They have […]

I’m reposting the Declaration of Independence here in celebration of the events of 1776! Also, you might enjoy this reading of the declaration you can find at monticello.org podcasts done by a portrayer of Thomas Jefferson (Bill Barker). Transcription of the Declaration of Independence, plus links to the Declaration at the National Archives. This document, […]

June 6th… it’s a day that to many is no different from any other. In many ways it’s a day that should be more sacred than so many on our calendar. I can’t help but get emotional thinking about D-Day June 6, 1944. The beginning of the Allied invasion of Europe and the liberation of […]

Every four years we hear the same thing…. “This is the most important election in our lifetimes” and it is truly a solemn and remarkable thing that occurs. The population of the country come out and without shots fired…. they change the course of their country. No matter who wins the election it’s always an […]

According to the Elon Pendulum, there are several new resources for genealogists online at the Elon Website. Two early record books of O’Kelly Chapel, recognized as the first “Christian Church”, are available now online. Elon College was founded by Christian Ministers in 1889 that were followers of James O’Kelly who founded a congregation that later […]

This Civil War Battle is remembered as the last Cavalry battle of the Civil War. It took place on what is now the present grounds of Fort Bragg (near Fayetteville). It took place on March 10, 1865 and involved mounted Confederate cavalry against dismounted Union Cavalry. About 4500 men were involved. The Battle lasted several […]

The month of April has me thinking about taxes. It was the topic for the just released South Carolina Genealogy newsletter and I thought I’d give some general information here as well. Of course, most of us think first of the Federal Income tax. This dates back to the Civil War, when an income tax […]

Okay, out of the box I’ll tell you yes, I’m a big UNC fan. This post is inspired by their upcoming Final Four appearance for the Men’s team and possibly the Women’s team as well. (As I write this, the Women’s team is one game away from the final four.) But this post isn’t as […]

For many years, if you didn’t have photos of a particular event in the past, you had to go to a library and browse special collections, or contact news organizations and see if they could search their archives for a specific photo. The internet has made our access to older photos (any photos really) so […]

I’m taking a little respite from the genealogy article series and delving into one of North Carolina’s most iconic symbols, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. For those that don’t know the outer banks, the oceans in that area are known as the graveyard of the Atlantic. The shifting sand shoals are treacherous and unpredictable and the only […]