Pages from John Motley Morehead and the Development of NC

Last night I abstracted an obituary for Joseph Motley Morehead (1840-1911).  While doing some online searching so that I could connect potential researchers to the obit, I learned of this book at the Internet Archive.

Now, what was interesting for me was the picture of his home, Blandwood. I grew up in Greensboro and would always pass this house as a kid either from my school bus routes, just going around town, etc. I have not yet learned much about the history of Greensboro, but I had no idea who lived in this house – now I know! How neat is that!

Blandwood, Home of John Motley Morehead

A link has been added to it from the History page.

Recently added to the NCGenWeb Digital Bookshelf are links to online, digitized issues of this paper that span 1889-1917. The paper is filled with information that can contribute to your family history research and is worthy of checking out.

excerpt from the Biblical Recorder

Weaver College yearbooks from 1920-1934 have recently been added to the DigitalNC website and links have been added to the Yearbooks page.  The school was located in Weaverville Buncombe County before it later merged with Brevard College in Transylvania County.

With these additions,  I’ve now been able to add the index of graduating senior classes from these years as well.   To see the list of more than 350 students that graduated from the school during this time frame, click here.  More than a third of the students listed a Buncombe County city as their hometown.

The first issue of the yearbook has a wonderful inscription from the yearbook editor, Jean Franklin, to the college president, Dr. Willa B. Player.

The inscription reads

This is the first edition of the Bennett College Yearbook, 1961-1962, compliments of the junior class and the yearbook staff.

I hope as you read this first pictorial account of the life at Bennett you will be constantly reminded of the unyielding determination of everyone concerned to produce something that would be memorable and cherished by the Bennett family in the years to come.

I look forward to seeing more of these important volumes come online. You can find a link to them under “Guilford County” on the Yearbooks page.

A new addition to the Bookshelf today is a few volumes of an index to the Durham Herald newspaper of Durham.  These were compiled by staff at the paper.  It seems that there are both name & subject indexes.  They include information from articles and photographs from the local and regional editions of the Durham-Herald and the Durham Sun.   The scope of the index focused on articles of local interest.

At the time of this writing, a few have been uploaded to the Internet Archive including:

• 1981 (index Jan -May)
• 1981 (subject index, May - Dec / name index, May – Dec)
• 1982 (name index | subject index)
• 1983 (name index | subject index)
• 1984 (name index)

In the Name index you’ll find the person’s name, followed by notes and symbols telling you more about the news item.  Here are examples for obituary listings  of Ms. Alberta Council Leak and Facious Shaquitta Leak:

Alberta’s obituary appeared in the May 26th, 1984 issue of the Durham Herald, 2nd Edition, Section C, Page 8, and the “O” is for obituary.   Now that we know this information, it makes requesting it from the Durham County Public Library all that much easier.

These have been added to the Newspapers page and the list will be updated as I learn of new additions.  Enjoy!

• Alamance County
  • Dedication and unveiling of the Dr. Charles Richard Drew memorial marker : Alamance County, N.C., April 5, 1986  – added to Biographies
• Caldwell County
  • added to the Military page – Reminscences of Caldwell County, N. C. : in the Great War of 1861-65 (1913)
• Cumberland County
  • Fayetteville State University yearbook links added
• Forsyth County
  • added links to the 1940-1997 Wake Forest Yearbooks
• Guilford County
  • Life and character of Governor Alexander Martin (1898) – added to Biographies page
  • UNC-Greensboro Alumni News newsletters – added to Education page
  • The history of Guilford County, North Carolina (1902) – added to the History page
• Orange County
  • Life and character of Hon. David L. Swain, late president of the University of North Carolina : a memorial oration (1878) – added to Education page
• Wake County
  • History of the Wake County Ladies Memorial Association : confederate memorials in  Capitol Square, Memorial Pavilion, the House of Memory and the Confederate cemetery (1938) — added to the Military page
  • Peace College Yearbooks : 1902 to 2009 –added to Yearbooks page

At the time of this blog post five volumes have been added – 1912 – 1916 and 1927-1930.  I’m keeping my eye out for more additions, so check the Yearbook Listings page for updates.