The North Carolina State Archives announced a new site this week – their “Treasures” collection.

Treasures is an online exhibit of some of the most priceless items from the collections at the North Carolina State Archives, with supplemental materials from the State Library of North Carolina to be added later. These archival documents are not available for public viewing except at specifically designated times due to their importance to the state’s history and, in some cases, their fragile condition. Also included in this online collection are some examples of presidential signatures that the State Archives has collected over time.

Upon visiting the site you’ll quickly understand why these are very much state treasures.   Having them digitized for online viewing will certainly increase their accessibility and many a researcher will be thankful.   The site is easy to navigate with content clearly presented in 12 time periods that spans 1600-present day.

There are many interesting items to be found here – as an example of one among many is the will of John Penn (of Granville County) – one of the NC representatives to sign the Declaration of Independence.    John died in September of 1788 and his will, dated 1 Mar 1784, divides his estate between his two children – a son and a daughter.   What a great document for a descendant, or Penn family researcher, to know about and access.   Spend some time exploring the stie and see what you find.