Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

In this final episode of our first series for season 3, we reach the end of our journey in the life of an archival record. As you’ve been listening to the past two episodes, you may have asked yourself – but what’s the end goal? Where is all of this work – retention, scheduling, appraisal, processing, imaging – heading?  In today’s episode, Chauna Carr from the Digital Access Branch, Lauren McCoy from the Public Services Branch, and Josh Hager from the Records Description Unit discuss the end goal of everything we do at the State Archives: public access. We’ll talk about why we digitize records, how we decide what to digitize, and how to access materials that aren’t digitized – because only a fraction of our records are or ever will be digitized! Tune in to find out the answer to one of the most popular questions an archivist hears these days: why aren’t all of your records available online, and how to get help from reference archivists when they aren’t!    Sources Mentioned:    Women, Marriage, and the Law, a part of the Studies in Scarlet Project: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/women-marriage-and-the-law   Lillian Exum Clement Stafford materials are available in the Women in North Carolina 20th Century History collection: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/women-in-nc  General Assembly Session Records: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/general-assembly-session-records  Treasurer & Comptroller’s Finding Aid: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll15/id/1570/rec/1  The State Archives’ Online Catalog, DOC: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/search-catalog/search-doc  Information on Ordering Records: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/services/ordering-copies   African American Education Collection: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/african-american-education (includes records from the early 20th century Division of Negro Education)  Blog post from History for All the People about the conservation of the earliest admissions log from Dorothea Dix Hospital: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2021/11/02/conservation-treatment-of-the-dorothea-dix-hospital-register/  

Few images are burned into popular culture as deeply as that of Rosie the Riveter, the classic and ever-reproduced representation of female empowerment during WWII. Rosie endures as a metaphor for a time of incredible change for women, a time when the U.S. called women out of the home and into the workforce to support the war effort. Historic records and images, like Rosie, teach us about the experience of women who showed up and bolstered the fight in mass numbers, many as nurses.  This week, former podcast intern Chris Deitner details the stories of nurses who were central to the war effort. She is joined by our host John Horan, Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe, and Government Records Archivist Joshua Hager. Drawing heavily from the organizational records of the North Carolina Nursing Association, especially correspondence from Executive Secretary Marie Noell, as well as WWII posters and publications, the team discusses the personal and professional implications of the “total war” for women in North Carolina.     State Archives of North Carolina Sources:  65th Pulse Beat [Fort Bragg], Oct-Nov 1942. Military Collection: North Carolina Military Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/fort-bragg-65th-pulse-beat/464375?item=464376  “Hospital No. 3 Sounding Off,” 65th Pulse Beat [Fort Bragg], 16 October 1942, p. 27. Military Collection: North Carolina Military Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/fort-bragg-65th-pulse-beat/464375?item=464403   “Become a Nurse— Your Country Needs You,” 1942. Military Collection: World War II Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.2.16,  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/become-a-nurse-your-country-needs-you/463037   “Our Wounded Need Help!” 1945. Military Collection: World War II Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.2.18, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/our-wounded-need-help/459350   Correspondence 1920-1949, North Carolina Nursing Association Records, ORG.120    Secondary Sources:   Tar Heel Nurse [Chapel Hill]. UNC Archives: North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection, NCHH-39: Tar Heel Nurse [1939-Present] :: North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection  “Our History,” American Red Cross,  https://www.redcross.org/about-us/who-we-are/history.html  “About NCNA,” North Carolina Nursing Association,  https://www.ncnurses.org/about-ncna/  “Marie Brock Noell, RN,” North Carolina Nursing History. Appalachian State University, https://nursinghistory.appstate.edu/biographies/marie-brock-noel-rn  “WWII and the American Red Cross,” American Red Cross,  http:/redcross.org/history   “Charles William ‘Billy’ Noell Jr.,” Honor States,  https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/77406/ 

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including discussion of language that reflects outdated, biased or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence.    Welcome back to Connecting the Docs! To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, our sixth season will examine those tumultuous years of war through the lens of the State Archives of North Carolina.   In May 1945, peace in Europe prompted mixed emotions for Americans as the war continued in the Pacific. Men and women in military service anxiously awaited Japan’s surrender, realizing that even with the end in sight, lives were still being lost overseas. Finally, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender, and on September 2, 1945, the declaration was officially signed. What were those months like, leading up to the final end of war? And how did military personnel react to peace? Host John Horan is joined by Government Records Analyst Josh Hager, Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton, and podcast intern Amelia Gantt to investigate how those closest to the war effort— men and women in the service— reacted to peace through three newspapers published by North Carolina's military installations.     Primary Sources:  World War II Military Posters Collection, “Get in the Scrap”. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/get-in-the-scrap/434330   State Archives of North Carolina, Military Collections,  https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/collections/military-collections#CollectionScopeandOrganization-476    Asheville Naval Convalescent Hospital  At Ease, May 24, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_B1F1_Naval_Hosp_At_Ease_1944_1946.  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/asheville-naval-convalescent-hospital-at-ease/421919   At Ease, “First Anniversary of ‘At Ease’ Launching Observed Here Today”, October 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  At Ease, “VJ Day Marked By Jubilation, Prayer”, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  At Ease, “Processing At Distribution Centers”, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.  At Ease, Photo 5, 6, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 3.    Camp Butner  Camp Butner News, “Patients Favor Technical Book Over All Others”. August 10, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_OzB3F1_Camp_Butner_News_1945_1946. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-butner-camp-butner-news/447077    Camp Butner News, "What’s Your Opinion??”. August 10, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.   Ernest Arms, Camp Butner News, “Just Thinking”. September 7, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.    Camp Butner News, “GI Dead For World War II is 251,424”. September 14, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.  Camp Butner News, “Veterans Get a Break in Legislation”. December 28, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  Camp Butner News, “Big Three Agree on World Problems in Moscow”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  Camp Butner News, "20 Job Prospects For American Vets”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  Camp Butner News, "What’s Your Opinion??”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.  Camp Butner News, "4000 German POWs Shipped Out In Week”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.    Camp Lejeune  [Content Warning: This newspaper contains graphic images and offensive language.]  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Residents Contemplating Leave To Notify Mailmen”. August 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_OzB6F5_Camp_Lejeune_Globe_1945. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-lejeune-the-camp-lejeune-globe/455963   The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Bus Tickets Being Sold Through Outlying PXs”. August 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.   The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Today’s Good News”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Around the Globe”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 5.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Lejeune Tense as Surrender Looms”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Training Atomicized”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Chaplain’s Corner: The Time Is Now”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Smart Japs Prove Not Too Smart In Marine March”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 6.   The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Don't Trust Women, Says Sad Marine”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 10.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Chaplain’s Corner: The Time Is Now”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Celebrations Outstanding For Sobriety”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Red Cross Workrooms to Reopen Sept. 4”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Enlisted Men Must Have 85 Points, WRs 25”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.  The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Marines Go Point Happy”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 3.    Secondary Sources   NCpedia, William Powell. “World War II”. State Library of NC, 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/world-war-ii  Woltz, Rebecca, "Because of Camp Butner.” Our State Magazine, November 6, 2024. Accessed on July 18, 2025.   

During the 1800s, some free people of color and formerly enslaved people emigrated out of North Carolina. Many went north or to Haiti, and quite a few went to Liberia. Join host John Horan, former intern LaWanda McCullor and podcast regulars, Annabeth Poe and Katie Crickmore on this episode. Listen as the crew focuses on several letters and wills housed at the State Archives of North Carolina recounting the experience of moving out of the country.   The podcast team also speaks to Dr. Claude Clegg, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of History and the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Learn as Dr. Clegg discusses the American Colonization Society in the 1800s, what motivated the emigration to Liberia, and connects it to Activist Marcus Garvey and the Back-to-Africa movement from the 1900s.     Primary Sources  Private Collections. Pattie Mordecai Collection, 1784-1876. “Malinda Rex Letter,” 1839. State Archives of North Carolina; Raleigh, N.C. Record ID: PC.185. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:756464.  County Records. Chowan County. Wills. Mary Bissell, 1836. CR.024.801. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:801756.  Southern Historical Collection. John Kimberly Papers, 1821-1938. “Susan Capehart Letter.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wilson Special Collections Library. Collection Number: 00398. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/00398/.    Secondary Sources  Clegg, Claude Andrew, III. The Price of Liberty: African Americans and the Making of Liberia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.  Mitchell, Memory F. “Off to Africa – with Judicial Blessing.” The North Carolina Historical Review 53, no. 3 (July 1976), 265-287.  Mitchell, Memory F. “Freedom Brings Problems: Letters from the McKays and the Nelsons in Liberia.” The North Carolina Historical Review 70, no. 4 (October 1993), 430-465.  Mitchell, Memory F. and Thornton W. Mitchell. “The Philanthropic Bequests of John Rex of Raleigh: Part I - Bon Voyage and a Lawsuit.” The North Carolina Historical Review 49, no. 3 (July 1972), 254-279.  “Claude A. Clegg III.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences History Department. https://history.unc.edu/faculty-members/claude-clegg/. 

What would you think about a concert that was pure silence? Or an event that hosted four different performances all at once? These sort of avant-garde performance pieces were commonplace at North Carolina’s Black Mountain College. Founded in 1933 by John A. Rice and Theodore Dreier, Black Mountain College operated as an experiment of “education in a democracy,” wherein the creative arts and practical responsibilities were considered equally important as intellectual development. The college closed in 1957, and the records associated with the school, including compositions and other artistic pieces, are held at SANC’s Western Regional Archives.     This week on Connecting the Docs, host John Horan welcomes Reference archivist Katherine Crickmore, former Digitization Archivist Chauna Carr, and Podcast and Oral History Intern Olivia Coyne. Join us as we discuss art and archives.    Primary Sources   Black Mountain College, “Concerning Art Instruction,” Josef Albers, Bulletin 2 June 1934, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-art-instructor-1944/3657480?item=3657727   Black Mountain College, “The Building Project and Work Program,” Bulletin 6, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-building-project-work-progress/3657497  Black Mountain College, “Education in a Time of Crisis,” Erwin Strauss, Bulletin 7, April 1940, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-education-time-crisis/3657509   Black Mountain College, “Its Aims and Methods,” Bulletin 8, Kenneth Kurtz, 1944, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-aim-and-method/3657521?item=3657788   Black Mountain College Concert: Brahms, Dvorak, Kraft, and Bartok, May 1947,  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-concert-brahms-dvorak-kraft-and-bartok/2378456  The arts at Black Mountain College, Mary Emma Harris, 1987, https://archive.org/details/artsatblackmount00harr    Secondary Sources  Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center, https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/   NC Digital Collections, Black Mountain College Spotlight, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/spotlights/bmc  “Black Mountain Review,” Natasha Goldowski, et al., Black Mountain College Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 1951. Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Independent Voices. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.28034129   “Archives Test Kitchen,” series, History For All the People, State Archives of North Carolina, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/category/archives-test-kitchen/  

Before the Revolutionary War began, a movement unfolded in the backcountry of North Carolina, sparking the short-lived but influential War of Regulation. In the first episode of our series “From Regulators to Revolution,” Annabeth Poe and Katherine Crickmore are joined by Nathan Schultz, the Site Director of Alamance Battleground, as they discuss the Regulators, their grievances, and the War of Regulation. Join us for a riveting interview and hear sounds from the battlefield for yourself, as Annabeth, Katie, and reference archivist Dominique Romero visit Alamance Battleground during a May 2024 battle reenactment.    Warning: This episode contains the sound of cannon fire blanks used in an outdoor battle reenactment. These sounds can be loud and jarring, occurring from around 0.20 to 1.40 minutes. Please listen with caution!        Collections Used for Research      Private Collection, George Sims Papers, “Nutbush Address,” PC.923  Colonial Governor’s Papers, Governor William Tryon, June 9th, 1771, “Proclamation for capture of Herman Husband and other Regulators,” CGP.6  Military Collection, War of Regulation Papers, “Provisions for Robert Harris’ Granville Brigade troops during 1768 Hillsborough unrest,” Box 1, Folder 4, Item 1  Military Collection, War of Regulation Papers, “Papers relating to the trial of Edmund Fanning, Mar 22, 1769,” Box 1, Folder 37, Item 1  General Assembly Session Records, Session of Dec. 1770-Jan. 1771, “Bill for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies,” Dec 15, 1770, Colonial Box 4  Map Collection, Battle of Alamance Map, Prepared by Claude Joseph Sauthier, MC.175.1771sa  History For All the People Blog, Regulator Movement, by Becky McGee-Lankford, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2022/06/17/regulator-movement/  

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/.   

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/.   

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. 

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. 

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.   

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).    

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.   

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.  

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   

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the NC Trails System Act, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is celebrating with the Year of the Trail campaign, where all types of trails are being celebrated across the state. Join us as we conclude our three-part series exploring the “sights, sounds, and people” of North Carolina’s trail system. In this episode, we are joined by Secretary D. Reid Wilson for a special retrospective interview. We learn about the origins of the Year of the Trail Campaign, some of the great trail events that have gone on around the state, and we discuss finding peace through hiking.          Primary Sources:        General Assembly Session Records, May Session 1973, House Bill 436, “An Act to Create a Scenic and Recreation Trails System and to Provide for the Designation, Administration, Regulation, and Acquisition of Scenic Trails and Trail Rights-of-Way,” SR.66.8   https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesLevelId:series-31391        Secondary Sources:     https://www.dncr.nc.gov/programs-services/featured-programs/nc-path    https://greattrailsnc.com/     https://www.alltrails.com/?ref=header       Other Links:    https://digital.ncdcr.gov/collections/carolina-christmas  

Happy Holidays! We all have heard of presidential pardons for turkeys at Thanksgiving. Of course, we know that since the first state constitution in 1776, North Carolina governors have had the ability to declare executive clemency to people. But have you heard of a governor pardoning a possum? In this episode we are joined by Records Description Archivist Mike Childs to learn about Slow Poke the Possum of Harnett County, the only possum to be officially pardoned from his sentence to be eaten! Slow Poke’s incredible journey begins in 1970, when he was entered into a beauty contest. The winner of the contest would be subject to Possum Pickin’ Day, a celebration championed by North Carolina Governor Bob Scott, who often partook in eating possums, a rural delicacy. When Slow Poke won the beauty contest and his fate was set, public outcry led Governor Scott to make history by pardoning the possum from becoming his next main course. Long live Slow Poke!    Resources:  SR.370.2.242: Governor Robert Scott Record Group, General Correspondence, Governor's File, Political Folder - Releases, Press, January-March: Proclamations Folder (Box 242)    SR.370.2.257: General Correspondence, Governor's File, Statements, E-Q: Folder H (Box 257)    SR.370.2.257: General Correspondence, Governor's File, Statements, E-Q: Folder P-Q (Box 257)    SR.370.17.7: Executive Mansion Files, 1970 Correspondence, August-December; Invitations Declined, January-February (Box 7)    PC.1317: Robert Scott II Papers, 2011 Addition, Scrapbooks 

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the NC Trails System Act, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is celebrating with the Year of the Trail campaign, where all types of trails are being celebrated across the state. Join us as we continue our three-part series exploring the “sights, sounds, and people” of North Carolina’s trail system. In this episode, we take a look at the oldest trail system in our state – Indian Trading Paths. Long before Europeans arrived in the New World, American Indians utilized a network of trails and pathways across the Southeast for travel, hunting, recreation, communication, and general cultural exchange. As the area was settled by colonizers, these paths became essential in their daily life, as well. Listen in as we discuss the original main streets of North Carolina.    Primary Sources:     Outer Banks History Center Monographs (Single Volumes), “A New Voyage to Carolina,” John Lawson, (1709) 1967, 33BOK-0-59, https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lawson/menu.html, https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:759043   NC Maps, North Carolina Colony and State Maps, “An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina With Their Indian Frontiers, Shewing in a distinct manner all the Mountains, Rivers, Swamps, Marshes, Bays, Creeks, Harbours, Sandbanks and Soundings on the Coasts; with The Roads and Indian Paths; as well as The Boundary or Provincial Lines, The Several Townships and other divisions of the Land in Both Provinces; the whole from Actual Surveys by Henry Mouzon and Others (color facsimile),” (1775) 1967, MC.150.1775m.fac2 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:155991 Secretary of State, Land Warrants, Plats of Survey and Related Land Grant Records, Granville County, File No. 910, Michael Synnott, 1752, ID: 12.14.66.905, SSLG 57J https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:444272           Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, Indian Affairs and Lands, Cherokee Nation, “For burying Cherokee warrior Saloe on his return from Governor of Virginia,” 1770, Box 1, SR.204.18 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:559906   British Records, Colonial Office: America and West Indies - Original Correspondence, Board of Trade and Secretary of State (CO 5/1-187), Secretary of State: Dispatches and Miscellaneous (CO 5/4), “Articles of Friendship and Commerce, proposed by the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, to the Deputies of the Cherokee Nation . . .,” 7 Sep. 1730, ID: 21.20.3.11 https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr03-0067, https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:628689   British Records, Colonial Office: America and West Indies - Original Correspondence, Board of Trade and Secretary of State (CO 5/1-187), Secretary of State: Dispatches and Miscellaneous (CO 5/4), “Response of the Cherokee Chiefs to the Treaty Proposed by the Board of Trade,” 9 Sep. 1730, ID: 21.20.3.12 https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr03-0067, https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:628690   An Interview with Gregory Richardson (b. 1951), 2023-01-26. ID: OH.010.003. American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1165996   Secondary Sources: NCPedia, “Indian Trading Paths,” Tom Magnuson, 2006, https://www.ncpedia.org/indian-trading-paths   “The Trading Path and North Carolina,” Rebecca Taft Fecher, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008, UNC Greensboro – Journal of Backcountry Studies, https://libjournal.uncg.edu/index.php/jbc/article/viewFile/26/15   The American Indian in North Carolina, Douglas L. Rights, 1957, Publisher: University of Michigan – J. F. Blair “Tracing the Trading Path,” Mark Chilton, 24 Feb. 2014, OrangePolitics.org, https://orangepolitics.org/2014/02/tracing-the-trading-path   “The Indian trading path and colonial settlement development in the North Carolina Piedmont,” Gladys Rebecca Dobbs, May 2007, UNC Chapel Hill – Carolina Digital Repository, https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/d791sh108?locale=en

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the NC Trails System Act, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is celebrating with the Year of the Trail campaign, where all types of trails are being celebrated across the state. Join us as we embark on a three-part series where we explore the “sights, sounds, and people” of North Carolina’s trail system. In this episode, we leave the recording studio to take a hike ourselves along the Neuse River Greenway Trail in Raleigh’s own Anderson Point Park. While enjoying the trail, we’ll discuss the beginnings of the North Carolina Trails Committee after it was founded in the 1970s, specifically their efforts to develop the Mountains to the Sea Trail, designed to connect the state from the mountains to the coast.            Sources:      General Assembly Session Records, May Session 1973, House Bill 436, “An Act to Create a Scenic and Recreation Trails System and to Provide for the Designation, Administration, Regulation, and Acquisition of Scenic Trails and Trail Rights-of-Way,” SR.66.8 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesLevelId:series-31391     Parks and Recreation Record Group, Planning and Special Studies Section: North Carolina Trails Program File, Boxes 1-4, SR.85.35 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:695971     “Speech by Howard N. Lee, Sept. 9, 1977,” Natural Resources and Community Development Record Group, SR.82.49, Box 02709-0002 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:695140  

As the conclusion of our Resiliency series, this episode shifts our focus from stories of the resilience of individual North Carolinians to information on how the State Archives can help government agencies throughout the state remain resilient in the face of disasters. In this episode, Records Description Unit Supervisor Josh Hager welcomes Records Management Consultant for Disaster Preparedness and Essential Records Kayla Leonard and Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore to the show to discuss the essential role that the State Archives has in helping agencies prepare for the effects of disasters on their records. You'll get the chance to play along as a records manager as Kayla and Josh lead Katie on a tour of the basics of identifying essential records and planning for disasters. We’ll discuss how to identify what’s essential (hint: it’s not always the most historically significant records). We’ll also play a game where you get to identify the hazards to records in an everyday workplace. You'll learn that a COOP isn’t just for chickens but is instead a critical step in disaster preparedness. Finally, you’ll learn what basic steps you can take immediately after a records disaster.   Find the Hazard Game: If you cannot access the images, please visit our blog: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2023/10/11/resiliency-in-records-management-disaster-preparedness-and-protecting-essential-records/   Additional Resources: Contact Kayla Leonard at kayla.leonard@dncr.nc.gov   Records Management Tools: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/government/rm-tools   Disaster Preparedness Resources: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/preservation/disaster-preparedness   Essential Records Overview: https://www.statearchivists.org/programs/emergency-preparedness/essential-records-er-course/handouts-essential-records-er-course/