Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-01-17
Jan. 9th, 1867.
From the Petersburg Express.
Emiaratio" from North Carolina to the
West.

The subjoined article is from the pen of
one of the most esteemed, as well as one
of the most obServant, gentlemen of South
side Virginia. He has travelled extensively
throughout North Carolina, and is widely
and favorabIy known in that State He
knows whereof he speaks and as the cause
of the recent emigration from the Old
North State, is not only but little under
stood, but has been, for political purposes
greatly misrepresented, we ask its careful
pcrusal
Allusions have been frequently made in
the last two Or three months. in the papers
of the South and North, to the large num-
Der of persons emigrating from North Car
DINA to Indiana, Illinois and Kansas, and
various specnlations have been INDUCED as
to the real cause of this emigration, now
when the South is holding out inducements
to the white men and women of Europe to
come and settle among us. The writer of
this has travelled portion of the route with
two of the emigrating companies and con-
verSed freely with the more intelligent
among them, and with the principal agent
in conducting them to their new homes,
and what he has learned he proposes to
give the public, SO that the movement may
no longer be susceptible of so much mis-
representation.
Previous to the war, there had been for
number of years great many persons
emigrating from the Middle and Western
portions of North Carolina, to Indiana and
other States west. Nearly all of these we're
hardy farmers and laborers, who travelled
over the mountains and rough roads in
wagons, after being many weeks in the
cold weather Of winter on the road, travel
ing by day. and sleeping in their wagons
or on the ground by the fire, by night
Great suffering was often experienced by
them. Many of these enigrants were Qua
kers, or those brought up under Quaker
influence. So great had been the emigra-
ton among thissect, that at the commence
ment of the war there were comparatively
few Quakers in North Carolina.
Soon after the war closed many of the
native North Carolinians in the West re-
turned to their old homes to visit their re-
lat1ves and learn their condition. They
found many of them very poor. many who
had been made widows and orphans by the
var, who expressed great desire to Join
their relatives in the West. This led Ad-
olson Coffin, an intelligent member Of the
Society of Friends, who was native of
Gulltord county, n. c., but who had lived
twenty years or more in Hendricks coun-
ty, Indiana, to devise scheme for taking
these people in companies of from one to
i've hundred at time, by way of Ra-
leigh Portsmouth and Baltimore, on to the
| West. He has made seven trips and car
ried about 1,75O men, women and children
with him to the West He arranoes to
leave Greensborough about the first week
in each month. The emigrants are mainly
from Guilford, Randolph, Alamance,
Orange, Rockingham, Stokes, Davidson,
Surry, Forsyth and adjoining countless
They rendezvous at Greensborough, Com
pany's Shops and other points along the
North Carolina Railroad. The cost of
travel has been made accommodating on
the various railroads and steamboats,. so