The gold leaf., 1894-12-20
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
Some Very Entertaining Items from
the Pages of North CarOlina's First
Almanac.

the Pages of North CarOlina'S First
Almanac.
Correspondence Charlotte News.l
The oldest copy to be found in the
State, Of a North Carolina almanac, is
perhaps, the one in our State library
1t was printed and sold by Abram
Hodges, of Halifax town, in the year
1875, just one hundred years ago,
supposing it to have been issued a
month or SO in advance of the incom-
ing year as almanacs are now. Its
title On its first page is " Hodges
North Carolina Almanac" and is
calculated for the latitude and longi-
tude of North Carolina.
1t IS very small book only 4x6
inches of 81 pages and is in good
state Of preservation. All the State
information it contains is the militia
law of that day and the time of hold
ing the Supreme Courts of law and
equity, county courts, and circuit and
district courts Of the United States.
The number OF counties at that period
was So showing that 3S counties have
been formed since that day. The
time of holding Mecklenburg county
courts was on the 4,h Monday of
January, April and October. As one
feature of all almanacs is its anecdotes,
it is remarkable that there is not an
anecdote or JOKE in it. Considering
this fact the phllosophic historian
might conclude that 1875 was
serious time. This idea is somewhat
strengthened by another fact, that it
contains the manual of arms for drill
ing military companies, an evidence
that the martial spirit born of the
stormy days of Revolutionary war was
still alive. The military gravity of its
pages is, however, relieved by a serio
comic poem running through the top
of some Of its pages, entitled "The
Lion and the Terrapin," written by
some citizen Of Halifax, July, 1898,
who signs himself H Columbus" 1t is
narrative of a combat between a
Gagged lion which an Hiberian is ex-
hibiting in the Eastern towns of the
State and swamp terrapin upon a
wager of one hundred dollars. 1t is
needless almost to say that in the
poem the monarch of the swamp comes
off the victor. There are several COM
parsons and illusions to the mythic
heroes Of antiquity woven in the poem
which indicates that the author was
familiar with the classic literature of
Greece and Rome.
The almanac is interleaved, that is,
it originally had blank page opposite
each monthly calendar for the keeping
of diary or other memoranda. These
leaves are all written over with dated
incidents in the family, business,
personal life Of the owner, who, from
the written name and date across the
face of the first page was one Samuel
Simpson, and in note on very stiff
paper forming double cover to the
book the address is Col. Samuel Simp-
son. From the items written on the
lnterleaves, it is clear that he was a
planter who owned farm and fishery
in one of the Eastern counties. 1t is
also evident that he was man of
family, owned negroes, grew wheat,
corn and flax, raised stock, seined fish,
made and sold lumber and shingles,
travelled a good deal to various points
in the Eastern section, and was often
sick with malarial fever. The follow
ing are some of the memoranda
February Ist, went TO Raleigh, 3rd,
arrived at Raleigh, 9th, left Raleigh
for Fayetteville, 10th, arrived at home,
2oth, taken sick, 24th, planted English
peas, 10th, hauled seine, very few fish,
fresh rises fast. 80
As showing that our Eastern farmers,
at that day raised their own meat, I:
give the following: December: 3rd,
killed hogs, 50 head, salted down
2,7S7 pounds. To this must be added
from the record of a few weeks before;
II hogs, weight, 1850, making atotal
Of 4,537 pounds of hog meat for the
year. -. -.
There are many other items Of
marriages, deaths, cuttings, corn
shuckings, elections, going to courts.
visiting neighbors, sowing and reaping,
the weather, ETC., but to. give any of
them would be extending this article.
at too great length. I close with: the
remark that it would be a. good. idea
for every farmer and business man to
keepoa record Of his home and bust
ness life as Col Samuel Simpson has:
done, who though long ago." passed.
over the river yet speakethst this
generation, Of times and seasons, a.
hundred years ago in this old copy Of:
Hodges North Carolina Almanac.
... JAMES H. ENN1ss,: .
Editor and Publisher of Turner's North;
Carolina Almanac.
Raleigh, Dec: 5th, 1894. %
Our young. friend John W. Jenkins,
oYo nf he