Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-12-13
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
Col. Sam Sin sons Home life.


Cor. Charlotte News.
The oldest copy to be found in
the State, of 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 1895,
just one hundred years ago sup
posing il to have been issued a
month or so in advance Of the
incoming year, as almanacs are
now Its title on it's first page
is Hodges North Carolina AL
manac," and is calculated for the
latitude and longitude of North
Carolina
It is a very small book only 4
x 6 inches Of 80 pages and is in a
good state of preservation. All
the State information it contains
is the militia law of that day and
the time Of holding the Supreme
Courts of law and equity, county
courts, and circuit and district
courts of the United States. The
number Of counties at that pc
riod was SO showing that SO
counties have been formed since
that day. The time of holding
Mecklenburg county courts was
on the 4th Monday of January,
April andOctober. AS one feature
of all almanacs is it's anecdotes,
it is remarkable that there is not
an anecdote or joke in it. Con
sidering this fact the philoso-
phic historian might conclude
that 1895 was a serious time.
This idea is somewhat strength
ened by another fact, that it con
tains the manual of arms for
drilling military companies, an
evidence that the martial spirit
born of the stormy days of Re-
volutionary war was slill alive
The military gravity of its pages
is however, relieved by serio
comic poem running through the
top of some of it's pages, en-
titled 1.-The Lion and the Tara
pin" written by some citizen of
Halifax, July, 1893, who signs
himself columbus" 1t is a
narrative of combat between a
Gagged lion which an Hiberian is
exhibiting in the eastern towns
of the State and a swamp terra
pin upon a wager of one hun
dred dollars. 1t is needless al
most to say that in the poem the
monarch Of the swamp comes off
the victor. There are several
comparisons 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 cal
endar for the keeping of a 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 Simpson. From
the items written on the inter
leaves it is clear that he was a
planter who owned a farm and
fishery in one of the eastern
counties. 1t is also evident that
Re was a man of family, owned
negros, grew wheat, corn and
fax, raised stock, seined fish,
made and sold lumber and shin.
| giles, travelled a good deal to va
riOus points in the eastern sec
ton and was often sick with ma
laria fever. The. following are
some of the memoranda: Feb.
lis, I went to Raleigh: 3rd, ar
rived at Raleigh, 9th, left Ra
leigh for Fayetteville, 10th ar
rived at home, Goth taken sick
oath planted English peas, 26tf
| hauled seine, very few fish, fresh
rises fast.
| AS showing that our eastern
farmers, at that day raised theil
own meat, l give the following
) December 3rd killed hogs, s!
head, salted down 2,787 pounds
To this must be added from tn,
record of few weeks before; 1
! hogs, weight 1850, making
f total of 4,537 pounds of ho!
; meat for the year.
There are many other items O
marriages, deaths, cuttings
corn shuckings, elections, goin;
to courts, visiting neighbors
:, sowing and reaping, th
3 weather. etc., but to give any o
them would be extending thi
:. article at too great length.
close with the remark that j
would be a good idea for ever
u farmer and business man
q keep record of his home an
: business life as Col. Samut
d Simpson has done, who thoug
). long ago passed over the river,
: yet speaketh to this generation
!. of times and seasons, a hundre
) years ago in this old copy {
|, Hodges North Carolina Aim;
: 8 nae.
T. JAS. IT. ENNISS.
d Editor and Publisher of Turner
N. G.. Almanac.