The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-09
HERE AND THERE.
Items of Interest, Ancient and Modern,
Regarding Happenings in this State.
Especial Correspondence.)

Raleigh, n. c., March 3.
The grants of lands in North Caro-
lima fill 1Ss great books, as big Is led
ers, in the office OF the secretary Of
state. Some Of these books are very
curious. Some are the originals, while
the very earliest appear to I'VE been
copied a century or so later. Book No.
1 begins March II, 1893, with the first
grant. 1t is of 500 acres Of LAND TO
Wilton Wilkerson, English measure"
on the south side Of the Albemarle riv-
er, in the precinct of Chowan. 1t is
signed by Philip Ludwell. our govern
or, commander-in-chief and captain
general, land by his counsillors, Thorn
as Harvey, Francis Toner, Benjamin
Lakar and Richard Sanderson, Daniel
Akehurst secretary. These were "our
trusty and well-beloved counsillors"
and the grant vas "given at Mrs. Di-
ana Forester's house" The capital let
ter F is made by joining two letters,
thus forester" Sometimes nowadays
one comes upon an English name
"Ffrench," etc. The early grants were
generally for small areas. 1t was not
until about 1890 that vast tracts began
to be taken up. There are three
grants, of 100, 0G0 acres each, to John
Gray Blount. One of these vas in
Tyrrell county. These are the greatest
of all the many thousands. In the
west there are some very large areas
entered. Nowadays the grants are
nearly all for less than fifty acres. 1t
is hard to find vacant lands Here and
there are some vacant spots only to be
discovered when old ines are run out.
Tnrrntxr nftnn 6n1 rhncn hut
are forbidden to make entries. The
forms of the earliest grants are mod
els of simplicity. No mention of the
king is made and they simply begin
Know We that we have granted, ETC."
a few days ago Ex-Governor Jarvis
wrote for a copy of a grant. 1t vas
sent him and he wrote back that he
wanted a full copy. He was told that
all had been sent hin. He missed
the interminable legal p h~raseology of
the present day.
In the time to come when North Car
DINA has a hall of records there will
be a great mass of documents and
other records to go in it. Much has
been lost, ~irreparably lost, how much
no one will ever know. The supreme
court n the state library building
ought to be a fire-proof one. 1t is
very far from one now. The inmates
we'll know how dangerous it is.
The other day 1 picked up and quick
ly read a little book, dainty to the
last degree" Bandanna Ballads and
Shadows on the WALL" 1t is by Miss
Weeden n her drawings are as
charming as her verse. 1t tells of the
ante-bellum nanny" No one has
told of her nearly SO we'll. Here in
Raleigh there are a few survivors OF
the once potent 'mammies." One
such is in mind, with head turbaned
swathed in the gayeSt of ~bandannaS
with bef1owered skirt, swelled out by
the old fashioned h~oopskirt, equally q
survival Of by-gone days, and with q
curtsey which is grace itself. No one
ever calls her anything save nanny
and so h is to the third generation,
She might nave stepped from the pages
of Miss Weeden's brochure.
For many years the "old cemetery
here stagnated; unkempt and neg.
lected~ but the hand of care has beer
laid upon it once more. Raleigh
had any churchyard burials, but wher
the city was laid out so was the grave.
yard. An e or rather driveway
separated the whites and the blacks
There are yet burials in this quaint
old burial-place, and but the other da!
one was in a few yards of the grave O.
Colonel William Polk, the friend O
w loh oliu Lo1oySItC' Doli
on the colored side have been stopped
and so ought those on the white side
The city has now grown so as to sur
round the old graveyard, which origi
pally was suburban.
Talking the other day with a man il
the piney woods sand hills, he sait
that John T. Patrick was the creates
collector of relics in North Carolina
This is a new phase of his character
1t is said his collection of Indian relic;
is far larger thar hat of The state anC
that his relics of the civil war would
stock a museum. He a houses ii
which he stores his collections.
Across the street from where this i
written is Judge Gaston's old law Of
flee, or rather what was al once hi
office and his bedroom when he wa
in Raleigh, which was Of course
good part of the year. In this 9TH
Old North State" was written-th
states song. So few states have song
that this n always attracts attention