The news & observer., 1901-01-06
MATERIALS FOR HISTORY.
The Gathering of Them in North Carolina, In
teresting Article by Judge Clark.

The following article by Judge Clark,
President State Historical and Literary
Association was written for the Orphans
Friend at the request of it's editor. It
contains information of general interest
and we reprint:
North Carolina has grandly known how
to make history. She has always left it
to others to write it. Hence the State
has never had justice done her.
This State acted grand part in the
Revolution. AS shown by the first CEN
sus in 1890. North Carolina stood third
in population. leading Pennsylvania and
New York and surpassed only by Vir-
ginia and Massachusetts. Her contribu-
tion in men and money was therefore a
most essential one to the success of the
common cause. But those who read the
history of those times will find not much
mention made of North Carolina. At the
critical battle of Guilford Court House
when Green broke the power of Corn
wallis her militia retreated only in obedi-
ence to ORDERS but for more than a CEN
tury their fame was covered with ignO-
miny, until Judge Schenck, with patriot
hand, completely vindicated them.
That we lave had no really good history
OF the State is due to the fact that till
recently We have never taken the trouble
TO compile the material out Of which
the historian must fashion and shape
his story. Of late years, some of the
leading religious denominations have
published their records some county his
tories have been given to the world, a
few biographies of leading men have
been written and the State has published
some of it's records This growing mass
Of material some competent man will
some day investigate, sort over, eliminate
the immaterial, place the rest in due
perspective and at last we shall have q
respectable history of North Carolina. But
very much remains to be done before
this historical material is gathered III
sufficient quantity to be worked over to
good purpose.
The State itself some years ago under
took to gather up it's Colonial Records
The work was entrusted TO the late Col
William L. Saunders. Nothing scarcely
of those records was found existent here.
But owing to the fact that in Colonial
days copies of all governmental records
were sent home" i. G. to England, Colo
mel Saunders employed Mr.. Sainsbury to
make copies of the same filed in the
Colonial Office in London. Thus with
comparatively small trouble he was able
to compile the ten volumes of Colonial
Records" which come down to 1776. But
there he stopped and his lamented death
occurred soon after.
With the outbreak of the Revolution
copies were no longer sent home to Eng
land. Our Legislatures met at no regular
capital but shifted about from session to
session. The public documents were kept
at the country residences of the State
officials and carted over the country to
the residences of their successors. The
wonder is that any records were pre-
served. The undersigned at the instance
of the late Gov Carr undertook the task
Of collecting the records and official COR
rcspondence from 1875 TO 1890 The task
was a difficult one but material to till
ten folio Volumes STYLED State Re-
cords) have been compiled. Eight volumes
)have been printed. Vol 19 is now in press.
An index Of the whole 20 volumes has
been prepared by Dr. Stephen B. Weeks
and will follow Immediately after pubi-
cation of Vol. 20. 1t will make this
great mass of early material available.
Then, too, at request of the Confed-
crate Veterans Association, the State au-
thorized the publication of history Of
each regiment and battalion sent out by
this State in 1861-'5. These sketches are
written by soldier or officer thereof FOR
each regiment or battalion and illustrat-
ed by some 400 engrayings of officers and
men taken at that time, the expense OF
Illustrations has been borne by private
contributions. They compose 3 volumes
of invaluable material. The first volume
will soon be issued. and the other two
will appear next year No similar ma
terial has vet been gathered as to the
part the State took in the war of 1Sl2
and the Mexican war. and material for
many other most interesting periods is
yet to be gathered. But start mas
been made. public interest has been
aroused and in few years we may con
fidently hope that sufficient material for
truthful and interesting history OF the
State will be IN hand.
WALTER CLARK.