The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-04-06

County Historical Society. Here s
Will be preserved a valuable collection +
OF books, manuscripts. i
and the like, dealing with the history 7
of the county and town from the ear {
hest day of which there is knowledge. I
There will be Immediate access to the {
records of the county, in the superb J
new hre proof court house next door. !
In this way workers who visit Sails
bury for the purpose Of undertaking
historical research Will have every
facility afforded them. Tie munich
pal library will also he housed in the
same building, the Community Centre.
which will be of untold value TO his
torical students.
In henderson, a short time ago, an
important movement was set on foot
for the study OF local history. This
is the undertaking of the local Circle
of Colonial Danes, under the chair
manship of Mrs. c.. NJ. Cooper. These
ladies, according to their report have
decided to collect co1oniaI miniatures, |
pictures of colonial homes in that
section Of the State, to write histories
of old houses, preserve historical
data Of all kinds, etc. This is a most
laudable program; and all of US who
love North Carolina and her history
earnestly trust that these patriotic
ladies win prosecute their inquiries
and researches with teh utmost vigor.
Such an example should have a most
| favorable effect upon other circles of
Colonial Danes in North Carolina, in
inspiring them to undertake the same
sort Of intensive study Of local hist
tory.
Some account Of what has been
done III North Carolina, in the mat
ter of the writing of county histories.
" will show where we Stand and will
: convince US of the pressing need, the
patriotic duty, of making great ex-
/ erriOns in this direction from this time
forward. Also, a comparison with
f some other State, such as Illinois. for
: instance, will prove how little, COM
4 paratively speaking, has been done in
North Carolina in this direction. John
E Fl. Wheeler's Historical Sketches Of
S. North Carolina and his "reminiscences
e of North Carolina employ the cOuntq
as the unit of the chapter. And in
spite of the fact that both books,
~unavoidably for the pioneer investi-
s. gators, are teeming with errors, they
e have been of immense value to our
people, in furnishing a considerable
e medium of reliable fact, somewhat
t furnished by occasional ineXactitudes
sometimes of considerable magnitude.
Even of more value than this contri-
d button Of sheer date, has been the
value Of the stimulation to research
IS afforded by Wheeler'S brief histories
d of the counties. Many a local inves-
e tigator, after studying the history OF
G Of his county for a while, discovers
how imperfect and inadequate Wheel
l. er's chapters are; how mary errors
e there are in the genealogical sketches
" how misleading the balance Cor LACK
OF baIanee( and sense Of proportion
how deceptive the historical per
n spective in many cases. So the loca
investigator is fired to set old heel
d er straight to re-adjust the balance
IS to amplify the sketch of the county il
n the light of later discoveries and in
X v~estigationS. On February 10, 1857
A Governor Swain sent out a circula
as letter throughout the State in which
t. he said: ITO attain uniformity il
'. the series OF county histories-per
n, haps a better plan cannot be sugges
re ed, than to make Wheeler's Sketche
a of North Carolina available to tn
in purpose Today this advice is al
ty most wholly lacking in force. Flo
n the two Invaluable written and printe
sources upon which county history i
North Carolina for two importar
periods in our State history mus
al primarily rest were not then avail
r. able-the thirty %velun4ns of the Cole
NAL and State Records of North Care
nd lima, and the five volume of Reg
tic mental Histories for the period 1856
tie 66. The most important sources {
,r- all are, of course, the county archivt
D. and the State archives. EollOWln
h after these come original sources he]
al in private hands; newspaper file
So which have been utilized almost n,
ie- at all by historians Of North CareliT
In at any period Of our history in ar
de line; the diaries and journals, trave
III and "reminiscences of natives, visito
is, and strangers. Of which, as in II
lr- case OF pers, ~sirgularIy lit
es, use, thus far. has been mad by foTI
Tue er Investigators
re, The propIem we ave to face, fir
On, Of all, is: who viii write the histori
Of the counties? To this queSIlt
he there is and can be, but one ansWe
the local investigator and hlsrorla
We It is a practical im~possibility in a
most all cases, for a man or woman
md live In one county and write the hi
au- tory OF another and remote count