Get excited, North Carolina genealogists—three more years of Wilson County Genealogical Society newsletters are now available on our site! These issues, ranging from 2020 to 2022, offer stories of family lineages and local histories along with WCGS news.
One article from the February 2022 newsletter helpfully explains the differences between older kinds of photographs: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes. The authors, James and Margaret Bailey, explain the physical processes for developing each type, which include exposing some kind of metal or glass to light and then treating it with chemicals. One notable quality about these kinds of photographs is that they represent a mirror image of reality. The article includes this example of a person wearing a ring; in the original daguerreotypes, it looks like she is wearing in on her right hand, but in the digitally-flipped image, it’s clear that she is wearing it on her left hand (possibly indicating that she is married).
A scrapbook provided by the Wilson County Public Library documents the adventures of Boy Scouts in Wilson County from 1925-1932. This scrapbook contains images of swimming, hiking, tent life, boating, troop portraits, and more. Many images contain handwritten identifications noting the date, activity, location, or individuals in the images.
The Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910, so this scrapbook documents early BSA groups in Wilson County. Boys of all ages seem to have taken part, with many activities looking similar to Scouting that takes place today. One image from 1929 shows boys swimming using the “buddy system” where each camper is in charge of monitoring the swimming of their buddy. This system is a safety protocol still advocated by the Boy Scouts today.
To take a look at the scrapbook click here. To see more materials from Wilson County Public Library visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.
Scouts swimming using the “buddy system” in 1929 as seen on page 76
Compiled by the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s North Carolina Chapter, these war records document information about men from Wilson County who served during the first World War. The records include the name, rank, and address of the soldier, as well as when and where they enlisted, the camps where they were trained, and when the soldier was discharged. In addition, it also includes the father’s name and address, mother’s maiden name, and the names and ranks of Confederate ancestors. Although most of the items are hand written, the names, camps, and dates have been included in the metadata and are searchable.
All of the records are in great condition and the handwriting is legible. These documents could be extremely helpful for genealogists and researchers interested in both World War I and Civil War information.
The scrapbook is a collection of newspaper clippings from various local newspapers and features citizens from Martin County and the surrounding towns, including Jamesville, Williamson, and Washington. The clippings include marriage announcements, injury and death announcements, new appointments, and overall movements of battles and the war.
Researchers might be interested in the way that smaller, local communities used the press to raise support around members of the community serving and the war effort overall. It is also a great source of genealogical information.
Check out all of the materials from Wilson County Public Library by visiting their contributor page and learn more about them by visiting their website.
A new batch of slides from the Wilson County Public Library has now been added to DigitalNC. This set mostly shows the county’s agriculture and businesses, with an emphasis on manufacturing between the years of 1974 and 1986.
The images show a number of aspects of life in Wilson County during this time. A number of members of the community are shown working, shopping, and banking. Buildings around the county, including banks, shops and tobacco processing plants can be found, as well as the county’s agricultural pursuits.
The Wilson County Public Library has contributed 16 more yearbooks from its local history collections to be digitized. The yearbooks range in date from 1948 to 1963 and represent several different schools, including:
Early high school yearbooks from Wilson County are now available on DigitalNC. The Wilson County Public Library contributed 35 yearbooks from its local history collections to be digitized. The yearbooks range in date from 1927 to 1963 and represent several different schools, including:
Over 300 historic photographs of Wilson County are now available on DigitalNC. These photos, from the Wilson County Public Library, include images of churches and schools and many postcards and photos documenting the long and rich tobacco heritage in Wilson County.
DigitalNC is happy to announce a new set of Southwestern Community College materials have been uploaded to the site! This is our fourth batch of SWCC records since welcoming them as a partner earlier this year, and this latest addition builds substantially upon our preexisting collection of SWCC materials. Located in Sylva, N.C. in Jackson County, SWCC has been operating for over fifty years and today offers over forty academic programs.
The college has historically been a major force in its community and has been heavily involved in the economic development of surrounding counties. As such, the bulk of this collection comprises SWCC annual reports from 1969-2000 and county development surveys from Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties dating from 1965-2002. These reports are comprehensive and incredibly informative for anyone seeking to know more about the economic and demographic situation in Western North Carolina in the twentieth century. More documents from Jackson County, including an annual report, Chamber of Commerce publication, a 1992 county study, and a genealogy book on the Richard McDowell Wilson descendants provide further insight into the region.
Additionally, this new batch includes many records relating directly to the college, including course catalogs, student handbooks, newsletters with student profiles, promotional literature, and much more. We are also excited to digitize commemorative materials for the college’s fortieth and fiftieth anniversaries, as well as a student-published literary magazine from 2023! Read more about the history of SWCC in our previous blog posts or on their website.
Trees of Wilson Newsletter for the Wilson County Genealogical Society, January 2018.
New additions of the Trees of Wilson from 2018 and 2019 through the Wilson County Genealogical Society are now available on Digital NC. In addition, the local newsletter is sent out to community members interested in genealogy projects for Wilson County.
Many newsletters include detailed research on specific families and organizations within Wilson County, including stories they have found on specific individuals and a list of obituaries.
Still active today, the Wilson County Genealogical Society’s mission is to promote genealogy by educating its members and the general public. Check their website for additional information on their work within Wilson County.
To see the other newsletters in our collection, visit them here.
This blog is maintained by the staff of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and features the latest news and highlights from the collections at DigitalNC, an online library of primary sources from organizations across North Carolina.
