Here we have new papers from the North Carolina Collection that have never been microfilmed! The North Carolina Collection originated in 1844 and is the largest traditional collection of library materials for any state. Learn more about the NCC here!

These additions include:

• The Courier (Asheboro, N.C.) – 1917-1918
• The Randolph Herald (Asheborough, N.C.) – 1848
• The Daily Advance (Asheville, N.C.) – 1884
• The Mountain Voice (Bakersville, N.C.) – 1881
• Our Fatherless Ones (Barium Springs, N.C.) – 1903-1912
• The Blowing Rocket (Blowing Rock, N.C.) – 1942
• The Chapel Hillian (Chapel Hill, N.C.) – 1890-1891
• The Clarkton Express (Clarkton, N.C.) – 1907
• Recorder and North Carolina Tobacco Journal (Durham, N.C.) – 1883
• The Daily News (Goldsboro, N.C.) – 1865
• Goldsboro Daily Argus (Goldsboro, N.C.) – 1889-1892
• The Eastern Reflector (Greenville, N.C.) – 1898
• The Henderson Times (Hendersonville, N.C.) – 1863
• The Western North Carolina Times (Hendersonville, N.C.) – 1896
• The Daily Free Press (Kinston, N.C.) – 1908-1909
• The Laurinburg Enterprise (Laurinburg, N.C.) – 1881
• The Monroe Enquirer (Monroe, N.C.) – 1875-1881
• Ocracoke Island Beacon (Ocracoke, N.C.) – 1941
• The Orphans’ Friend and Masonic Journal (Oxford, N.C.) – 1881-1912
• The Church Intelligencer (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1862-1865
• The Menagerie (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1857
• The Farmer and Mechanic (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1877
• The Friend and Templar (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1880
• Semi-Weekly Standard (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1865
• The Star, and North-Carolina State Gazette (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1818
• The Reidsville Times (Reidsville, N.C.) – 1882
• The Roanoke-Chowan Times (Rich Square, N.C.) – 1907-1910
• The Rockingham Rocket (Rockingham, N.C.) – 1887
• Salisbury Evening Post (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1906
• The Daily Union Banner (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1866
• Shelby Review (Shelby, N.C.) – 1893
• The Sandhill Citizen (Southern Pines, N.C.) – 1917
• The Daily Landmark (Statesville, N.C.) – 1879
• The Wadesboro Intelligencer (Wadesboro, N.C.) – 1886
• The Dew Drop (Wadesborough, N.C.) – 1853
• The Colonist (Warm Springs, N.C.) – 1870-1871
• The Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1908
• Wilmington Chronicle (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1849
• The Wilmington Herald (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1854-1855
• Wilmington Journal (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1880-1894

The Children’s Friend, January 6, 1875

Over 100 new issues of The Children’s Friend and The Orphan’s Friend are now available on DigitalNC, thanks to our partners at the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina. Both published for an orphanage in Oxford, North Carolina, The Children’s Friend was in print from January to May 1975, and The Orphan’s Friend succeeded it until May 1895. DigitalNC already hosted The Orphan’s Friend from 1876 and 1877, and this addition expands that range to include issues from 1875 and 1883. This batch also includes all known issues of The Children’s Friend from 1875.

Despite being written for an audience of children, the issues are text-heavy. However, their contents definitely relate to news and issues of interest to children or teens, such as stories, lessons, and updates about local or national happenings. The following are clippings which illustrate the variety of materials included in these newspapers:

“The Origin of Newspapers,” The Children’s Friend, May 5, 1875

“Miscellaneous,” The Orphan’s Friend, March 7, 1883

Click here to browse all issues of The Children’s Friend, and here for all issues of The Orphan’s Friend. DigitalNC is grateful to the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina for their partnership in making these papers accessible. To learn more about the Grand Lodge, visit their partner page here, or their website here.

Orphans’ Friend, April 4, 1877

Over one hundred issues of the Orphans’ Friend newspaper from 1876 and 1877 are available online now. A publication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, Orphans’ Friend was distributed to children at the “Orphan Asylum,” or orphanage, in Oxford, North Carolina. The newspaper was established in 1875 and is still published by the Grand Lodge today. It was initially published to draw attention to childcare needs across North Carolina after the Civil War left many orphaned.

These issues are often mostly comprised of stories, recommendations and lessons, and frequently include news from around North Carolina.

Some issues begin with poems:

“Good Nature and Slander,” February 14, 1877

Some recommend healthy habits:

“About Eating Fruit,” August 8, 1977

Some include simple facts and whimsical ruminations:

On cheese and flowers, July 5, 1876

To browse all issues of Orphans’ Friend on DigitalNC, click here. To learn more about the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, visit their partner page here or their website here. We are thankful for their partnership in making these newspapers available online.

DigitalNC hosts other materials about the Oxford Orphan Asylum as well, including this scrapbook from 1940 to 1957 and records from the Sallie Mae Ligon Museum & Archives & Masonic Home for Children at Oxford. To browse all of our holdings from Oxford, click here.