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Collection of Durham Funeral Programs Now Online

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The first page of the funeral program for Mrs. Ethel Mae Clegg

The first page of the funeral program for John William Bailey

Hundreds of funeral programs and obituaries from the R. Kelly Bryant Obituary Collection, physically housed at the Durham County Library North Carolina Collection, are now up on DigitalNC. R. Kelly Bryant (1917-2015) was a historian with an extensive knowledge of Durham, North Carolina. In addition to being an active community leader with involvement in many organizations, he also collected the stories of thousands of African American residents told through funeral programs and obituaries.

This collection consists of digitized photocopies of the obituaries and funeral service programs that R. Kelly Bryant assembled over the course of his 70-odd years as a Durham resident. They are grouped together alphabetically according to surname of the deceased. The surnames “Adams,” through “Coachman” are now available, but we will continue to add more names to the digitized collection.

These materials are text searchable, and often contain genealogical information on their subjects including birth and death dates, maiden names, names of relatives, past residences, and places of burial. They cover funerals held from 1934-2013, and provide rich documentation of the African American community in Durham during this time. To learn more about Mr. Bryant and view his archival collection at Durham County Library, visit the finding aid. To see all of the digitally available programs, visit the  R. Kelly Bryant Obituary Collection exhibit page.

Also please take a look at other materials from the Durham County Library that are up on DigitalNC by visiting their partner page.

A page of photographs from the funeral program of Edward Beckford “Pe Wee” Boyd

World War I materials on DigitalNC

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Company H, WWI, 1st North Carolina Infantry of the National Guard, departed Waynesville’s train depot on June 26, 1916. They guarded the Mexican border and returned to Waynesville in February 1917. In July 1917 they then were sent to France during WWI.  Courtesy of Haywood County Public Library.

Last Thursday, April 6, 2017, marked the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I.  Over the next year, many cultural heritage institutions around the country are highlighting the materials they hold related to the “Great War.”  We wanted to highlight some of the fantastic local North Carolina materials we have digitized for our partners that document the World War I perspective from North Carolinians’ eyes.

 

Service records, photographs, news clippings and letters back home from communities across the state are digitized here on DigitalNC.  From Wilson County, we have a set of records from 70 men that served in the war that the United Daughters of the Confederacy collected and a scrapbook that includes letters from a Robert Anderson before he was wounded in action and died in France. From Stanly County, we have an enlistment record that includes the amount Harvey Jarvis Underwood was paid to serve, and a history of the service records of Stanly County men who served in the war.  From the Grand Lodge of the Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, the NCDHC digitized a list of all the North Carolina masons who died in World War I.

Several scrapbooks from Elon University detail the students’ view of the war as well as what college life during World War I looked like here in North Carolina.  

Headline from Page 2 of the April 12, 1917 edition of the Roanoke News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The richest source of information on World War I and North Carolina on DigitalNC may very well be the many local newspapers we’ve digitized that contain the local perspective on the war, including some quite subdued headlines announcing the US’s entry.  DigitalNC also hosts several World War I camp and hospital newspapers including the Trench and Camp from Camp Greene and the Caduceus, the paper of the Base Hospital at Camp Greene.  Both are from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

To view more materials from World War I, check out a search of our collections here.  And to learn more about World War I materials from across the state, visit the institutions highlighted in this blog post from our colleagues over at the State Archives of North Carolina.

Six Additional Charlotte Yearbooks from 1966 Added to DigitalNC

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yearbooks

Title page of the Tomahawk Yearbook, West Mecklenburg HS, 1966

Tomahawk Yearbook, West Mecklenburg HS, 1966

We have a 50 year embargo for high school yearbooks on DigitalNC, to be considerate to alumni privacy concerns. In practice, this means that each year we can inch forward with a new round of volumes.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library recently brought us six yearbooks from six different high schools all dating from 1966.

And don’t miss the rest of an extensive set of yearbooks and other materials that Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has already shared online at DigitalNC, as well as The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story, their own rich site of Charlotte history.

New Batch of Materials from the American Society of Furniture Designers

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memorabilia

Newspaper, Magazine Clippings Concerning the American Society of Furniture Designers [2016], page 10

Newspaper, Magazine Clippings Concerning the American Society of Furniture Designers [2016], page 10

Newspaper, Magazine Clippings Concerning the American Society of Furniture Designers [2016], page 2

Newspaper, Magazine Clippings Concerning the American Society of Furniture Designers [2016], page 2

The newest batch from the American Society of Furniture Designers is now avaible on DigitalNC!

ASFD is an international, non-profit professional organization dedicated to supporting furniture designers and their positive impact on the market. Physically located in High Point, NC, ASFD’s library holds many types of interesting records and memorabilia relating to the furniture industry in North Carolina and internationally. ASFD’s collection of materials on DigitalNC documents the majority of its existence and is a useful tool for those interested in the furniture industry and its impact on North Carolina.

This batch contains newspaper, magazine, and web publications about the society’s activities during 2016. These focus on the Pinnacle Awards for exceptional furniture designs, the Luminary Awards, and other mentions of the organization in the media.

To learn more about the American Society of Furniture Designers, please visit the partner page or the website. To see more documents and memorabilia from other organizations in North Carolina, please browse the North Caroline Memory Collection.

Scrapbooks from our new partner, Nash Community College

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photos scrapbooks

A page in the 2012-2013 scrapbook dedicated to the annual hot do eating contest

Three scrapbooks and three photo albums from Nash Community College are now available on DigitalNC. Nash Community College was originally established as Nash Technical Institute in 1967. In 1987, Nash was given the authority to convert to a community college, enabling the college to offer a college transfer program, and to change the name to Nash Community College. From there, Nash Community College has continued to grow in size and program offerings.

Nash Community College has an active student life as depicted in three recent scrapbooks. Each scrapbook documents one academic year; one collecting images from 2012-2013, one from 2013-2014, and the last from 2014-2015. These scrapbooks were created by the Nash Community College Student Government Association to be entered in the North Carolina Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association (N4CSGA) scrapbook contest held at the N4CSGA annual conference. The three scrapbooks are bright and colorful, and are filled with depictions of social and community events from throughout the year. One annual event that seems to be a favorite is the college-wide hot dog eating contest, complete with students in hot dog costumes. Other events shown in the scrapbooks include talent shows, holiday celebrations, athletic events, club activities, and community service projects. These scrapbooks capture fun memories at Nash Community College with glitter and flair.

A glittery page in the 2014-2015 scrapbook showing the NCC holiday Fashion Show

A portrait of Dr. Geneva Chavis in the 1978 Nash Community College Employee Photo Album

Three older photo albums give a glimpse into life at Nash while it was still a Technical Institute. An album from 1978 collects photographs of Nash Tech employees, and is replete with wonderful 1970s style. Two other photo albums, which cover the years 1978-1981, show photos of student life, including graduation celebrations, holiday parties, and photos of the annual kite flying contest.

To take a looks at items in this collection, click the links below:

To learn More about Nash Community College, take a look at their partner page, or visit their website.

 

Students and faculty members flying kites during the 1980 kite flying contest

African American High School yearbooks from Huntersville now online

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underrepresented yearbooks

Group portrait of students in the National Honor Society from “The Trojan” 1963.

Four yearbooks from Torrence-Lytle High School, provided by Davidson College, are now available on DigitalNC. Torrence-Lytle High School opened in the fall of 1937 as Huntersville Colored High School. In 1953, the name was changed to honor two men who helped initially establish the school. Franklin Lytle was born as an enslaved person but became a prominent farmer and educational advocate, and helped acquire land for Huntersville Colored High School. Isaiah Torrence, also a farmer and a proponent of African American education, helped raise money to build Huntersville Colored High School. Torrence-Lytle High School was closed after the 1966 school year due integration mandates, and all of the students were reassigned to racially integrated schools.

Students in Advanced Biology class from “The Trojan” 1966.

The yearbooks available are from 1958, 1963, 1965, and 1966. Included are pictures of graduating seniors, class portraits, clubs and activities, sports teams, superlatives, classroom scenes, and a few candid shots of student life. These yearbooks provide an interesting look at an African American high school moments before integration. Like all of the yearbooks on DigitalNC, they are fully text-searchable.

Group portrait of Student Council members from “The Trojan” 1963.

To view these yearbooks, visit the links below:

To see more contributions from Davidson College, including other yearbooks, visit their partner page, and to learn more about Davidson College, visit their website.

Genealogy Newsletters, Cooking Related Materials Now Available Online from Braswell Memorial Library

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memorabilia

Royal Palm Restaurant Menu, page 2

Royal Palm Restaurant Menu, page 2

Thanks to our partner, Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount, DigitalNC has published a number of new materials in the North Carolina Memory Collection.

Included in this batch are several cooking related items. A vintage menu from the Royal Palms Restaurant in Rocky Mount documents the variety of prices and meals available at the local establishment. This item is a unique addition, as DigitalNC only has three published menus on the site. If you are more interested in doing some cooking of your own, check out the Kentucky Cookbook from Bygone Days. This unique item was transcribed from an 18880’s collection of recipes created by several women with connections to North Carolina. The recipes are included along with descriptions and family histories, adding some depth and context to the cookbook’s entries. Try your hand at making some nineteenth century ginger pudding or molasses pie!

Also in this batch are nearly seventy issues of “The Connector,” the newsletter of the Tar River Connections Genealogical Society. The Connector contains articles from members of the society, detailing their research in family and local history. They include many maps, rosters, names, dates, and other information that could be useful genealogy research–all aggregated in one place. These newsletters are full-text searchable, allowing researchers to easy search through the nearly 1200 pages of material. You can view all of the newsletters from Braswell Memorial Library at the following link.

To learn more about Braswell Memorial Library, please visit the contributor page or the website. To see more items like these that are digitized and available on DigitalNC, please visit the North Carolina Memory Collection.

Recipes for Ambrosia Filling, Cream Pie, and Molasses Pie-- Kentucky Cookbook, page 39

Recipes for Ambrosia Filling, Cream Pie, and Molasses Pie– Kentucky Cookbook, page 39

1964-1965 City Directories Now Available for Albemarle from the Stanly County Museum

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directories

Hill's Albemarle (Stanly County, N.C.) City Directory [1965], page 19

Hill’s Albemarle (Stanly County, N.C.) City Directory [1965], page 19

Thanks to the Stanly County Museum, two city directories for Albemarle are now available online!

The new additions bring the count of Albemarle city directories to nine, documenting the business history of the city from 1910 to 1965. These directories, as well as all of those hosted on DigitalNC, are full-text searchable across the site. This makes it easy for researchers to find the names, locations, and dates of relevant information.

City Directories are useful for more than just research. They are also full of unique, local advertisements, like the one shown below. Ads like these demonstrate the creativity and style of business owners of the time period. They can also be a lot of fun!

The two directories are linked below:

To learn more about the Stanly County Museum, please visit the contributor page or the website. To view more city directories from your area, please browse the North Carolina City Directories Collection.

Hill's Albemarle (Stanly County, N.C.) City Directory [1965], page 73

Hill’s Albemarle (Stanly County, N.C.) City Directory [1965], page 73

A variety of new High Point newspapers now online

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newspapers

hpm_elmleaves00001

The cover of the first issue of Elm Leaves, dated October 31, 1938

A new batch newspapers and serial publications from the High Point Museum are now up on DigitalNC. These include new issues of the High Point High School’s school newspaper, The Pointer, as well as the Junior Pointer from High Point Junior High. Also included are issues of an elementary school newspaper called Elm Leaves from the Elm Street School in High Point, issues of The High Point Scout, and issues of The Young American.

Elm Leaves, an elementary school newspaper, offers many treats including coloring pages, stories, book reviews, jokes, and poems by students.

The Young American, published in High Point, also offers stories, poems, and book reviews, but is geared towards a slightly older audience. The purpose of The Young American, as stated in its first issue, is “to entertain, direct, and express the young American,” and the magazine is dedicated, “primarily to the young man and young lady of sixteen and nineteen years.” The publishers further state that at the time of publication, a variety of magazines for younger teens and adults existed, but they found a lack of available magazines aimed at teens aged 16 to 19, and believed The Young American could fill this gap.

To look through issues of these publications, click the links below:

To see other materials from the High Point Museum, visit their partner page or website.

We Run on IMLS: Who and What Supports NCDHC

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We Run on IMLS BadgeDigitization is faceless work – you rarely see the hands that carefully place fragile scrapbooks under the camera and click capture, or hear the voices debating the best description of that great photograph a partner sent us. And we don’t stick a price tag on each item, parsing out how much our funders contributed to get that item online. 

So today’s post is about two things I think don’t get noticed often enough. The first thing is money. All of the accomplishments of the Center have been supported in very large part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, through Library Services and Technology Act funding disbursed by the State Library of North Carolina. In other words, we run on IMLS. Digital libraries often include funders in footers or on “About” pages, but I decided to take this opportunity to bring it up front. Together, IMLS, UNC-Chapel Hill, and the State Library of North Carolina are the why, how, and whether DigitalNC exists. The power of this funding partnership is in its efficiency, its statewide view, and the way our work boosts what’s being done by counties and towns in their local institutions. It’s how our partners supercharge their collections, moving them beyond shelves to your screen. And we really hope it sticks around. 

A Wayne County scrapbook page that includes the gloved hand of the student scanner.

A rare shot that includes the gloved hand of a student worker as they gently lift up a document to capture the letter underneath.

The second thing is people. Behind each of the hundreds of thousands of images on DigitalNC.org are multiple individuals from multiple communities, who want YOU to see, share, build upon, question, and participate in North Carolina’s culture, wherever you are. These are the caring librarians, archivists, curators, or history-minded individuals with a passion not only for preserving their community’s history but also for giving that history legs. These are the full-time NCDHC staff who answer questions, juggle schedules, write code, and try to best serve users. These are the 20 student workers who have scanned, and scanned, and scanned over the last six years, whose professional development we have fostered and who were exposed to information-rich, quirky, poignant, and various special collections from all over the state.

Our goal is to make the materials front and center so you don’t see us or think about us.  But next time you find that great article on your hometown’s history, we hope you’ll think about who helped get it there and the funding it took to make it happen.

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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.

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