It was New Englanders that gained world-wide fame for their whaling prowess in the 1800s, but did you know that whaling was a small but steady industry in North Carolina for over 200 years? Check out the latest edition of “This Month in North Carolina History” for more details about our state’s shore-whalers.
I thought I would also point out that the index to the Colonial and State Records of North Carolina also had several entries for whaling in it. Take a look at the index here: http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/indices/W. You can then search this portion of the index for terms such as “Whale Fishing,” “Whale oil and bone,” and “Whales.”
The Colonial and State Records of NC also has instructions for how to handle any “ambergris” that is found. You can read about it here: Vol. 25, p. 135.