Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State
Yes, we have already discussed this topic on the blog (see: Abe Lincoln’s Carolina Roots), but in honor of Honest Abe’s birthday we are doing it again. Plus, a colleague at the NC Office of Archives and History has written an article on Lincoln’s North Carolina connections. You can read it at: Was Abraham Lincoln … Continue reading “Was Abraham Lincoln A Tar Heel?”
“On April 29, 1864, a delegation of six black men from North Carolina—some born free, others enslaved—came to the White House to petition Lincoln for the right to vote. As the men approached the Executive Mansion, they were directed to enter through the front door—an unexpected experience for black men from the South, who would … Continue reading “A warm welcome in Lincoln’s White House”
“The most famous ghost that is said to haunt the shores of North Carolina and pop culture in equal measures is the spirit of Virginia Dare… the New World’s first Christian ‘wild child.’ The sweet babe likely never survived infancy, but her name is immortal. “She has been the subject of numerous romance and supernatural … Continue reading “Lost Colony: For Hollywood a gift that keeps on giving”
On this day in 1824: In an ad in the Star of Raleigh, tailor James J. Selby offers a $10 reward for the return of two apprentices: “RAN AWAY from the Subscriber, on the night of the 15th instant, two apprentice boys, legally bound, named WILLIAM and ANDREW JOHNSON. The former is of a dark … Continue reading “$10 reward for Andrew Johnson, runaway apprentice”
We’ve seen much ink spilled in these parts on the question of whether Abraham Lincoln has North Carolina roots. In short, the most commonly-told story goes this way. Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks, arrived in North Carolina as a teenager. She lived with Abraham Enloe (also spelled Inlow) and his family in Rutherford County. At some … Continue reading “Abe Lincoln a Tar Heel? This evidence suggests no.”
“The shards of wartime trees… were fragments to own and display… in the parlors and cabinets of veterans and battlefield tourists. “One such war fragment is a three-foot-high tree trunk, smooth and shiny but for a single shot lodged in its surface. North Carolina artillerists fired that shot… on July 2, 1863, in an assault … Continue reading “Tree shelled by N.C. troops became memento”
“Multiple revisions of [Dan Emmett’s lyrics to “Dixie’] appeared during the war. Most of these were fairly predictable appeals to Southern nationalism, with titles such as ‘North Carolina Dixie’….” — From “Battle Hymns: Music and the American Civil War” by Christian McWhirter (2012, UNC Press) ” ‘North Carolina Dixie’ “? I asked Dr. … Continue reading “Today’s forgotten oldie: ‘North Carolina Dixie’”
“At his next stop, in Raleigh, North Carolina, [Stephen Douglas, presidential candidate of the Northern Democratic Party in 1860] rode in a long train of carriages filled with dignitaries who had to inch their way through a throng of over 15,000. A band led the procession…. Women hung out of windows to wave their handkerchiefs…. … Continue reading “Raleigh speech costly to Stephen Douglas”
Generations of Tar Heels have debated whether or not Abraham Lincoln was conceived in North Carolina while his mother, Nancy Hanks, was a servant in the household of Abraham Enloe. Who could have imagined that there might be a connection between Lincoln and the primeval North Carolina story–that of the Lost Colony? Seth Grahame-Smith did. … Continue reading “Abe Lincoln-Lost Colony Link”
In honor of the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth year, I thought I’d mention two more sources that discuss the myth and controversy of Abraham Lincoln’s paternity. The Abraham Enloe Papers that are housed in the Southern Historical Collection contain a copy of a letter written in the 1960s that claims that North Carolinian Abraham Enloe … Continue reading “Revisiting Abe Lincoln’s Carolina Roots”