North Carolina is known as the birthplace of the American outdoor drama. One of its longest running outdoor productions, Unto These Hills, celebrated its 75th anniversary this year. To capture the spirit of that diamond anniversary, Connecting the Docs host John Horan, podcast interns Chris Deitner and Amelia Gantt, and producer Danielle Shirilla had an opportunity to travel west to watch the show and interview Communications & Development Director Chelsey Moore and Delegate at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, as well as Props Lead for the show, Devon Cucumber, about the drama, its history, and its longevity. 

Special thanks to the Cherokee Historical Association and the cast and crew of Unto These Hills for letting us use original audio from a live production in this episode. 

Primary Sources: 

Backstage at “Unto These Hills” by John H. Hemmer, North Carolina. Dept. of Conservation and Development Records, ConDev8273A, State Archives of North Carolina, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/backstage-at-unto-these-hills./344166. 

Dorothy Eugenia Richardson Collection, PC.2172, State Archives of North Carolina.  

Unto These Hills Performance, Governor's Papers -- James Grubb Martin (11 December 1935 --) [First and Second Administrations], Record ID: 373.4.27.23, State Archives of North Carolina.  

Secondary Sources: 

Faulkner, Ronnie W., et al. “Outdoor Dramas.” NCPedia, 2006, https://www.ncpedia.org/outdoor-dramas.   

Gaison, G. "We're still here": Eddie Swimmer on Cherokee History, Life, and Outdoor Drama in the Appalachian Mountains. North Carolina Literary Review, (19), 46-59, 2010. 

“Outdoor Dramas to Enjoy Under the Stars in North Carolina.” VisitNC, https://www.visitnc.com/list/outdoor-dramas-enjoy-under-stars-north-carolina.  

“Unto These Hills.” Wikipedia, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unto_These_Hills. 

We all remember how difficult it was to grocery shop during the COVID-19 lockdown, but imagine if a government agency had legally allotted a certain amount of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or bread to each person per month...and kept it up for three years! It might seem impossible to fathom, but this was the nation’s reality only 80 years ago. In this episode, host John Horan hears from Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton as she describes the rationing system on the national level; we learn which items were most protected, why ration stamps were different colors, and what happened if you broke the rules. Then, former Intern Chris Deitner zooms in to investigate life with the rationing system in North Carolina, gauged from material in the State Archives. Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore ends by sharing three 1940s holiday recipes, highlighting the creative methods that citizens on the Homefront used to adapt classic recipes with limited supplies.

SANC Sources:  

“Health Bulletin.” 1943, v.58: no.1-12, p. 190. North Carolina Board of Health Bulletins, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/health-bulletin-1943-v.58-no.1-12/1952377?item=2008460  

WWII Military Posters Collection: Food Supply, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/documents?filter_17=World%20War%2C%201939-1945--Food%20supply--United%20States&applyState=true  

“Maud and Frank Stick War Ration Books, 1940s,” Private Collections, PC.5073.4, pg. 2 and 7 https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/maud-and-frank-stick-war-ration-books-1940s/767056  

Robert L. and Mary Lee (Swann) McMillan Papers, December 1943. Private Collections, PC.1677, Box 3 

“We came across an interesting lad...” The Barrage [Camp Davis], November 1942. Military Collection: NC Camp Publications, WWII 5, Box 3 Folder 3, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-davis-the-barrage/435965?item=436333 

“For War Service.” 1945. Military Collection: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.36,  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/for-war-service/432387  

“Rationing Drives Man to Army.” The AA Barrage [Camp Davis], July-Sept 1943. Military Collections: NC Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-davis-the-aa-barrage/459755?item=459823  

“Homemaker’s War Guide,” 1942. Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.40, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/homemakers-war-guide/462546 

Student Scrapbook [Scotland County], Military Collection: WWII Papers, County War Records, Box 85.  

“Pasquotank County Victory Garden Contest,” 1944. Military Collections: WWII Posters, WWII 11.F4.P4, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/pasquotank-county-victory-garden-contest/448885  

“Plenty of exercise in maintaining a garden plot...” Pasquotank Patrol [Elizabeth City], 10 June 1943. Military Collections: NC Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/elizabeth-city-naval-air-station-the-pasquotank-patrol/348286?item=348339  

“To Do My Part on the Home Front,” Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.31, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/to-do-my-part-on-the-home-front/459370  

WWII Poster Collection: Rationing Posters, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/collections/world-war-ii?search=ration&searchtypes=Metadata|Full%20text&filter_10=Posters&applyState=true   

“How to Keep Your Food Bill Down,” 1943. Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.32, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/how-to-keep-your-food-bill-down/447116  

Kannapolis Daily Independent War-Time Cook Book, 1943. Military Collection, WWII PC Box 90 

“OPA Announces Turkey Prices for this Area...” The Monroe Enquirer [Monroe, NC] 8 Nov 1943. Newspaper Collection, https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93065776/1943-11-08/ed-1/seq-1/  

Wartime Holiday Menus: 

Secondary Sources:  

US Composting Council, Victory Gardens https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/victorygardens 

Archives Test Kitchen: WWII Rationing, History For All the People, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2024/12/17/archives-test-kitchen-wwii-rationing/ 

"Food Rationing on the WWII Home Front,” National Park Service,  https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/food-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm 

“Coffee Rationing on the World War II Home Front,” National Park Service,  https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/coffee-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm   

Is it true that distance makes the heart grow fonder? Even with modern-day resources like instant messaging and video calls, long-distance relationships can be daunting, but it was a wholly different experience 80 years ago. Continuing our commemorative series on World War II, Reference Archivist Katherine Crickmore, Podcast Intern Chris Deitner, and Military Archivist Ashley Latta Post discuss several love letters and couples’ correspondences from an era when unreliable snail-mail was the only option. Find love in unexpected places, even in the Military Collections at the State Archives! 

Letters read by: Colin Reeve, Annabeth Poe, Erin Fulp, Bill Brown, Ian Dunn, Danielle Shirilla, and Erin Templeton. For full transcriptions of the letters that are read in this episode, contact the Archives Search Room at [email protected]. 

Primary Sources:   

Kenneth Zollinger and Mary Brantley Papers, Military Collections, WWII 282: Box 1, Folder 1 and; Box 2, Folder 5 

Geraldine M. Beveridge Papers, Military Collections, WWII 188: Box 1, Folder 3 and Folder 7 

James C. Bland Papers, Military Collections, WWII 68: Box 1, Folder 1 and Folder 4 

John B. O'Donnell Papers, Military Collections, WWII 118: Box 1, Folder 6; Box 2, Folder 1 and; Box 5, Folder 1 

Margaret I. Saunders Papers, Military Collections, WWII 16: Box 1, Folder 2 

Additional Collections to Explore: 

Charles M. Allen Jr. Papers, Military Collections, WWII 141  

William P. Ricks Papers, Military Collections, WWII 162  

Thomas S. Elder Papers, Military Collections, WWII 110  

Holland Family Military Papers, Miscellaneous Military Papers, MMP 32 

John F. Mallard Papers, Miscellaneous Military Private Collections, MMP PC 

Mark B. Burwager Papers, Military Collections, WWII 232 

Thomas B. Lenoir Papers, Military Collections, WWII 123  

Harry Lee Ward Papers, Military Collections, WWII 67  

To read more World War II letters, visit the World War II digital collection on the N.C. Digital Collections website. 

To contact the Archives about donating your records, please email [email protected] , call (919) 814-6840, or fill out a contact form online at: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/contact/questions-about-services-or-research  

Few images are burned into popular culture as deeply as that of Rosie the Riveter, the classic and ever-reproduced representation of female empowerment during WWII. Rosie endures as a metaphor for a time of incredible change for women, a time when the U.S. called women out of the home and into the workforce to support the war effort. Historic records and images, like Rosie, teach us about the experience of women who showed up and bolstered the fight in mass numbers, many as nurses. 

This week, former podcast intern Chris Deitner details the stories of nurses who were central to the war effort. She is joined by our host John Horan, Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe, and Government Records Archivist Joshua Hager. Drawing heavily from the organizational records of the North Carolina Nursing Association, especially correspondence from Executive Secretary Marie Noell, as well as WWII posters and publications, the team discusses the personal and professional implications of the “total war” for women in North Carolina.  

State Archives of North Carolina Sources: 

65th Pulse Beat [Fort Bragg], Oct-Nov 1942. Military Collection: North Carolina Military Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/fort-bragg-65th-pulse-beat/464375?item=464376 

“Hospital No. 3 Sounding Off,” 65th Pulse Beat [Fort Bragg], 16 October 1942, p. 27. Military Collection: North Carolina Military Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/fort-bragg-65th-pulse-beat/464375?item=464403  

“Become a Nurse— Your Country Needs You,” 1942. Military Collection: World War II Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.2.16,  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/become-a-nurse-your-country-needs-you/463037  

“Our Wounded Need Help!” 1945. Military Collection: World War II Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.2.18, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/our-wounded-need-help/459350  

Correspondence 1920-1949, North Carolina Nursing Association Records, ORG.120 

Secondary Sources:  

Tar Heel Nurse [Chapel Hill]. UNC Archives: North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection, NCHH-39: Tar Heel Nurse [1939-Present] :: North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection 

“Our History,” American Red Cross,  https://www.redcross.org/about-us/who-we-are/history.html 

“About NCNA,” North Carolina Nursing Association,  https://www.ncnurses.org/about-ncna/ 

“Marie Brock Noell, RN,” North Carolina Nursing History. Appalachian State University, https://nursinghistory.appstate.edu/biographies/marie-brock-noel-rn 

“WWII and the American Red Cross,” American Red Cross,  http:/redcross.org/history  

“Charles William ‘Billy’ Noell Jr.,” Honor States,  https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/77406/ 

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including discussion of language that reflects outdated, biased or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence. 

Welcome back to Connecting the Docs! To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, our sixth season will examine those tumultuous years of war through the lens of the State Archives of North Carolina.  

In May 1945, peace in Europe prompted mixed emotions for Americans as the war continued in the Pacific. Men and women in military service anxiously awaited Japan’s surrender, realizing that even with the end in sight, lives were still being lost overseas. Finally, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender, and on September 2, 1945, the declaration was officially signed. What were those months like, leading up to the final end of war? And how did military personnel react to peace? Host John Horan is joined by Government Records Analyst Josh Hager, Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton, and podcast intern Amelia Gantt to investigate how those closest to the war effort— men and women in the service— reacted to peace through three newspapers published by North Carolina's military installations.  

Primary Sources: 

World War II Military Posters Collection, “Get in the Scrap”. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/get-in-the-scrap/434330  

State Archives of North Carolina, Military Collections,  https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/collections/military-collections#CollectionScopeandOrganization-476 

Asheville Naval Convalescent Hospital 

At Ease, May 24, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_B1F1_Naval_Hosp_At_Ease_1944_1946.  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/asheville-naval-convalescent-hospital-at-ease/421919  

At Ease, “First Anniversary of ‘At Ease’ Launching Observed Here Today”, October 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

At Ease, “VJ Day Marked By Jubilation, Prayer”, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

At Ease, “Processing At Distribution Centers”, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2. 

At Ease, Photo 5, 6, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 3. 

Camp Butner 

Camp Butner News, “Patients Favor Technical Book Over All Others”. August 10, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_OzB3F1_Camp_Butner_News_1945_1946. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-butner-camp-butner-news/447077   

Camp Butner News, "What’s Your Opinion??”. August 10, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.  

Ernest Arms, Camp Butner News, “Just Thinking”. September 7, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.   

Camp Butner News, “GI Dead For World War II is 251,424”. September 14, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4. 

Camp Butner News, “Veterans Get a Break in Legislation”. December 28, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

Camp Butner News, “Big Three Agree on World Problems in Moscow”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

Camp Butner News, "20 Job Prospects For American Vets”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

Camp Butner News, "What’s Your Opinion??”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2. 

Camp Butner News, "4000 German POWs Shipped Out In Week”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4. 

Camp Lejeune 

[Content Warning: This newspaper contains graphic images and offensive language.] 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Residents Contemplating Leave To Notify Mailmen”. August 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_OzB6F5_Camp_Lejeune_Globe_1945. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-lejeune-the-camp-lejeune-globe/455963  

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Bus Tickets Being Sold Through Outlying PXs”. August 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.  

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Today’s Good News”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Around the Globe”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 5. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Lejeune Tense as Surrender Looms”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Training Atomicized”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Chaplain’s Corner: The Time Is Now”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Smart Japs Prove Not Too Smart In Marine March”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 6.  

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Don't Trust Women, Says Sad Marine”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 10. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Chaplain’s Corner: The Time Is Now”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Celebrations Outstanding For Sobriety”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Red Cross Workrooms to Reopen Sept. 4”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Enlisted Men Must Have 85 Points, WRs 25”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2. 

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Marines Go Point Happy”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 3. 

Secondary Sources  

NCpedia, William Powell. “World War II”. State Library of NC, 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/world-war-ii 

Woltz, Rebecca, "Because of Camp Butner.” Our State Magazine, November 6, 2024. Accessed on July 18, 2025.   

During the 1800s, some free people of color and formerly enslaved people emigrated out of North Carolina. Many went north or to Haiti, and quite a few went to Liberia. Join host John Horan, former intern LaWanda McCullor and podcast regulars, Annabeth Poe and Katie Crickmore on this episode. Listen as the crew focuses on several letters and wills housed at the State Archives of North Carolina recounting the experience of moving out of the country.  

The podcast team also speaks to Dr. Claude Clegg, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of History and the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Learn as Dr. Clegg discusses the American Colonization Society in the 1800s, what motivated the emigration to Liberia, and connects it to Activist Marcus Garvey and the Back-to-Africa movement from the 1900s.  

Primary Sources 

Private Collections. Pattie Mordecai Collection, 1784-1876. “Malinda Rex Letter,” 1839. State Archives of North Carolina; Raleigh, N.C. Record ID: PC.185. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:756464. 

County Records. Chowan County. Wills. Mary Bissell, 1836. CR.024.801. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:801756. 

Southern Historical Collection. John Kimberly Papers, 1821-1938. “Susan Capehart Letter.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wilson Special Collections Library. Collection Number: 00398. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/00398/. 

Secondary Sources 

Clegg, Claude Andrew, III. The Price of Liberty: African Americans and the Making of Liberia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004. 

Mitchell, Memory F. “Off to Africa – with Judicial Blessing.” The North Carolina Historical Review 53, no. 3 (July 1976), 265-287. 

Mitchell, Memory F. “Freedom Brings Problems: Letters from the McKays and the Nelsons in Liberia.” The North Carolina Historical Review 70, no. 4 (October 1993), 430-465. 

Mitchell, Memory F. and Thornton W. Mitchell. “The Philanthropic Bequests of John Rex of Raleigh: Part I - Bon Voyage and a Lawsuit.” The North Carolina Historical Review 49, no. 3 (July 1972), 254-279. 

“Claude A. Clegg III.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences History Department. https://history.unc.edu/faculty-members/claude-clegg/. 

What would you think about a concert that was pure silence? Or an event that hosted four different performances all at once? These sort of avant-garde performance pieces were commonplace at North Carolina’s Black Mountain College. Founded in 1933 by John A. Rice and Theodore Dreier, Black Mountain College operated as an experiment of “education in a democracy,” wherein the creative arts and practical responsibilities were considered equally important as intellectual development. The college closed in 1957, and the records associated with the school, including compositions and other artistic pieces, are held at SANC’s Western Regional Archives.  

This week on Connecting the Docs, host John Horan welcomes Reference archivist Katherine Crickmore, former Digitization Archivist Chauna Carr, and Podcast and Oral History Intern Olivia Coyne. Join us as we discuss art and archives. 

Primary Sources  

Black Mountain College, “Concerning Art Instruction,” Josef Albers, Bulletin 2 June 1934, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-art-instructor-1944/3657480?item=3657727  

Black Mountain College, “The Building Project and Work Program,” Bulletin 6, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-building-project-work-progress/3657497 

Black Mountain College, “Education in a Time of Crisis,” Erwin Strauss, Bulletin 7, April 1940, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-education-time-crisis/3657509  

Black Mountain College, “Its Aims and Methods,” Bulletin 8, Kenneth Kurtz, 1944, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-aim-and-method/3657521?item=3657788  

Black Mountain College Concert: Brahms, Dvorak, Kraft, and Bartok, May 1947,  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-concert-brahms-dvorak-kraft-and-bartok/2378456 

The arts at Black Mountain College, Mary Emma Harris, 1987, https://archive.org/details/artsatblackmount00harr 

Secondary Sources 

Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center, https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/  

NC Digital Collections, Black Mountain College Spotlight, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/spotlights/bmc 

“Black Mountain Review,” Natasha Goldowski, et al., Black Mountain College Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 1951. Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Independent Voices. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.28034129  

“Archives Test Kitchen,” series, History For All the People, State Archives of North Carolina, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/category/archives-test-kitchen/  

Before the Revolutionary War began, a movement unfolded in the backcountry of North Carolina, sparking the short-lived but influential War of Regulation. In the first episode of our series “From Regulators to Revolution,” Annabeth Poe and Katherine Crickmore are joined by Nathan Schultz, the Site Director of Alamance Battleground, as they discuss the Regulators, their grievances, and the War of Regulation. Join us for a riveting interview and hear sounds from the battlefield for yourself, as Annabeth, Katie, and reference archivist Dominique Romero visit Alamance Battleground during a May 2024 battle reenactment. 

Warning: This episode contains the sound of cannon fire blanks used in an outdoor battle reenactment. These sounds can be loud and jarring, occurring from around 0.20 to 1.40 minutes. Please listen with caution! 

Collections Used for Research  

Private Collection, George Sims Papers, “Nutbush Address,” PC.923 

Colonial Governor’s Papers, Governor William Tryon, June 9th, 1771, “Proclamation for capture of Herman Husband and other Regulators,” CGP.6 

Military Collection, War of Regulation Papers, “Provisions for Robert Harris’ Granville Brigade troops during 1768 Hillsborough unrest,” Box 1, Folder 4, Item 1 

Military Collection, War of Regulation Papers, “Papers relating to the trial of Edmund Fanning, Mar 22, 1769,” Box 1, Folder 37, Item 1 

General Assembly Session Records, Session of Dec. 1770-Jan. 1771, “Bill for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies,” Dec 15, 1770, Colonial Box 4 

Map Collection, Battle of Alamance Map, Prepared by Claude Joseph Sauthier, MC.175.1771sa 

History For All the People Blog, Regulator Movement, by Becky McGee-Lankford, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2022/06/17/regulator-movement/  

Have you ever conducted research at the State Archives of North Carolina, or any other archival institution for that matter? It’s a unique thrill when you discover history in your hands and read the words of the past as written by the people who lived it. Even when you know the basics about what you’re going to research, you never know exactly what you’ll find during an archival research trip. 

In this episode, our podcast team dives into the unknown with a trip into the “mystery box.” The team gathered in the Search Room at the State Archives to examine a box chosen from a State Agency series. They did not know anything about the box before the recording, so what you’ll hear is their discovery of the amazing history found in this box. Pull up a seat as you join the archival research experience.  

What should you expect to learn? Here’s a hint: It involves Walter Cronkite, an English explorer, and learning proper etiquette. We hope you learn what it’s like to go inside the Search Room and conduct archival research, so you’re inspired to take the plunge into your own mystery box. 

This episode is hosted by producer Josh Hager, who also selected the Mystery Box. The “research team” features producers Katherine Crickmore and Annabeth Poe and producer emerita Chauna Carr. 

Please note that the citation for the “mystery box” as well as digital copies of documents and photos mentioned in the episode appears in this blog on “History for All the People” at https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2024/12/11/connecting-the-docs-season-5-episode-6-mystery-box/.   

This week on Connecting the Docs, host John Horan welcomes Reference archivist Katherine Crickmore, former Digitization Archivist Chauna Carr, and Records Description Unit head Joshua Hager to investigate the validity of popular North Carolina legends.  

First, Katie tackles the mysterious disappearance of Theodosia Burr, daughter of American Vice President Aaron Burr. Leaving South Carolina by boat to visit her father in New York, Theodosia was never seen or heard from again. She is said to have been abducted by pirates off the coast of the Outer Banks, but is that true? Next, Chauna unpacks the tale of Betsy Dowdy, a sixteen-year-old girl whose ride from Currituck County to inform military officers during the American Revolution rivals that of Paul Revere! However, with little evidence to back this up, did the ride really happen? Finally, Josh tells the story of the infamous Peter Stuart/Stewart Ney, who has long been tied to the Marshal Michel Ney, Napoleon Bonaparte’s right-hand man during the French Revolution. Did Marshal Ney fake his death and move to Davidson, North Carolina? 

Join us as we use primary sources from the State Archives of North Carolina to see if these are myths that need to be busted! 

Theodosia Burr 

David Stick Papers, PC.5001 Box 167. Research Material, 1990s-2006. Theodosia Burr, 1990s. 

Pool, Bettie Freshwater. “The Nag’s Head Picture of Theodosia Burr.” The North Carolina Booklet 9, no. 2, October 1909.  

Pool Family Papers, PC.5328. Box 1 

West, Harry C. “The Mysterious Portrait of Theodosia Burr.” The North Carolina Folklore Journal 22, no. 3, August 1974. 

Betsy Dowdy 

McBride, Ransom. “Revolutionary War Service Records and Settlements.” North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 9, no. 4, November 1983. 

Moore, Carole. “Betsy’s Wild Ride.” Our State Magazine 74, no. 10, March 2007. 

Seay, Majel Ivey. “Betsy Dowdy’s Ride.” The State Magazine 4, no. 47, April 1937. 

State Agency Finding Aid: State Treasurer's and Comptroller's, 1731-ca. 1940. 

Peter Stuart Ney 

Johnson, Mark. “The Plot Thickens: Did DNA Settle a Centuries-Old Conspiracy?” Davidson College, September 18, 2023. https://www.davidson.edu/news/2023/09/18/plot-thickens-did-dna-settle-centuries-old-conspiracy.  

Lyman C. Draper Collection, 1743-1906. MF-P.10.1 

Peter Stewart Ney Papers, PC.800. 

Whisenant, David. “French Researchers Conclude That Napoleon’s Famed Marshal Ney Is Not the Peter Stuart Ney Buried in Rowan Co. Church Cemetery.” WBTV3, September 9, 2023. https://www.wbtv.com/2023/09/09/french-researchers-conclude-that-napoleons-famed-marshal-ney-is-not-peter-stuart-ney-buried-rowan-co-church-cemetery/.