North Carolina State Archives, along with the Anson County Historical Society, hosted a one-day special exhibit of documents at the Lockhart-Taylor Center on Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
“Most of our collections are in Raleigh all the time,” said Sarah Koonts, state archivist. “A few times a year, we like to find opportunities to bring some of our treasures our into other counties, so that people don’t have to travel so far to see them, and they can learn a little bit of history when they come to see the documents.”
The documents focused on the Revolutionary War and its time period. They reflect North Carolina’s revolutionary politics as the colonies increasingly resisted the British oversight and taxes.
“These documents capture the emotions of people who were beginning to recognize their own power,” Koonts said. “The language reflects discontent with the status quo.”
With the help of state Sen. Tom McInnis, the Anson County Historical Society brought the exhibit of documents, which are generally kept in archive vaults and seldom seen by the general public, to Wadesboro.
“Our department had done a lot of programming about the Revolutionary War in the last couple of years,” Koonts said. “We picked…stories about the Revolutionary War. Everybody responded differently, so we are talking about how North Carolinians responded to the war.”
Among the documents, was the pay voucher of Agnes Grimes of Rowan County, who received 15 Spanish-milled dollars for 2,000 pounds of hay.
There were continentals drafted from the Halifax Regiment of militia list on March 10, 1780, who fought at Briar Creek, Georgia and the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and seize of Augusta in 1781.
“Some people gave goods to the Revolutionary War government, and some people served,” Koonts said. “We even have a list of troop returns. Some people chose not to fight. Quakers were opposed to war, so they were petitioning to not be a part of the war.”
A petition from Perquimans County Quakers to the General Assembly on Oct. 24, 1777, was also at the exhibit. They refused to sign or take an oath, did not believe in carnal weapons, nor did they believe in “putting down kings and government,” but that it should be left to a higher power.
The rare journal of Dr. John Graham, the uncle of Gov. William Graham is also a part of the exhibit. It featured tales of fighting against British forces in South Carolina, while serving in Mecklenburg County. There are records of casualties, encampments, prisoners, weather and mileage.
After signing the Declaration of Independence, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes and John Penn, all three North Carolina delegates, signed a letter to the North Carloina Council of Safety on Aug. 7, 1776 for protection against the Cherokee nation, recruitment of the continental soldiers, and British invasion of the colony.
“We have all of the North Carolina delegates on one document,” Koonts said. “That’s a very rare document.”
The Anson County Charter was also among the historic papers. The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. The namesake came from George Anson, a British admiral, who circumnavigated the globe from 1740 to 1744.
“We though it would be fun to have people practice quill writing,” Koonts said. “The document being used is actually in our vault, and it’s signed by John Hancock. It’s really valuable.”
The archivers digitally blocked out the original names on the copy, and allowed people to take turns signing .
“The State Archives is part of Natural and Cultural Resources, and we have locations and sites all across the state,” Koonts said. “People should look on the website, and there’s always something to do in your area.”
Reach Natalie Davis at 704-994-5471.