Sent:                                           Saturday, February 15, 2025 8:36 PM

Subject:                                     History news and events - March 6,, 2025 - Jason Duncan

 

News and Upcoming Events – March 6, 2025

Jason Duncan (webjmd.com)

jason@webjmd.com

 

Click the embedded links for more information.

 

NC Trail Days in Elkin

Elkin and Jonesville’s NC Trail Days is being held from June 5-8 this year with a large variety of hiking, river excursions, exhibitors, and music.  There will be several guided hikes in the area, and I am leading two hikes at Stone Mountain.  One will be on Thursday, June 5, and the other will be Sunday, June 8.  Stay tuned for details.

 

 

History Presentation at Wilkes Heritage Museum

During the Civil War, many Wilkes County families wrote personal letters to Governor Vance asking him help them through such a difficult and devastating time.  They wrote about widespread looting, the need to exempt their blacksmith from service, and the need for food and supplies at home.  On Tuesday, April 8 at the Wilkes Heritage Museum at 10:30am, I’m giving a presentation on these letters that are important for cultural and genealogy reasons.

 

 

History Presentation at Caldwell Heritage Museum

On Wednesday, April 16 at 10am, I’m giving a presentation at the Caldwell Heritage Museum in Lenoir.  I’ll be talking about my project of mapping Wilkes County land grants including what land grants are, how I’ve been able to map them, and what we can learn from them.  A large part of Caldwell County was once Wilkes County.

 

 

Outdoor History Adventures at the Wilkes Heritage Museum...

While working at the museum in Wilkesboro, I’ve helped to develop two new outdoor activites that can be adapted for school groups, scouts, families, and adults.  Not only do these programs provide insight into our local history, but they involve varying degrees of math, science, art, and teamwork within a fun setting that is designed so that everyone can contribute.

See the museum’s brochure, and contact the museum to schedule an event for your group!

 

 

Robert Cleveland

I’m working on a project about the Robert Cleveland house and the families who lived there over its 250 year history.  Do you have any photos of the house when it was at its original location in Purlear?   Do you know someone who does?  As early as the 1950s, the Wilkes Historical Society led tours at the old homesite.  Maybe someone in your family was on one of these tours and took pictures!  Let me know if you have old photos to share!

 

 

Blog Articles

I posted two short blog articles on my website.  One is a court record stating that James Smith had been shot and killed in 1785 in the western part of Wilkes County.  The other is about the 1910 deposition of Hezekiah Wood when he explained how he entered the Union Army in 1865. 

 

Links

Wilkes Tax List Books

Wilkes Land Grants Map

History Videos – last year I made several short videos about local history stories

 

 

Email List...

Do you know someone else who would like to get this monthly (or so) newsletter?  If they send me an email, I’ll add them to the list!  Feel free to forward this to others who might like getting this information.

 

Check out this and previous newsletters on my website.

 

Jason Duncan