Sunday, March 10, 2013

Dr. William Marion Withers, M.D. (1829-1887)

Dr. William Marion Withers, M.D. (1829-1887)

The Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia)
1 February 1887

Death of Dr. Withers

Dr. William M. Withers died at his residence, at the northwest corner of First and Cary streets, at 3 P. M. yesterday, in the fifty-eighth year of his age. He had been sick for a week and under medical treatment, but it was not until Sunday that serious apprehensions were aroused. His disease was probably peritonitis.

The deceased was born in Caswell county, North Carolina, and was prepared for the practice of medicine at a college in New York. He married Miss Lee, of Campbell, and settled in that county for the pursuit of his profession, in which he was very successful. He possessed high qualifications; was a man of very pleasing manners, and was kind and helpful to those with whom he came in contact. He, however, gave up his chosen profession, and accepted the general agency of the North American Insurance Company, for which he secured an immense amount of business, and which afforded him a rich income until the panic of 1873. He was also for some years a member of the firm of Wilkinson & Withers, who did an extensive clothing business in Stearns's Block. Later on he was engaged in a number of enterprises, among others in the sale of a disinfectant, which was meeting with considerable success.

Branson's Business Directory 1867-1868

Welcome to Caswell County, North Carolina

Branson's North Carolina Business Directory (1867-1868)

Population in 1860........16,215
County Seat........Yanceyville

County Officers
Attorney, E. W. Withers [Although thought to have moved to Danville, Virginia, in 1876, this probably is lawyer Elijah Benton Withers.]
Clerk County Court, H. F. Brandon
Clerk Superior Court, James A. Henderson
Chairman County Court, James K. Lea
Clerk and Master in Equity, Thos. A. Donoho
Coroner, ____________
Register [of Deeds], Levi C. Page
Sheriff, John C. Griffith
Surveyor, Samuel L. Venable
Standard Keeper, _________
Trustee, Thomas D. Johnson
Deputy Sheriffs, John L. Stotom and John W. Duke

The Davenports of Rowan and Randolph Counties, North Carolina and the State of Indiana

The Davenports of Rowan and Randolph Counties, North Carolina and the State of Indiana

In September, 1799, Augustin Davenport, of Rowan County, North Carolina, but holding land that abutted the Randolph Cunty line, made his will. In it, he names his wife, Mary; children, Sarah, Delphy, Augustin (Austin), James, David, Anna, Joel, Jesse, Mary, Elizabeth, Susanna, and Jane, in that order, which is not the order of their birth. Augustin was soon dead, for his will was filed for Probate in the Rowan County Court of Special Pleas and Quarter Sessions at the November Term, 1799. Of the five sons, Jesse or Joel, (or possibly both, for there are many instances of twins in the Davenport Family) was the oldest. Augustin divided his 200 acres, lying between Lick Creek, flowing into the Yadkin River, and Jackson Creek, flowing into the Uwharrie River, between his three youngest sons, Augustin (who thereafter used the name "Austin"), James, and David.

Slade Family of Caswell County, North Carolina

Slade Graveyards, Caswell County, North Carolina. Data collected by Elizabeth W Dixon and Mary Slade Horton. Data compiled by Mrs Kay Dixon. Wm Gaston chapter. DAR Gastonia N.C.

Two Graves at Park Springs, Caswell County, North Carolina:

Behind the old house in which Nathaniel Slade lived. Marble tombstones well preserved.

Nathaniel Slade, Born August 21. 1761, a soldier of the Revolution. Died August 18, 1846, age 84 yrs 11 mos. 28 days.

Caswell County (North Carolina) Revolutionary Soldiers Article

 Revolutionary War Soldiers

 Revolutionary War Soldiers of Caswell County, North Carolina

 The following was transcribed from a newspaper clipping in possession of Miss Hattie Slade of Yanceyville, N. C. The name of the newspaper is not mentioned nor the date it was published:

 "We are indebted to our honored friend and townsman, Captain Ezekiel Slade, for the articles in this issue, one giving the list of soldiers furnished by Caswell County for the Revolutionary War. The other sales of tobacco made on the Danville market in June, 187_. Both articles are . . . er s--t he reader especially the latter for information regarding the prices now for tobacco.

Sunday, February 03, 2013

Sutherlin Confederate Flag: "On to Victory"

"On to Victory"

Lee Sherrill is writing a history of the 21st Regiment North Carolina Troops (Confederate States of America). As part of his research, he became interested in a flag housed at the North Carolina State Museum (Raleigh, North Carolina). An image of that flag is shown here. For many years the Museum identified the flag as being associated with the 13th Regiment North Carolina Troops, which regiment is the Milton Blues (Caswell County, North Carolina).

The flag was captured by Yankee troops at the Battle of Cedar Creek at the same time General Stephen Dodson Ramseur was wounded and captured (and soon died). The flag apparently was in the ambulance that transported General Ramseur. After being housed in Washington, D.C., for years, the flag was sent to the North Carolina State Museum. Because of General Ramseur's connection with Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina (he married Ellen Ella Richmond from Milton), the Museum assumed the flag had been carried by the 13th Regiment North Carolina Troops. However, General Ramseur was never associated with the 13th North Carolina Troops. Nor did that unit participate in the Battle of Cedar Creek.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Thomas Day Goes Mobile


Thomas Day Museum Goes Mobile
The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, North Carolina)
    12 December 2012

The Thomas Day House/Union Tavern in Milton launched a mobile tour for visitors Sunday afternoon, enabling a tour of the famous furniture maker’s house and shop while listening to stories about Day, his work and his life. The Mobile Tour uses a recording, which can be downloaded to a smartphone or iPod. It features numbered stories, which correspond with numbers posted on furniture and other items throughout the facility, so the tourist will know which piece to find. The Mobile Tour is targeted to young people, ages 11 and up. “The youth are our future,” said Vanessa Richmond-Graves, board member of the TDH/UT, Inc. and the Apprend Foundation. “All of us in Milton who have been working for almost three decades to preserve the Tavern and to amass the furniture collection there want our efforts carried on. So we feel that it’s imperative to involve the youth in Milton and beyond in this important part of Milton’s and North Carolina’s history.

The tour was field-tested with 11-to-12-year olds, who provided critical ideas. “The young people noticed things that adults would not necessarily notice, like the claw feet on a desk and book case, and had great ‘why?’ questions,” said Laurel Sneed, the tour’s writer and producer.

Jonathan Prown, a Thomas Day expert and executive director of the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee — which publishes American Furniture Magazine — also gave a presentation Sunday. “We live in a day and age when history-telling can be difficult. History has lost its luster,” he said. “It’s in part our own fault, for not making it pertinent today.” Prown said it’s time to remind people what an inspiring person Thomas Day was. “There’s kind of a twist to his furniture. That’s where Thomas Day the joiner, the furniture maker, turns into Thomas Day the artist,” said Prown, pointing out the scrollwork on a nearby armoire. “He came up with strategies of survival. He had clientele who wanted high-style furniture,” said Prown. “His pieces have almost a jazz aesthetic, taking a normal pattern and doing something a little more flavorful. “It’s not easy when you have an historic site, to get people excited about furniture,” said Prown, adding that he’s an advocate for finding new ways to deliver information. He said that in museums, the average person stops at a piece for three seconds, and that the museum staff members talk more than the visitors. The mobile tour gets away from that. “Thomas Day had to innovate to succeed,” said Sneed. “And so do you.”