CABARRUS GENEALOGY SOCIETY

Early Life in Cabarrus County: Indigo and Cotton The indigo plant became a cash crop in the Carolinas in  the 18th century. Although the flower of the indigo plant is  light purple, the dye produced from the leaves is a rich,  dark blue color. Courtesy of  www.learnnc.org The April 9, 2014 blog discussed early grain crops in Cabarrus County as gleaned from the "Essay of Agriculture," by William Shakespeare Harris (1815-1875). The 12-page, handwritten essay, composed between 1850 and 1875, discusses such topics as farming and building techniques, crops, clothing and lifestyle. Here, we turn our attention to other crops - indigo and cotton, Despite the difficulties of indigo cultivation and manufacture, it was profitable until around 1790-1795. However, by the time Cabarrus was carved from the northeastern corner of Mecklenburg County in December 1792, indigo as a staple trade crop had begun to decline. Harris reports that indigo required "exhausting lab

What's In a Name: Cabarrus County Waterways 1870s map of the Reed Gold Mine area showing the Yellow Branch off of Little Meadow Creek. Adapted from  The First Gold Rush: A Master Plan for Reed Gold Mine ,  National Park Service. How many Cabarrus people know where to find Johnston's River, Red Creek and Beaver Dam Creek? According to various deeds and other Local History sources, these are earlier names for watercourses more familiar to us today as Rocky River, Clear Creek and Caldwell Creek. Other Cabarrus County streams with name variations include Cattail Creek or Cattail Swamp on Dutch Buffalo Creek; Frog or Flag Run on Footy Creek; and Plum Run or Plum Branch flowing into Hamby's Branch and Rocky River. Records of the late Miss Adelaide Lore list several other interesting names that may or may not be familiar to local folks. Butcher's Branch is in Township 8 (Mount Pleasant area); both Captain's Branch and Purgatory Branch are in Township 2 in weste

30 May 1868: First Official Memorial Day Observance As we celebrate this Memorial Day weekend, the Cabarrus Genealogy Society would like to respectfully acknowledge the service of our veterans, as well as active military members, who since Revolutionary times have defended the rights and freedoms of their fellow citizens. Thank you. The following is taken from the blog for www.fold3.com . Fold3 is the top website for researching military records. They have unique partnerships with the National Archives and others, making available over 436 million original documents covering all periods of American military history. You may also honor a veteran from any U.S. conflict on their Honor Wal l. Although full access for private use requires membership, they are offering free access to WWII records through May 31, and a library version is available to anyone in the Lore History Room at the Concord Library. A Decoration Day crowd in front of the Cabarrus County Courthouse in the 1930

Where Cabarrus County Worked in 1931 There is no doubt that the textile industry has long been one of the most influential businesses in Cabarrus County. By the 1930s, most families had someone working in the textile industry; in towns, whole families often worked together in the same mill. The North Carolina Year Book, 1931 , published by the Raleigh News and Observer , lists 11 textile mills in Cabarrus County. Cannon Mills Company, with five plants in Concord and two in Kannapolis, produced sheeting, towels, ginghams, madras, novelty dress goods and yarns. Other Concord companies included Brown Manufacturing Company, which made flannels; Hartsell Mills Company, which produced cotton tapestry, rayon draperies, cotton bedspreads and carded yarns; and Locke Cotton Mills Company, which turned out chambray, shirting, dress ginghams and yarns. Several Concord mills produced hosiery and/or hosiery yarn; they were Hoover Hosiery Company, Roberta Manufacturing Company, White-Parks Mills Co

Cabarrus Citizens Escort General Lafayette The Marquis de Lafayette in his later years. Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum. The May 17, 1889 issue of the Concord Times reported the death of Charles Jay Harris on May 13. The son of Dr. Charles Harris who built "Favoni" (the 1791 Harris home in Concord listed in the National Register) and established the first medical school in North Carolina. Charles Jay Harris was a member of the Poplar Tent community and of Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church. He was also the last Cabarrus survivor of the escort to the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) during his 1825 visit to the United States. An invited guest of the United States, Lafayette traveled through the new nation, honored with grand dinners and balls hosted by prominent families and surviving soldiers of the American Revolution. Lafayette, the French nobleman who outfitted and trained American soldiers during the War for Independence at his own expense, was a gene

Using Education Records for Genealogy Research:  1900 N. C. College Alumni List Originally built in 1855, this site was once home to North Carolina  College, a Lutheran College for men that closed in 1902 and later  became Mt. Pleasant Collegiate Institute. Courtesy of the  Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society . Graduation season is upon us. Here we look at how school catalogs can be a valuable resource. North Carolina College, Mount Pleasant, grew out of Western Carolina Male Academy, founded by the Lutheran North Carolina Synod in March 1855. By January 1859, the Academy had expanded and become North Carolina College. First year enrollment in the new college totaled 62 students. Like may Southern schools, the college closed during the Civil War, reopening around 1867. By 1873, enrollment had climbed, but so had the operating deficit. By 1875, North Carolina College had begun a long, slow decline. In 1903, it became Mount Pleasant Collegiate Institute (MPCI) and

Elizabeth Phifer Blackwelder: A Maternal Heroine of the Revolution Headstone of Betsey Phifer Blackwelder,  St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church  Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, NC.  Courtesy of Denise F., www.findagrave.com . This Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day. Throughout history, mothers have played important roles in support of, and in defense of, their homes, families and communities during times of strife. Many of these mostly unsung women have shown remarkable strength, perseverance and devotion in the face of hardship and danger. One such woman was Elizabeth Phifer Blackwelder. Elizabeth (Betsey) Phifer was born on 4 April 1724 in Basel, Switzerland. She grew up to marry Gottlieb Schwarzwalder and traveled with him to America. Upon arrival, her husband and his family Anglicized their name and he became Caleb Blackwelder. They settled in eastern Cabarrus County (then part of Anson) in 1761. The Blackwelders became very active during the American Revol

Concord City Government: History of the Mayor's Office Concord's second Magistrate of Police,  Hezekiah "Kiah" P. Harris. Photo courtesy  of Jerry Buzan. Date unknown. In honor of today's local elections, here we will take a look back at the beginnings of local city government. The North Carolina Legislature of 1826 passed an amended charter providing for the election of 5 freeholders and a Magistrate of Police (title of mayor from 1826-1850). All free white men of Concord met at the county courthouse the first Monday of March for annual elections. Cabarrus historian Judge Clarance Horton has compiled available information from Charlotte and Salisbury newspapers for 1826-1837, but there are no surviving record of the earliest period of Concord city government. Written records of Concord city government begin with Council Minutes of March 13. 1837. Magistrate of Police J. L. Beard took the oath of office and then administered the oath to Commissione

Early Cabarrus Medical Practices: Treating Rabies This 1885 image depicts one of Louis Pasteur's early  rabies treatments.  Harper's Weekly, v.29 (Dec) 1885.  Courtesy of the National Library  of Medicine. Many medical treatments which are commonplace now have been discovered since 1900 and deadly diseases of the 19th century are controllable or curable in this century. One fatal illness which is now preventable (although still incurable) is rabies, a virus which attacks the nervous system of warm-blooded animals and is caused by the bite of an infected animal. Even today, prevention through vaccination is the only sure treatment of this disease. Once rabies is contracted, survival is extremely rare. However, take a look at these two 19th century Cabarrus County cures and consider the chances of surviving either the illness ore the treatment! The 1855 recipe book of Stanly County druggist Charles T. Ridenhouer (who also served many eastern Cabarrus residents) suggests