Sent: Monday, March 31, 2025
10:00 PM
To: Jason Duncan
News
and Upcoming Events – March 31, 2025
Jason
Duncan
Click
the embedded links for more information.
The Mystery of Stokes
and Young Brooks
For
decades, Brooks descendants in Wilkes and Alleghany Counties have shared the
story that Stokes and Young Brooks were half brothers, and that their mother
was Rebecca Brooks who never married. But new
evidence suggests that their mother's name was not Rebecca, and they had a
sister who had seemingly been lost to history. And now we finally have a name for the father
of Young Brooks in Halifax County, Virginia!
At one time, both Brooks brothers lived on Widows Creek in Stone
Mountain.
Read about the new
discoveries in my latest article.
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 history hikes at Stone Mountain,
both at 9am. Registration
for all events will be open soon.
- Stone Mountain
Historical Gravesites Hike: An easy
hike to two cemeteries will be on Thursday, June 5.
- Stone Mountain
History Hike: A more challenging
hike to the Richard Sidden home and cemetery will be on Sunday, June 8.
History
Presentation at Wilkes Heritage Museum
On
Tuesday April 8
at the Wilkes Heritage Museum, I’m giving a presentation about a particular set
of Civil War letters. 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. Click
her for the event flyer.
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.
The address for the Caldwell Heritage Museum is 112 Vaiden St,
Lenoir, NC 28645.
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!
Links
History Videos – last year I made several short videos
about local history stories
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