Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2025
1:59 PM
To: Jason Duncan
Cc: Jason Duncan
Subject: History news and
events - November 28, 2025 - Jason Duncan
News and Upcoming Events – November 28, 2025
Jason
Duncan
webjmd.com for previous
newsletter updates
Click
the embedded links for more information.
The American
Revolution Articles
This
month, as I was watching Ken Burn’s documentary series on The American
Revolution, it led me to think about how certain events were experienced in North
Carolina. I wrote six short articles
that focused on Revolutionary War records from Wilkes and Surry County. Surry County’s Committee of Safety met in
August 1775 to set up a shadow government to bypass the royal government. The May 1778 edition of the North Carolina
Gazette stated that Surry County was expected to provide a militia of 88
men, and Wilkes was to have 35 men ready to go when called upon. Papers kept by then-captain William Lenoir
listed local men who served under his command.
Those articles are on my website at the link above.
I
found a Wilkes court order from the Fall of 1866 about a group of men stealing
corn and bacon from the farm of Sarah McNeil on Lewis Fork. I thought it could tie in with Thanksgiving,
but as it turns out, the story was much more serious. Wesley Milam was also charged with murdering
Sarah’s husband William H. McNeil in 1865.
Milam was held in the Wilkes jail at the same time as Tom Dula who was
also charged with murder. You just never
know what you’ll find as you start researching – and that’s what makes it fun.
Mapping Our History – Presentation
On
Thursday, December 18, at 6pm, I’m giving a presentation at the Elkin Public
Library called "Mapping Our History" where I'll discuss where to find
deeds, how to interpret them, and what they can tell us about our history. Deeds tell us where our ancestors lived, and sometimes
provide clues about what their lives were like.
Deeds reveal the paths of old roads and the names of long-forgotten creeks. We’ll look at several examples of local deeds
that tell us about the history of our community. This program is coordinated by the Yadkin
Valley Museum (aka The
Jonesville History Center).
Everyone is invited to attend.
The flyer is attached.
Links
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Check
out this and previous newsletters
on my website.
Jason
Duncan